THE signing of player/coach, American Lonnie Funderburke could be the catalyst to Taree Basketball returning to the State League next year.
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Funderburke has agreed to work for the Taree Tornadoes for at least two years. He has been in Taree for a month after previously playing in Brisbane. He is already heavily involved in coaching the association’s burgeoning junior ranks.
Taree Tornadoes secretary Steve Atkins is confident Taree will be in a position to enter the State League in 2019. He said this will provide a pathway for the Tornadoes juniors and he is confident there are sufficient players numbers of the required ability in the area to sustain a State League squad.
“We’ll be putting feelers out to Forster and Gloucester as well as Taree to play in the State League,’’ Mr Atkins said from Malaysia, where he is on business.
“We’ll have Lonnie as our captain-coach and I don’t think getting the players will be a problem.’’
Taree Basketball hasn’t played at State League-level for more than 20 years, The association was first involved in the late 1980s when American Aldray Gibson was imported as a player-coach. Taree continued with the policy of signing American basketballers into the early 1990s, playing in men’s and women’s State competitions, where home games attracted sellout crowds. However rising costs saw Taree eventually withdraw.
Mr Atkins said he has contacted Basketball NSW about the possibility of returning to the State League and he said the response has been positive.
“There are differing levels to the State League and I’m not sure one the one we'd enter,’’ he said.
He expects Taree would be grouped with teams from Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth.
Mr Atkins assured Taree’s headquarters, Saxby's Stadium at Taree Recreation Centre, will be adequate to host fixtures.
“We might have to do a few modifications but it will be right,’’ he said.
Mr Atkins said there’s a longer term plan to enter a women’s side in the State Youth League, an under 21 competition, possibly in 2020..
Taree Basketball has an application before the State government to fund a major refurbishment of the stadium.
