There’s a sense of excitement for Keilor Thunder as it prepares for the start of the new era in the National Basketball League 1 South season.
With Ash Arnott as coach and a very different looking line up, the Thunder enter their fourth season in the competition as an unknown.
Arnott said they were pretty excited to get out there on the court.
“We started about September I believe or early October with a good core of the group,” he said.
“Just building into a practice match against an Indonesian touring team that came out and we’ve been together since then, been building some strong foundations.
“We actually got our last player in today [Sunday] from America, Chris Harris [Junior] to join us, so we have the full squad.
“There is excitement around the group.”
Arnott said they had four players left from last season while there’s still a number of youth players around the group.
He said they really looked at the character of the players they were looking to bring in and they were already seeing that at training.
“We’ve definitely seen it out on the floor in terms of the way we train and the work ethic and the high character values that we were really searching for,” he said.
“We’re seeing how that has now evolved from training to training, now also around the club, we’re really excited.”
Among something the club searched for when putting its squad together was trying to bring in some players who were connected to the west.
“Everyone is out west,” he said. “We’re really excited about the players that we have put together.”
Two of the Thunder’s two imports have joined the side in recent days, with Magnus Richards also arriving in Australia.
Harris has been a semi pro for the past six years and has players in Europe and Mexico.
Arnott said he will bring height to the side.
“The minute he looked through the door, everyone was looking up,” he said. “He’s a really big man and we’re excited to have that presence in the key and he’s a good person as well.”
Arnott said they were comfortable heading into the season as an unknown. As well as having a new side, they are yet to make finals since joining the competition.
“I think some of the players that we have bought in are some hidden gems,” he said. “So we are excited to give them the platform here, see what they can do.
“Some new names, myself as a new coach; people have put us to the side, which is okay with us.
“We’re just going to go about our business, the way we think we need to build to be a force in this league.”
The Thunder started its season splitting its results.
On Saturday night it beat the Diamond Valley Eagles 97-82, before falling to the Mt Gambier Pioneers on Sunday, 100-76.
