NBL1 Central 2024: New homes, fresh starts

Teammates will become enemies and friends will become foes when the NBL1 Central season tips off this weekend.

There have been several off-season moves within the NBL1 Central league with new coaches for clubs and exciting player movements.

Michael Lake will get his opportunity to lead a team in his own right when he takes the reigns of Southern Tigers for the NBL1 Central men’s season, which starts on Saturday night.

The Adelaide 36ers assistant and development coach said the opportunity to build his own roster and implement his style of play has been exciting.

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“To come in and run my own team is exciting, there will be a lot of concepts from the 36ers but complementing that to fit with the group we recruited,” Lake said.

“There will be some highlights at both ends of the floor.”

Lake will be up against a familiar face when the Tigers travel to Mitchell Park to play South Adelaide this Saturday night with the Panthers now coached by fellow Adelaide 36ers assistant coach Graham Kubank.

Kubank, who has been assistant to the now Adelaide 36ers head coach Scott Ninnis at the Panthers for the past two seasons, stepped up into the head coach role after Ninnis was signed to lead Adelaide for the next two NBL seasons last month.

“We have an interrupted pre-season and I expect Southern Tigers to be vastly improved under Lakey,” Kubank said.

“This is a work in progress, but we have a core group of guys who are coming back.”

The Panthers will again be headlined by Adelaide 36ers Alex Starling and Kubank is excited to see what the power forward can bring to his Panthers line-up after his first season in the NBL.

“Alex showed he can play at the next level, and he will be out to prove himself again this NBL1 season,” Kubank said.

Southern has brought in Adelaide 36ers development player Harvey White to run the point guard this season, and Lake is excited to see what White can bring to his new-look roster.

“Harvey was a priority signing for us after watching him flourish against NBL talent for the past six months,” Lake said.

“If you told me I’d sign a teenager to run my point guard spot, I’d say you’d be crazy. But after seeing him take it to the likes of Mitch McCarron, Trey Kell and Jason Cadee, it was a no brainer for me.”

NBL24 injury replacement player Jacob Rigoni is back at Sturt this season as the Sabres look to build on their preliminary final exit to eventual champion West Adelaide in 2023.

Several Adelaide 36ers training players will also feature in the 2024 NBL1 Central men’s season, headlined by Koop McCalop and Durrell McDonald returning to North Adelaide Rockets.

Uche Dimiamaka has joined Forestville Eagles and will be joined by NBL23 Development Player Fiston Ipassou, who has returned from US College.

Jack Stanwix is back at Norwood Flames, while Tom Kubank and Curtis Scott will join Starling at the Panthers.