Basketball New Zealand

McDonalds Manawatu Jets

Penny Miles, Manawatu Standard
The Manawatu Jets have bucked the trend of economic gloom by securing a major sponsor for the upcoming National Basketball League season.

The Jets are one of just five NBL franchises with a sponsor and the signing comes earlier than last year’s sponsorship agreement and in tougher commercial conditions.

The deal leaves Jets coach Tim McTamney in the enviable position of having money in the bank as he works to fill his team’s roster.

The agreement between McDonald’s Manawatu and the Jets was announced yesterday and came in a week in which NBL franchises Otago and Hawke’s Bay endured much publicised financial struggles.

Neither party in the sponsorship would disclose the dollar value of the deal, but the Manawatu Standard understands a naming rights sponsor would pay around $30,000. The contract was signed for one year.

The basketball links for McDonald’s Manawatu franchise owner-operator Justin Leck were abundantly clear.

Leck’s wife Kelly (nee Raven) was a provincial women’s representative.

“She [Kelly] was a basketballer herself and played for Canterbury and Taranaki,” said Leck, who admitted being a rugby man. .

“We had a minor involvement last year, but there are some sports that need a bit of a go, and locally it’s a good thing to do.

“It’s the big sports like the rugby and netball that get all the money and support, but I think it’s time we shared it all around a little bit more.

“I went to the games last year and they’ve got a good cross-section of people and I liked how they get the crowd involved. It was a lot of fun.”

The Manawatu team will be known as the McDonald’s Manawatu Jets. McDonald’s replaces real estate firm Property Brokers, which was the white knight last year, stepping in when Australian airline OzJet withdrew.

Coach McTamney said his line-up was starting to settle as he shifted his attention to finding imports to fill the small forward and centre- forward positions.

McTamney said last year’s United States import, Keith Davis, might be in the running for the centre- forward role. McTamney wants a forward who can also swing to cover guard.

High scoring US point guard Kantrail Horton will not return to Manawatu.

With Ben Hill, Piers Finch and Aidan Daly already on the team list, Horton’s services would only double up on these players already secured.

McTamney said it was a huge blow that the Otago Nuggets had withdrawn from the league for financial reasons.

“It’s not good for the league in any respect. The last thing that you want to see is a team struggling to that point.”

The Bay Hawks have salvaged their season, according to McTamney.

“A lot of the players they [Hawke's Bay] had signed are still signed. “