Basketball New Zealand

Basketball New Zealand CEO Dale Stephens has urged all involved to “pull their socks up” in regard to the Dominion Finance National Basketball League.

Stephens – who took over as CEO last month – met with franchise representatives John Davey, Waikato Pistons general manager, and Harbour Basketball CEO John Hunt and BBNZ representatives in Auckland yesterday to iron out concerns about direction and leadership of the NBL.

“It was agreed by all that there have been inconsistent communications on all sides and that we all could have done a number of things better,” Stephens said.

“We all have to take responsibility and we all need to pull our socks up, including us.

“All parties need to be held more strongly to account for their own areas of responsibility and concessions for slack practices will come to an end as we work toward making the Dominion Finance NBL the premiere league it needs to be.”

The meeting was attended by Stephens, Davey, Hunt, BBNZ marketing coordinator Cathy Gamba, NBL judicial commissioner Colin Tilley and NBL Limited chairman Stephen Layburn.

“It was a very constructive meeting and there was certainly a lot of goodwill from everyone and it provides for improvements to be made to the NBL in the future, some fairly important changes,” Davey said.

“From a team’s point of view, we were happy with the meeting and the outcomes that came from it.”

Stephens, who will prepare a project plan for the representatives by the end of March, said the target should be to improve the whole NBL format and delivery from the 2009 season on.

BBNZ, NBL and franchises will meet again in late July-early August, with it planned to confirm the 2009 draw, marketing plan, participation agreements and budgets at that meeting. Each representative at Thursday’s meeting will have an area to research before the mid-Winter meeting.