Basketball New Zealand

Canterbury Rams

The Press
Canterbury Rams basketball franchise owner John Watson said he would be amazed if it did not field a team in next season’s league, breathing new life into what seemed a doomed team.

Watson said provided talks in Wellington between the national league board and Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) went as he believed they should, the Rams would enter a team next season despite losing naming rights sponsor Marley and coach Bert Knops in the past month.

However, it appears Canterbury Basketball, which had a third year left to run on its management contract with the team next season, will not be running the side.

“They have indicated they do not want to do that despite being contractually obliged to do so. I am still thinking through what to do about that breach of contract,” Watson said from western New York where he now lectures in marketing at St Bonaventure University.

Watson said the issue of Canterbury Basketball failing to fulfil its contract was separate to whether a team would be entered in next season’s league.

The deadline for entries to next season’s league, which starts in March, plus the initial fee of $5000 is today. Two other teams, Otago and Hawkes Bay, are also known to be struggling to make the first payment, for what has been a 10-team league in recent seasons.

Watson was reluctant to outline the issues he expects BBNZ to clarify regarding next season’s league until he hears the outcome of the meetings.

A six-man national league board was established in October to operate the league under licence from BBNZ, which will still run the league’s administration. It included three representatives from the franchises plus Barry Wilson (BBNZ representative), John Fellett, Sky chief executive, and Sam Rossiter-Stead, Wellington Rugby’s communications manager, as independents.

Watson said while it was easy to find people who were enthusiastic it was much harder to find people with the expertise to make it work. “There don’t seem to be many people with the business acumen to get the job done.”