Moment of truth arrives for Australian basketball

Senior basketball administrator Scott Derwin hopes a late TV deal will prove an ace up his sleeve when the sport takes the most crucial vote in its history in Sydney this weekend.

Basketball Australia’s state associations and owners of the NBL’s 11 clubs will vote on reform recommendations to merge the two organisations into one national body similar to Cricket Australia.

For the the vote to be carried, its needs the support of 12 or more of the 16 BA votes cast and nine of the 11 NBL clubs.

Derwin, the chief executive officer of Basketball Australia, said pay-TV broadcaster Fox Sports had weighed in with an offer to televise every basketball game live from 2009-10 provided the merger was successful.

“(Fox Sports) are very excited about the prospect of a reformed sport and a reformed body and they’ve put a very, very good offer on the table if the vote gets carried.

“The offer is about covering all of the games in the new national league and also televising Boomers and Opals games so it’s a magnificent offer.

“Their opinion of the way the sport is structured at the moment is that it’s completely flawed, they’re not at all excited by the current model.

“We only advised all the stakeholders last night about the Fox offer because it’s only come to fruition the last few days but you would hope that would excite them, especially the owners.

“You would hope that offer would get the vote across the line.

“The alternative is to keep going the way we’ve been going and I doubt anyone in their right mind would agree to that.

“Fox is only televising one game a week, an indication of what they think about the current league; sponsors have walked away and generally fans aren’t coming in the numbers we need.

“You would think those things would convince most people we need reform.”

Derwin said with 75 per cent support required, the vote was “touch and go”.

He said there was no doubt basketball at the top end with the NBL, Boomers and Opals had not be doing well for some years.

“There’s been a very fractured relationship between the basketball community, the grass roots and the elite end and this is all about reconnecting those two ends and getting the people who love the sport to go and watch it.

“Basketball is very healthy at the grass roots, lots of kids play it.

“But certainly at the top end this could be a vote for its survival.

“Most people realise a good NBL is the showcase of the sport.

“This is one of those moments in time for the sport that comes along once in a lifetime so it’s critical we get it across the line on Saturday.”

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