Time-out for local pro b’ball

Hold all tickets.

The whistle’s been blown on plans for a Queenstown basketball franchise to take the court next year.

Early last year, the National Basketball League (NBL) approved a consortium’s bid for a Queenstown pro team to join the televised league in 2024.

The bid was dependent, however, on Queenstown’s council making improvements to the existing Events Centre — principally, providing seating for up to 2000 spectators.

Council sport and recreation manager Simon Battrick says they looked at ‘‘a whole lot of options’’, but struggled to fit 2000 seats into the present facility.

‘‘We could probably do it, but the pack-in and pack-out time would impact on local sport, which was not going to be ideal.’’

He estimates the cost for seating, as well as new backboards and a score clock, would have been $1 million when, at the same time, council’s been planning a new four-court facility beside the current stadium.

When he put the temporary plan to his exec team, he says their view was to hold fire till that new facility was built — ‘‘knowing our current financial constraints, probably a good call at the time’’.

Former Tall Black Chris Simpson, who’s fronting the consortium, says they were ‘‘obviously disappointed’’ they couldn’t get the ball rolling next year.

However, he stresses they completely understand the council’s position.

‘‘Ultimately, having a completed, fully-finished, developed stadium’s going to be a much better way to launch the team anyway, than having sort of temporary infrastructure for next year.

‘‘You’ve got to be positive about it, the opportunity to enter with a brand-new stadium will be pretty exciting anyway, as long as the NBL still want us in a couple of years’ time.’’

The NBL, he notes, had been keen to see a Queenstown team, given the area’s location and growing population.

‘‘This is a long-term situation for us and the NBL — a lot of these teams have been in the league for 30 years.’’

Battrick says they’re about to go to tender for the design of the new building, with the hope construction can begin about July next year, at an estimated cost of $25m to $30m — it’ll probably also include squash courts and space for the likes of gymnastics and dance tuition.

Construction would take at least 18 months, with the stadium probably not ready till late 2026.

Battrick says it also gives the consortium “a good opportunity to actually have some input into it as well, to make sure it functions well for them”.

He’s hopeful it could also host Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns internationals.

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