With the NBL1 South season little over a month away, preparations are getting serious for both Mount Gambier Pioneers sides, which will be in action during a huge weekend of basketball.
Millicent’s Peter Seebohm Stadium will be the place to be as the Pioneers men and women play a pair of intense demonstration games against Woodville with tip off from 6.30pm tomorrow night.
For the Castec Rural Mount Gambier Pioneers men’s team, the doubleheader will be its first chance to jump onto the court in anger since the 2021 season was cut short by COVID-19 in July.
The Warriors’ clash will bring an end to a 248-day wait for the Mount Gambier side captained by Tom Daly and coached by Richard Hill.
The outfit has been busy on the training track and recruiting table to get the playing list in a position to attack.
But it has not been easy with Duom Dawam departing and imports proving harder to find.
However, Mount Gambier finally managed to land a big international name last month in Mark St. Fort.
Hill will be hoping the signing opens the door for other imports to land on the Pioneers’ team sheet which includes familiar faces Daly, Erik Burdon, Kane de Wit and Tom Kubank, while Michael Harris has been brought down from Adelaide.
Nick Marshall is also penned to play this year, but will not be in action this weekend as he focuses on his Adelaide 36ers and Australian Boomers commitments.
Although the side has been training for months, the doubleheader will be the first true sign if the Pioneers have made any progress ahead what will hopefully be their first full season since 2019.
The OneFortyOne Pioneers women have already played a pair of practice games against Forestville recording a win and a loss at the Ice House last month.
Head coach Matt Sutton will be looking to take preparations to a new level this weekend against the NBL1 Central side.
All eyes will be on former Millicent Magic players Jasmin Howe and Emily Winter, who will return to the courts of their youth wearing the Pioneers and Warriors’ jumpers respectively.
