THE National Basketball League (NBL) has officially arrived, with the Blitz preseason tournament set to begin on the Gold Coast tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although there have been some other exhibition matches to take place over the past couple of weeks, the Blitz offers a true look at all 10 teams ahead of the Hoopsfest in a couple of weeks time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the span of seven days, the Blitz will take place in Queensland, and each side will be able to showcase their new-look teams that have been constructed over the off-season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some teams will be hitting the court for the first time, while others will be continuing to fine tune the areas of their game they have shown throughout the preseason matches that have already taken place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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When?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The NBL Blitz will take place from Saturday, September 7th through to Saturday, September 14th, with most days hosting two matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Where?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The NBL Blitz will be held on the Gold Coast, with matches set to take place at either Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre or Carrara Indoor Sports Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n What to watch for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several key factors to keep an eye out for at the Blitz, with the tournament set to give fans and pundits a better look at how the 2024\/25 season is shaping up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each team has their own storyline and amount of intrigue heading into the regular season, and after last year delivered the most exciting season to date, the excitement surrounding this fixture is enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly, the Blitz will see a first look at the reigning champions in the Tasmania JackJumpers<\/a>, as they have not played a preseason game since their initial hitout against the Adelaide 36ers<\/a> was cancelled due to poor weather affecting the latter’s flight. The JackJumpers defeated Melbourne United<\/a> in the Championship Series in March, and will be looking to back to back in the upcoming fixture. Although they retained most of their list, the loss of Jack McVeigh<\/a> hurts, and in a year where most other sides made considerable moves, the Blitz will be an indicator of whether or not Tasmania has what it takes to go around again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of the 36ers, they have spent the off-season changing coaches quite close to the season start date, but also building an exciting starting five of Kendric Davis<\/strong>, Dejan Vasiljevic<\/a>, Sunday Dech<\/a>, Jarell Martin<\/a> and Isaac Humphries<\/a>. It rivals the best in the business, and will launch Adelaide into finals contention despite a disappointing campaign last season. Their preseason win over the in-form Brisbane Bullets<\/a> showed how exciting Davis will be, and he will get the opportunity to test himself against the best point guards in the NBL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, another glimpse of the Sydney Kings<\/a> should make for interesting viewing, given how dominant they are expected to be. The Kings acquired the NBL’s best ever coach in Brian Goor<\/em><\/strong>jian<\/strong><\/em> and added some high-quality talent, including former Most Valuable Player Xavier Cooks<\/a>. They are the overwhelming title favourite, and showed why they have this standing with a 44-point win over the New Zealand Breakers<\/a>. Sydney will get to showcase its talent again at the Blitz in what should be an exciting display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n