The Otago Nuggets are not exactly in a holding pattern.
There is work going on behind the scenes to stitch a team together for the 2025 season.
But all the big decisions are on hold until the franchise can appoint a head coach.
The best guesstimate suggests that will be "in a week or so", Nuggets general manager Angela Ruske said.
"But don’t hold me to that. We're working on players. We've got a few signed, but nothing that we're releasing at this point.
"We need to wait for a head coach announcement first."
Former coach Brent Matehaere was let go last month just before free agency got under way on November 11, so the Nuggets are a little behind some of the other teams in the recruitment process.
But they do have some solid foundations in place in terms of the local roster.
"The majority of our local players are keen to play for the Nuggets again," Ruske said.
"But, obviously, when you come to selecting a roster with those high-end Kiwi players and imports, it's important that the coach has input in that because their coaching and their reputation is also on the line, I guess.
"So that does make it challenging when you don't have that head coach role in to start those discussions.
"And likewise, those top-end players want to know who the coach is and how that coach will impact their game for the future as well.
"So they'd be holding off on a decision in that space as well."
Ruske said the Nuggets were exploring "a number of different options" regarding the head coaching role, but confirmed they were not in discussions with any of the Perth Wildcats coaching staff.
The Nuggets have a tight relationship with the Wildcats, who have sent players and coaches to Dunedin for opportunities in the past three years.
That relationship is set to continue despite a change in the ownership structure at the Wildcats, Ruske said.
While the Nuggets fans wait to see who will lead the team in 2025, Ruske has been busy sorting travel plans and revealed there will be a change to the pricing structure.
Ticket prices will actually drop. Children up to 16 get free entry and general admission will drop from $20 to $15.
While ticket sales were down from the previous season, they were better than expected given some tricky time slots and scheduling clashes.
