New Basketball New Zealand chief executive officer Tim Hamilton is meant to be neutral but declared his hand while on a brief trip to Dunedin yesterday.
Hamilton told the Otago Daily Times he was "delighted" at the Nuggets' revival and wished the franchise well.
"I'm delighted from a personal perspective," Hamilton said.
"Having lived here and having some roots here, I know how important it is to have a team from Otago represented at the national level."
After 18 years, the Nuggets dropped out of the National Basketball League this season, citing a lack of financial support.
But the basketball community rallied behind the team and with the help of a major naming sponsor, in OceanaGold, the Nuggets will re-enter the league next year.
"It is tough out there at the moment and it is not necessarily getting any easier.
"[The Nuggets] provide a pathway and opportunities for players in this region and that is important.
If that is missing from a significant area like Otago then it is not positive for the sport."
Hamilton spent 10 years working with corporate businesses but the 41-year-old's passion was sport.
He did a diploma in sport management through Massey University and grabbed opportunities as they presented themselves.
He had stints as chief executive of the Wanganui and Northland rugby unions and, until recently, was the regional manager for Netball North.
Hamilton was born in Wellington but his father is from Oamaru and he spent four years in Dunedin, where he attended Balmacewen Intermediate School and Otago Boys High School.
But not everyone is as enthusiastic about the Nuggets' re-entry and the expansion of the league from nine teams in 2009 to 11 teams in 2010.
Wellington Saints owner Nick Mills has been an outspoken critic of the Nuggets and believes expanding the league to include two more teams is economically unsustainable.
Hamitlon, who only took over the reins in mid-November, was reluctant to comment about the viability of the expanded league.
"After eight weeks in the job I haven't seen it run.
But based on what I've seen, they did very well last year and they would be very happy with the success off the court as well as on the court."
BBNZ has handed over the control of the NBL to the franchises for the next three years and it is up to the teams to promote and run the league.
BBNZ, though, remains the 100% owner.
Southland's bid to enter the league in 2010 was accepted earlier this year.
But the Southland Basketball Association is expected to make an announcement today about the new franchise's future.
Whether that is unveiling a sponsor or pulling out of the league is unclear.
Meanwhile, the Otago Daily Times understands the Nuggets have approached Americans Antoine Tisby and Brian Wethers to play for the franchise next season.
Tisby, a 2.04m centre, played for the Nuggets in 2008 and is a solid low-post player and excellent defender.
Wethers, a shooting guard, played for the Hunter Pirates in the 2004-05 Australian National Basketball League and was named the MVP.
The shooting guard has also played for the New Zealand Breakers and the Waikato Pistons.
A source said the Nuggets would love to sign both players but other teams were also interested in the pair's talents.
Basketball Otago chief executive Mark Rogers said the Nuggets expected to make an announcement regarding imports in the New Year.
