History is useless unless you learn from it.
The Otago Nuggets played just one pre-season game last year and paid the price for it with a poor performance in its opening game against the Auckland Pirates.
Fast forward a year and the franchise has opted against playing any pre-season games, despite highlighting it as an area where it needed to lift its game.
In June, Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge stressed the franchise had "to find more pre-season games" .
"If we have to go up north to find them, then we need to look at that, somehow. Hopefully, we can do that," he told the Otago Daily Times.
"The first time we played the Pirates they had already played half a-dozen [pre-season] games ... and they got away from us in the last few minutes. I think that was because they had played together more than we had."
One week out from the Nuggets' opening game in the 2012 campaign, franchise has had to make do without any pre-season games. The team has been training hard, of course, and has had in-house games. But the question remains whether the team is underdone.
Arlidge disagrees. And certainly, with Mark Dickel in the side, it is hard to imagine the squad cutting any corners.
The Nuggets decided against attending a pre-season tournament in Wellington at the weekend.
"With our two imports arriving later than we expected, we thought it was a better idea to stay in camp and work even harder as a unit and that is what we've done," Arlidge said yesterday.
"Two things can come out of pre-season. You can be like the Highlanders and get a whole lot of injuries, or just play all your young guys and they are the guys who aren't going to play much, anyway.
"We've decided to go with the way we have and ... work really hard with the guys."
Arlidge said Dickel's return has had a positive effect on the some of the younger players. The Tall Black point guard has forged an impressive professional and international career through hard work.
"We've noticed a change in attitude. We've Mark we've got a leader who is up front and who pushes himself harder than he does anyone else. It is definitely rubbing off on the guys."
Arlidge said everybody was showing the benefits of working harder, particularly Sam King and Riki Buckrell. King has shed 12kg and Buckrell is looking "in tremendous shape".
"They know that we've put a lot of faith in them for the first half of the season before Leon [Henry] and BJ [Anthony] get here and it is up to them now. The coaching staff have shown them the pathway and what we want them to do and they are all responding."
Most of the names in the Nuggets squad will be familiar.
Import Akeem Wright is new but fans are well acquainted with fellow American Antoine Tisby, who played for the Nuggets in 2008 and 2010.
Breakers duo Henry and Anthony will join the squad when their Australian NBL commitments are complete. Dickel will run the point with Buckrell, King, James Ross and Matt Trueman jostling for starting spots.
Nelson Giants back-up guard Tom Ingham has made the move south. Ethan Carruthers is making the step up from club to representative basketball and veteran Steve Robinson returns to the squad. Tom Allan, Olly Smith and Damon Cleverley will have to press their case from deep on the bench.
Otago Nuggets squad: Mark Dickel, Antoine Tisby, Akeem Wright, BJ Anthony, Leon Henry, Sam King, Riki Buckrell, James Ross, Matt Trueman, Tom Allan, Olly Smith, Damon Cleverley, Steve Robinson, Tom Ingham, Ethan Carruthers.
