Josh Aitcheson will have to juggle a fulltime job and study to play for the Nuggets this season.
The 24-year has re-signed with the Nuggets, and it was a pretty easy decision despite the hectic schedule ahead.
The Dunedin accountant helped the Nuggets win the NBL title last season. He was also part of the NBL Showdown title win in 2020.
It has been a heady few years for the team and Aitcheson is dead keen to contribute to, hopefully, another successful campaign.
He waited longer than most to play for his home team.
The Nuggets ran into financial trouble and spent five seasons out of the league before returning in 2020.
There was no pathway in the city for players like Aitcheson and he tried his luck elsewhere.
But after short stints with the Southland Sharks and Canterbury Rams, the Nuggets re-emerged and Aitcheson was able to play for the team he grew up watching.
"Growing up, I always went to the Nuggets’ games and had dreamed of playing for them," he said.
"Then pretty much just as I was getting to that age and was ready to start giving it a crack, they [pulled out] and I had to go to a couple of different cities.
"But I always wanted to come back and play for the Nuggets and be able to play in front of a home crowd."
This year, there is an added incentive. The team will raise the championship banner before its opening game of the season against the Manawatu Jets and the plan is to hold on to it for another season.
Aitcheson, who is studying to become a chartered accountant and is working at Deloitte, said it would be a "tricky balance".
"Deloitte are pretty good at giving me time off to play and head away for games."
But he has assignments and tests to do as well to gain his qualification, so there is plenty happening.
Aitcheson will be joined by guards Matthew Bardsley, Darcy Knox and Joe Ahie.
The trio have also re-signed for the Nuggets.
"The bench mob is back together, so it is good to have all the locals back together."
Aitcheson may have a bigger role to play for the Nuggets this season depending on the final look of the roster.
American forward Todd Withers and Tall Blacks guard Nikau McCullough gobbled up a lot of the opportunities to shoot three-pointers, but that is an area of Aitcheson’s game where he believes he can contribute more.
He also really enjoys the 3x3 format and wants to continued to develop in that version of the game.
With Aitcheson, Bardsley, Knox and Ahie back this season, and centres Sam Timmins and Jack Andrew having previously signed, the Nuggets now have six confirmed players for 2023.
