The last dance.
The dance of the desperates.
Which ball will it be for the Otago Nuggets?
The 2022 champions were the Cinderella story of the league that year.
They had returned from the wilderness to win the 2020 Showdown after five seasons on the sideline.
That title always came with an asterisk. It was the Covid season. The entire campaign was played in Auckland and the top three teams were missing.
But 2022 was legitimacy. And it was a result that was hard to imagine at the end of 2014.
The Nuggets were forced to pull out of the league due to financial concerns and all attempts to revive the franchise fell flat until Covid provided a pathway back.
But that glorious narrative may well unravel.
They are in trouble again. Their Australian owners, SEN Teams, have announced they will ditch the team at the end of the season.
Unless the Nuggets can find a backer with deep pockets, they face another potentially lengthy stint on the sideline.
It is a horror scenario for the fan base, who have endured so much.
It is a nightmare for the people who have worked so hard behind the scenes to keep the team on the court.
And it is an awful lot to heap on the shoulders of the 2025 playing roster. An awful lot.
But there it is. That is what they are playing for. Not glory. Not a title. But for survival.
It is time to sparkle and shine and play an attractive brand of basketball that will reel in the sponsors and a new owner.
And that could be tough.
There have been some significant changes to the personnel.
Experienced coach Mike Kelly has replaced Brent Matehaere in the hot seat.
He came in late. Too late for comfort, really.
There had been a lot of recruitment happening in the void between Matehaere being let go and Kelly signing on. Some of the best New Zealand players had committed elsewhere.
There is also a nagging suspicion SEN Teams are not funding the programme to the level it would need to be resourced to challenge for a banner.
Time will tell how good the import duo of Jose Perez and Don Carey jun are.
Carey arrived on Wednesday. Perez arrived earlier but he looks out of shape.
He dropped in 35 points in a preseason game, so he can play even if his fitness is questionable.
The Nuggets are still looking for a third import. That player will have to fill the paint because the Nuggets do not have a lot of size.
The import trio will be key to the success or failure of the side.
They replace Ben Henshall, Kimani Lawrence and Zaccheus Darko-Kelly.
The Nuggets have also lost the services of Dontae Russo-Nance (Manawatū Jets), Jack Andrew (Taranaki Airs), Robbie Coman (Melbourne) and Tai Webster (rumoured to be joining the Jets).
Jono Janssen, Mac Stodart (Rams) and Christian Martin (Bulls) will fill some of those slots.
The local trio of Matthew Bardsley, Josh Aitcheson and Darcy Knox are all closing in on 100 games for the franchise. They are the heart and soul of the team and will give it their all again.
They were emerging during the Nuggets’ five-season absence and know, more than most, just how much is at stake.
You have to have a flagship team in place to provide a pathway.
The Nuggets open their campaign against the Southland Sharks in Dunedin tonight.
The fixture has become a colourful derby but it clashes with Highlanders-Hurricanes game in Dunedin, so it is not great timing.
And based on the results of the NBL’s preseason tournament, it could be a challenging evening for the home side.
The Nuggets lost 86-74 to the Taranaki Airs and were edged 83-82 by the Hawke’s Bay Hawks.
Perez starred against the Hawks, so we know he can score. He barged his way to the basket all night.
Kelly had a reputation as a quality defender during his playing days and fans can expect high standards in that area.
A cold analysis of his playing stocks compared to the leading sides in the league suggests they will battle to make the playoffs.
But the Nuggets have surprised before. No-one was picking them in 2022.
That banner is hanging from the wall at the Edgar Centre. It serves as a constant reminder that they have battled the odds before and emerged victorious.
