Today's pre-season blitz will get Dunedin club basketball under way.
Open to both local and and out-of-town teams, the tournament will be held at the Edgar Centre and gives teams a chance to run against each other a week before the season opens.
Local clubs the St Kilda Saints, City Rise Bombers, Andersons Bay Falcons and Otago Boys’ High School have entered teams.
A team is travelling from Wakatipu and a put-together team known as the Chiefs will also enter.
The Saints, Otago Boys’ and Wakatipu make up one pool, while the other three teams are the second pool.
There will then be direct crossover playoffs, and the two pool winners will meet in the final at 3.30pm.
Games will be played with running-clock 10-minute quarters.
However the clock is to stop for time-outs, free throws and on whistles in the final two minutes of each quarter.
St Kilda is coming off its third consecutive championship last year and will be one of the favourites today.
It has its full team available and has the dominant player in the league in recent years, former Nugget James Ross, at point guard.
He will form a dangerous combination with fellow former Nugget Matt Gillan, while Liam Aston and Damon Cleverly are both proven at the level.
Wakatipu showed it could be a threat at the 3x3 tournament in the Octagon this year.
Its team, which included former Falcons guard Callum O’Connell and former NBL player Ashton McQueen, nearly pipped the three-time champion $quidies for the title.
Otago Boys’ will be under-strength, but the availability of forward Tai Porima-Flavell is a boost.
The Bombers have lost key players from last year, but will have the full-time services of Olly Smith available.
Having opted to withdraw from the Southland Sharks, Smith brings back the experience of playing at a higher level and is a knockdown shooter.
The Chiefs represent an unknown quantity, although they are led by Mid City Magic and former Nuggets guard Micah Lepaio.
He brings plenty of strength and gets to the hoop well, while also having the ability to shoot from the outside.
The Falcons are likely to threaten inside, with Otago duo Matt Bazsika and Alex Yarnall filling the big spots.
Games begin at 9am and are scheduled to start every 90 minutes.All games are to be played on courts one and three.
