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Southland are believed to be hunting the prized signature of former Tall Black forward Dillon Boucher.

Last week, Southland were awarded a three-year licence to compete in the men's national basketball league for the first time and The Southland Times understands they are pursuing Boucher, who plays for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL.

The 33-year-old has won a record eight national league titles with Auckland and Waikato and is still regarded as one of the best basketballers in the country. He played more than 100 matches for the Tall Blacks between 1999 and 2007 before retiring from international basketball.

Boucher would be an excellent signing for a new franchise like Southland. He regularly leads the New Zealand league in steals, blocks, assists and rebounds and has the ability to make his team-mates better with his leadership, passion and all-round commitment.

In the past week, Nelson Giants head coach Chris Tupu and four-time national league-winning coach Jeff Green have both said they would build their franchise around Boucher if they were starting a side from scratch, like Southland.

Southland Basketball's Richard Dickel was not giving much away yesterday but said it had to secure the necessary funding to compete in the national league first, before offering players contracts.

Boucher told The Southland Times last week that Southland was a possibility for next year if he was approached by the franchise.

"I'm always open to suggestions," he said.

Boucher has played in the national league since he was 17 and was part of the historic Tall Blacks side that finished fourth at the 2002 world championships in Indianapolis. He said he had no plans to hang up his sneakers any time soon, with his body still in optimum condition.