MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy’s View from Downunder) – It was great to hear NBL GM Jeremy Loeliger talk about the league’s plans to make it easier for Australia’s NBA stars to return here once their days in The Show are done.

Some people criticised him because there wasn’t a lot detail, but I say why not let your fans know what you’re working on and give them some updates along the way?

In a way it summarises the way the new NBL HQ operates – aim big, talk the talk, achieve plenty, admit when things can be done better, and make changes where needed. It gives fans genuine reason for optimism.

The league has already done a good job of bringing players back from Europe – Chris Goulding, Kirk Penney, Nate Jawai, Kevin Lisch and AJ Ogilvy all arriving back this year – and while retaining them should be a key priority, why not take aim at our NBA players when they become available?

There’s another side of that coin too. Two weeks ago I wrote my thoughts on the idea of allowing clubs three imports. My main objection to the idea was it would rob locals of professional jobs while, given the budgets most clubs would have available, not bring in imports who would attract fans.

We’ve seen in recent years that ex-NBA players don’t necessarily make an impact on crowds, let alone third-choice Americans.

I think a great alternative would be for the NBL to invest in our next crop of NBA players or European stars – a long-term view rather than a short-term one – while their careers are in their infancy.

If you go to an AFL underage national championship the ground is crawling with middle-age men with clipboards taking notes on behalf of their draftee-hungry clubs.

If you go to the basketball equivalent, NBL clubs are barely represented. One head coach of the AIS told me he rarely received a phone call from NBL coaches asking about his players, the nation’s best young talent.

It’s time we made a serious play at keeping those guys in the country. It's in the best interests of the NBL and Basketball Australia to raise the profile of the sport here and create a more direct link from juniors to the highest level.

Think about the local players who have generated some of the most excitement in the NBL – Sam Mackinnon, Matt Nielsen, Brad Newley, Nate Jawai, Joe Ingles – the buzz came from talented young stars bursting onto the scene and making their mark.

Granted, it is harder for young players to make the same mark today in an intense eight-team competition, but the league is growing and our best youngsters will find a way.

A friend suggested to me an annual draft for the best youngsters and college talent. Each team has one pick, and there is a set contract for each position in the draft, with part of it paid by the club and part by the NBL.

If a player wants to play for his hometown club there can be set trade rules to enable that to happen.

His idea was to make the NBL an attractive financial option for our best young players, who can’t always demand high dollars on the open market. European teams invest good money in the best juniors, our clubs need a little bit of league help to do the same.

Whether the draft is the best method to get these guys into the league I’m not sure, there are logistics to think through, but it’s the creative thinking we need.

Some would say all our best youngsters want to go to college, but that’s a situation that has been created by the lack of opportunities and lack of interest from NBL clubs.

Can this trend be turned around? Well, if this NBL administration can get every game on TV, add an array of sponsors, get mainstream media talking basketball again and now look at getting NBA stars to make the NBL their next stop, I’m pretty sure they can achieve this.

The sell of the NBL is pretty attractive these days – huge social media presence, big TV presence, quality competition, many of Australia and New Zealand’s best players here, the chance to play for the national team during in-season qualifiers.

If only that could have been presented to the likes of Isaac Humphreys, Dante Exum, Matthew Dellavedova, Cam Bairstow, Ben Simmons, Willie McDowell-White, Anthony Drmic, Ryan Broekhoff.

These are some of the most exciting juniors of recent times. Had this NBL admin been in charge could they have got them all? Probably not. Would it have been good to get some of them to start their careers here? Absolutely.

Put simply, there are plenty of bright lights around the league at the moment and that is what attracts good players. There is also the fact that NBA teams are taking notice now, with a dozen NBL players moving to the NBA, summer leagues or pre-season spots in recent years.

So I guess my point is let’s get our best back from Europe and the NBA, but let’s also get our best youngsters playing here before they head to those shores. The excitement they bring and the increased likelihood of them coming back will be worth it.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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