Fond memories exist from the glory days of the Cannons at ‘the Palace’. Photo: Supplied.
In the dying days of the Canberra Cannons in the 2002-2003 NBL season, there was little semblance of a united club.
The Cannons’ financial woes were well documented, resulting in the club struggling to keep players, and there was a revolving door of personnel.
From the outside, it was chaotic, to say the least.
Cal Bruton started the season with the joint roles of CEO and head coach. In February 2003, he handed over the coaching reigns to his assistant, Lloyd Klaman.
This was done to allow Bruton more time to raise funds to keep the club afloat, which seemed to be a week-to-week proposition.
The Cannons might have folded more than 20 years ago, but memories are still fresh for many who witnessed the implosion. Photo: Supplied.
With injuries and players leaving midway through the season and with talk of pay cuts, retired players Butch Hays and James Crawford came to the rescue, albeit well beyond their prime.
Forty-year-old Willie Simmons played eight games that season.
Despite the efforts of these and others who were committed to the club, all did not end well.
This was shattering for many in Canberra as memories of a packed-out Palace were still fresh.
The Cannons were relocated to Newcastle before that venture folded and the licence ended up in Singapore.
I provide this brief snapshot of the dying days of Canberra’s last season in the NBL as a backdrop to the current context. In between, there have been a number of attempts over the past two decades to revive the team, only to disappear without a trace.
NBL teams such as the Illawarra Hawks have tentatively tested the Canberra market, playing games at the AIS Arena.
With the Arena now refurbished, it is a far more attractive proposition for the NBL.
League owner Larry Kestelman has resurrected the idea of awarding a licence to Canberra following talks with the ACT Government.
As with most sports leagues these days, government support appears to be crucial, as we have seen with the Brumbies, the Raiders, the Capitals, GWS and Canberra United.
I’ve no doubt there is interest in the NBL in Canberra. Participation rates have gone through the roof in basketball. Also, the Capitals have a solid supporter base.
However, for an NBL licence to be awarded, corporate support and government backing must be required.
There needs to be evidence that it will be sustainable in order to instil confidence in the community that the team will be here for the long term and not wither away as we witnessed with the original Cannons.
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