A message from Sydney Kings CEO Chris Pongrass

Dear members,
 
In just a few short weeks the moment we have all been longing for will become a reality.

On December 5, we will be able to come together as one again at Qudos Bank Arena and support your Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings against our old foes Melbourne United and their NBA star signing, Matthew Dellavedova. We couldn’t have asked for a better opening to the season.
 
On top of that, we have an exciting, young new squad under the tutelage of a coach with an incredible international basketball pedigree. We are excited and we already know you are.
 
TO VIEW OUR MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS CLICK HERE

We saw an incredible reaction to the schedule release. The response showed us the passion and thirst for live basketball was shared by our fans. We sold over 1200 memberships in just 48 hours, an unrivalled response in the club’s history. For us, all this heralds an end to the long wait we have all had to endure.   
 
We cannot thank you enough for your patience and continued support. With that in mind, we thought we’d give you an insight to what has been keeping us busy in the off-season.


NBL22 Preparations
 
After a COVID interrupted pre-season, the league announced a schedule last week which will see a feast of basketball coming to Qudos Bank Arena. There are plenty of highlights in the schedule from a game just before Christmas against the new Tasmanian JackJumpers, a Boxing Day bonanza, and a minimum of six doubleheaders with our WNBL club, the Brydens Sydney Uni Flames.

TO VIEW THE TEAM SCHEDULE CLICK HERE

What we know now is we will be able to enjoy more freedoms in NSW. We will be able to get back to our homecourt and reconnect with our fans. We are not yet sure exactly what restrictions or protocols NSW Health may impose on venue capacity. We will continue to work with the venue and communicate directly with our members and fans should any restrictions be in place by the time our first home game arrives.

While we want to maximise the number of Kings fans that can attend our games, the health and safety of our players, staff, members, and the general public is paramount. We will ensure all necessary precautions are taken to create a safe environment. The next few months will see us continue to work through these things to ensure we can all return to watching basketball as soon as possible, in a COVID-safe way.
 

Roster Update
 
Where do we start? If we look back to July when Free Agency tipped off, we had a tremendously successful period where we were able to lock down an exciting new young roster, as well as retaining some key pieces from last season.

In terms of returning players from last season, we were able to secure key pieces in Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin, we extended the contract of Sydney-local Jordan Hunter for another three years who is coming off a breakout season in the NBL, as well as seeing the return of Tommy Vodanovich, Shaun Bruce, and young-guns Angus Glover and Dejan Vasiljevic. We believe consistency is fundamental to our success, and to see so many returning players this year is a testament to our groups resolve and desire to compete for a title. 

Young indigenous local talent Biwali Bayles was another addition we made during last season. As well as adding Wani Swaka Lo Buluk as our nominated injury replacement player for DJ. Jaylin Galloway who will continue as a development player this season before moving into a contracted position after this year. Development of our young emerging talent aids in our long-term roster planning, with a majority of our group signed on multi-year contracts.

A large portion of our off-season was focused on the recruitment of our new additions - our two new imports, next star and final local. We welcome another set of former NBA talent in Jaylen Adams and sharpshooter RJ Hunter. We also are thrilled about cousin-duo Makur (“MK”) Maker and Matur (“Tu”) Maker. MK, a genuine NBA Draft prospect, signed as a Next Star and is looking to follow the footsteps of fellow Kings Next Star, Didi Louzada, in preparation for the 2022 NBA Draft.
 
Myself, Chase, Luc and our Front Office endeavoured to construct a roster that aligned with Chase’s style of play. We have put together a group of young, long and athletic players that complement one another well – arguably one of our biggest lineups in recent history, it will surely be both a competitive and compelling product on the floor.
 
Jaylen, RJ and Jarell all came out of quarantine last week – preparing for a solid 7-week pre-season to head into our December 5 start. The only piece that remains is to welcome back Tommy Vodanovich who will join the team shortly following the recent arrival of his first child.
 
We look forward to the first chance that our members and fans can see the team in action!


Membership
 
Thank you to all our members who have renewed for the upcoming season, and to all of our new members who have joined us. Over the past few seasons we have been thrilled to see continual growth and retention in our membership base. Seeing more than 10,000 fans pack out Qudos Bank Arena in the middle of June for our final regular season home game is a testament to the incredible support we receive from our fans and members in Sydney. We are grateful for each and every one of you who continues to show up for us.

TO VIEW THE NBL22 SEASON MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS CLICK HERE
 
As well as showing up at games, a big thank you to all of our members who have jumped online and got involved in our webinars and Zoom chats over the past few months, too. We had a terrific turnout for our webinars with both Luc Longley and coach Chase Buford, and we’ve been pleased to see lots of our junior members jumping on to play some video games and trivia with the team over the school holidays. We’ve also had the players on the phones giving our members a call to check in on them throughout lockdown – we know it’s been tough being isolated for so long, but we appreciate you all joining us for a chat about the season ahead.


The Flames
 
With Sydney coming out of lockdown, we are excited about what the next few weeks look like. We are also diligently working away with Basketball Australia and the NBL to secure a schedule that will see us play as many double-headers as possible with the Brydens Sydney Uni Flames. As our members are aware, TSE (Total Sport and Entertainment) acquired the Flames last year who played their season out of a hub in Queensland. The WNBL schedule is still yet to be finalised but it looks certain we will have at least six doubleheaders.

TO VIEW FLAMES WNBL MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS CLICK HERE
 
For those who might have missed it, we have also appointed Kings Legend Shane Heal as Head Coach of the Flames on a multi-year deal. He is well supported by Opals star and basketball Hall of Famer Shelley Gorman as his assistant, and a talented group of young women on the floor including Shane’s daughter Shyla. The success and excitement around the Flames is only amplified by the fact the FIBA Women’s World Cup will be played here in Sydney in 2022, which is incredibly exciting for all Sydney basketball fans. Flames memberships are not yet on sale, but will be available very soon.


Wrap Up

Again, thank you all for your continued support and loyalty. We are looking forward to seeing you all soon Kings fans.


Chris Pongrass
CEO
Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings