Silverdome plays a part in Huskies assistant Brett Smith's basketball journey

The new assistant coach has one eye on his Southern Huskies amid a tough clash against Southland Sharks.

That night they go down in a late 104-97 fadeout, but not before Launceston fans show their growing support.

The vocal noise for their new team was something of a throwback for Smith.

He was not only part of the last Launceston side to play out of the Silverdome, but played nearly 200 games and captained the later Tigers outfit.

The club started out with the Ocelots moniker in 1987 before the change, but it didn't change the fandom.

"That was certainly exciting then; it was something brand new," Smith said.

"We got really big crowds up at the Silverdome in that first year, particularly.

"We packed them in."

That hunger evolved from a hole left since the demise of Launceston Casino City Tigers earlier in the decade.

That club entered the NBL in 1980, won the title in 1981 and folded at the end of 1982.

Smith joined basketball's second coming to the city.

"There was no pathway for young male basketballers at the time," he said.

"So the club put in a team in what was the SEABL, but it ended up being the CBA in 1987. I was only a young kid then starting out there.

"But it was a brand new team, so very similar to what the Huskies are doing."

But Launceston Casino City Tigers did grab national attention at the time and that of a pre-adolescent Smith.

With the backing of some cashed-up developers for the state's second casino, the club sold the NBL to stage a final four weekend at the Dowling Street stadium.

Smith vividly remembers the buzz that would influence his playing ambitions.

"It was very exciting time for Launceston," he said.

"We used to go down to Dowling Street and it was played at court 1, which held about 350, 400 people full.

"In those days they had kids sitting nearly under the basket four rows deep at both ends. People were so close to the court - there was no OH and S then. With a little stadium like that, the atmosphere was just incredible."

Smith only finished playing in 2015 for the South East Launceston Devils, nearly 20 years since retiring from the semi-professional game to enter real estate.