Basketball Tasmania chief executive Chris McCoy was shocked to see the Southern Huskies relocate to Auckland, but says the state's sights are now firmly set on a Tasmanian NBL side.
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The Huskies played nine games in Tasmania during their inaugural season with New Zealand's National Basketball League before pulling up stumps in August last year.
The Huskies left a trail of unpaid debts behind before announcing a relocation to Auckland last month, while Tasmania has since secured a licence to compete in the 2021-22 NBL season.
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"It was a surprise to see, it certainly was," McCoy said of the Huskies' rebirth.
"It was something that showed great promise here in Tasmania and didn't quite turn out, but we wish the New Zealand league well.
"We've moved on with plans for the NBL and we're really looking forward to seeing that come through for our state and providing a national league team here, it'll be fantastic."