Basketball On The Internet.

BASKETBALL Australia, in its capacity as the management of the WNBL, is caught in a dilemma with the imminent loss of 40-year-old Melbourne (formerly Bulleen) Boomers and approach from a Geelong-based consortium willing to take up the license, keeping the league at eight teams. 

The dilemma appears to be twofold in that the league is loathe to lose its oldest existing club and also to only have one Melbourne-based WNBL club, namely Southside Flyers.

In basketball's genuine heartland in Australia - with all due apologies to those folks in Sydney still living the fantasy it is the "hoops capital" - it is understandable BA is reluctant to have only one Melbourne presence, with now potentially two instead in regional Victoria, namely Bendigo and Geelong.

Overseas when contacted, WNBL Head Christy Collier-Hill, referred any BA comment to the federation's head of comms, Michael Barr who has not responded to initial inquiries for five days.

Additional speculation Melbourne United may have been interested in securing a WNBL license seems to be little more than a leap of faith following confirmation the Boomers did engage in early talks with the NBL powerhouse.

Nothing eventuated and now the Boomers appear unable to continue to compete and are willing to return their license.

Geelong United, which is ready to take up the Boomers' license, has no affiliation with the former Geelong Supercats NBL club but has the full backing and financial support of a consortium of locally-based business people.

The delays in releasing free agents for negotiations - now set at May 10 - clearly is linked to the ongoing dilemma with which BA is wrestling.