Basketball On The Internet.

AS WE approach the end of another NBL season, we also draw closer and closer to the free agency period for the league which makes it even more essential for the Brisbane bid to start making things happen.

Despite no more action with the team, guaranteed by the NBL to return next season, the Brisbane team must identify the talent they want to suit up for the Bullets for the first time since 2008.

After recently catching up with former NBL Championship coach with the Perth Wildcats in Rob Beveridge, it is clear the main thing Brisbane needs to focus on is putting bums on seats, something with which a lot of teams in the league currently struggle.

Beveridge believed the best way to do this is by reuniting the community and signing players fans can relate to, and there are plenty of athletes whose basketball careers started in Brisbane and are now blossoming around the world and including in the NBL.

Obviously there are names such as Brock Motum, Chris Goulding, Brendan Teys and more who come to mind but there also are up and comers plying their trade in the US college system such as former AIS scholarship holder Mitch McCarron, who is dominating for division two powerhouse Metro State.

"They can't just go out and have an over-abundance of imports," Beveridge said.

"They need to get Brisbane kids that the people can relate to and unite all the junior associations as well so they know this is Brisbane's team."

This does not mean the Bullets team recruits locals at the expense of a successful team, but if they want to have an attractive outfit for Brisbane fans to watch, the best way to do that is by bringing in faces people in the basketball community know, surrounded by the right talent to make it a group which can win.

I have absolutely no doubt, athletes playing in Australia and around the world, would love to join Brisbane if the team returns but when the season concludes in March, the group need to have all staff and infrastructure in place to target the talent they want.

The sooner they do that, the sooner players who are free agents in the coming year can identify Brisbane as a possible destination and therefore, the sooner southeast Queensland fans can get behind the Bullets once again.

Even though there has been a lack of progress so far, if the people involved in Brisbane's return to the league can get things happening quickly, there is definitely potential for huge success.

Brisbane sports fans have been dying for a team ever since the Bullets' demise and all they want is to have something to support.

(For my full story with Rob Beveridge about all things Brisbane NBL and the state of Australian basketball, visit http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/east/rob-beveridge-calls-for-the-brisbane-nbl-bid-to-start-moving-forward-now/story-fni9r20i-1227202424496 )

*Brayden Heslehurst has been playing basketball for nearly 20 years since starting as a junior at Southern Districts Spartans (Brisbane) and Sturt Sabres (Adelaide). He played four years in the SEABL program with the Brisbane Spartans in the senior and reserves team, has coached rep and school basketball in Brisbane and been a sports journalist with NewsCorp’s Quest Community Newspapers since October, 2011.*