Basketball On The Internet.

WHEN Jeremy Loeliger was handing towels and drinks to South East Melbourne Magic players more than 20 years ago, being NBL general manager was the last thing on his mind.

Just keeping superstars such as Bruce Bolden, Tony Ronaldson, Mike Kelly and Adonis Jordan refreshed and ready was his primary purpose.

Now the 35-year-old lawyer and father of two sons aged five and three, primarily is looking to help refresh and ready the league for its biggest challenges.

Because, let’s be frank now, the season ahead is huge for the future, credibility and sustainability of the NBL.

The league has – not just in the general public’s eye but also in reality – been in turmoil for most of this century.

Whether it is clubs coming in and dropping out, others winning the championship then folding, Basketball Australia having to take over due to league (mis)management, the clubs reinstalling their own governance structure, clubs in voluntary administration … the NBL hardly has presented itself as the model of consistency or stability.

Basketball may well be a sport capturing the wider community’s imagination (again), but it has been through the NBA’s global popularity and our players’ international exploits, and neither has been anything on which the NBL ever has capitalised.

Larry Kestelman’s role as Executive Director and visionary for the league has meant a substantial off-season momentum change.

Surrounding himself with quality people to turn his vision into reality has been the first step.

“Jeremy represents to me the new calibre of people I expect to lead us into the future,” Kestelman said.

Describing him as a “passionate lover of the sport” as well as a savvy lawyer, Kestelman could not have been more effusive about his new GM.

“I was a very keen basketballer from a very young age,” said Loeliger, a Swiss name pronounced “Ler-Ligger”.

“I played rep ball for Southern Sabres which was a feeder for South East Melbourne’s NBL program.”

That’s how Loeliger found his way into the role of a towel and drinks-bottle boy for the Magic’s NBL team.

DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S MAGIC? Bruce Bolden, championship winner.

The Magic went on to win a couple of championships.

Loeliger sees a championship ahead for the NBL when he says: “We want to be the No.1 sports entertainment product in Australia.”

It’s a lofty goal, the like of which none of us have heard spoken seriously since former NBL chairman Mal Speed said something of that nature in the 1980s.

That didn't pan out too well.

“Yes, it’s a lofty ambition but being on television is the first step in achieving that outcome,” Loeliger said.

“We’ve had positive discussions with broadcasters in Australia and New Zealand.

“I think the ideal outcome would be a combination of pay and free-to-air television.”

Broadening the NBL’s appeal, revitalising its game night entertainment package into a “great night out” and engaging the community are high on Loeliger’s “to-do” list.

“I’ll have everything to do with the day-to-day operation of the league, basketball operations, community operations, sales and marketing,” he said.

“NBL Inspire” is a community initiative to be unveiled in full soon.

“It’s a quite new, non-for-profit entity and a community-oriented program,” he said.

Previously a Melbourne-based partner at leading commercial law firm Holding Redlich, Loeliger took over as NBL GM on July 1.

And while he definitely could be mistaken for basketball celebrities such as Vlade Divac or Paul Rogers, the fact they are seven-footers and Loeliger (pictured above) a mere 6-2 means he’d only pass as a “Mini-Me”.

“Yeah, I’ve heard those (comparisons to Divac and Rogers) before but there’s a significant height disparity,” he laughed.

That said, Loeliger already is standing tall as the NBL continues to move forward.