Top players to return for season’s start

The return of two of the Albany Basketball Association’s most prolific point guards highlights the opening round of the men’s A-grade competition tonight.

Star local product John Santia, who has played the past two seasons for the Goldfields Giants in the State Basketball League, returns to the Tigers line-up for their opening clash with last season’s preliminary finalists, Crabs.

Santia, a key to the Tigers’ four straight premierships before playing 26 SBL games for the Giants, will be directly opposed in the back court to key Crabs recruit Graeme Simpson, a former Bearded Dragon star.

Both players were a key combination in the first three of Albany’s five consecutive country championships titles.

Tigers captain Tim Button said Santia would be a welcome addition.

“We won every time we he had him and when we didn’t, we lost, so that says a lot about him, ” he said.

“He gives us a lot of drive, penetration and scoring power — he’s a player we certainly missed.”

But the Tigers have lost big man Malcolm Pages and Jaylen Beattie.

Simpson’s inclusion after a year off will significantly boost the firepower of Crabs, who were eliminated in the preliminary final by Wolves last season.

Crabs captain Jayden Scott said the recruitment of Simpson would be a crucial to his side’s prospects, saying the star guard has not lost his touch despite a year out of the game.

“I don’t think that will be a problem, ” Scott said.

“We have been training for two months and he hasn’t lost it.”

Simpson is the only inclusion to the Crabs line-up, but they will lose height in the form of centre Luke Corker.

“We are probably the shortest team in the league but we will be just utilising our strengths …we have the scoring, ” Scott said.

Reigning premiers Barking Owls lose grand final MVP Darren Berry and Matt Cowie from their squad that defeated Wolves but gain young centre Hamish McMorran.

Grand finalists Wolves will also lose height, with centre Shaun Rost taking up a full athletic scholarship with Texas Wesleyan University, and will also miss the services of guard Daniel Powell but add experienced Stuart Myers from Bearded Dragons and Cyril Norment from the Raiders under-18 development squad.

Having disbanded after last season, Bearded Dragons return with some of the best young talent from the ABA after originally entering the competition as Goats.

Veteran Adrian Masters, big man Nigel Miller and Zac Pearson will be complemented by exciting talents Matt Leary, John Murray, Jonty Richardson, Jordan Griffiths and Sam Cutler.

Ambassadors also make a return, while unknown quantity Denmark join the fray led by former Albany Raiders forward Brody Hickey.

Raiders open the season against Wolves at 6pm before Bearded Dragons take on Den- mark and Ambassadors face the Owls at 7pm. Crabs take on Tigers in the match of the round at 8pm.