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THE Singapore Slingers pulled out of the National Basketball League yesterday - just weeks after finalising their roster for the new season.
The arrival of Eric Sandrin on Saturday was meant to signal the start of a new beginning in which five new faces were added to the team.
But, before the American power forward could even get to know his teammates, came the bombshell of the Slingers' withdrawal.
Their managing director Bob Turner cited the spiralling cost of international travel and increased fuel prices as reasons for the withdrawal.
He said: 'When the NBL could not accede to our request to help defray the exorbitant and rising travel costs, the board of the Slingers took the painful, but necessary, decision to leave the NBL.'
The Slingers' pull-out, with six weeks to go to the start of the season, comes in the wake of two other withdrawals.
The Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets folded last month due to financial difficulties.
The Slingers had asked to be included in the league's travel pool which funds the club's airfare costs, but this was turned down.
According to reports from Australia, NBL interim chief executive Chuck Harmison explained that the Slingers were admitted to the league on the premise that they would cover the cost of all flights to and from Singapore.
Turner said: 'It would have saved us about $400,000 if they had put us in the pool. That would justify our involvement in the league.'
Rising travel costs, coupled with the uncertainty of whether the Slingers would compete in the following season, ultimately led to the pull-out.
Last March, there was talk that the Slingers might be axed from the NBL as basketball Down Under headed for a revamp.
Turner said: 'There was no guarantee that the Slingers would be in the league the following year. We couldn't afford to find out.'
The Slingers are now looking to play in a professional league in Asia.
Their chairman Tony Fernandes said: 'Since getting on board six months ago, I've firmly believed that the long-term future of the Slingers is in an Asian professional league rather than in the NBL.
'The recent turn of events provided the catalyst to start looking more closely at the feasibility of playing professionally in Asia.'
The Singapore Sports Council welcomes that prospect.
Kelven Tan, its chief of sports marketing group, said: 'The Slingers' move to set up an Asian professional basketball league could well be a good platform for its future growth.'
It is believed that the SSC is in talks with Slingers management about future funding, given the change in direction.
Already, Sandrin has taken to the idea of an Asian league.
'I was a little shocked when I heard that we were withdrawing from the NBL,' he said.
'But, at the same time, the opportunity to get the Slingers name out in Asia is very exciting.'
Despite the changes, the dates set for Slingers matches at the Singapore Indoor Stadium will not go to waste.
The 15 home fixtures at the stadium will be used to host teams from across Asia, Europe and the NBL.
linxinyi@sph.com.sg
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