The Adelaide 36ers, Adelaide Lightning and the Findon Basketball Stadium (currently known as Distinctive Homes Dome or DHD) sale has finally gone through and has been sold to 3 separate entities. The 36ers have been sold to Mal Hemmerling, current CEO of the Adelaide City Council and Chairman of the League previously numerous other posts including Head of the Australian GP and the Sydney Olympic Organising Committee amongst others. I think this is an excellent step and one that has come out of left field with absolutely no prior discussion about it from all the usual sources. The Lightning was sold to Link Engineering which is some way tied to the Marino Family from Whyalla which are in some way tied to Angela Marino current Sturt ABA, NZ Women’s National Team and Perth WNBL Team player (last season played with Canberra). And the stadium was purchased by Eddie Groves current NBL board member, current Brisbane Bullets team owner and major shareholder of ABC Learning Centre – Child care centres.

All eventual purchases came as a shock to many given the lack of publicity surrounding them, but I think it is an excellent decision and can only hope basketball in SA goes onwards and upwards from here.

I think the one remaining question is what happens with the rest of the debt. The debt owed to the government was $11 million, the stadium and the 36ers sold for $3.95 million and the Lightning for $113,000 leaves someone out of pocket $7 million I hope that this doesn’t fall back on Basketball SA because I don’t see them ever being able to repay this debt as well as get local basketball back on track (have you been to your local basketball stadium recently – they aren’t very attractive), lets hope the government has some balls to cancel the debt – they did it for Hindmarsh Stadium why not for basketball.

Bring on the NBL season.

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