NZ Breakers coach Dan Shamir admits he's panicking with the lack of pre-season training his side's been able to do, with the new Australian NBL season looming.
The club today unveiled two new signings with big credentials who haven't even met their teammates since arriving in the country. Those new recruits finally hit the court on Thursday.
"We got them into the country a while ago," coach Dan Shamir tells Newshub. "[We] weren't able to see both of them, but both of them are very exciting."
Ousmane Dieng, 18, and 20-year-old Hugo Besson - who're both tipped to be picked up by NBA teams next year - were welcomed into New Zealand by lockdown, forcing them to fend for themselves in level four.
"It was a really weird experience," Besson says. "But now we're on the court, that's where it counts. [I] can't imagine how difficult it is to be in MIQ and then in an apartment alone for a month," team owner Matt Walsh says.
"We were conscious of that. We checked in on them a bunch."
Under Level 3, players can return to training, but in a very limited capacity. And it's not just their new young guns on coach Dan Shamir's mind.
"In all honesty I started panicking," Shamir adds.
"I was sitting at home thinking my players aren't lifting weights aren't touching the ball, that's their careers, that's our careers."
The lack of preparation is a concern for all ANBL sides as COVID grips both sides of the Tasman.
Walsh expects the season, scheduled to start in November, to be pushed back
"We're working with the league to see what exactly our situation's going to be."
"Like everyone else we hope the trans-Tasman bubble will be open sooner rather than later."
Bubble or not, with two new superstars, the Breakers will look to reach new heights once again.
