Imports leave Buccaneers

Four of the Geraldton Buccaneers’ imports are on their way out of town after the State Basketball League postponed the season, with no definite start date. Buccs coach Dayle Joseph said the team hoped to have the chance to put the same group of players together again in the future, but the postponement of the league because of COVID-19 meant starting all over again. “We’ll start from scratch,” he said. “Kyle and Shaun will be top of our list.” Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association administrator Nerolie Gerreyn confirmed guards Shaun Stewart, from North Carolina, and Kyle Roach, from California, were headed back to the US. Gerreyn said two Oceania-based players were also leaving town. She said Zack Te Puni would be flying back to New Zealand, while Xavier Shaw had gone to stay with friends in Perth temporarily, but was hoping to move back to Geraldton. Brayden Inger, the third Kiwi on the team and a title-winning Bucc from last season, had already made Geraldton his home and would be staying in town, she said. Under SBL rules, teams can sign two players from outside the Federation Internationale de Basketball’s Oceania grouping of countries, and an unlimited number of players from within the confederation. Joseph said going from preparing for a title defence for the Buccs to no basketball at all was an adjustment.