Larry Davidson remains unsure whether he will coach the Maitland Mustangs next season but believes the squad can be a force in 2015 if they stay together and train more consistently.
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Davidson will meet with Mustangs officials this week after Maitland hosted the state finals on the weekend.
“I haven’t made a decision yet and I will speak to the association now the finals have wrapped up,” he said.
“We need to get the ball rolling again soon but I want to talk to them first.”
The Mustangs men narrowly missed the Waratah Championship League play-offs in what was Davidson’s first full season at the helm in Maitland after rescuing the team halfway through a disastrous 2013.
Davidson said the future direction of the Mustangs would be bright, especially on the strength of the men’s youth league
campaign this year which ended in a heartbreaking grand final loss at home on Sunday, based on one proviso.
“As long as we can train together more consistently,” Davidson said. “That will be a key factor because not being able to get those structures in place really started to become evident in the tight games.
“If we are able to rectify this issue I think the team can be very competitive but it comes down to availability and that didn’t help us this year.”
The Mustangs introduced several Sydney-based players to their roster this season, including Goran Veg and Igor Bosnjak, to strengthen the squad but this impacted upon Maitland’s ability to meet regularly.
“We were getting together on Saturday mornings for a walk through and shoot but it made it extremely difficult to gel as a team,’ Davidson said. “If we were able to combine as a unit all year I think we could have made the top four which is the most frustrating part of the season.”
Davidson said Veg, who was named the league’s defensive player of the year, has indicated he would be interested in playing for the Mustangs again next season.
The coach also said Mitch Rueter, who was the league’s top scorer this season, would be wearing black, white and red once more alongside fellow US import and good friend Terrell Turner.
At this stage the main loss will be Josh Clifford, who will be heading overseas for 12 months from Christmas.
In other Basketball NSW awards announced on Sunday the Mustangs men’s youth skipper Jack Edwards scored division two MVP, best defensive player and was named in the 2014 league all-star five.
