The NBL is back! Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock share their thoughts from all of the games, and analyse which imports are MVP contenders, and which are "bleh" and "no great shakes". Also, which imports had deceiving statlines from round one? Also on the show - a new contender for Classic NBL moment of the year emerges, and Niall has a scorching early take about how the league will play out.

In the last Classic NBL Podcast before the 2018 season gets underway, Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock run through the Canterbury Rams and Supercity Rangers rosters, and make their award predictions and Final Four picks.

Wellington Saints guard Jordan Mills joins the show (From 10.00 to 24.00) to discuss how the Saints squad looks for 2018, Shea Ili's growth, the best players he's played with, that time he dropped 33 on the Waikato Pistons (RIP), and share some classic stories from his career. Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock then look at how the Saints will fare after their unbeaten season last year, and evaluate their chances of going perfect again in 2018.

It's been a busy offseason for the Manawatu Jets as they make their NBL return, and Tim McTamney (from 9.00 to 38.00) runs us through the trials and tribulations, and goes into strong detail on all of his squad for the 2018 season. Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock also critique how the Jets' offseason went - both on the court and off - and try to define what would be a successful campaign for a team looking to make themselves a stable franchise once again in the NBL.

Southland Sharks coach Judd Flavell joins the show (From 10.40 to 37.10) to talk about the new faces in the Sharks camp, his plans for his remaining import spot, the difficulties of travel for the Sharks, and to share a story of perseverance from one of his new local players. Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock then try and peg how the Sharks will fare in 2018, while Sam shares the fantastic story behind how the Rangers were late for the NBL Blitz.

New Nelson Giants coach Jamie Pearlman joins the program (from 11.20 to 31.30) to discuss how he earned the Giants job, what his starting lineup will look like, and how he plans to bring the Giants back to the playoffs after a rough season in 2017. Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock discuss that season, and reminisce about the worst import of all time. They break down the Giants roster, provide some niche #content and peg where the Giants should end up this year. All that, plus the usual nonsense, as we close in on the season opener.

Taranaki Mountain Airs head coach Trent Adam joins the podcast (from 10.10 to 35.40) to talk about the changes to his team from 2017, how their style will differ in 2018, and goes in depth on his new recruits. Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock cover off what they expect from the Airs imports, and provide exclusive reporting on incredibly minor details. Also - Wingspan chat, Northern Cyprus as a basketball hotbed, and how the Airs need to invent fusion technology.

The Classic NBL podcast is back for 2018, and starting in a very on-brand fashion with a detailed preview of the Bay Hawks for the 2018 season. Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock run through the changes to the podcast and the changes to the Hawks roster, before rookie NBL head coach Zico Coronel joins the show (from 13.50-44.15) to give insights on how he put the team together, his young players to look out for, why he took the job, and much more. The less-informed hosts then give their takes on how the season will go for the Hawks.

The podcast returns from its off-season slumber to discuss the Tall Blacks, who are impressing at the Asia Cup. Who has stood out, what have we learned, and how far can they go?

The podcast returns from its off-season slumber to discuss the Tall Blacks, who are impressing at the Asia Cup. Who has stood out, what have we learned, and how far can they go?