However, it turned out to be an ankle sprain and the hope is with some rest this week he could well be back on the court for this weekend’s round of games. The Sharks will play the Canterbury Rams on Friday night followed by Hawke’s Bay in Invercargill on Sunday. Despite the 93-92 overtime loss the Sharks faithful were treated to a special spectacle on Saturday with former Shark Tom Vodanovich proving to be the match winner for the Huskies. It was the Sharks first loss at home this season and ended an eight-game Southland winning streak. The big Stadium Southland crowd was stunned into silence when the Huskies ran out to an 8-0 lead but came to life as the Sharks worked their back into the game through the sharpshooting of the impressive Brayden Inger.
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Southland Sharks import Josh Cunningham and Nelson Giants centre Anzac Risetto during the NBL season opener at the Trafalgar Centre.
The Southland Sharks have delivered a hard-fought 84-65 win against the Mike Pero Nelson Giants to start their 2021 Sal s National Basketball League campaign. In a physical encounter, the travelling SIT Zero Fees Sharks used a 43-28 second half to take a season-opening victory, helped largely by a 47 per cent shooting clip compared with the Giants frustrating 31 per cent effort. Played in front of a packed crowd at Nelson’sTrafalgar Centre, the going was tough early as both teams tried to find their feet, leading to lots of opportunities and highlights and very little separating the pair.
Connor Coll will return to the Southland Sharks for the 2021 National Basketball League season.
After a year off NBL basketball in 2020, Invercargill’s Connor Coll is excited for the return of the SIT Zero Fees Southland Sharks next month. That’s not surprising after last year’s COVID-impacted season, but in Coll’s case he also added insult or injury or, more accurately, injury to an already frustrating season. “I picked up an injury breaking my wrist, so I have been rehabbing since early August. I went up for a dunk attempt and landed a bit awkwardly, actually, I didn’t really land at all.
The six-foot eight guard is delighted to be home and couldn’t be happier to make Invercargill his new basketball home. “With all that’s going on, coming home made sense and for any young guy who has the goal of cracking the Australian NBL, playing for Bevo (Sharks coach Rob Beveridge) and the Sharks ticked all the boxes,” he said. After playing his high School basketball for Rangitoto College, Inger was signed to play for US Division 1 College Mount St. Mary’s before a late change in coaching staff saw the State-side opportunity close and a new one open up in Western Australia.