The opening three weeks of season 2025 are done and dusted. Mad March delivered 26 x Sal's NBL games across 20 days with wall-to-wall basketball and the results have given us plenty to think about. Let's jump into the tank for a bit of Mad March thinking!
JADCUP AUCKLAND TUATARA
If you THINK the Tuatara assumed making grand finals was par for the course (after making the last three) THEN this year's path to the big dance will be a touch tougher after a 1-3 start. With Rob Loe back last game (a win) and Davo Hickey expected to arrive this week for the Southern Swing, the Tuatara look better, but overall depth continues to loom as a headache. If the high-flying Aucklanders hope to go one better this season and claim a championship, they will need Amp'd April to be a whole better than Mad March.
LOGIK FRANKLIN BULLS
If you THINK the Bulls didn't need any more motivation to win a maiden championship THEN the news popular coach Seb Gleim will depart at the end of this season might fill the motivation cup to the top. The Bulls seemingly thrive off being the underdogs, and they went oh-so-close last season to finally cracking it for some silverware, but with the added news of Gleim departing and a good 4-1 start through Mad March, will this finally be the year the Bulls charge to victory.
INDIAN PANTHERS
If you THINK the Panthers are making up the numbers THEN tread carefully because nothing beats time on court and building experience. The Panthers already have three wins in Rapid League and they are adding new players by the week. Though they were off the pace in the Sal's NBL (0-4) during Mad March, you can't help but feel they will catch a team napping very soon. Amp'd April includes games against the Nuggets, Sharks, Tuatara, Hawks, Jets and Rams.
THE NORTHERN GROUP TAURANGA WHAI
If you THINK the Whai aren't genuine finals contenders this season THEN you haven't been watching coach Matt Lacey and his team during Mad March. The Whai top the ladder with a 4-1 record and they play a disciplined brand of basketball, especially at the defensive end. After just missing the playoffs in their first season, the Whai could be the big risers in season 2025. So far, so good.
BIG BARREL HAWKE'S BAY HAWKS
If you THINK coach Sam Gruggen was hoping his Hawks would compete hard in his absence, and also the absence of three star players while they all complete their season with the Illawarra Hawks in the Aussie NBL ... THEN you don't have to be Einstein to know the second-year coach will be delighted with what he has seen so far from Ball, Cowart, Scott and co. And despite the talent yet to arrive, here is no way Jackson Ball will be coming off the Hawks bench ever again - way to announce yourself to the world young man!
STEELFORMERS TARANAKI AIRS
If you THINK the Airs were looking for an added incentive to take down the Saints in their opening game of 2025 THEN there is now doubt Australian Harry Froling was all the incentive, inspiration and emotion the Airs needed. In a thrilling double OT win in Wellington, after an absence of 786 days from the game he loves, Froling dropped 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a stirring victory. The win proved to be the springboard to a successful Mad March with a 3-1 record having the Airs nicely placed ahead of a busy Amp'd April.
PROPERTY BROKERS MANAWATU JETS
If you THINK the Jets might resemble a ride at a theme park THEN pencil them in as the park's biggest and most thrilling rollercoaster. With the mercurial and headline-grabbing Corey Webster sitting in the front row, this ride has already had some ups and downs during Mad March and there is no reason to think the biggest thrills aren't still ahead of us. Strap yourself in and get onboard, this is a ride that will keep us entertained all season long.
MILLS ALBERT WELLINGTON SAINTS
If you THINK the Saints came into season 2025 hoping to add a 13th banner to the rafters at TSB Arena THEN they finished Mad March by learning that there is a big mountain called Rams Peak they will need to climb before they can lift the trophy in July. The Saints were no match for the Rams last week and will mark it down as a learning experience. Let's see how they respond with games against the Bulls and Jets to start Amp'd April.
NBS NELSON GIANTS
If you THINK the Giants were over-hyped during the pre-season THEN a 0-4 run through Mad March showed that the pundits with high hopes got it wrong (for now). While the Giants have been competitive in patches, the pieces just don't fit (for now). Coach Mike Fitchett is a master tactician, but he knows better than anyone that a 0-5 start will almost be impossible to come back from. Next up - the Airs this Saturday. Good luck with that!
WHEELER MOTOR COMPANY CANTERBURY RAMS
If you THINK the Rams couldn't get any better than 2023 or 2024 THEN you might want to take a deep breath and think again. After a very poor first outing in Mad March (a loss to the Whai), the Rams have since cleaned up the Giants, Sharks and Saints - effortlessly. Packed with arguably some of the best homegrown talent we have seen in the Sal's NBL in quite some time, and still with two imports to come, all of the pre-season talk in the media of a Rams three-peat looks justified.
NIGHT 'N' DAY OTAGO NUGGETS
If you THINK the Nuggets don't mean business this season THEN hopefully they turned a few heads by calling on championship-winning star Todd Withers for a three-game stint to help them out. While still working through their import selections, Withers was good enough to pick up the phone and a return to Dunedin for a short stint, and helped (massively) the Nuggets grab two wins. Question now is what will the Nuggets look like without Withers, and how far away is his replacement?
SOUTHLAND SHARKS
If you THINK the Sharks came out of Mad March with a few knocks THEN you might want to pull back the covers because this is a team that looks battered and bruised. After an opening win over the Nuggets, the Sharkies were subsequently sliced and diced by the Rams and Saints, before a nail-biting loss to the Jets. Amp'd April starts with games against two teams below them on the ladder (Tuatara and Panthers) ... time for the Sharks to rip the band-aids off and show us what they're made of.
