Second time is the charm for SIT Zero Fees Southland Sharks Coach Rob ‘Bevo’ Beveridge. 

The Australian coach first signed with the SIT Southland Sharks as coach last year, but three days after arriving in Invercargill ahead of the 2020 basketball season, New Zealand went into a nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19.

It went a “bit pear shaped,” says Beveridge.

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“I spent 25 days in quarantine in Invercargill then 14 days in quarantine in Sydney… so 39 [days] in total.”

Beveridge lives in Wollongong, a city about an hour south of Sydney and said he just loves basketball in New Zealand, especially down in the deep south.

“Everyone you speak to says there’s a great fan base [here] and great community support and sponsors... and that’s what I like,” he said. 

“The [Southland Sharks] is a great organisation…and the way we’ve recruited, we’ve got some exceptionally talented Kiwi players that are passionate about becoming the best platers they can be.”

All going well, he will arrive in New Zealand on March 17, where he’ll spend two weeks in quarantine in Auckland before travelling to Invercargill, ahead of the SIT Southland Sharks’ first game of the season on April 26. 

He says he’s still holding out hope for a travel bubble to be established between New Zealand and Australia in that time, but this seems unlikely. 

Sydney has recently had an outbreak of COVID-19 in the community – meaning the city and the surrounding areas in New South Wales – including Wollongong were put in lockdown.

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The New Zealand National Basketball League has made applications for critical worker exemption status to Immigration New Zealand to have Beveridge and the two new import players from America – Daniel Alexander and Courtney Belger – granted entry into the country for the season. 

The application is currently pending approval. 

Southland Sharks General Manager Jill Bolger said they hope to hear back with an all clear in the next few days.

With 28 years of coaching basketball under his belt, the SIT Zero Fees Southland Sharks coach says he is looking forward to nothing more to coaching the southern team this season, saying he is keen to “hit the ground running,” as the team competes for the 2021 Sal’s National Basketball League championship. 

Coach Rob ‘Bevo’ Beveridge. PHOTO MONTAGE: SIT Zero Fees Southland Sharks

He says the two new American arrivals will make an excellent addition to the team and will be “good mentors and leaders,” to the other team members.

Belger is an experienced point guard and Alexander a dynamic power forward. 

“I’ve known Daniel Alexander for a few years… he was the top of my list last year, but he was away playing in Europe… he’s a tremendous player.”

He also describes Belger as an “exceptional player”.

The SIT Zero Fees Southland Sharks open the season on the road in Nelson on Monday, April 26, with the first home game at ILT Stadium Southland against the Taranaki Mountainairs on Thursday, April 29, at 7:30pm.