While the Sal's NBL continues to remain in limbo, Etco Auckland Dream's new D-League team were fortunate to be able to complete their season just prior to lockdown.

The D-League team is new to the Dream stable and has been a few years in the making. Dream GM, Bevan Murray, is excited by what he saw from the new side and the opportunities it can provide for female basketballers. "I am really pleased with the way the D-League team performed both on and off the court. It has taken a while to get to this point where we felt we had the depth of talent as well as the financial stability to have a second team performing at a high level. This group was primarily young athletes who will potentially play NBL or higher in the future. To give them some exposure and a taste of basketball at a higher level is really the purpose of having a team in the D-League".

The team finished 3rd in their first season, their only loss coming in their first game, by just 2 points. The team performed better and better as the competition went on and saw some great individual performances. Athletes to stand out were the team captain Elianna Tuaiti, and fellow guard Sommer-Jean Motufoua. Another to make a big impact was former NBL player Paddy Robati, who not only brought a veteran presence in the paint but provided additional leadership off the court.

The team also featured two high school guards, Massey High School's Maya Taingahue, and Mt Albert Grammar's Waimanu Clarken. Both these girls performed superbly alongside much more experienced players, and have big futures in the sport.

Another positive was the chance to develop female coaching talent, and St. Kentigern College coach Darci Finnigan filled the assistant coach role under the mentorship of experienced head coach Tania Hunter.

We look forward to seeing the D-League program grow in 2022 and beyo