The National Basketball League's (NBL) newest team, the Indian Panthers, finally have a head coach and some players.
The foreign-owned franchise, which will play out of South Auckland's Bruce Pulman Arena, announced on Tuesday - just eight days from their first game - former Tall Blacks and NBL veteran Miles Pearce as their first head coach.
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Australia-born Pearce played for more than a decade in the NBL, last appearing for the Manawatu Jets in 2013.
The 46-year-old has been commentating and coaching since, serving as head coach of the New Zealand under-18 team and Junior Tall Blacks from 2021-23.
Pearce, who appeared in nine games for the Tall Blacks in 2003, was an assistant coach with the Wellington Saints in 2019 and most-recently an assistant for the Indian NBL Pro champion Gujarat Stallions.
The same day, the Panthers revealed two Indians - 6-foot-5 shooting guard Lokendra Singh, and 6-foot-1 guard Jaideep Rathore - as their first player signings.
Singh, 20, averaged 5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in nine games for the Mumbai Titans in the recently-completed INBL Pro, while Rathore, 19, averaged 9.8 points and 3.8 assists in five games for the Chennai Heat.
On Wednesday, the Panthers announced their first import, 29-year-old American Alex Robinson Jr, also adding Indian Riyanshu Negi.
Robinson Jr, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Texas, played for six different G-League teams between 2019-22 and most-recently played for Ivory Coast club Abidjan BC in the Basketball Africa League in 2023.
Negi, a 6-foot-4 swingman, put up 6.0 points and 2.7 boards in 10 games for the Hyderabad Falcons in the INBL Pro.
The Panthers withdrew from this week's Westside Blitz preseason tournament in Greymouth and Westport due to visa issues.
The franchise's inaugural game will open the 2025 NBL season, against the Hawke's Bay Hawks in Napier on Wednesday, March 12 (tip-off 7.30pm).