Geraldton endured a rare poor season in 2011 and will be desperate to bounce back this season with a new-look team. Find out the moves they've made over the off-season by reading the next of the SBL season previews.

Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers 2012 Season Preview

2011 Recap: The 2011 season was a rare blight on an incredibly proud history for the Buccs. They finished 11th with a 9-17 record and never truly looked like a team capable of making the playoffs. Depth was a major issue, as they struggled to overcome several key departures from the side which was just a win away from the Grand Final in 2010. Todd Brown couldn't live up to the high expectations and was never the same outside shooting presence that Ryan Zamroz was a year earlier, while fellow import Michael Lay was also slightly disappointing. Aaron Ralph threatened to break out and become one of the SBL's elite players, but fell away slightly and ended up averaging 15.7 points per game.

Off-Season Grade: A-

Off-Season Summary: Geraldton have made one huge addition with the return of point guard Daniel Thomas. Thomas played two seasons for the Buccs previously and was an important leader in the side that went close in 2010, before leaving for East Perth in 2011. His return will create an interesting back court dynamic as he figures to start alongside Lay, also a natural point guard, with the American expected to slide over to the two-guard spot. Lay, who is in the naturalisation process, will take one of the restricted player spots while new addition Morgan Sabia, a 6'8 Californian forward who does his best work posting up but is also a good outside shooter, takes the other. Sabia isn't anticipated to arrive until the end of March or early April, which will leave veteran big men Ben Pepper and Matt Wundenberg to carry a huge load early in the season. But with a strong back court and three legitimate big men, Geraldton have a similar set-up to the one which nearly took them to glory in 2010. Their depth could also be helped with the possible return of former Buccaneer Andrew Horstman, who has reportedly been training with the team and is considering a comeback.

2012 Fixture: The Buccs, along with Goldfields, requested to have the season extended by one round so they no longer had to complete a three-game road-trip over the Foundation Day long weekend and their wish was granted. They also no longer have to play a game in Perth on their way to face the Giants, who they play on the road in round 16. Consecutive home games in rounds three to five against Willetton, Lakeside and arch-enemies Goldfields will undoubtedly have Buccs fans excited.

What the Grades Mean: The grades are a subjective way of analysing whether each team has improved over the off-season. A grade of C- or better indicates they are well positioned to improve on their 2011 performance, while a grade of D+ or below indicates they're expected to be weaker. They are not intended to predict each team's ladder position.

Article by Jacob Kagi
Photo by Anni Fordham (Fordham Creative)

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