BENDIGO Spirit chairman Jock Clark has unleashed a stinging attack on Basketball Australia for its handling of the Sydney Spirit name controversy.The National Basketball League was expected to rule on whether Sydney could keep the Spirit name at a board meeting on Thursday night.However, the NBL board has deferred its ruling - asking Basketball Australia and NBL chief executive Scott Derwin to provide further information before the final decision is made.A fired up Clark said Bendigo had been shown no respect by Basketball Australia.“We gave birth to the Spirit name, we came up with it . . . what has Sydney done to deserve it,’’ Clark said.“This country has been built on giving everyone a fair go and Sydney and Basketball Australia haven’t given us a fair go.“We’re dangling like a worm on a hook at the moment. This is really affecting our existence.“There are 21 elite basketball franchises in Australia . . . there are more than 21 names that Sydney could choose from.“Basketball Australia aren’t fools. In my opinion a plan was hatched to let Sydney have the name and now they’re working out a way to minimise the damage that we’ve created.’’Spirit general manager Wendy James only found out about the NBL board’s decision to delay its ruling via a phone call from Derwin at 2.20pm yesterday afternoon - some 16 hours after the board meeting.“It’s the most frustrating process I’ve ever been involved in,’’ James said.“The longer we wait the more it feels as though Sydney will get to keep the name.”We’re being kept in the dark and we don’t get any say in these further investigations that the NBL board has asked for.’’James said a decision to allow Sydney to keep the Spirit name would be a slap in the face for women’s sport in Australia.“If this was a women’s team trying to use the same name as a men’s team we wouldn’t be in this position,’’ James said.Derwin was unavailable for comment yesterday, but NBL media officer Marc Howard had this to say on the issue:”The board has asked for additional information before giving a final ruling in the Spirit case. No time frame has been set at this stage with the board focused on making the right decision.’’The Sydney Spirit was launched last month after the West Sydney Razorbacks decided to change its name in a bid to unify the sport in Sydney, following the demise of the Kings.The announcement was met with disbelief in central Victoria, with the Bendigo Spirit having played its debut season in the Women’s National Basketball League last summer.A mediation meeting between Clark and James and Sydney Spirit owner Greg Evans in Sydney on July 16, failed to resolve the matter and it was decided the NBL board would make a ruling on July 31.James said the Bendigo Spirit will continue its fight to maintain exlusive ownership of the Spirit name in Australian basketball.“What doesn’t destroy us makes us stronger,’’ James said.“We can’t just sit by nine weeks out from the start of the season and roll over.“We call on the community to support us any way possible.“We’re a regional team that doesn’t have the strength of a capital city team, but we will continue to fight.’’