The Bendigo Braves men's squad can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel in relation to its run of bad luck with absentees.
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Point guard Mitch Clarke will suit up for his first game of the NBL1 South season when the Braves host the Frankston Blues on Saturday night.
However, his backcourt partner Rowan Mackenzie is more than likely to miss another game as he recovers from a back injury.
Mackenzie hasn't played since having back spasms in the Braves' loss to Nunawading on April 21 and the Braves are on a five-game losing streak.
"Unless he has a setback he'll be ready soon,'' Braves' coach Stephen Black said of Mackenzie.
"With a back injury, Rowan could do all the right things and still have a setback, we just don't know.
"He's doing all the right things, he's been a great team-mate on the sidelines and he's itching to get back out there.
"We'll take the medical staff's recommendations as to how he's progressing."
Clarke made a late arrival to Bendigo after an extended play-off run in England's national competition with the Reading Rockets.
The former Perth Wildcats squad member is having his second stint with the Braves.
"Mitch does a lot of the things that we probably need if we want to go that extra level,'' Black said.
"Not just from a defensive perspective, but leadership as well. The way this group plays will magnify his offensive contribution as well because he has a lot more than I and our team allowed him to showcase the last time he was here.
"I'm really excited for him to create a lot for himself and others off the pick and roll. He's an exceptional player and an A-grade human being."
The depth in NBL1 South and the tightness of the competition is shown by the Braves being in 15th place on the ladder with a 3-6 record, while the Blues are in fifth place with just two more wins than Bendigo.
"There's 15 teams that think they should be in the play-offs,'' Black said.
"You look at rosters across the league, I think Frankston finished last home and season ranked number one and they've added an import to that roster.
"Everyone has kind of taken that approach, which has been ridiculous to see.
"If you have double-headers and someone misses, you're probably in trouble.
"Some of those wins we had without Mitch have allowed us to still be in a position where we can get our group together and really give it a crack.
"I'm excited to see if we can be one of those groups to push in (to the top eight)."
Meanwhile, the Bendigo Braves women are on the rebound from a rare defeat as they prepare to take on Frankston.
The Braves (7-2) sit in fourth place on the ladder after losing to Mt Gambier (7-1) last Sunday.
Frankston (3-5) are a dangerous opponent despite their below 50 per cent win/loss record.
The Braves are expected to be bolstered by the return of Ally Wilson after her successful Olympic qualification campaign with the Australian 3x3 basketball team.
The women's match tips-off at 5pm, with the men's match to follow at 7pm.
