THE Bendigo Braves will renew rivalries with one of its fiercest rivals during the 2020 NBL1 season.
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After missing a spot in the inaugural season of the competition, the Mount Gambier Pioneers will join the NBL1 next season.
The Pioneers have been granted an initial one-year licence for the league to bring them in line with the NBL1 foundation licence holders.
Bendigo and Mount Gambier share plenty of big-game history from their time in the former South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) competition.
The Braves defeated the Pioneers in the 2016 national championship game, but were beaten in the southern conference final in 2015.
Mount Gambier was the undoubted power side in the latter years of the SEABL, winning national championships in 2014, '15 and '17, and five-straight conference championships from 2013-17.
NBL1 general manager Dean Anglin, said Mount Gambier has put in a power of work over the past 12 months to ensure their club is compliant with NBL1 rules.
"We have recognised their hard work and are thrilled to welcome the Pioneers into NBL1 for 2020 and hopefully beyond," he said.
"Mount Gambier has a strong basketball history, with current NBL players Tim Coenraad and Sam McDaniel representing the Pioneers in the past and we are sure they will produce more NBL level talent in the future."
Mount Gambier Pioneers president Tom Kosch said the club was thrilled to line up in the NBL1 in 2020.
"The team at the Pioneers has worked incredibly hard to get to this point, and we look forward to fielding a competitive men's and women's squad next season," he said.
"NBL1 has taken winter basketball in Australia to an unforeseen level of professionalism and we are excited to contribute to the growth of the league."
The Braves ended the 2019 NBL1 season as runners-up in the men's competition behind Nunawading Spectres, while the women were preliminary finalists.
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