NBL1 EAST TIPS OFF TONIGHT

The Coles Express NBL1 season tips-off tonight with a blockbuster 16-game schedule of NBL1 East action.

Games will be available to watch live and free on NBL1.com.au and the NBL1 App from 4pm AEDT, while the Game of the Week between the Sutherland Sharks and Newcastle Falcons will be live and free on Kayo Freebies from 5pm AEDT.

The women’s Albury-Wodonga Bandits and the men’s Canberra Gunners took home the inaugural NBL1 East championships and will return to the competition with four new teams to play. The Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (formerly NBL1 South and Wildcard), Sydney Comets, Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Spiders and the Penrith Panthers will make their NBL1 East debut tonight.

The Centre of Excellence will showcase Australia’s next crop of superstars, with the likes of the NBA’s Josh Giddey, the WNBA’s Jade Melbourne, Duke’s Tyrese Proctor and the WNBL’s Nyadiew Puoch all playing for the team in previous seasons.The Comets are stacked with talent, signing rising Australian star Shyla Heal, WNBL player Vanessa Panousis and Sydney Kings' development player Archie Woodhill. The Spiders have brought in Opal Alicia Poto to lead their women’s team and the Panthers have signed local talent and WNBL player Tahlia Tupaea for their inaugural season.

Major names will return with the likes of men’s Finals MVP Glenn Morison (Canberra) and NBL1 East women’s Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Nicholson (Sutherland) re-signing with their respective clubs.

Superstar imports are flying into the conference, including college star Kevin Warren (Maitland) and Nicole Munger (Newcastle), who scored a league-record 53 points in a single game last season.NBL1 East begins tonight, followed by NBL1 North on March 24, NBL1 Central on March 25, NBL1 West on March 31 and NBL1 South on April 1. See the full fixtures here.