Basketball On The Internet.

WE may have noted his appointment but it wasn't until Brad Rosen and I sat down to talk with new Basketball Australia CEO Matt Scriven for our latest Brad&Boti podcast that we learnt of his extensive business background and his time in the SEABL as a player.

BA's new "mystery man" at the helm of the game in this country is "one of us" - a man of the (basketball) people for the (basketball) people, yet one bringing great additional acumen to the role.

Let's talk on-court first, Matt coming from junior ball before growing into SEABL stints at the famous Nunawading Spectres, Bulleen Boomers and Knox Raiders.

Talk about basketball's heartland!

He's even involved with the NBL's South East Melbourne Phoenix in a board capacity.

Back in the late 90s, he was working in marketing and sponsorship for the NBL.

As managing director of Nine Melbourne, he oversaw the  business transformations at Channel 9, The Age, and 3AW.

Brad and I had a long list of questions for him, first of all, obviously learning of his background in business and his past and present hands-on involvement in our game.

But what is his vision for the game's future in Australia?

Was BA slow to cash in on the goodwill generated nationwide by the Boomers with their historic Bronze Medal showing at the Tokyo Olympics?

What's the upshot of the Opals' disappointing result in Tokyo? And where does the investigation into the Liz Cambage episode currently sit?

How are our national coaches appointed and on the girls' side of the game, after decades of battling player losses to netball, how are we dealing with the new threat to our participation numbers presented by AFLW?

What is happening with the WNBL season and how is BA addressing the growing issue of umpiring numbers and talent?

Yeah, we went everywhere and Matt was happy to go there with us, providing many of the answers basketball fans have been craving. His is not going to be an easy job.

Get to know the man and his plans by clicking this link, or go to your usual podcast destinations at Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Dare we say it? We suspect the future could be in good hands.