Sydney Spirit coach Rob Beveridge and marquee player Jason Smith are adamant basketball has a future in the Harbour City despite the imminent collapse of their club and the demise of the Kings.
Spirit players will know by Wednesday night whether the club will survive after Basketball Australia requested the return of the NBL licence from owner Greg Evans.
If Evans refuses to relinquish control and places the franchise in the hands of an administrator, Spirit is dead and buried after just 10 rounds.
But regardless of Spirit's fate, Beveridge and ex-Kings skipper Smith both firmly believe basketball can succeed in Sydney when the league is relaunched next year under strict new operational criteria.
"I think with the reform of the league there is a great opportunity for basketball in this city to continue," Smith said on Wednesday after emerging from a crisis meeting with BA and Spirit officials.
"I think it definitely will happen next season."
"I'm excited for Sydney basketball in 09/10. There are brighter things to look forward to."
Beveridge, who has been associated with Australian basketball for the past 16 years, has no doubt the sport can be revived in the country's busiest sporting market.
"You look at grassroots basketball (and) it's huge," he said.
"It's been identified there is a major issue at the NBL level and that's where there has been a review, there has been a reform."
"With that moving forward next year I think the sport can definitely move forward."
But Beveridge did fire this warning to those who have held the sport back in recent times: "There are lot of issues with basketball at the moment and we've got to get rid of the factions in Sydney and support basketball for what it is."
"This is a real indicator that if we don’t start to support basketball in Sydney that there won’t be a team in Sydney in the future and that would be tragic."
Beveridge's immediate concern is for his Spirit players, who are trying to prepare for Saturday's visit by NBL leaders South Dragons while the axe looms over their club.
"They're still shocked; there's a lot of disbelief there," the coach said.
"They were very down, particularly those who have got mortgages and families."
"It's pretty tough to take. It's a tough time."