Island Storm prepares for new basketball season

Maybe it's from watching theGrinch, orcomingin second two years in a rowIsland Storm coach Joe Salerno believes he's been a bit greedy.

"We were to focused on the end result, and not the process to get there," Salerno said on Monday."As a team in training camp we haven't talkedat all about a championship."

In his fifth year as coach of the National Basketball Association of Canada team the coach said he is working on the present day, one practice, one game at a time.

And if you can hire aplayer from an opposing teamwho gave your team a tough go on the court, all the better.

"I turnedto my assistant coach Mike Leslie and I said this guy is going to be a real problem," Salerno said of Malcolm Grant who played for Halifax a couple of seasons ago. "We were happy to see him go to Europe, when he was playing with Halifax," coach said with a laugh.

Grant playedhis college ball in Florida,taking jobs in Cyprus, Australia and Sweden before taking thissecond job with a Canadian team.

"It's amazing, it's a great organization. Coach is great, the whole town is great I'm just really happy and humbled to be here," Grant said of finding a home with P.E.I.

"I'm really, really excited and anxious to get this thing going, I need to hold that trophy."

• Island Storm basketball team plays first pre-season game Friday

NBL grows up

Now in its fifth year, the NBL is drawing more attention for attracting players like Grant to the eight-team league.

However, it is also recovering from a bizarreending last seasonwhen Halifax refused to play game 7 of the finals, opting to forfeit a game to Windsor, after a brawl between the teams earlier that day.

"Everything from dress attire to league standard drug testing, allthose things that are kindacleaning up the image after the unfortunate finish last year," said Salerno.

"The league is on an upswing, I think commissioner David Magleyhas done a nice job, he has been very proactive."

Cape Breton will be joining the league next year.

The NBL season gets underway on Boxing Day with the Storm playing at home to Saint John.