The Penrith Basketball Association is set to announce its senior men's team, which will compete in the 2015 Waratah Championship League (WCL) competition.
There are a number of new faces in next year's squad, with 2014 Waratah State League "most valuable player" Rhys Daly (Katoomba) perhaps one of the most intriguing.
Daly left Penrith some years back to play with the Hawkesbury Jets, but despite being a pivotal player in that program, missed out on several state league titles with the Panthers when they were also still playing in the lower division.
The lure of playing at a higher level in the championship league and also challenging himself against a stronger class of players has brought the electrifying shooting guard/small forward back to Penrith and local fans should be the biggest beneficiaries from his decision.
Two other intriguing selections are Sudanese-born players, being Sydney Kings NBL development player Madol Chol and former AIS squad member Laat Gak.
These two young giants promise to terrorise opposing teams in the paint and fill a huge gap in the Panthers squad, following the departure of Jarrod Sorenson (Springwood) and Emlyn Dodd (Glenbrook).
Springwood brothers Angus and Louis Brandt also plan to link up again with the Panthers in 2015, although Angus will not join the team immediately.
The older Brandt will be taking some time off in the early stages of the season, following the completion of the 2014-15 NBL competition - where he is playing with the Sydney Kings.
The full Panthers men's squad is: Svetomir Gavrilovic, Madol Chol, Laat Gak, Rhys Daly (Katoomba), Louis Brandt (Springwood), Angus Brandt (Springwood), Josh Morehead, Nic Pozoglou, Krenz Carlos, Ben Kearins, Luke Griffith, Noah Cleur, Curtleigh Albertyn and Cameron Day.
The WCL is planned to commence earlier in 2015, with games likely to be scheduled from February.
