Matt Paps' first season at the helm of the Albury-Wodonga Bandits was over before it even began, but the women's coach has committed to returning next season.
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Paps had planned to relocate to the Border from Melbourne but has delayed the move, with the NBL1 cancelling the competition last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new coach, who takes the reins from Australian basketball great Lauren Jackson, said he's looking forward to picking up where they left off when the next season gets under way.
"We'll just do what we were going to do this year in a years time," Paps said.
"It's pretty disappointing for the season to end before it started, but there's not much you can do about it.
"Everyone's health has to come first.
"I think the NBL1 made the right decision in calling it off earlier rather than later.
"It was just going to become too big of a financial burden on the clubs if they didn't make the call early."
Fellow Albury-Wodonga Bandits' coach Brad Chalmers has also recommitted to leading the men's team next season.
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The long-time coach is facing his first season off in around a decade after stepping into the role at the end of 2011.
He too admitted it's been hard to see the season written off.
"Motivation was pretty high and we had a couple of changes to the coaching staff, so there was a new energy around the group," Chalmers said.
"Obviously we did a fair bit of work in the pre-season.
"I think most of us are missing the camaraderie of the team."
The men's side had enlisted the help of several new recruits from around the country and the US, all of which have now returned home after the termination of the season.
"The players that we brought in initially are committed to coming back and had liked what we were doing.
"They really hadn't seen any of our fans or the environment yet, so they only got a small picture.
"They're keen to see if they can try and make it work with us again."
After experiencing the ups and downs of their first NBL1 season, the men's side finished in 12th spot last year.
The women's team almost broke into the competition's top eight to make finals, however a few late losses in the season proved costly.
The NBL1 South conference was originally supposed to kick-off on April 18.
Initially all three NBL1 conferences, South, North and Central, were put on hold until May, until the decision came from the league to pull the pin on the entire season, as the coronavirus threat intensifies around the country.
