Change is coming: Let's keep growing #AussieHoops together

Basketball may have been forced to take a break due to COVID-19, but we haven't.

Across our seven years, we have continued to adapt with the times, as we worked towards our goal of being a professional and trusted destination for Australian basketball. We've always been ready to help grow aspiring basketball journalists and writers, but circumstances dictated the need to evolve, if we were going to keep The Pick and Roll going (you can read more of the backstory here).

We asked. You responded, and we have listened. It's gratifying to know that an overwhelming majority of the Australian basketball community support our need to change. Moving to a subscription model is happening. It's real, and we are making progress and putting pieces in place to deliver what you asked for. Expect changes to go live in August, when we relaunch our site and content offering.

We understand that times are tough for everyone, and some might not be able to afford a subscription. For that reason, some content will be kept free. Our focus will be on producing quality, diverse and independent content in a sustainable manner. The goal: to cover business overheads, and financially support the talented people who dedicate their time and effort into producing the level of content you know and trust.

We have always recognised that women's basketball receives precious little exposure here in Australia, and we've done our part to shine a light on the needful stories: from the Opals' phenomenal success to the stars of the WNBL, and those playing in abroad in the WNBA, Europe and US colleges. All of this has been done with very limited resources. Here's the good news: we received a lot of feedback asking for more women's basketball coverage, and we intend to do just that.

Here's what's happening:

• Lachy France has been brilliant for what he has been able to achieve in covering women's basketball and in particular in the NCAA. He is sticking with us

• The same goes for Tony Cocking, whose feature interviews showcase some of the best female talent and personalities in action

• Moving forward we have also recently added former Washington State and Tennessee star Lou Brown

• Women's basketball analyst, Lachlan Bouchier will significantly bolster the depth of our coverage

• We are also pleased to announce that Hayley Wildes is also making a return, so our women's coverage will be elevated to a whole new level

While we intend to continue covering Australian basketball at home and abroad with written content, we also received positive feedback on the prospect of launching a podcast, and possibly even a video segment. These ideas are currently being explored and worked towards, so watch this space.

For now, we are gearing ourselves for a relaunch on our new platform in August, and we look forward to sharing more details soon. Kein and myself and the rest of The Pick and Roll team appreciate your support, and we are excited to keep building #AussieHoops together with you.