It is hoped the numbers will help to strengthen the representative squads, with more players to choose from. 

The Junior Lazers now have a girls under 12 and 14s representative team while the boys Western Junior League has 12s,14s,16s and 18s representative teams. 

“It’s been a slow process with the girls, but we’re finally bringing the girls along which is a plus,” Lithgow Lazers board member and coach Richard Marjoram said. 

Play for the juniors will begin at the end of February and in April an under 12s girls team will compete in the Western Waratahs Junior League. 

The Senior Lazers team started their training before Christmas and, despite losing some of their 2017 players, they will be gaining some new talent. 

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“They’re a strong looking team which I’ll be coaching this year,” Marjoram said. 

Lithgow up-and-coming talent Jaidyn Goodwin and Matur Maluach, who is also in the State Under 18s side, will be on the team this year. 

Marjoram said these strong players would help to make the team stand out in the new season. 

“Matur is a player that we can just play anywhere and he will get the job done,” he said. 

“We are also currently negotiating with two American players but will only choose one, because it comes down to money and we can’t spend what we don’t have.”

Once the American player is on board the Lazers will then knuckle down on their offensive start. 

Last year’s import, Addison Flynn, was named players’ player for the Lazers in 2017 and a scoring powerhouse. He has since returned to the US. 

The competition season will begin in March but as a warm up and trial they will compete in the NSW Country Seniors Tournament in Bathurst on February 24 and 25. 

“This will be a good trial as a team for March to see how the team works and plays together before competition begins,” Marjoram said. 

Coaching director Adam Marjoram will oversee the coaches and aims to build a bigger, stronger coaching team.

At the end of the 2017 season nine people completed their coaching course at Lithgow, which was a plus for the association. 

“In 2018 we are hoping to see an increase in certified referees because you can’t play without them,” Marjoram said. 

Major changes have also occurred in the running of NSW Basketball with the use of SportsTG, a digital site that allows draws and scores to be published online. 

Registered players and parents will be updated about the change when competition resumes.