From heartbreak to hope: United’s bid for NBL26 redemption

Melbourne United has been a regular-season powerhouse, finishing first or second in three of the past four years. But that next Championship has so far alluded them.

After back-to-back heartbreaks in Game 5 deciders, Dean Vickerman has overhauled his squad for NBL26, locking in a roster built to go all the way.

Matthew Dellavedova, Marcus Lee, Jack White, Ian Clark and Rob Loe all brought valuable contributions to United, but have now moved on. To fill the void, the club has added Finn Delany, who arrives with a wealth of overseas and NBL experience, along with former JackJumpers champions Milton Doyle and Fabijan Krslovic.

Seven-foot center Jesse Edwards and former G League guard Tyson Walker add further depth, while Next Star Dash Daniels shapes as a young talent with the potential to make an immediate impact. United has also retained its key leaders, with Chris Goulding and Shea Ili anchoring a strong and stable core.

Vickerman has an incredible history of getting the best out of his teams, but with so much change, this year looms as one of his biggest tests yet.

“I think it’s always challenging, the off-season, even when you get so close to winning. You have to do some soul searching as to where we can get better,” Goulding told the club’s website.

“Big turnover within the team is always tricky, especially when you’ve had some relative success with some guys, but you have to trust the front office, the coaches with all their research and background checks in who we’re getting in.

“From what I’ve seen so far we’ve got guys who want to compete, want to win and play the right way.”

Goulding believes the group’s maturity will help them form strong connections quickly, a quality United will rely on with just over a month until the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season begins.

“Often times that’s one of the hardest things, to get the right people in and then you can sort of mould your team from there,” he added.

“All these reps that we’re going to get over August and the start of September are going to be really helpful and build us to hopefully be back competing for another Championship.”

United plays its first pre-season game on Thursday, August 21 against the Cairns Taipans.