By Brandon Cohen

Raphael Geminder was a fresh-faced 18 year old in his first year of college at New York’s Syracuse University when he fell in love with the sport of basketball.

Although he never played the game himself – “I was too slow,” he laments – Geminder was immediately attracted to its entertainment value and its ability to draw in supporters from a variety of backgrounds.

“It’s clean, it’s safe, it’s young, it’s fast, it’s trendy and it’s good entertainment,” he says.

Now 46, Geminder has taken his love of basketball to a new level – as a 49 per cent minority partner in the Philips Championship National Basketball League’s (NBL) newest franchise, South Dragons.

Geminder, who has four children said his main objective was to attract families back to the sport.

“The number one objective is to get bums on seats, number two is to have a hell of a lot of fun and thirdly, as always, is to be a success,” Geminder told AJN.

“This is about connecting the community, giving the kids heroes and using players to engage the community.

“Mark (Cowan) is a great marketing entrepreneur. He’s got a great vision for the sport. He will help us win the battle over clothing. When your audience is 14 to 24 years of age that battle is critical. This club is going to be a bit more trendy, a bit more out there.”