The NBL’s South Dragons and the WNBL’s Bulleen Boomers will play a total of three home games at The Arena as guests of Basketball Geelong.

The Boomers will make the first appearance, when they play the WNBL champion Canberra Capitals on December 7 as a highlight feature of the National Schools Basketball Tournament.

The Dragons, the NBL’s newest franchise, will play the Cairns Taipans on January 14 and the Adelaide 36ers on February 7, giving Geelong basketball fans a double-dip of the NBL.

The three showcase games, which will feature some of Australia’s finest players, are being hosted by Basketball Geelong with the support of the Geelong Supercats, the Dragons and the Boomers.

The NBL games will certainly be a highlight with former Supercat Shane Heal now the playing-coach of the Dragons and looking to relive old times at The Arena.

"It is so exciting to be able to host these games," Basketball Geelong president Frank Morrissey said. "They will be three great games and three great experiences for the local basketball community.

"While we offer the best basketball competitions and pathways in the Geelong region, these games will also offer great inspiration for our junior players, who will be able to watch how the best do it."

The Dragons, who also have Supercats championship forward Dean Brebner on their 12-man roster, targeted Geelong as a home venue as it fitted their philosophy of taking the NBL back to the grass roots and the people.

While the Dragons’ Back to the Burbs program has been highly successful around Melbourne, playing two home games in Geelong allows them to extend their reach and reward the local basketball community.

"This is what our embracing philosophy is all about," Dragons majority owner Mark Cowan said. "We think Geelong is a great basketball town, that Basketball Geelong is a progressive organisation and The Arena is an excellent venue.

"The other big factor is that taking Shane Heal back to Geelong, where he played for three seasons in the NBL, will allow many fans to reconnect with one of their genuine basketball heroes."

For his part, Heal is thrilled to coming back to play in Geelong again, having last played for the Australian national team against New Zealand at The Arena in 2003.

"I loved playing in Geelong with the Supercats and I look forward to returning with the Dragons," Heal said. "We are playing some really committed and exciting basketball and I’m sure the Geelong fans will like what they see."

The Boomers are pushing hard for a place in the WNBL finals and the game against the Capitals will be crucial to their chances.

While the Boomers have given up their home court at the Veneto Club, they don’t believe they have given up the home court advantage, hoping a big Geelong crowd will support them.

"This will be a big game for Bulleen and one we are looking forward to playing in Geelong," Boomers coach Cheryl Chambers said. "It would be great to get a big crowd at the game to get behind us."

Tickets for the Boomers-Caps game and the first Dragons game are available now from The Arena.