The South Dragons have been quick to put together one of the most promising teams in the NBL ahead of the 2007-’08 season, but Molloy is not about to get ahead of himself.

“I’m confident, but I’ve been doing this for so long I know there’s still a long way to go,” Molloy said.

While the South Dragons’ pre-season will not officially tip off until July 1, Molloy is now back on the floor with whistle in hand.

And he likes what he sees.

“I don’t think anyone’s too shabby, no-one’s really let themselves get too badly out of shape,” Molloy said.

“I expect the boys will get back into fitness pretty quickly.

“As players either sign on to the club or return from last year I’m just getting them back into basketball mode, getting their bodies in shape for the NBL season and getting their games ready.”

“They’ve had a significant period of time off but now Jacob (Holmes) and Joe (Ingles) are getting themselves ready for national camps, there are a couple coming back from injury and I’ll be doing some work with Brent Hobba outside of his commitments with the Dandenong Rangers.”

The team will hit its straps in a few months but for now, Molloy is happy to ease his charges back into the game.

“We obviously don’t want them to come in having done nothing when pre-season starts, so it’s really just to bridge that gap and get them in tune for the work in front of them,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity as much as anything else to work on some weaknesses or some holes in their game and to build them up so they’re not too far off speed when the full-pre-season hits.”

Also on Molloy’s radar are this winter’s Boomers camps, where Holmes and Ingles will push for national selection.

With the camps now just weeks away, Molloy is casting a watchful eye over his two national hopefuls.

“I believe Jacob would have a bit of a different role with the national program to what he does with the Dragons,” Molloy said.

“Initially we’ll work on his shooting to get his touch going and then probably some defensive work because he would have to guard guards more at a national level.

“For Joe it’s really just to tighten up some areas of his game and to shoot the ball well and get into strong condition before he hits camp.”

And while he’s not about to jump the gun on the South Dragons’ new-season prospects, Molloy is certainly excited about the challenge ahead.

“We’ve got a good young group this year so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.