Coach Dean Vickerman wants the New Zealand Breakers to absorb the emotion of opening night and then put it behind them as they begin their pursuit of a fourth successive NBL title.
The Breakers host the Wollongong Hawks at Auckland's Vector Arena on Thursday, when they will raise their 2013 championship banner.
Also being sent to the rafters is a singlet bearing the number 24, which is being retired in honour of Dillon Boucher, who called it a day after being part of all three of the club's title-winning campaigns.
Vickerman says it will be a special night.
"We have to take some of that in and then we have to let it go really quickly," he said.
"This group hasn't done anything yet, so we have to start from scratch again."
The Breakers go into the new season with a new coach in Vickerman, who stepped up from being assistant to replace Australia's national coach Andrej Lemanis.
Their roster changes include the departure of league MVP and fan favourite Cedric Jackson, who is now playing in Slovenia.
Jackson's replacement as point guard is fellow American Kerron Johnson, a 22-year-old fresh out of college.
Vickerman is confident that, after six weeks with his new teammates, Johnson is ready to take an influential role on court.
"I think he's in the position now where he's comfortable with calling the plays that are appropriate for people," he said.
"It's something that will grow through time, but he's ready to be the leader of this team on the floor."
The Breakers began their pre-season with four defeats to fellow NBL sides as they adapted to refereeing changes that have put the clamps on their physical style of defence.
They bounced back to sweep Chinese side Dongguan Leopards in a three-match series.
Vickerman saw improvement in the Breakers over the course of the seven matches and he was particularly pleased with their performance against the Sydney Kings despite the 97-93 loss.
"We've shown we have the ability to put points on the board," he said.
"As long as our defence is really solid, we'll be fine."
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