Veteran ace Silvio Cassar has decided to call time on his playing career after 24 years of activity in the top flight of Maltese basketball.
The towering pivot, who had spells at Enemalta Paola Stars, Sliema Juvenis '76 and BUPA Luxol before teaming up with Athleta Compleet IS, has been one of the top players in the Malta Basketball Association competitions for several years.
The 38-year-old won all honours on the domestic scene. His repertoire includes nine league titles and two times the Player of the Year award.
"It's hard to fathom but I feel the time is right for me to move on and stop playing basketball," Cassar told The Times yesterday.
"I have been practising the sport for almost 30 years now and I have enjoyed every minute of it. The only disappointment I may have is that I haven't helped Athleta Compleet to win the league in my final season. However, all the good memories will remain with me forever."
Despite his decision, Cassar has no intention of cutting his ties from the game and plans to step up his activities in youth coaching.
"I can't stay away from the basketball court and now I'm looking forward to give my contri-bution to the Hibs nursery coaching staff," Cassar revealed.
"During the past couple of years I have been involved with work at grassroots level but now that I have stopped playing, I will have more time to dedicate to young players.
"Probably, I'll start with the U-14 team. The development of young players is crucial for the future of the local game so I want to show the young ones all the good things I've learnt in my career."
Asked where the local game is heading to, Cassar was quite frank in his assessment.
"I think the level shown in this season's play-offs was up to standard," he opined.
"However, we need to maintain that kind of play throughout the whole season. People will only attend matches if they are guaranteed entertainment. I think the MBA must look at new options and try to raise the bar among all teams."
One viable solution to infuse more enthusiasm in local competitions is to make the rule on foreign players more flexible.
"Having more foreign players in our league will be a huge benefit for the game in general," Cassar said.
"There's the money aspect to deal with first, I know. But players from eastern Europe are very talented and their transfer will not put big financial restraints on our clubs.
"Besides, more foreign players will add a new dimension to the Maltese game and I'm sure that more people will be attracted to watch basketball matches."