Mike Fitchett faced a heads-and-tails decision this week.

The Tall Black basketball international could either return to the Waikato team he represented last season, winning a national league title with them in June, or he could come back to his Nelson home, where he won his first championship with the Giants in 2007.

Fortunately for the ecogise Giants, the head that came up on their coin was that of fitness trainer Claire Dallison.

Fitchett has confirmed a surprise return to the Giants for the 2010 NBL season and freely admits that the presence of Dallison in Nelson was the deciding factor between the two franchises.

When contacted by The Nelson Mail in Croatia, Fitchett said there was very little between the approaches made by Nelson and Waikato.

"They have great teams and coaches, so they will be in the title hunt, and the organisations are spot on, so it [the deciding factor] was really being back with Claire and working on the physical side of things."

Fitchett felt his Tall Black prospects were compromised by a drop in his fitness and quickness in the last season and, with New Zealand already qualified for the world championships in Turkey, he wasn't willing to take chances with his preparation.

"I thought I was a step slower and I couldn't afford that on defence. Making the team for Turkey is a big goal for me and working with Claire will give me the best chance of getting there."

Fitchett's return falls squarely into bonus territory for coach Chris Tupu and the Giants. A qualified lawyer, who most recently worked as a community development coach for the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland, he's been travelling Europe with wife Sarah since the end of the international season. With so many options available, along with the chance to defend the NBL title in Hamilton, few people saw Fitchett's return coming.

"With Mika [Vukona], Phill [Jones] and the other guys who have signed, we'd worked to get them on board, but Mike was a little bit of a surprise," Tupu said.

"He didn't mention anything during the New Zealand tour so being able to confirm a player of Mike's calibre is very positive news."

Fitchett's ability to read and control a game from the point guard position was absent as the Giants lost the final series to his Pistons team 2-0 last season. An accomplished shooter and tireless defender, he's a great fit for the team Tupu has assembled, with the likes of Jones, Vukona, Darryl Jones, Josh Bloxham and former international centre Tony Rampton already committed.

"This year, we had a young player at the point with [US guard] Jarryd Loyd. Although he was a great athlete and had skills, he didn't have the experience and background to make the good decisions under pressure that Mike has always shown.

"It's a big year for him and Mika and the boys who want to be in that Tall Black framework and he's looked at his immediate future and chosen Nelson over what was a very attractive option in Waikato.

"We're grateful for that and to have the core of our team in place by early October is a pretty pleasing situation."

Fitchett will return to Nelson in January and admits he's apprehensive about renewing his working relationship with Dallison.

"We are in Croatia at the moment and head to Italy soon and I love pizza, so Claire will probably have some fun with me when I get back onto Tahuna beach with the rest of the fellas. The cheap beers over here aren't really helping either. January and February might be painful."

Meanwhile, Rampton's signature solidifies Nelson's centre position for 2010.

A revelation when he returned to the Giants last winter after nine years away, the 2.12m is currently staying in shape and playing limited minutes with the Cairns Taipans in the Australian league.

"Ramps surprised a lot of people," Tupu said. "Some of his games were outstanding. The way he played on, getting injections so he could get out there with a badly broken thumb, speaks volumes for the size heart the guy has."