Professional players yearning to represent their countries during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games will lift the intensity of the National Basketball League when it tips off in late April this season, according to Hawks coach Zico Coronel.
“Because of that you’ll find we’ll have a very strong New Zealand NBL this year,” says Coronel, after signing Australian import Angus Brandt for the Taylor Corporation-sponsored Hawke’s Bay franchise team.
Players such as Brandt, a Boomer, tend to ply their trade in Europe but the continent’s loss will be the NBL’s gain as players opt for proximity to fulfil their national team obligations.
Coronel, although he doesn’t wish to speak on behalf of other Kiwi teams, anticipates the number of Tall Blacks competing in the NBL will be tenfold.
For Brandt, he suspects, the challenge will be to retain his Boomer berth when the NBA-calibre and high-level European Australian players return for the Commonwealth Games from April 4-15.
“I imagine all of those players, including Angus, will be keen to pursue that,” he says, emphasising court time will be vital to maintain their constitutions.
“We have a lot of people who are hungry to play at the higher level here so Angus will fit right in with them,” he says of the 28-year-old who he classifies as a “pure” No 5.
Coronel says they had identified Brandt who Hawks co-skipper Jarrod Kenny had endorsed as a Wildcats teammate. So did Brandt’s former Sydney teammate and 2018 Hawk, Dion Prewster.
While it was a long process to negotiate a contract through his agent, Coronel says Brandt is someone who fits the mould as a team player who others enjoy playing alongside. He will not only grow as an athlete but also add value to others’ template.
Hawks veteran centre Kareem Johnson will be in direct competition for a starting five role with the Sydney-born Aussie.