Basket rumors

The Brisbane Bullets have secured their second and final import for the 2020/21 Hungry Jack’s NBL Season with the signing of recent NBA player Vic Law.

Law is coming off a 2019/20 season where he played for the Orlando Magic and their G-League affiliate the Lakeland Magic. The 24-year-old appeared in nine games for Orlando, which included a 10-point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans in August in the NBA bubble.

The 6’7” small forward made the 2020 All-NBA G-League Third Team after averaging 19.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for Lakeland.

Law played four seasons at college with the Northwestern Wildcats, averaging 15.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in his senior season in 2018/19.

Brisbane Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis said: “When we went to our trusted network of scouts, as always, there were a plethora of names suggested, but one that seemed to consistently appear was Vic Law. As a staff, the more we dug into Vic’s skill set, the more confident we became that it complements the rest of the group nicely. The mix of skills in any team is important.

“The interview with Vic, like Orlando (Johnson), was outstanding. Our research had indicated that he is a fine young man with strong values and the interview certainly confirmed that to be true. This is Vic’s first international experience as a pro, so there will be the usual adaptation challenges that come with that and we look forward, as a team, to helping him make that transition quickly and smoothly. It’s great that we were able to find a quality player so quickly. We now look forward to getting the entire group on court together by Christmas and seeing how it all looks.

“Will Magnay signing an NBA deal was a great achievement, not only for Will, but us as a club. Two players in four seasons getting NBA deals straight from the Bullets is an achievement the envy of clubs around the world and a tremendous reflection on our program. We’re very proud of the program we have built here and the fact that athletes improve during their time with us. No doubt, our strong reputation in this space was influential in convincing Vic to play here this season.”

Law said: “I’m really excited. I think this is a great opportunity for me and a great new experience and new adventure coming to Australia into the NBL and getting to face some really good competition.

“The opportunity from Brisbane came along and it seemed like an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. When Brisbane came and offered the deal it seemed like something we had to look into. After doing some research it seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

Law joins Harry Froling, Matt Hodgson, Orlando Johnson, Anthony Drmic, Jason Cadee, Nathan Sobey, Tyrell Harrison, Tanner Krebs, Tamuri Wigness and Callum Dalton (development player) on the Bullets’ roster for the 20/21 season.

The Adelaide 36ers have completed their roster with the signing of second import and former EuroLeague star Tony Crocker for the 2020-21 NBL season.

The Oklahoma native and former NCAA standout from Oklahoma University, Crocker’s decade-long pro-career has included significant stints in the Basketball Super League in Turkey and the EuroLeague.

The 6.7ft, 33-year-old forward most recently played with Pinar Karsiyaka in the Turkish Super League and the Basketball Champions League as their swingman.

During the 2019-20 season, Crocker averaged 10.5 points during the COVID-19 shortened season. He had previously played in the EuroLeague including for powerhouse Khimki Moscow.

Crocker has had significant achievements in the basketball scene, being named the 2012 Cyprus Super Cup MVP, and wining the Cyprus Super Cup with Cyprus team Keravnos Strovolou in 2013, as well as participating in multiple All-Star games.

Head Coach Conner Henry said, “We’re excited to add Tony to the group. We feel with his level of playing experience at the highest levels of Europe he brings scoring, toughness and leadership to our group. With Sloan and Crocker our club is ready for 2021.”

General Manager of Basketball, Jeff Van Groningen said, “Tony Crocker brings a level of professionalism and international achievements that our group will strongly benefit from. Add to that the way he attacks the game at both ends of the floor and we know he’ll become a favourite in a 36ers uniform. We welcome Tony and look forward to seeing him in Adelaide,” concluded Jeff.

The signing now completes the Adelaide 36ers team. Donald Sloan is expected to land in Australia mid-December and to commence training with the team before the end of 2020.