Basket rumors

The CQUniversity Cairns Taipans have signed New Zealand forward Jordan Ngatai for NBL21.

The four-time NZNBL Champion, 2015 NBL Champion and Tall Blacks representative on a two-year deal (second year Club option), his first NBL contract outside of New Zealand.

The versatile forward recently won the NZNBL title where he averaged second in each major statical category: points (18.2) rebounds (5.7) and assists (4.5) for the Otago Nuggets, playing alongside Taipans guard Jarrod Kenny.

Like Kenny, Ngatai has a storied career with extensive experience in the NBL, NZNBL and the national program, boasting an NBL Championship, four NZNBL Championship rings and a Bronze Medal from the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The 27-year old has played exclusively for the New Zealand Breakers in his six years in the league and commits to his first NBL team across the ditch to join reigning Coach of the Year, Mike Kelly.

“Jordan is a talented, tough, team-first player. He’s got an ability to shoot the three, attack the rim with ferocity and defend multiple positions,” said Kelly.

“While I like what Jordan is able to do now, I want to continue to see him grow in our system and with the good group of guys we have in our team.

“Just like every other player, he’s going to have to earn his minutes. But we know what he is capable of, and we know he’s going to have an impact and help us.”

Originally from Porirua (outside of Wellington) in New Zealand, Ngatai played for Sierra College and BYU-Hawaii in his collegiate campaign. He returned home and joined his hometown team, the Saints, before being recruited by the Breakers as a development player in 2014 and elevated to the roster in 2016.

Ngatai joins Jarrod Kenny, Kouat Noi, Majok Deng, Mirko Djeric, Nate Jawai, Fabijan Krslovic and Next Stars signing Mojave King on the Cairns roster for the coming season.

The Perth Wildcats are excited to introduce its latest import player signing, American power forward John Mooney.

Standing at 206cm and weighing 111kg, Mooney is a beast on the boards, leading the NCAA in both defensive rebounds and double-doubles last season.

The 23-year-old is excited to begin his professional career with the reigning NBL champions.

“I’m humbled and flattered for the interest Perth has given me and I couldn’t be more excited to have signed my deal. I understand the Wildcats organisation values winning, working hard and setting a great example for the community. All of these values align with mine and I can’t wait to help Perth compete for a third-straight title,” said Mooney.

“Fans can expect a player who will give it 100 per cent all every game and every possession. I am a guy who is very coachable and wants to improve in between games. I’m extremely passionate about the game and will help my team win in any way I can.

“I’m looking forward to learning from a championship organisation. I’m excited to be a member of the Australian community and I’m very much looking forward to meeting the Australian people, whom I’ve heard are awesome!”

John Mooney attended Lake Brantley High School in Florida and, after fielding offers from numerous elite basketball schools, committed to the University of Notre Dame.

His output improved in each of his four collegiate seasons with the Fighting Irish and, in his senior year, averaged 16.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, as well as 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks.

It took him just 15 games to grab 200 rebounds, making him the quickest major conference player to reach 200 rebounds in a season since NBA legend Tim Duncan in 1996/97 (14 games) and superstar Blake Griffin in 2008/09 (15 games).

He and Duncan are the only Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) players to average 12-plus rebounds per game in consecutive seasons since 1988.

Mooney is also a strong finisher around the rim, converting at a rate of 46.2 per cent from the field, and has the ability to connect from three – going at 35.8 per cent from long range throughout his college career.

Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson believes Mooney is the perfect fit for his side.

“John’s versatile, can play the four or five and shoot the ball from the three. He’s six-foot-nine, he’s strong, he can score and obviously rebound the ball, but he also has a very good basketball IQ,” he said.

“Those rebounding stats transfer straight to professionalism, and he’s been producing those numbers in the best college conference in America.  John also has a strong work ethic, he wants to keep improving, he has a team-first attitude.

“We believe John has the tools to play in the NBA in the future and we are excited we’ve got his signature.”

John Mooney’s collegiate awards include 2020 All-ACC First Team selection, USBWA All-District selection and he was a finalist for the Karl Malone Award for Top Collegiate Power Forward.

He joins Mitch Norton, Bryce Cotton, Todd Blanchfield, Jesse Wagstaff, Clint Steindl, Majok Majok, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Kevin White, Luke Travers (development player) and Taylor Britt (development player) on the Perth Wildcats 2020/21 roster.