Coach Ian “Moose” Robilliard talks about Blagoj Janev
The Sydney Kings today announced what many had waited for — the signing of players to populate those famous purple and gold uniforms. Not to be outdone by the Perth Wildcats’ press conference around the same time which introduced one-time King, Cameron Tovey as a Wildcat, GM Bob Turner brought seven times the fun as he listed the players the team has signed so far for their return to the NBL.
The Kings’ nucleus formed in this first seven signings signals a number of things. Firstly, an emphasis was placed upon forming a strong connection with the city of Sydney and that was done by the inclusion of Sydneysiders Ben Knight, Luke Martin, Blagoj Janev and Graeme Dann, as well as former Sydney Spirit/West Sydney Razorbacks big man Julian Khazzouh.
Secondly, a hard-working ethic in the mould of coach Ian “Moose” Robilliard has been a focus of the acquisition committee and that has been attained through the signing of a number of no-nonsense no-frills players. As Turner stated at the press conference, “I can guarantee that there will be no prima-donnas on this team.”
Lastly, it is clear that the team has sensibly not thrown the cheque book around in a slapstick fashion. With the recent history of team collapses and the spectre of worldwide recession still looming, signing a cap-maxing squad would be unwise — particularly for a brand new entry into the competition with still unknown forecast success levels. Additionally, as Robilliard half-joked, salary cap issues are the flavour of the month and need to be closely watched.
Luke Cooper is introduced by Bob Turner
In addition to the five Sydney-linked players mentioned, two jewels in the Kings’ crown will be 26-year old Aussie assists man Luke Cooper and import small forward Taj McCulloch. Cooper, originally from Melbourne, is a 6’0″ point guard returning from a stint as starting floor general with VEF Riga in Latvia alongside McCulloch. Prior to that, Cooper finished fourth all-time on the NCAA Division II assists lists after four seasons at the University of Alaska-Anchorage where he was nominated in 2008 as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award presented to the top collegiate point guard annually. Clearly, his signing is a great step toward building a nucleus for the future of the Kings. He came across as a humble young man at the press conference — always a plus.
McCulloch, a Winthrop University alumnus, stands 6’7″ and trialled with the Washington Wizards before plying his trade in the NBA D-League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants averaging 17.6ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.5apg and 1.4spg. He then played in Israel and Latvia before signing with the Kings. Robilliard described him “tough, uncompromising, big and strong” — in short, the perfect player for Moose.
Robilliard plans to sign five more players to contracts to round out a roster of twelve — with the usual NBL squad of ten for away games. He stated that a second import signing is likely, with a scoring guard or swingman being the most likely addition. He is happy with the pairing of Martin and Cooper at the point and sees them as a “formidable pairing” for other teams to deal with.
Knight was the first signing unveiled and his inclusion on the team was hailed as a strong connection to Sydney basketball, with Knight having been a Penrith junior. Meanwhile fellow Sydney junior, Graeme Dann, was described by Robilliard as someone that “we have not seen the best of yet”, with his length and versatility seen as a strong plus for the Kings.
Obviously the signing of Khazzouh for two seasons is a huge boon for the team. He is a legitimate scoring big with international experience and his signature would have been sought by many clubs. Alongside the likes of Knight and Janev, the team already has plenty of height.
An additional bonus to old Kings fans is the announcement that all 14 of their home games will be played at the Sydney Entertainment Centre — aka The Kingdome. This will be a popular move with fans who enjoy a feed in the Chinatown district prior to the game and some city entertainment in bars and nightclubs after the game.
It was also comforting to see a large number of the old faithful in the administration arm of the Sydney Kings, standing at the back of the room during the press conference — hopefully this is a sign of a return to the halcyon days of the Sydney Kings. The first game for the Kings in 2010/11 will tip off on Saturday, 16th October.
