Miners’ J.D. Miller out after anti-doping sanction

BALLARAT Miner, Jalon ‘J.D.’ Miller, is out for the rest of the Coles Express NBL1 South season following a sanction from the German National Anti-Doping Agency.

An American import, the 205-centrmenter-tall forward had played for Bundesliga’s Giessen 46ers during the German 2021/22 season before signing with the Miners.

A statement released by Basketball Ballarat on Saturday evening said Miller was sanctioned by the GNADA under Article 2.1 of that organisation’s anti-doping code on 11 July.

Section 2.1 of the German National Anti-Doping Agency code matches with the same part of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s code and covers prohibited substances.

Miller is now not eligible to play in Australia and it’s believed he’s left the country.

“[T]he Club makes every effort working with Basketball Australia and the League to ensure its players are free of any sanctions,” Basketball Ballarat CEO Neville Ivey said.

“[W]hilst we acknowledge that the decision has just been made by the German Anti-Doping Agency, it is disappointing that no advice was provided to indicate the matter was pending.”

With only a handful of games left in the season, the Miners are not able to replace Miller with another import.

Two-and-a-half hours after the announcement of Miller sanction, the men’s team took on Frankston at Selkirk Stadium.

In a spirited loss, the side went down by three points, 84-87, meaning the team’s chance of a playoffs appearance is becoming harder.

Koen Sapwell stepped up and had a team high 19 points, along with five rebounds and six assists in nearly double his average game time.

Deng Gak, who was original brought in as fill-in for Miller but has stuck around, had 15 points and six rebounds.

As the Miller drama was being made public, the women’s squad hit the court and took another win, also over Frankston, 83-77.

Nearly all the starters chipped in with strong efforts, including Zitina Aokuso with 23 points while Jade Melbourne sunk 20 and had seven rebounds and eight assists.

Both teams are back in action on Selkirk this Sunday from 12pm with the women taking on the Launceston Tornados while the men play North West Tasmania.

-UPDATED 7pm, Tuesday 19/07/2022