WHILE the NBL1 South season may be well underway, that hasn\u2019t stopped management at the Hotondo Homes Ballarat Miners from seeking to strengthen the squad\u2019s line-up.<\/p>\n
Last week saw the addition of Emmett Naar, a 194-centimetre-tall point guard who\u2019s fresh out of the top tier of the national competition where he played for the Illawarra Hawks under former Ballarat coach Brian Goorjian.<\/p>\n
Naar said he\u2019s had some experience with the city but his temporary relocation due to COVID-19 restrictions in New South Wales would take some getting used to.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally looking forward to getting to work with the team,\u201d he said. \u201c[I\u2019ve] been here in Ballarat a few times and played here and it\u2019s a great town. It seems like [they] love basketball out here, so I\u2019m really excited.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot to get used to the cold a little bit, but that will come. I\u2019m from New South Wales, so it is a bit of adjustment with the temperature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naar, who did three seasons with the Hawks in the NBL, in-addition to time as an under-19 national rep player, and NCAA duty with Saint Mary’s College, California said the offer to join the Miners was \u201ca bit out of the blue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was visiting my parents in Tasmania on a break, expecting to go back to Wollongong, but the lockdowns happened there.<\/p>\n
\u201cChoc [Brendan Joyce] gave me a call and asked if I was interested in playing. When he called me it sort of made sense\u2026 it would be a good thing to do rather then go back to lockdown. I can play for a good team and get experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for where Naar will fit into a Miners side that\u2019s been running hot of late, he\u2019s open.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019ll just sort of evolve as we fit together,\u201d he said. \u201cThe guys have won three games in a row, they have a good thing going, so my job\u2019s to sort of keep that and not interrupt the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHILE the NBL1 South season may be well underway, that hasn\u2019t stopped management at the Hotondo Homes Ballarat Miners from seeking to strengthen the squad\u2019s line-up. Last week saw the addition of Emmett Naar, a 194-centimetre-tall point guard who\u2019s fresh out of the top tier of the national competition where he played for the Illawarra […]<\/p>\n