Acuoth back on deck for 2020

THE roster for the Hotondo Homes Ballarat Miners NBL1 South seasons is filling out nicely, with the club inking another name on the list.

Last week management announced Deng Acuoth, the 208 centimetre tall centre from the 2019 campaign, had reupped for another season.

“I am very excited to be back in Ballarat, definitely have unfinished business from last season so I’m really excited for the opportunity for us to win the championship,” he said.

“I am really looking forward to playing in the new stadium so hopefully we can fill it out every home game.”

Acuoth was a stalwart of the Miners shutdown corps in 2019, earning the club’s Defensive Player of the Year Award honour.

That effort, in part, earned him a spot on the roster of NBL side South East Melbourne Phoenix, where he’s pulled on the jersey four times, but only made it off the bench once.

During the 2019 Miners season Acuoth put in 22 appearances playing an average of about 31 minutes per game.

Last year Acuoth’s shooting percentage was a healthy 56 per cent. He also spent a lot of time in the paint, dragging down nearly nine rebounds a game and blocking shots at a rate of 3.2 over the same measure.

Miners head coach Brendan Joyce was “thrilled” Acuoth was back and could see big things for him in the future.

“Very happy to have our big man return as he is a major part of our team and will continue to improve,” Joyce said.

“Deng is the major anchor to our defence similar to what Andrew Bogut is for the Sydney Kings. Deng displayed that he is the best shot blocker in the NBL1 with his NBA athleticism but can score in various ways for us and is also a great team player.

“I have no doubt he will continue to improve and eventually become an important player for his NBL team and quite possibly play overseas.”