Breakers coach Mody Maor. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Last year's German Bundesliga most valuable player of the year American Parker Jackson-Cartwright has signed a one-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers for the upcoming ANBL basketball season.
The 28-year-old guard has most recently been playing for Turkish club Besiktas, averaging 17.9 points, 7.7 assists and four rebounds, each game where he was averaging over 30 minutes of court time in 14 games.
The season before he had a strong season in the tough German Bundesliga for Baskets Bonn, playing 37 games, averaging 20.4 points, seven assists and 3.5 rebounds.
"If you look at the key metrics in the game, Parker is in the top 10 percentile of all five, including being an above-average rebounder," says Maor.
However, the Breakers' newest star breaks the stereotypical mould of the American imports recruited by the club in the past.
Statistically, he is the smallest import in the club's history; when measured for the NBA draft in 2018, Jackson-Cartwright was listed at 5'9" in shoes.
"You don't measure the impact of a basketball player in his centimetres," said Maor.
"You should look at the fact that his teams have historically won at every level. There's something infectious Parker possesses out on the floor."
Tom Abercrombie Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Jackson-Cartwright is the second to last player confirmed on Mody Maor's roster for NBL24 joining Tom Abercrombie, Finn Delany, Will McDowell-White, Izayah Le'afa, Cam Gliddon, Dan Fotu, Mangok Mathiang, Dane Pineau, Next Star Mantas Rubštavičius and fellow American Import Zylan Cheatham.
There are 11 players in an NBL roster, with each team allowed a maximum of three imports so the Breakers still have one import spot to fill.
A NBL Next Star has a special exemption to sit outside the 11 senior professionals.
The Breakers' first game of the season against the Cairns Taipans at Spark Arena on September 30th will also be milestone for veteran Tom Abercrombie, who'll play a record 400th game for the club.
-RNZ