Hawks’ coup NBL boost
MATILDAS captain Sam Kerr has opened up about her formerly strained relationship with older brother Daniel, revealing she did not speak with him for two years.
Daniel Kerr is in France, supporting his younger sister during the World Cup.
The contrast with the 2015 World Cup, during which Kerr was celebrating Australia’s progression to the knockout stages when told of her brother’s revelations on TV about using the drug ice, could hardly be more stark.
Daniel Kerr was part of West Coast’s star-studded midfield that won the 2006 AFL premiership, then had a well-documented struggle with alcohol and drugs after retiring in 2013.
It culminated in a five-day stint in prison, when he breached a violent restraining order. His family initially refused to post $5000 bail.
Sam Kerr revisited the chapter during an interview with Bob Murphy in last night’s episode of Bob on Fox Footy.
“I didn’t speak to him for two years,” Sam Kerr said in the interview.
“All our family’s close but me and Daniel are super-close ... he always says, ‘that’s the thing that brought me back on to the road, that everyone spoke to me except you’.
“I just really needed that reassurance that things were going to go back to normal.
“That’s what hurt me the most ... when you do things that affect yourself, it also affects other people. LAMELO Ball is heading to Australia to play with the Illawarra Hawks and hopes the NBL experience will transform him into the top pick in next year’s NBA’s draft.
The 17-year-old younger brother of NBA point guard Lonzo Ball announced on ESPN in the US he would be the latest young American basketball star to play in the NBL.
It cements the NBL as a legitimate route for players skipping US college to play professionally and build their resume before entering the NBA draft.
Ball’s presence will shine a bright American media spotlight on the NBL and Wollongong with his family, led by outspoken father LaVar, often making headlines with controversial statements.
“Next year I’m taking my talents to the NBL and playing for the Illawarra Hawks,” Ball said on ESPN’s The Jump.
“I just think it is the best route for me. I’m trying to be No.1 pick for the 2020 draft.”
The 198cm Ball is following another elite young American, 18-year-old point guard RJ Hampton, who announced last month he would spurn scholarships from top American colleges to play for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL.
Brian Bowen, who played for the Sydney Kings last season, is expected to use his NBL experience to be selected in Friday’s NBA Draft.
Australian veteran centre Andrew Bogut, a member of the Golden State Warriors squad that fell short of the title against the Toronto Raptors last week, used his stint with the Kings in the NBL to revitalise his NBA career.
Ball, who played in Lithuania last year, said he believed the NBL would help build his strength. “I’ve heard they have great strength and conditioning over there, so off the court that would be good and then on the court pros have been through there,” he said. think it’s all going to help.”
Hawks owner Simon Stratford described Ball as an “exceptional talent”.
“Having him in a Hawks jersey fits with the goal of cultivating the best young talent and making them great,” Stratford said.
Ball was recruited for the Hawks under the NBL’s Next Stars Program, which places players eligible for the NBA draft and hand-picked by scouts with Australian teams. “I