HEUIR JOINS THE GIANTS
AFTER dominating the Queensland Basketball League for the last two seasons, Damon Heuir will step up to the New Zealand NBL through the winter of 2018.
Last year’s Cairns Marlins co-captain will follow former Marlins coach Jamie Pearlman across the ditch to Kiwi club the Nelson Giants in the coming weeks.
Heuir, who has again been explosive off the Taipans bench this campaign, is fresh from a strong 10-point game in the loss to Sydney on Saturday and will form a guard partnership with Melbourne United’s Kyle Adnam at Nelson.
Chair of the Giants board Bill Dahlberg believes the Heuir and Pearlman combination should translate over to the NZ competition.
”We were looking for a tough nose defender that can score plus a great teammate,” Dahlberg said.
“Damon has all those qualities and will complement our point guard Kyle Adnam.
“He is a tough defender that also shoots the ball well and plays with a lot of intensity.
“The Nelson Giants is an iconic NZ NBL team and the only team to have played every year in the NZ NBL since its inaugural season in the early 1980s.”
The athletic guard has been the Marlins’ driving force over the last 24 months, leading them to a title in 2016 as well as a semi-final last season, when he averaged 24 points, four rebounds and almost four assists a night.
The Marlins co-captain also shot at over 50 per cent from the field last season.
Pearlman, the Taipans’ lead assistant coach, has been busy on the recruiting drive, locking in Melbourne United point guard Adnam and his teammate Tall Black Tohi Smith- Milner, and exciting NZ Breaker Finn Delany.
The Nelson Giants expect to announce an import with NBL experience in the coming weeks.
The Giants finished sixth with a 4-14 record last season with the 2018 campaign to kick off on Thursday, April 26.
Heuir’s departure adds to 2017 starters Tevin Jackson and Stephen Weigh, who have confirmed they will not play for the Marlins this season.
Cairns Taipans assistant Jamie O’Loughlin was last week announced as being the Marlins coach to replace Pearlman.
The Taipans (10-16), currently sixth on the NBL ladder, travel west this week to play the fourth-placed Perth Wildcats (15-10) on Friday night at Perth Arena.
The Snakes will then face off against the ’Cats in their final game of the season on Sunday, February 18.
Cairns is currently on a three-game skid with their last win against the New Zealand Breakers in round 15.