Bullets young gun can handle wild west clash

GREG DAVIS Queensland and Australian under-age representative teams as well as the AIS-Centre of Excellence in Canberra.

Fullarton trained with the injury-riddled Bullets last season and made his NBL debut on February 3 against Perth in Perth when he logged less than two minutes of action and no stats in a 31-point loss to the Wildcats.

The athletic swingman signed as a development player for the 2017-18 season and has been so impressive during the pre-season that Lemanis had no hesitation including him in the touring party to the wild west.

Lemanis first crossed paths with Fullarton – an under-15 All-Australian schoolboys AFL selection – in Canberra when the Boomers coach also worked with the “generation next” stars and said he continues to impress.

“Fullo has had a wonderful pre-season and has shown that he can really help us even at this early stage … he’s got a good head on his shoulders and a great basketball IQ,’’ Lemanis said.

“He plays with a tremendous poise and calm and no matter the stage or the situation, he’s able to play under control. He reads the game particularly well and he just continues to improve.”

Brisbane beat Perth by 15 points in Perth in Round 10 last season in the Wildcats’ biggest home loss of the year so Lemanis said the clash should hold no fears.

“We can feed off the energy just as much as Perth can … I always really enjoy going to Perth. It’s a fantastic environment,’’ he said.

“We need to be ready to go right from the start.

“It’s about being diligent and focused on the task.

“They are not supermen over there.

“They’re a team, we’re a team and we just need to come out and play well.’’

Meanwhile, Melbourne United guard Chris Goulding will be sidelined for three weeks and miss the club’s clash with NBA side Oklahoma City Thunder next week after having his appendix removed.