Bullets sign top point guard

Gun American point guard Shannon Scott has added to the vote of confidence in rookie head coach Justin Schueller’s plan to turn the struggling Brisbane Bullets around, inking a two-year deal to cross from Cairns.

Schueller began his time in Brisbane with just two contracted players — Olympians Aron Baynes and Nate Sobey — but Scott’s arrival becomes his seventh signing, leaving the Bullets with just two main roster spots to fill, still more than 150 days out from their seasonopener in late September.

Scott, who finished fourth in assists in NBL23 among players who appeared in more than 11 games averaged 10.3 points, 5.4 dimes, 4.4 rebounds and shot at 36 per cent from deep, became a priority target for the Bullets as soon as Queensland native William McDowellWhite re-signed with New Zealand.

“I chose to sign with the Bullets because I saw an opportunity to play with a group of guys that were hungry to make noise in the NBL and shock the league,” Scott said.

“Playing in the NBL last year allows me to come back and have a better understanding of the teams’ styles, the speed and physicality of the league and how tough each and every game will be with so much talent. I’m most looking forward to getting Brisbane back into the hunt and getting a chance to continue to learn in this league.”

Schueller agrees Scott’s familiarity with the league will allow him to take another step in Brisbane and his team-first playmaking ability will amplify Sobey and Baynes’s strengths.

“We always felt we needed a really high-IQ point guard who would set the table first but then still be able to create his own as the shot clock went on,” Schueller said.

“With him next to Sobey and his ability to play out of the ball screen, there’s a lot of ways we’ll be able to use his skillset to our advantage.”

Even Schueller is pleasantly surprised at how quickly it has come together for him in the Sunshine State but is acutely aware he needs to nail an import small forward to round out his roster.