Aston extends his stay with the Sharks

The Southland Sharks have locked in another Tall Black for their 2018 National Basketball League campaign just days after Reuben Te Rangi confirmed he will return.

Twenty-seven-year-old shooting guard Luke Aston has put pen to paper to ensure he will be back in Southland for a second season next year.

Aston was arguably the find of the season in his first campaign for the SIT Zero Fees Sharks this year and is already setting his sights on bigger and better things in 2018.

Dunedin-born Aston started in all 20 games last season and enjoyed career highs in both minutes (25.5) and points per game (11.25).

Always a threat from threepoint range, Aston hit a team-high 51 three-pointers during the season, including six from beyond the arc against the Saints in Wellington in May.

Aston impressed Tall Blacks’ coach Paul Henare, earning his first call-up to the national squad, earning four caps at the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon in August, an experience Aston wants to build on next season.

‘‘My first season with the Sharks was great. The organisation is so professional and well run that it was a no-brainer to come back for another year. Being part of the Sharks last season helped me to achieve one of my dreams of playing for the Tall Blacks.’’

‘‘I would love to go one better and help win an NBL title next season,’’ Aston said.

Sharks general manager Jill Bolger believed Aston was a classic example of a player flourishing in the performance environment the Sharks aim to create at ILT Stadium Southland.

‘‘When you have someone with the experience of Judd (Flavell) at the helm, your team system and structures are always going to line up with those at ANBL and national level. Luke really stepped up last year and took advantage of that environment,’’ Bolger said.

Coach Flavell believes last season is only the start for Aston.

‘‘Luke was someone we were lucky enough to recruit last year. He had some big games for us last season and his game flourished down south in our environment and came out of nowhere to be thrust onto the national scene.’’

‘‘He put in a lot of work to get there though. When you are recruiting a team, you want guys who are prepared to work to achieve your team goals. And when they put in the work, like Luke did, I just felt so happy for him and proud of what he did and how he went about achieving those goals,’’ Flavell said.

The 2018 New Zealand National Basketball League features eight teams, including the reinstated Manawatu Jets and will commence on April 26, a later start due to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

A final draw is still to be released with nine games expected to be scheduled for ILT Stadium Southland during the season.