How South East Melbourne secured import trio

Alan Williams, Gary Browne, Will Cummings. The South East Melbourne Phoenix have assembled an import trio they believe will help take them to the next level in NBL24, and part-owner Josh Childress obviously likes what he sees.

The former Sydney and Adelaide forward acquired a stake in the Phoenix in 2019, and recently stated he believes the club is in its best ever position to win the title.

New head coach Mike Kelly embarked on a journey – like key members from almost all NBL clubs – to the NBA Summer League to continue the Phoenix's import hunt, and since he arrived back in Melbourne ready for pre-season, the club has announced the re-signing of Browne and the signing of Cummings.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sharpshooter Will?<br><br>Phoenix fans, get used to seeing moves like these from <a href="https://twitter.com/willcummings_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@willcummings_</a> in NBL24! ???<br><br>? Full story: <a href="https://t.co/1RoLyD3WpH">https://t.co/1RoLyD3WpH</a><br>? Memberships: <a href="https://t.co/783pVKLcZv">https://t.co/783pVKLcZv</a> <a href="https://t.co/ynwRIUIMmN">pic.twitter.com/ynwRIUIMmN</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1689788722235998208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Williams and Mitch Creek will likely form a crucial part of the team’s core this season, and Browne’s quality in the NBL was apparent when he made it onto the floor, despite injury issues plaguing him last season.

The Summer League has continued to exponentially grow into a genuine festival of basketball, and Kelly believes it now forms a crucial part of the NBL calendar.

“I think it’s a great chance to see a lot of people who are in the business of coaching and managing players and then being able to see players at the same time on the floor at the Summer League,” Kelly told NBL Media.

“The main goal for us was to hopefully finish off our off-season recruiting of the imports and even though we weren’t able to get it done at that time, the connections we had there enabled us to finalise that third spot.

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“Myself being born and raised in the US, selfishly it’s a chance for me to get over and see family and friends that I haven’t seen for a long time, and it was also a great chance for me to meet and sit down with Romie (majority owner Romie Chaudhari) and Josh Childress.

“They were heavily involved in talking to people for us and the players about the possibility of coming to South East Melbourne. “

The decision-making process of who to sign – import or not – extends far beyond the remit of just Kelly. The scouting, discussion and eventual contract involves a high number of people throughout multiple levels of the club.

Childress, who has been so bullish about his side’s title chances, made almost 400 NBA appearances over the course of half a decade in the competition and – as a result – has a significant understanding of how the basketball beast that is the NBA moves and sways.

“As far as recruitment and knowledge of players goes, Josh knew some people that he thought would be good – and he has good knowledge having played over here and in other professional leagues around the world,” Kelly continued.

“It was cool having him give his input.

“During the course of all the recruitment, names come up that different people put forward. Romy had mentioned a couple of guys he thought might be of interest so myself and the coaches would have a look, and we’d all have a feel out of if we thought they were a good fit.

“Everyone pitched in and then it just gave us more guys to look at.”

It’s rare that at least two of a club’s three imports remain with the side for a second consecutive season. Only Illawarra and South East Melbourne can boast that type of consistency heading into the new season.

While Williams signed a two-year extension with the Phoenix part-way through last season, the return of Browne was more complex and considered.

The Puerto Rican guard managed 20 games for the club in NBL23 and averaged more than 12 points and six assists per game.

Kelly says the re-signing of the 30-year-old came down to one simple factor.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NBL24 ROSTER COMPLETE! ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeWillRise?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeWillRise</a> <br><br>? Memberships: <a href="https://t.co/783pVKLcZv">https://t.co/783pVKLcZv</a> <a href="https://t.co/3PTq6sCTMb">pic.twitter.com/3PTq6sCTMb</a></p>&mdash; South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1690151111544504321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“When we started our brainstorming to figure out what we thought would make this team competitive and capable of taking the next step,” he said.

“We wanted guys that competed every day, that make their teammates better, and are good people. Gary ticked all those boxes, and he was right in front of us.

“He wanted to come back to be around this group and we thought he was the best person for that position.

“In the end after looking at all possibilities around the world we thought Gary was the best fit and it’s worked out well.”

South East Melbourne’s NBL24 season will open on Thursday, September 28 against local rivals Melbourne United.