Next Stars Program Sets Sights on Local Talents

NBL GM of Next Stars Recruitment Liam Santamaria says the league is looking for an Australian talent to follow in the footsteps of former Next Star and current Oklahoma City guard Josh Giddey – and has earmarked two exciting talents to watch for the future.

Giddey represented the Adelaide 36ers in NBL21 and won the competition’s Rookie of the Year award. That season in Adelaide helped form the foundation for him to be selected with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBL Draft.

Talented Queenslander Rocco Zikarsky, who played for the NBA Global Academy at last week’s U20 National Championships, has already been approached by the competition, according to Santamaria.

“We feel like he has a really big future in the game and he’s a guy who we’ve had with some early conversations with,” Santamaria told News Corp of Zikarsky.

"We feel the Next Stars program would serve as a really great pathway for him on his way to the professional world.”

Victorian point guard Dash Daniels – younger brother of New Orleans guard Dyson – is another talented Aussie on the NBL’s Next Stars radar.

“There’s a lot of potential in Dash Daniels, and I’m fascinated to continue to watch him develop over the next couple of years,” Santamaria said.

For the full story head to: NBL return unlikely for supercoach Brian Goorjian as he focuses on blockbuster Asian vision for Aussie basketball.