The Perth Wildcats have elevated promising combo guard Kyle Zunic to its main roster, with the young gun signing a new two-year deal.

Zunic joined the Wildcats as a development player in 2021 after a successful college career at Winthrop University, where he led the NCAA in charges-taken and helped take the Eagles to its first NCAA Tournament in four years.

Perth Wildcats general manager of basketball operations Danny Mills has high hopes for the tough 23-year-old.

“Kyle came in from day one and showed professionalism and maturity beyond his years and gave us a level of confidence that the way he works, and the leadership he’s shown from a development player position, is someone we want in a Wildcats uniform for a long time,” he said.

“From what we saw last year, what we’ve seen in the off-season and in the NBL1, we’re confident Kyle will take the next steps going into next season to be a productive player for us.”

In his first season in the NBL, Zunic made 16 appearances for the Wildcats, including becoming the first development player in NBL history to start on debut.

“Kyle impressed us this past season with his ability to step into the spotlight as a development player and contribute to a number of big wins for the team,” said head coach Scott Morrison. 

“While he has made significant improvements in his ability to use pick and roll play to create shots for himself and others, he remains a consistent presence defensively bringing that valuable relentless mentality to guarding each possession.”

The New South Welshman is excited to take the next step in his NBL career.

“It was an amazing opportunity to come over and play as a development player and see my game grow throughout last season. It was an unbelievable experience, and the goal always was to progress forward and make an impact on this team and I’m so glad that I’m able to be here for another couple of years to grow my game throughout this contract,” said Zunic.

“I feel like I’ll bring that energy, that defensive mindset to the program, and I’m excited to get going and get started. I’ve always been a defensive-minded player, and I just want to contribute to the team as much as I can with the abilities I have, and I’m continuing to work on my offensive game to be more dynamic.”

Kyle Zunic made his Boomers debut during the 2021/22 season, averaging 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists over three FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Japan.

Currently, he’s representing the Warwick Senator in the NBL1, where he’s averaging 17.5 points, 3.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds in four games so far.

Zunic joins Bryce Cotton, Mitch Norton, Corey Shervill, Majok Majok and Luke Travers as players signed to the Wildcats 2022/23 main roster, with Ollie Hayes-Brown is listed as a development player.