Basketball: Local star will feature in NBL

Logan Elers will play in the NBL this year before heading to college in the United States. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rotorua basketball talent Logan Elers will play his first season in the NBL this year before moving to the United States to play college basketball.

Elers, 18, captained the Rotorua Boys' High School senior A basketball team last year helping them finish fourth at the secondary school nationals - the highest placing in the school's history.

Elers has since visited a few colleges in the United States with the plan of studying towards an engineering degree while playing college ball over the next few years.

Leading up to moving to the US later this year, Elers will play a season for the Taranaki Mountain Airs in New Zealand's top senior basketball competition, the National Basketball League (NBL).

"I've wanted to play NBL and the timing was right with all my college stuff," he said. "I want to get better and get myself ready for college.

"The college season does not start until August ... so I'm doing my SATs at the moment which is what I have to do to get into college."

The Junior Tall Black said he was put in contact with Taranaki head coach Ross McMains after inquiring about playing in the NBL.

"One of the main things I liked about Taranaki was Ross the coach. He is a really good development coach and he has worked on the biggest stages overseas, with the big players."

Coach McMains has experience working as a player development coach for the Sacramento Kings, in the NBA, and was more recently the assistant coach for the Reno Bighorns in the NBA's D-League. He is also the current Tall Blacks assistant coach.

Elers, who plays as a small forward, and stands at six foot six inches, said he was looking forward to the step up in the NBL.

"It is going to be a higher level to what I'm used to because there is no NBL stuff around here [in Rotorua].

"In terms of playing against men, I'm used to being the younger one I guess, and getting pushed around a bit, but that will strengthen me up and make me tougher for college which is what I want."

Elers said he had not decided on a college as of yet but had a few offers. He said he hoped to sign up with a college by April which was the signing period.

Elers said when he visited a few colleges in December he was surprised by how much everything was "blown up" in the States.

"I visited one campus and they called their team the Lions, and they actually had two lions living in the middle of the campus. I thought this is a bit over the top, but that is what it is like over there."

He said he just wanted to contribute to a college team and complete a degree

"My biggest thing [with going to the States] is I can study and get a degree and also do what I love doing, which is basketball.

"I want to do engineering. My dad is an engineer and my grandad was as well.

"So it's definitely going to be take things as they come and contribute to the college that I go to. I can decide after that if I want to try and push the professional side of basketball and play overseas or continue on with the degree I want to get."