Basketball: New Tall Black signs for Breakers

10.30am

New Tall Black guard Aaron Olson has become the sixth international to join the New Zealand Breakers for their opening Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) season.

The Canadian-born Olson today confirmed the signing, two days after making his international debut in the loss to the Czech Republic.

"It has been a fantastic week for me," he said.

"I never imagined when I came to New Zealand to play basketball that I would be able to play here as a fulltime professional."

Olson, 25, has had a leading part in the Auckland Stars' push for a playoff spot in this season's domestic NBL.

For the Breakers, he will cover the point and shooting guard roles.

Coach Jeff Green said the combination guard spot was an important one for the Breakers to fill, with players in that role having to be proficient at both positions.

"They have to be able to control the offence for us, they have to be able to score and to defend," he said.

"We feel Aaron is the best-equipped player to be able to do all that for us."

Green described Olson as another accurate long-range shooter to accompany shooting guard Phill Jones and captain Pero Cameron.

"He's also a very under-rated defender and his defence will be important for us."

Olson joins fellow Tall Blacks Cameron, Jones, Dillon Boucher and Paul Henare, along with Australians Brad Williams, Blake Truslove and former Boomer star Ben Melmeth, as contracted Breaker players.

Olson made his international debut on Monday for the Tall Blacks against the Czech Republic in Christchurch.

He was second top-scorer for the home team with 11 points in the 82-73 defeat.

Olson, whose mother is a New Zealander, played college basketball for the University of Victoria in Canada and Eastern Washington University in the United States.

He has been with the Auckland Stars for the past three seasons and has averaged 18.30 points a game this season.

The Breakers open their ANBL campaign on October 1 when they host the Adelaide 36ers in Auckland.

- NZPA