Yea...
I got a media release about 4:00 this afternoon...
Here it is:
DRAGONS SIGN HILL
South Dragons Media | Monday April 2, 2007
In a nod to continuing youth development, former Adelaide 36er Brad Hill has been added to the South Dragons' roster for the 2007-'08 season.
HIll, 20, joins the Dragons after three seasons and 51 games for Adelaide.
"I'm pretty excited, it's a good opportunity for me to be going to a new club and I'm looking forward to a fresh start and hopefully a big future," Hill said.
The 197cm guard said the Dragons' commitment to developing young athletes was behind his decision to relocate.
"Speaking with Shane Heal, he was pretty positive towards me and it sounds like the club has a really good program," Hill said.
"All the guys are pretty competitive and it looks like a really good environment and a good situation for me to be in as a young player.
"I think we've got a pretty good up-and-coming team and with the success of last season it shows that the club is going in the right direction."
Hill joins the Dragons on a one-year deal with the option to extend his contract into a second season.
South Dragons coach Shane Heal said the addition of Hill to the Dragons' line-up was a boon for the future.
"We're certainly not interested in going out and trying to buy the highest profile team, it's about putting good, young Australian guys together and laying the foundations," he said.
"Brad's been a fantastic junior and represented Australia on the junior scene. I think he's certainly somebody who, with Joe (Ingles) and Jacob (Holmes), can be fantastic for the next few years."
Heal said he would not rush Hill's recovery from a broken arm sustained in Round 7 last year.
"He's had a horrific injury and he's coming back from that, and while we think he can be a major contributor this year, we're certainly signing him for the upside of what he can bring to this club for the next couple of years," he said.
"We don't want to put a lot of pressure on Brad because of the injury that he had and the extent of the injury, so we're going to hope this season that he makes it back but again, we see the upside for him being over the next couple of years.
"If he does make it back and his injury is fine then I see him being a major contributor to our team because I think we've really only scratched the surface of what sort of talent he has.
Hill joins Cortez Groves (Wollongong Hawks) and Luke Martin (Cairns Taipans) in signing to the Dragons for season 2007-'08.
"For us to be able to attract these sort of guys, who obviously think they can get the right coaching and the right technique with our club, I think it's a feather in our cap," Heal said.
The trio will add valuable firepower to the South Dragons camp ahead of its second assault on the NBL.
"I think we're going to go ten-deep which is exciting, there's going to be a lot of pressure on everybody to train well and to play well which I think is good for any sort of team environment," Heal said.
