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Years ago
Kings sign Bruce, Crosswhite, Garlepp & Harvey
Sydney Kings' Head Coach, Shane Heal has announced the first official signings for the 2012-2013 season. The announcement follows the return of Ben Madgen, Graeme Dann, and Luke Martin who all remain on contract from last season.
Aaron Bruce, Ian Crosswhite, Tom Garlepp, and James Harvey have all confirmed they will play for the Sydney Kings in 2012-2013.
Shane Heal said that he is delighted with the structure of the new Sydney Kings line up; and saved a special mention for returning player, Aaron Bruce.
"I am delighted to have re-signed Aaron Bruce for this forthcoming season. We know how talented he is and, personally, I think he is yet to show his true value to the team," Shane said.
“We will be playing Aaron in more of a shooting guard role, where he will be very difficult to defend. The coaching team will be working with Aaron to exploit his explosive scoring and passing ability, which I don’t think even he realises is one of his greatest strengths. We are all really looking forward to working with Aaron and to watching himplay a valuable and very exciting role for us,” he added.
Head Coach Heal said that Ian Crosswhite is a key signing for the Sydney Kings and that he is a very good NBL five-man. He believes that Crosswhite’s best years are in front of him and with his tough defence and solid post play, which is crucial in any good team, he will be a real asset to the Sydney Kings.
“Ian lead the Cairns Taipans in assists last season and I believe he will help raise the intensity and commitment of the whole team with his solid overall post play. We have signed Ian to a two-year deal, so we have a great opportunity to utilise his talents,” Shane said.
The Sydney Kings have also signed Tom Garlepp, who played last season behind Worthington, Petrie, and Hoare at the Gold Coast Blaze; but did not play a great number of minutes. Described as a tough and talented backup four-man with tremendous mobility and a very good mid range game; Coach Heal said that Garlepp’s work ethic, and overall commitment to take his game to the next level, will help the Sydney Kings over the next two seasons.
Shane said that the last Sydney Kings signing to be announced today is James Harvey, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most lethal shooters in the NBL of the past 10 years.
“The addition of Harvey to the Sydney Kings roster will help with a crucial missing link behind the arc. Every team need a leader, and I am confident James will fill the void from last season. He is one of the most passionate leaders I have played with both on the court and in the gym,” Shane said.
“His work ethic will definitely set an example for the Sydney Kings to reach my expectations of being the fittest in the league. James Harvey is a big game player who has dealt with persistentinjuries over the past couple of seasons, so he will come to the Sydney Kings with something to prove,” he added.
Sydney Kings CEO, Ian Robilliard said that the organisation was heading in the right direction with a relatively new team both on and off the court and that he is particularly impressed by the structure of the roster that head Coach, Shane Heal, had signed so far.
“We already have a number of players back in training ahead of the 2012-2013 season and others will be joining them over the forthcoming weeks. This is an exciting time for the Sydney Kings and our supporters. Shane’s team has youth and experience, which is a great combination that should translate to a successful season for the Sydney Kings,” Robilliard said.
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