The Situation
Years ago
Wildcats sign second import
Perth Wildcats sign Jermaine Beal
The Perth Wildcats have signed American guard Jermaine Beal as their second import for the 2013/14 NBL season.
The 25-year-old is a physical, court-savvy combo-guard with a strong outside shot who stands at 191cm and weighs in at 92kg.
Beal played at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, before starting his professional career in the NBA D-League. He has since spent time playing overseas in Poland in 2011, Belgium in 2012 and most recently Brazil where he played for Minas in the 2012/13 season.
In the recent Novo Basquete Brasil (Brazilian basketball league) season, Beal averaged 12.4 points while shooting at an impressive 47.3 per cent from the field. He also averaged more than 40 per cent from the perimeter, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks.
Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson says Beal will be a big part of his team's championship tilt.
"It’s all about getting the right fit, we’ve seen him play and watched a lot of tape, so I think he’s going to compliment our playing roster," he said.
“You’re going to see a pretty dynamic player, the guy can shoot, play the pick-and-roll, play the shooting guard as well as being very comfortable at the point, so it gives us versatility in the back-court, he’ll be able to work with Damian Martin, and I’m really looking forward to him joining the team.”
In his senior year at Vanderbilt University, Beal averaged 14.6 points per game with a solid shooting percentage of 44. He picked up 3.1 assists per game, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals, while damaging opponents from beyond the arc, shooting at just under 40 per cent.
