The NBL’s JackJumpers will sign Roman Siulepa, a top Australian talent.
Roman Siulepa, a top basketball prospect from Australia, informed ESPN on Tuesday that he would sign with the Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian NBL Next Stars program.
Siulepa, 17, told ESPN, “I wanted to stay here because I’m homegrown.” “Once I heard I had the opportunity to be part of such an exciting program, I jumped at it.”
“It was important to watch my friends Rocco Zikarsky and Alex Toohey progress via the Next Stars program. I’m thrilled to have my sights set on Tassie.”
Siulepa is a 6-foot-7 small forward with Samoan ancestry who has proven in a variety of contexts to be one of the most prolific international prospects in his age group. MVP awards were given to him by the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Asia camp and
He is playing in the Australian NBL1 (second division) against men and is having an incredible season. He is averaging 21 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for the South West Metro Pirates.
Like many Australians, Siulepa claimed he also gave college basketball some thought, with his NBL1 teammate Lamar Patterson trying to get him to play for Pittsburgh, his alma university. However, he also had options in many Australian sporting codes, particularly rugby, where he was seen as a high-level possibility should he choose to devote himself to the sport full-time having played the sport since childhood.
As Siulepa put it, “Most of my mates play rugby.” “After a few years, I returned to it and was still rather proficient at it. Although basketball has always been my top priority, the Queensland Reds were interested in having me train with them and advance.”
In Siulepa’s third season in the league, Tasmania won the NBL championship under the direction of American head coach Scott Roth.
