The Breakers have added the eighth name to their roster for the 2016-17 Australian NBL season, with Tall Blacks big man Rob Loe coming home.
A foundation member of the Breakers Development Academy, the 24 year old played college ball in the United States for the Saint Louis Billikens, before entering the professional ranks in Greece and Belgium.
Loe made his national debut at 18 for the Tall Blacks and is currently with the team as they push for Olympic qualification.
Tall Blacks and Breakers head coach Paul Henare likes what Loe can bring to the club.
“He is a bit different” says Henare. “I really like the mix in terms of the ‘bigs’ we are putting together, with Pledge in the centre position and with Mika of course, but Rob is a genuine shooting big which we haven’t had since Gary Wilkinson played for the club.
“They allow you to do different things offensively, the other thing I like about Rob is his basketball IQ is very high, he is a good passer, good decision maker and defensively he plays very well, he is a solid reliable guy who will always do a good job for you.”
Loe says he’s looking forward to linking up with his local team.
“Every winter I come home for two or three days so it will be good to come home and play for the Breakers” said Loe.
“I played one year with Tom and two with Corey so it will be cool to be back on the old stomping ground but it is credit to the Breakers, they helped with my development and it will definitely be good to be back.
“I follow the Aussie league a bit, I have had a few team mates who have played in Australia, Brian Conklin, Jordair Jett, Cody Ellis – so it will be a great experience to come back. It is a slightly different style to Europe but it is basketball, it will be fun.
“It is cool to play with Alex (Pledger), we played a few years of Tall Blacks together, this is a bit different for New Zealand though, we are typically a bit shorter and we play above our height so this will be awesome, I can’t wait.”
Loe joins Mika Vukona, Tom Abercrombie, Corey Webster, Kirk Penney, Alex Pledger, Finn Delany and Shea Ili on the Breakers roster with three places - including the import sports - to be filled.
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