Jamal Brown signs for 2 more years
The Ballarat Basketball Club today announced that it has signed star import Jamal Brown for the next 2 years.
Brown crossed to the RetireInvest Ballarat Miners this season after 4 seasons with the Geelong Supercats.
Miners Head Coach Shane Mathison said Brown will be the pillar around which the team will be based for the next two years.
“Jamal is a super player and fits into our group really well,” Mathison said, adding that the Miners were very happy with Brown’s output in 2008.
Brown averaged 23.4 points and 14.7 rebounds, leading the Miners in both categories, and is expected to figure strongly in the 2008 SEABL Awards.
“Jamal did everything we asked of him and more on the court this year – the scary thing for our opposition is that he can get better and our use of him can get better”, Mathison said.
Brown says he is very excited to re-sign with the Miners and have another tilt at finals with the Miners next year.
“This is a great club”, he said. “The Club, the coach and the team have been really good to me since I came here, and it’s a great bunch of guys.”
“I’m putting down some roots in Australia now” said Brown, “and Ballarat is a good place to start that.”
Club President Luke Dunne revealed that the Club will sponsor Brown’s application for permanent residency, which may lead to him becoming an Australian citizen.
“This will enable Jamal to live and work in Australia with very few restrictions, and we’ll be helping him get a career started outside basketball as well.”
“Jamal hasn’t had much credit, but he and our other players help run the Aussie Hoops and school clinic programs, and the acclaim for his conduct and rapport with the kids has been universal”.
“The sponsors and fans think he’s pretty great too”.
Mathison says that unlike the past 2 seasons, the Miners are not expecting wholesale changes to the playing personnel.
“We are in the process of reviewing the player list, but we made great strides this year on the back of a consistent line up, and right now every 2008 player is a required player in 2009.”
