Miners move quickly in Booker’s Absence to sign Strong American Guard
With GMHBA Ballarat Miners star Roy Booker likely sidelined for the remainder of the regular season with a lower leg injury, the Miners have secured strong, versatile guard Dyricus Edwards to fill Booker’s spot.
Edwards, 191 centimetres tall and a muscly 91 kilograms, is a proven threat at both ends of the court. As a senior at NCAA Division 1 college Bradley University, Dyricus finished with 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game, and was named CollegeInsider.com 2013 Mid-Major Defensive Player of the Year and the Missouri Valley Conference 2013 Defensive Player of the Year.
Since graduating, the 23-year-old played in Hungary’s A-Division where he averaged 21.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Ballarat have 11 games remaining in the regular season – the exact number of games required for a player to qualify for finals – so the Miners were forced to either move quickly or play undermanned for an unknown period of time.
Initial scans on Booker’s lower leg were inconclusive – the extent of the injury, and the recovery time, is still to be confirmed. Booker is due to see another specialist this afternoon in Melbourne and intends to remain in Ballarat for the remainder of the season.
“I have unfinished business I want to complete here as I love the kids and the people in the community. Everyone has treated me so well and welcomed me with open arms, so I would love to be back and finish what we started,” said Booker.
Edwards reaches Australian shores tomorrow morning and will suit up for two games this weekend with just one full-team training session under his belt.
Fans can see Edwards in action when the Miners take on the Knox Raiders at 2pm this Sunday at the MARS® MINERDOME following the Integra Ballarat Rush game against the Lady Raiders at midday.