Sharks import: 'If it's a measure of heart, it's not close'
New Southland Sharks import Josiah Allick has set the goal of being known as the hardest-working player in the New Zealand Basketball League.
New Southland Sharks import Josiah Allick enters the 2025 Sal’s National Basketball League with a goal that will warm Southland sporting fans’ hearts.
Allick isn’t shy in declaring he will be one of the most athletic players in the league, but that’s not the trait he wants to be known for.
His goal is to be labelled the hardest working player on court in each game he plays in the New Zealand Basketball League.
The American wants to be the heart of the Sharks.
“I don't ever want it to be a discussion on who the hardest playing player on the court is,” Allick told The Roar Podcast.
“There's a lot of things that you can argue about in a game, like ‘he's a better shooter, he's a better rebounder or defender’.
“[But] at the end of the day, if it's a measure of heart, it's not close… I pride myself on just doing my best to do that on a consistent basis, to where it sets the standard for everybody else.
“Because I feel like every time you see somebody go diving on the floor or trying to make any kind of extra effort play, even if they are successful or not, just seeing them make that effort with that intention I think it just does a lot for raising that fire inside of everybody.”
Allick hails from Lincoln, Nebraska in the United States and has joined the Southland Sharks for his first ever professional gig.
He returned home to play with the Nebraska Huskers last season after playing for New Mexico and Missouri-Kansas City during his collegiate career.
Both Nebraska and UMKC posted their highest win totals in the past 30 years with Allick on the roster. During his collegiate career, Allick totalled 1246 points and 781 rebounds in 136 career games, including 111 career starts.
He played a key role in Nebraska’s return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade and was recognised for his contributions on and off the court, as Nebraska’s Sportsmanship Award nominee in men’s basketball.
His first chance to go in search of that tag of the New Zealand Basketball League’s hardest-working player will on be on Friday night.
The Southland Sharks will open its 2025 campaign against the Otago Nuggets in Dunedin.
With risk of lumping too much expectation on Allick there is a feeling he could be the key to unlocking a successful Southland start to the 2025 Sal’s NBL.
It feels like he is embracing the challenge of his first professional basketball stint without any shortage of confidence.
“I'm definitely one of the more athletic guys in the league,” he stated on The Roar Podcast.
The term “low maintenance players” often gets thrown about in the pro sporting ranks when teams are searching for ideal recruits.
Basically, they are the players that largely look after themselves without coaches fearing what trouble they might end up in or cause, or what shape they might be in.
It appears Allick very much falls into that low-maintenance bracket. He prefers to be at home cooking healthy meals - or undertaking an extensive search for the best deals on eggs - than venturing out late at night.
Listen to the latest episode of The Roar Podcast and you will get a better understanding of the extent of Allick’s food obsessions.
“I obviously take a major precedent in keeping myself in shape, just to be able to play long and play as hard as I can. One of my main goals this year is setting the tone every game.”
At this stage, Allick has been signed for the first half of the 2025 season, after which he will return to United States, with the Sharks to confirming a replacement import closer to the time.
In coincides with Tall Black Sam Timmins also joining the Sharks following his stint playing in Japan.
Meanwhile, Friday night’s Rapid League game against the Otago Nuggets in Dunedin is scheduled to tip-off at 6.30pm, followed by the main NBL fixture at 7.30pm.