The 'superstar' new Shark who's got New Zealand basketball talking
"He’s big time, this guy is a superstar.”
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The Southland Sharks’ trio of new American imports have arrived, and two of them have been quick to sound a warning.
LaGerald Vick, Josh Turner, and Marcale Lotts touched down in Invercargill on Thursday, linking with their new Sharks teammates in preparation for the 2024 NZNBL season.
Vick, in particular, brings with him plenty of excitement.
There have been murmurings around the New Zealand league that Southland might have landed a player who could stake a claim to be the best in the 2024 Sal’s NBL.
Vick’s fellow Sharks imports did little to hose down that talk on Friday.
During an interview with The Tribune Turner and Lotts made sure we were aware of 27-year-old Vick’s ability.
Turner said he’d never met Vick before this week jumping on a plane together in Houston, although he added he was already well aware of Vick and his basketball reputation.
“I knew of him because he’s big time, this guy is a superstar,” Turner said pointing to Vick, who acknowledged the compliment with a wry smile.
Vick hails from Memphis, Tennessee but carved out an impressive college career with the Kansas Jayhawks.
He has since played professionally in Taiwan, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Uruguay.
Vick doesn’t hide from the fact he has his sights on the highest level. That being a stint in the NBA or possibly a shot at the EuroLeague.
A trip to New Zealand is viewed as another step towards potentially reaching that destination.
“For me, it’s the exposure. I’m just trying to build and grind to get to the highest level,” Vick said.
Lotts, like Vick, also viewed his time with the Southland Sharks as a good opportunity to develop, as well as experience a new league.
For 32-year-old Turner, the outlook is a little different. He is in the twilight of his pro career.
“These are my young guys, so I want to put them in a situation where the game is easy so they can grow. For myself personally, I’ll maybe play another year after this year.
“I’ve been playing [professionally] for about 10 years now; I want to make these young guys comfortable.”
Vick was initially set to play in the New Zealand league last year. He had signed with the Manawatu Jets but that didn’t end up eventuating after the American had a change in situation.
He still kept an eye on the New Zealand league from a distance given a friend, Javion Blake, was playing in the league for Manawatu.
Turner has also kept tabs on the New Zealand league previously with one of his good friends in America, Richie Edwards, previously playing for the Canterbury Rams.
While there are some personal goals at play, the three Americans all stressed they are here to win games with a Southland team that has missed the playoffs over the past two seasons.
While the trio only arrived in Southland on Thursday, they were full of praise of the Sharks organisation around how organised they have been and also welcoming.
They were also impressed with ILT Stadium Southland - the home of the Sharks.
The Sharks will get their first chance to build some connections next week in a game situation.
They will head to the preseason blitz tournament, which for the first time will be held on the West Coast.
It will run from Tuesday through to Saturday with 12 games to be played in Greymouth and Westport.
The Southland Sharks are in a good position, build-up-wise, given it has a largely full roster to work with in the lead-up to its season opener against Otago on March 30.
Coach Guy Molloy was scheduled to arrive in Invercargill on Friday night and will conduct his first training session on Saturday morning.
It leaves just Brayden Inger to still link with the Sharks.
It’s a far cry from years of the past when players, on occasions, arrived as late as the day of the first game because of other commitments.