AO, Over & Out
Tagged in: Tall Blacks
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NZ Tall Black and Harvey Norman NZ Breakers guard Aaron Olson has announced his retirement from big time basketball.
The 29-year-old sharpshooter says his heart isnít in the sport at the moment and he is returning to his native Canada to determine his future.
ìI donít have anything lined up, everythingís up in the air,î Olson says. ìTo be honest, I am a little apprehensive about heading into the unknown, but Iím also looking forward to this new phase in my life.î
A foundation member of the Breakers, Olson has not missed a game since the club joined the Australian NBL in 2003. His 130 appearances are a franchise record he shares with great mate Paul Henare.
ìThis is the toughest part, saying good bye to team mates who have meant so much to me,î Olson says. ìI feel like Iím letting them down, but itís better I make the hard call now with plenty of time for the Breakers to finalise a replacement.î
The clubís MVP in 2005, ìAOî is the Breakersí leading pointscorer with 1800 points at 14 points per game and farewells the NBL with impressive shooting percentages – 36% from beyond the 3-point line, 41% in total from the floor and 83% from the free-throw line.
ìMy time in New Zealand has been great,î Olson says. ìPlaying sport for a living is a dream job, so I feel Iíve been extremely privileged.î
Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis says Olsonís departure with two years left on his contact ìleaves a holeî.
ìMy disappointment at seeing him go is only tempered by the respect I have for Aaron and the decision he has made, because Aaronís a deep thinker and he wonít have made this call lightly,î Lemanis says.
ìDesire is obviously a huge part of sport and it is courageous of Aaron to recognise that a spark is missing. Rather than go through the motions he has chosen to do the right thing and, obviously, we wish him well because heís a great guy.î
Lemanis is now looking to fill Olsonís place in the Breakersí roster with a ëlocalí player before signing the two allowable imports.
After a college career for the University of Victoria and Eastern Washington, Olson joined the Auckland Stars in 2001. He debuted for New Zealand in 2003 against the Czech Republic and went on to play at the 2005 Athens Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games and last yearís FIBA World Championships in Japan.
Olson has also discussed his decision with Tall Black coach Nenad Vucinic and the national team mentor is hopeful he will reconsider in the future.
“I hope it is a phase he is going through, that he will rediscover his passion for the game and be available for selection again.
“I think he’s just not enjoying it and is probably doing the right thing in stepping away for a while. He’s young enough and still has a few more years left in him.
“It’s a shame he’s not available this year. He’s a quality player, but we can’t think about who we don’t have, only who we do have.”
Olson debuted for New Zealand in 2003 against the Czech Republic, and went to play at the 2005 Athens Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the FIBA World Championships in Japan.
In 46 games for his country, he averaged 5.9 points (38.2% 3pt).
He also played 77 New Zealand NBL games, winning championships with Auckland in 2004 & 2005. Olson was named MVP of the 2004 final against Nelson and averaged 17.2 points over his career.
