Nowell Returns To Taranaki
Tagged in: NBL
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Murray Hills, Taranaki Daily News
Aaron Nowell could easily be described as a basketball nomad.
He has played for three different National Basketball League sides and he is currently a member of the West Sydney Razorbacks wider training squad.
The good news for Taranaki basketball fans is that the 26-year-old 1.96m small forward is returning home next year, having signed for the Taranaki Mountain Airs.
“It’s awesome. I’m really excited to be back home and I’m looking forward to playing for the Mountain Airs again,” Nowell said yesterday.
“Trent (Mountain Airs coach Trent Adam) is a good coach and he talked me in to playing here.”
Adam also announced he has signed three other key players – last season’s captain and power forward Link Abrams, who was the league’s leading rebounder and a member of the All Star Five, point guard Ben Jeffrey and forward Damon Rampton.
“It’s a good start. To have these four quality players signed at this stage of the season is great,” Adam said yesterday.
Nowell, who started his NBL career with the Wellington Saints in 2002, had two years in the capital.
He returned home to Waitara in 2004 and played that year and the next for the Mountain Airs. Last year he headed to Palmerston North linking up with the Jets for two seasons. In July, Nowell went to Sydney and, while he missed a spot in the 10-strong playing roster with the Razorbacks, he was named as one of four development players to train with the team.
“It’s been brilliant. I’ve learnt a lot. The intensity is far greater over there and I’ll try to bring that back to the Mountain Airs,” he said.
“Training with the Razorbacks has definitely improved my game – my shooting, dribbling, my one-on-one play. We shoot hundreds of shots a day and my shooting is way better.”
Nowell said Razorbacks coach Rob Beveridge had been brilliant.
“He’s very good. He was with the Boomers. He’s very technical, he knows what he wants.”
However, it hasn’t all been good news for Nowell in Sydney.
In September, he suffered a rib injury while training and it kept him on the sidelines for nearly two months.
“It’s all good now and I’m just looking forward to next year.”
Nowell said Hawke’s Bay coach Shawn Dennis had tried to sign him for next year’s league.
“They’re a really good team with a good record, but I really wanted to come back home,” Nowell said.
“I know most of the players here and they’re a really good bunch. They played well last year. If we can build on that and win a few more games it will be great.”
