5 Sep 2015

Tall Blacks guard to finally make ANBL debut

11:18 am on 5 September 2015

The 29-year-old Tall Blacks guard Jarrod Kenny will finally make his debut in the Australian NBL this season, having signed with the Perth Wildcats.

Kenny was part of the New Zealand side which missed out on qualifying for the Rio Olympics when they lost to Australia in the recent Olympic qualifying series.

The 1.88 metre NBL rookie replaces departed Boomers guard Hugh Greenwood, who quit the Wildcats in order to chase his AFL dream.

While this will be Kenny's debut NBL season, he brings with him 13 years of New Zealand National Basketball League experience.

Tall Black Jarrod Kenny playing against Australia in the recent Olympic qualifying series.

Tall Black Jarrod Kenny playing against Australia in the recent Olympic qualifying series. Photo: Photosport

"I'm very excited to sign my first NBL contract with such a strong organisation like the Perth Wildcats," said Kenny.

"I'm a very hard-working player but really I'm here to do whatever the team asks of me. I'm going to do my best to make life difficult for the opposition to give us the best shot at having a successful season."

Kenny played with the Harbour Heat from 2002 to 2008 before signing with the Hawke's Bay Hawks in 2009.

In the 2015 season he averaged an impressive 6.3 assists per game to go with 10.3 points, 1.3 steals and 2.8 rebounds.

Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson said he'll slot into his roster nicely.

"We had a position open among the guards, where we felt we were a little light-on, and Jarrod Kenny is a very good defender, he's tough and strong and knows how to run the team. I've had the added benefit of coaching against him at the FIBA Oceania Championships, and this is a good get for us," said Gleeson.

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