Bullets on target to land Nathan Sobey

THE Brisbane Bullets have hit one of their prime recruiting targets with the NBL club to confirm the signing of Boomers guard Nathan Sobey as soon as today.

THE Brisbane Bullets have hit one of their prime recruiting targets with the NBL club to confirm the signing of Boomers guard Nathan Sobey as soon as Friday.

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Sobey’s signature was the most prized on the NBL’s free agency market, with the Bullets and expansion club South East Melbourne Phoenix considered to be the leading contenders for the services of the athletic guard.

Nathan Sobey drives to the hoop against Melbourne last season.

It is understood Phoenix dropped out of the running late last week, leaving Brisbane to swoop on Sobey who would slot straight into the familiar game plan of Boomers and Bullets head coach Andrej Lemanis.

Sobey – who is currently playing in France – is set to start in the back-court as Brisbane’s point guard alongside Boomers teammate Cameron Gliddon, with Jason Cadee to go to the bench.

He led the NBL in assists in the 2018-19 season with 5.2 per game to go with 16 points, five rebounds and one steal a match.

Sobey can be devastating in the open floor with his uncanny ability to finish around the bucket. He is also a very reliable free-throw shooter and a good defender.

Brisbane will also be hoping to lure import Lamar Patterson back to Brisbane, while the club will be in the market for an American power forward to replace Cam Bairstow.

Nathan Sobey on the charge for the Boomers in the World Cup qualifier against Qatar.

Originally from Warrnambool in Victoria, 28-year-old Sobey spent time in the US playing college basketball before making his NBL debut with Cairns in 2014.

He linked with Adelaide in 2015 and enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, averaging almost 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal per game for the 36ers to win the NBL’s Most Improved Player and be selected in the All-NBL Second Team.

After the eye-catching campaign, he went on to play for the Utah Jazz in the NBA Summer League.

Sobey was an integral part of the Adelaide side that went within a whisker of the winning the 2018 NBL grand final, and was a member of the Australian team that won gold at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

He is a regular member of the NBL-based Boomers squad that qualified Australia for this year’s FIBA World Cup, and was viciously attacked with a coward punch during the controversial all-in brawl in the Philippines last year.

Originally published as Bullets on target to land Nathan Sobey