Crosscourt: NBL Next Stars boss reveals future ‘exciting talents’, Roman Siulepa’s next move
Teen beast Roman Siulepa is a certainty to sign for one of three NBL clubs despite interest from both rugby codes, but there is a catch to landing his services, plus more in CROSSCOURT.
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Teen beast Roman Siulepa is a certainty to sign with one of Cairns, Illawarra or Adelaide, despite interest from both rugby codes.
But sources told Crosscourt the 18-year-old athletic freak won’t be in an NBL uniform until after he completes his Year 12 exams in mid-November.
Siulepa initially signed with Tasmania as a Next Star but his contract was controversially torn up by the JackJumpers over his decision to ignore team orders and continue playing GPS rugby with his mates at Brisbane State High School.
Efforts from interested league and union teams ramped up in the wake of his JackJumpers departure and the NBL had feared his experience could have pushed him toward the oval ball.
But Crosscourt understands he has already signed a new Next Stars contract with the NBL and just needs to decide which club he joins.
Siulepa, right now, is focused on completing his QCE, but his home state Taipans are considered the current frontrunners as talks with coach Adam Forde and management heat up.
All three teams are said to be understanding of Siulepa’s want to complete his schooling.
NBL already hunting next Sarr, Toohey
The latest group of NBL Next Stars brought a youthful wow factor to round 1 of the NBL season at Hoops Fest — but the hunt for the next crop of potential NBA draft talent has already begun in earnest.
Next Stars recruiting boss Liam Santamaria spent a large portion of his time in Perth taking in the talent on show at the Basketball Without Borders Asia camp, hoping to hit on the next Alex Sarr or Alex Toohey.
He came away with a long list of teen hoopers who could end up on an NBL roster in the near future — headlined by unique Victorian product Marcus Vaughns and tournament MVP Alex Dickeson, among a number of elite Aussies, and one of the strongest New Zealand cohorts yet.
“It was great to see a lot of those guys again having watched them in the U17 World Cup in Turkey and at various other events,” Santamaria said.
“Guys like Mading Kuany, who was the tournament’s defensive MVP, and Ajak Nyuon, who made the All Star five, are really exciting talents.
“Alex Dickeson was the MVP of the event and he has a huge future ahead of him.
“This is a particularly strong Kiwi group, they have a bunch of really good players in Oscar Goodman, Hayden Jones, (NZ basketball legend) Phill Jones’ son, you’ve got Troy Plumtree, Jackson Kiss and Lachlan Crate.
“They’re all guys I have been monitoring for the program.”
It was Vaughns who continues to catch Santamaria’s eye as he scours the globe for unique talents who might fit the program, which provides a professional grounding for young NBA draft hopefuls.
“Marcus Vaughns wasn’t on Australia’s U17 World Cup team but I think he is full of potential,” Santamaria said.
“He’s long, he’s got big hands, he’s athletic, he’s got great defensive instincts. Time after time after time he’s in the passing lanes and he’s being disruptive defensively.
“He’s got a developing offensive skillset, he can make plays in transition, he can get above the rim and he’s starting to shoot it a bit more consistently.
“If you’re looking across an event like that at guys with lots of potential — and that’s what we’re always looking at here in the Next Stars space, what could he potentially be long term — I think he’s really interesting.”
Santamaria said the opportunity to have so many events in the one city was perfect for his purposes, giving him an opportunity to meet up with the current Next Stars, while casting an eye over prospects.
DASH WANTED: NBL HONING IN ON YOUNGER DANIELS
The NBL continues to hone in on incredible young Victorian prospect Dash Daniels.
The younger brother of Boomers and NBA guard Dyson Daniels, Dash is one of the best young guards in the country.
His mixture of size, ability and temperament — aged just 16 — has him on the path to NBA stardom.
But first, the NBA Global Academy product will have a decision to make on his hoops future.
Santamaria said discussions with Daniels’ camp had been positive and he was open to considering the Next Stars program, with big US colleges sure to come knocking.
“I’ve made no secret of the fact that I feel like the Next Stars pathway could be fantastic for Dash Daniels,” Santamaria said.
“We’ve had some conversations with him and his family and we’re very interested in having him as a Next Star next season and helping support his ongoing development over the next couple of years as he taps into what I feel like is a huge amount of potential.
“Feedback, so far, is that there’s definitely interest in exploring the pathway, so that’s really exciting and I look forward to progressing those conversations.”
Crosscourt understands there are a number of teams which have expressed a desire to sign Daniels, should he choose the pathway.
Listed on the FIBA website at 195cms, Daniels appears noticeably taller in person and his skills are obvious but it’s his on-court decision-making with the ball and defensive IQ and tenacity that set him apart.
STAYING IN TOUCH WITH TOOHEY
Second-year Sydney Next Star Alex Toohey is the talk of the NBL after his stunning pre-season emergence and monstrous 10-point, three-assist fourth quarter that led the Kings to victory over Adelaide at Hoops Fest.
But it might never have happened.
Initially coveted by the NBL, Toohey eventually committed to powerhouse US college Gonzaga.
But, as the school’s recruiting progressed, the now 20-year-old wunderkind had a change of heart.
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Next Stars guru Liam Santamaria said, despite Toohey’s college choice, he always felt the Canberran would be the perfect fit for the NBL.
“I always felt once I started really scouting Alex that this pathway could be really effective for him.
“Even though he committed to Gonzaga, I maintained that connection with him and his family and, as it turns out, he’s a Next Star and I think he’s in a fantastic place in Sydney.”
Crosscourt has long-maintained Toohey could be an NBA lottery pick and, with the massive leap he’s taken in his game, by season’s end, we might not be far off the mark.
ALMANSA ANOTHER ONE THAT (ALMOST) GOT AWAY
Spaniard Izan Almana was heavily recruited by the NBL last season but he chose the G League Ignite path.
Touted as a first-round pick, the Ignite program was fraught with too many youngsters trying to show their wares and Almansa, whose fundamentally sound game is far more suited to the rigour and regiment of structured pro ball, got a bit lost.
Liam Santamaria, the NBL Next Stars recruiter who made initial overtures, stayed in touch.
“He was the one who got away from me and the program last year,” Santamaria said.
“We recruited him and he decided to go in a different direction at G League Ignite and he was a projected first round pick at that time but, you know, stay in touch, stay in contact.
“I said ‘listen, if things change, we’ll be here’.
Things did change and now the giant 19-year-old is in Perth rebuilding his draft capital, a season after Alex Sarr franked his NBL form into becoming the No.2 pick.
“Alex is a tough act to follow but Izan is very effective out there already,” Santamaria said.
“We’re approaching the second game of the season and I think JR (coach John Rillie) already has great confidence in him out on the floor at both ends and that says a lot.
“I think he’s going to be really impactful for them over the course of the season.”
Santamaria has a never give up attitude that means no prospect is off his books, even when they’ve committed elsewhere.
“My mentality is to never stop tracking the development of players who I think the Next Stars pathway could be really effective for,” Santamaria said.
“I suspect next year, we’ll probably end up with somebody within the program who I tried to recruit for this year.
“A guy like Alex Condon, for example, as he continues to develop in Florida.
“I’m going to continue to watch him and keep a sense for where he’s at.
“He might be in the 2025 draft, he might be back with Florida next year, who knows, you just don’t know how things chop and change.”
GET ON BOARD OR GET LEFT BEHIND
In years gone by, having a Next Star had the potential to be a double-edged sword for NBL clubs.
Yes, there was the carrot of broader exposure with a player considered a possible NBA draft-level athlete but young players are often still learning the game, learning to be a pro and they make mistakes.
So the balance of playing time v winning games was sometimes not convergent.
These days, though, as the level of young talent has lifted, so has the interest from clubs.
NBL Next Stars recruitment boss Liam Santamaria says he already has clubs keen to welcome in a Next Star in NBL26.
“It’s a 12-month of the year process and part of the process for that is bringing the NBL clubs along on that journey,” ,” Santamaria said.
“What I’m finding now is more and more clubs are keen to be involved in those conversations earlier and earlier.
“So we’ve just tipped off the start of this season and I’m already hosting numerous zooms with NBL teams for prospects for the 2025-26 season, so that’s really exciting.
“Previously it’s like ‘hey man we’re just starting to get the season going’, or ‘hey, we’re making a run for the playoffs’ or ‘hey, we’ll chat when the season’s over’.
“But now teams are understanding of the fact that these processes are taking place earlier and earlier and, if you want to be a partner in the program and get that competitive advantage of having a high quality Next Star in your organisation, you need to be open to having those conversations early in the piece.
“NBL teams are telling me and showing me they are interested in doing that.”
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Originally published as Crosscourt: NBL Next Stars boss reveals future ‘exciting talents’, Roman Siulepa’s next move
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