Kouat Noi, Courtney Woods and Sean Macdonald find new homes following Salties’ collapse
The collapse and departure of NBL1 North’s Darwin Salties saw NBL, WNBL, and former NBA/Euroleague players without a home for 2025. See where all the Salties landed here.
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Whether it’s in New Zealand and China, Perth or Hobart, the Darwin Salties class of 2024 has taken their talents far and wide for 2025 as a result of the Salties’ collapse.
While some players took this in their stride, going on to achieve greatness such as NBL championship winner Wani Swaka Lo Buluk at the Illawarra Hawks, it also left a significant number of players out of a job.
We have taken a deep dive into each of the players in the men’s and women’s main roster revealing where each player has landed.
Women
ABBY SOLWAY (Canberra Basketball – NBL1 East)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 17
– Average points per game: 3.00
Info: Solway has returned to the nation’s capital after her one season stint with the Salties. After a relatively quiet 2024 campaign the Canberra local will look to re-find her form in a familiar setting.
ABIGAIL CURTAIN (Sydney Comets – NBL1 East)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 17
– Average points per game: 11.41
Info: The rangy 28-year-old forward has returned to the East, this time at the Comets. An experienced player, Sydney is Curtain’s fourth club in her five years of NBL1 action.
AMY LIST (Blackburn Vikings Div 2 – BigV)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 2
– Games played in 2024: 9
– Average points per game: 0.67
Info: A major player for the back-to-back championship winning Ealls Titans Women’s team has landed south in the Victorian basketball competition (BigV) as a member of the Vikings’ Division 2 outfit.
ASHLEY ARLEN (Rip City – QSL/NBL1)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 14
– Average points per game: 11.86
Info: Arlen has returned to the Sunshine Coast based franchise in a coaching and operations role. The American who previously played for Rip in 2022 will use her experience from NCAA, and Europe to rejuvenate the franchise after its exclusion in 2024.
CATHERINE MACGREGOR(Mt Gambier Pioneers – NBL1 South)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 2
– Games played in 2024: 17
– Average points per game: 11.53
Info: The sharpshooting guard and honorary local – having spent the past couple seasons with the DBA Women’s championship winning Ellas Titans – has made the move down south to Mt Gambier. This season will be MacGregor’s fifth in the league, her first foray outside the North.
COURTNEY WOODS (Townsville Fire – WNBL, Northside Wizards – NBL1 North)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 16
– Average points per game: 23.69
Info: The Salties’ marquee Women’s signing for 2024 has returned home to Brisbane for the Wizards. Woods, a two-time NBL1 North and one time WNBL champion as well as 2025 All-WNBL first team player, NBL1 North MVP and finals MVP is undoubtedly the signing of the conference.
RUBY PORTER (Cockburn Cougars – NBL1 West)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 3
– Games played in 2024: 12.40
– Average points per game: 15
Info: The 2024 Women’s captain and inaugural Salties player landed in the west at Cockburn. The guard will look to replicate her solid 2024 form in what’ll be her first year outside the Top End.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON (Illawarra Hawks – NBL1 East)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 2
– Games played in 2024: 10
– Average points per game: 5.00
Info: Johnston will play for the Hawks under Salties coach Rod Tremlett this season. After two seasons with Darwin and one at the Rollers, Johnston is taking her talents outside of the North for the first time.
ROD TREMLETT (Illawarra Hawks – NBL, Illawarra Hawks – NBL1 East)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 3
Info: The Women’s head coach was picked up by the Illawarra franchise in NSW. Tremlett was part of the NBL championship winning staff and will be the NBL1 Women’s head coach for 2025.
UNKNOWN: Abby-Lee Wood, Madeline Campbell, Nyah Morris, Tiayana Sing, Tyla Cubillo, Zoe Campbell
SPECIAL MENTION: Claire Marie-Hunt –After taking a year off to have her first child, the former Salties player is returning to the court for the Central Districts Lions in the Central conference.
Men
CHIER MAKER (East Perth Eagles – NBL1 West)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 18
– Average points per game: 16.50
Info: Darwin’s most prolific threat from the three last season has been picked up by the Eagles in WA. A towering presence at 2m tall, and fantastic rebounder, Maker will play for his fourth franchise in as many seasons.
DANIEL BABB (South Adelaide Panthers – NBL1 Central)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 3
– Games played in 2024: 14
– Average points per game: 1.00
Info: An inaugural member of the Salties, Babb is another honorary local that’s spent a fair chunk of the past few seasons up north. More of a bench player in 2024, Babb will be a great addition to the Panthers.
ELIJAH LOKOLNG-DUOL (North-West Tasmania Thunder – NBL1 South)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 11
– Average points per game: 1.45
Info: Embarking on his second season in the competition and on the opposite side of the country youngster Lokolnh-Duol is out to get minutes under his belt in a totally new environment.
KAI BLOOM (Lake Erie College – NCAA Div. 2)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 9
– Average points per game: 2.11
Info: One of the many Rip City players that came to the Salties in 2024, the Sunshine Coast product has returned to the United States’ college system. Bloom is currently playing in the second tier of NCAA basketball at an Ohio college.
KOUAT NOI (Sydney Kings – NBL, Ningbo Rockets – CBA)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 15
– Average points per game: 21.53
Info: The Sydney King and NBL25’s sixth man-of-the-year is currently playing in Asia following the NBL’s conclusion. Noi is currently playing in the Chinese Basketball Association on a short-term deal for the Ningbo Rockets.
MAKUACH MALUACH (Sydney Kings – NBL)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 3
– Games played in 2024: 18
– Average points per game: 20.78
Info: The Salties’ captain just wrapped up his second season with the Kings and third in his NBL career. It’s unknown at this stage if he’s decided to take his talents abroad or back to the NBL1.
SEAN MACDONALD (Tasmania JackJumpers – NBL, Canterbury Rams – NZNBL)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 2
– Games played in 2024: 14
– Average points per game: 16.29
Info: Another member of the men’s side that just competed in the NBL season, Macdonald has taken his talents across the Tasman for 2025. Opting not to play in the NBL1, Macdonald has been playing for the NZNBL 2024 champions Canterbury.
TOBY CAMPBELL (Illawarra Hawks – NBL1 East)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 14
– Average points per game: 2.14
Info: The towering centre had a breakout season in 2024 after two consecutive two-game seasons at Rip City, and no games in 2023 has joined former Salties head coach Matt Flinn at the Hawks.
VERLE WILLIAMS – (Geraldton Buccaneers – NBL1 West)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 15
– Average points per game: 8.27
Info: Williams has gone west for his fifth season in the league after a brilliant single season cameo at the Salties. During the off-season, Williams stuck around to help deliver a DBA title to Ellas Titans in the Men’s Championship.
WANI SWAKA LO BULUK (Illawarra Hawks – NBL, Hawke’s Bay Hawks – NZNBL)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 17
– Average points per game: 12.76
Info: A perennial winner Buluk did just that in the NBL as he balled out for the Championship winning Hawks, where he won his fourth title at just 24. Like Macdonald, Buluk as gone east, picked up by the Kiwi franchise Hawke’s Bay.
MATTHEW FLINN(Illawarra Hawks – NBL, Illawarra Hawks – NBL1 East)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 3
Info: The inaugural and only men’s coach in the Salties history won the NBL championship as the assistant coach of Illawarra, and is the new NBL1 East head coach of the men’s outfit.
NATHAN JAWAI (Retired)
– Darwin Salties seasons: 3
– Games played in 2024: 10
– Average points per game: 2.80
Info: Another member of the Salties that’s called Darwin home for the past few seasons, the former NBA, NBL and Euroleague power forward decided to call time on his 20-year professional career.
Unknown:
– Darwin Salties seasons: 2
– Games played in 2024: 18
– Average points per game: 8.44
Info: Sill kicking at the ripe old age of 40, the ageless guard has been tearing up the hardwood in the DBA Men’s Championship with the Ellas Titans.
– Darwin Salties seasons: 1
– Games played in 2024: 8
– Average points per game: 3.00
Info: The talented Territory teenager spent the off-season playing in the DBA Men’s championship.
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