Toohey, Zikarsky and Henshall: The names on the lips of NBA scouts after the NBL Blitz
They’re the bright young stars ready to tear up the NBL - and put themselves on the Highway to the NBA. And overseas scouts are already taking notice. Here’s the verdict on the future of Australia’s best rising talent.
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Fun in the sun on the Gold Coast, coupled with the array of potential NBA-level talent on show makes the NBL Blitz a trip NBA scouts and front-office types clamour for.
In many cases, it’s the first time they’ll see some of the world’s finest young talents in the flesh.
The 28 scouts and executives representing 22 different NBA clubs who converged on the Sunshine State for last week’s pre-season tournament loved what they saw.
Almost every one of the NBL’s much-hyped elite youth brigade produced a small moment — or a huge performance — that justified the interest in their basketball futures.
And it underlined the cordial relationship between the Aussie league and the NBA, which recognises the NBL as a haven for high-level young talent.
“The thing about the NBA, it’s hard to get a chance but it’s even harder to stick,” one scout told Code Sports.
“But the NBL is a good place for locals and imports to come and showcase their skills and to prove themselves because, while it’s not the NBA, it is very physical, with so many smart players in each team.”
NBA anti-tampering laws prohibit any team official from speaking about draft-eligible talent, but scouts at the Blitz gave anonymous verdicts on the pool of Aussies on display.
There was a collective groan of disappointment among the travelling pack when giant teen phenom Rocco Zikarsky went down with an ankle injury at practice and was ruled out of training and games, robbing them of a rare chance to watch the 7’3” teen mountain in action.
“He’s massive and that’s what drives the interest, the size and the ability to block shots and protect the rim,” one scout said.
“With bigs, you have to be patient, it takes time for them to come along.
“He’s got a very good feel for the game and he has good hands. He will have to be able to step out and guard outside the paint in the NBA so he’ll have to work on his mobility, his speed and his flexibility.
“He understands how to play, he’s very advanced in that regard, compared to most young bigs, so that’s a great starting point.”
Alex Toohey looks to have locked in a starting role on a loaded Sydney Kings roster and one scout said his ability to be accurate from the three-point line — he was 4-4 for 26 points against South East Melbourne — will be key in unlocking his NBA draft hopes.
“The thing with Toohey is clearly he has great IQ and he can do a lot of things but he will have to show he can shoot it well enough to stick at the higher level,” a scout said.
“This year will be a proving ground for him.
“He can put the ball on the floor at that size, he can drive, he can make the pass.
“He’s fun to evaluate because he has such a high IQ for the game.”
Aggressive young Perth Wildcat Ben Henshall isn’t a Next Star like contemporaries Toohey and Zikarsky, but the WA native shares their sky-high potential.
“Henshall, He’s what we describe as a ‘hooper’,” a scout said.
“He just has a great feel for the game and he’s very aggressive.
“You want guys like him who are always looking to score and he can do it at different levels.
“He can get to his pull up in the mid-range, he can shoot it from deep range, he can get into the paint.
“I like that he’s getting some reps at the one (point guard) because that will help him improve his handles and his court vision and that’s what he needs to improve: making better decisions with the ball in his hands.
“A lot of guys don’t succeed because they don’t have confidence in themselves but I like his confidence.”
Big SA kid Lachlan Olbrich stamped himself as a player to watch last season but, after two huge, near-perfect scoring nights on the Gold Coast, his stock is soaring.
“He’s a very fun talent, but I’m not sure what his role would be exactly at the NBA level, a scout said.
“But he can do a lot of things, I like that he can get to his spots with his handle and his size, which is really rare.
“He’s a sneaky athlete, I don’t think people realise how good an athlete he is.
“You could envision him being a power forward at NBA level but the shooting isn’t there yet.
“He’s definitely someone to keep an eye on with his combination of size, handles and skills.”
Outside of the young talent who draw the most attention, there’s an ever-growing number of guys who have achieved their goal of reaching the NBA but are now back in the NBL. Their American hopes remain.
“I would say Jack White, Isaac Humphries and Xavier Cooks have a chance of earning a two-way contract in the NBA,” a scout said.
“I know they’ve had their chances already but you never know, NBA scouts are always on the lookout to see who plays well during the season.”
HEAR FROM THE TRIO OF NBL NEXT STARS
Nine NBL Next Stars drafted to the NBA are among 29 players in the past decade to use the Down Under league to make the leap to the big show.
And the likes of giant teen prodigy Rocco Zikarsky, versatile everyman Alex Toohey and hoops natural Ben Henshall are among those putting their hand up as the next big thing in Aussie basketball.
A bevy of local and international talents are set to follow the youngsters on what has become the NBL’s highway to the NBA.
ROCC-IN’ ON
Brisbane Bullet Zikarsky, 18, is literally and figuratively the biggest NBA draft prospect in the country.
Standing 220cm — 7’3” in the old scale — the Queensland kid, tagged as a future Boomers anchor, will be offered ample opportunity to audition for the NBA this season with an expanded role in his sophomore campaign.
Rocco looks at the path he’s walked through the NBL on his way to one day landing in the big league as the most-hyped prospect out of Australia in years.
Ask him about his NBA dream and you can tell he’s grown up fast. In fact, ask him any question, and the thoughtful, considered responses befit a person with perspective usually reserved for those of a more seasoned vintage.
“Looking back on a lot of things in I’ve already done — representing Australia, being a professional basketball player — they’ve all been dreams,” Zikarsky said.
“Right now, I am living my dream and I hope that it continues to the point where I live out my dream of being an NBA player — and a really good one at that — and being a Boomer.
“But there’s still a long way to go.”
There is a long way to go, something Bullets coach Justin Schueller often has to remind his young unicorn.
“The luxury Rocco’s got is yep, it should be his draft year, but it doesn’t have to be, so we know there’s a lot of external noise and pressure, but for him, it’s just, how well can he impact each every game — and he’s doing a good job to challenge that,” Schueller said.
“Everything we talk about is around how he impacts winning every day.
“For him, that’s the most important focus, because, if he does that, everything else takes care of itself.
“Rocco’s a really high IQ kid and he gets it. For him, It’s just be solid. If he can do that, there are going to be times where he takes the game on and helps us get the win.
“There’ll also be days where he doesn’t, and that’s OK, because, as long as he’s solid, we’re happy.”
Rocco with another solid pre-season performance:
— NBL Next Stars (@NBLNextStars) September 4, 2024
â–ªï¸ 9 points
â–ªï¸ 10 rebounds
â–ªï¸ 1 block@BrisbaneBullets ✨ pic.twitter.com/qUskIlqPWM
With the departure of mentor Aron Baynes from the Bullets, Zikarsky will have ample opportunity to impress in his sophomore campaign as centre Tyrell Harrison’s main foil.
“The second year jump is going to be really important for me,” he said.
“Last year, it was seven minutes a game and limited minutes just getting in where I can to show what I’m capable of.
“This year, I’m a backup big man in this league behind a really talented big man in Tyrell (Harrison), so it’s like ‘you’ve got to come in and you’ve got to continue what Tyrell has been doing’, which is hard, because he’s playing really, really well.
“I think that’s the fun part about it, there’s a little more pressure building up, and it’s like, ‘all right, more responsibility’, which I enjoy taking on and knowing that, ‘yeah, I’m a key marker of the second unit, this is my time to help out the team as best as I can’.
“So I’m excited for this jump.”
TOOHEY TIME
Speaking of making jumps, Alex Toohey, the military-sharp kid from Canberra, has made noticeable physical and skill leaps heading into year two of his NBL career as a Next Star with Sydney.
The wing is taller, visibly more jacked and shoots it better than most people have given him credit for.
Flashback 18 months or so and Toohey was set to follow the college path.
But the stars didn’t quite align and then decided staying in his home state and playing professionally would be the best thing for his career.
“The NBL has been massive and, obviously, the biggest comparison is college,” Toohey told Code Sports.
Alex Toohey had another impressive showing in the Kings’ win last night:
— NBL Next Stars (@NBLNextStars) September 14, 2024
24 PTS | 3 AST | 2 3PM | 50% FG @SydneyKings 👀 pic.twitter.com/InRfWA3qyB
“So when I look at college, it’s cool and you can get a lot of money there if you’re American and have a good time, but the level of basketball is not even close to the NBL.
“There’s the fact that you’re playing against pros, but you look at colleges and the best teams have three or four guys that are elite. NBL teams have eight, nine guys that could play with the best players in college and they’re older, more developed and have been playing professional basketball for longer.
“I feel I get confidence from that, just knowing that even if I’m not playing well or performing, those guys in college, they just can’t fathom the level that this is.”
Listed at 203cm — 6’8” in the old scale — Toohey clearly looks taller.
Added strength, shooting and confidence were key pillars of his 26-point pre-season Blitz effort against South East Melbourne one would hope is the beginning of a long, successful season that will shoot the kid who plays with poise of a 10-year professional up NBA teams’ 2025 draft boards.
HENNY AND THE JETS
Ben Henshall, the silky guard out of WA, makes no apologies for his goal of making the leap to the NBA — he has multiple goals in the sport, like winning a title with the Wildcats.
“I’m not going to lie and say it’s not in the back of my head,” Henshall said, when asked if the prospect of taking his game to the biggest league in the world occupied his thoughts.
“I think it’s always going to be in the back of my head.
“But, right now, all I can really do is play basketball and play basketball well and that’s going to set me up.”
Henny’s got game! ☀ï¸
— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) September 10, 2024
He finished with an 18 point, 10 rebound double-double in tonight’s win. pic.twitter.com/qrQRHiDdZw
He’s got a little help from the NBL’s biggest gun in Bryce Cotton and fellow teammates as he careens his way toward the NBA.
“With the flaws in my game, Bryce has been through the NBA before, so just following those guys, working on my game whenever I can, has made a difference,” Henshall said.
“Bryce has been really good just picking up little things.
“When we played New Zealand (in the Blitz), Parker Jackson-Cartwright was pressuring me full court and, after the game, Bryce and Tai were like, ‘these are the things you can do to not get pressure, to get off the ball.
“So just those little things, trying to learn as much as I can this season to prepare myself for next year.”
Henshall led WA to the under 20 National Championship in 2022 and made the leap to the Centre of Excellence, before landing at his hometown Wildcats.
Minutes came sparingly in year one — and he faces a minutes crush with the arrival of Aussie scoring machine Elijah Pepper if he can’t separate himself — but the signs are good enough that, if he can win that minutes battle with Pepper, Ben 10 might just be about to explode.
Ben Henshall spoke to the media post-game on how he felt after stepping into the starting line-up and playing a big role tonight.
— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) September 10, 2024
Watch the full presser: https://t.co/P9LaKCDLBypic.twitter.com/QPbfIfLTEP
Henshall actually lived with Toohey at the Centre of Excellence and, while the two boys are mates off the floor — who rarely talk about basketball — on it, the friendship is out the window.
“I’ve got a good relationship with some of the young guys around the league but we don’t really talk too much about basketball, to be honest It’s more like just catching up as friends,” Henshall said.
“But, it’s always fun competing against them on the court.
“We try to push each other as much as we can.
“I don’t want anyone to outwork me on the court.
“So, when I’m coming against Toohey or Rocco or whoever it is, I’m not going to let anyone outplay me.”
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Originally published as Toohey, Zikarsky and Henshall: The names on the lips of NBA scouts after the NBL Blitz
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