Blitz intel: Your guide to the young guns hitting NBL centre stage
A teenager tipped to follow the likes of Josh Giddey into the NBA is one of the young guns labelled SuperCoach NBL must-buys who will light up the Blitz preseason tournament. Full details
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Lachlan Olbrich is the Aussie teenage gun tipped to follow the likes of Josh Giddey into the NBA despite being overlooked for the pathway that delivered the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boomers star to the biggest stage.
Olbrich, 19, isn’t part of the NBL Next Stars program reserved for players with potential NBA draft buzz, but could find himself as one of the most sought-after talents when over 25 US scouts from the biggest clubs in the world attend the preseason Blitz tournament, set to be held on the Gold Coast from September 16-22.
The 6 foot 10 forward has been rated by Next Stars recruitment general manager Liam Santamaria as a potential NBA player.
“Who is coming into the (NBL) league that might have a really big impact? Lachlan Olbrich,” Santamaria said on NBL podcast The Marketplace recently.
“This guys is a potential future NBA player and he is flying well under the radar as an off-season signing.”
Olbrich was signed by the Illawarra Hawks after opting to go professional in a bid to fast-track his career rather than spend a second year in the US college with UC Riverside.
“It’s super exciting but it’s not going to change the way I play,” Olbrich said of the chance to impress NBA scouts.
“I’m always going to put everything out on the court and do the best I can for the team,” he said.
Olbrich is one of nine players earmarked as the young guns to watch in the 2023 NBL season and potential SuperCoach game changers, with registrations to the competition open soon.
Olbrich had options to stay in the college system but believed he would improve quicker by returning home.
“I had options to transfer colleges or stay at Riverside,” Olbrich said.
“But after conversations with my agent, I thought I was ready for the NBL and to hone my skill set at a professional level.
“While I’m young it would be best to start now.”
He may have returned on an early ticket home, but Olbrich said the college experience has taught him all he needs for the step up to the NBL.
“I learned how to play in a system very well.
“It was very talented basketball, very specific and it was a good lead up especially for my transition to the Illawarra Hawks.”
The star is now thrilled to be making the leap into professional basketball at such a young age, and has been training with the team for little under a month.
“I’m super excited about signing with the Hawks … To get to the highest level for now and play and show what I can do.
“Everyone takes it to that next level of serious,” he said.
“They’re tough trainings so I think we're going to be the fittest team out there.”
Olbrich’s physical game is no doubt what caught the Illawarra Hawks’ eyes.
“I’m a very physical player myself and take pride in my body,” he said.
“I’m try to give out as much as I get.
The Blitz will test how that physicality fairs against the country’s most experienced players, but Olbrich has no doubt he’s ready.
“I think I’m well prepared to go into this league as far as physicality goes.”
THE YOUNG GUNS TO WATCH IN THE BLITZ AND NBL SEASON
Name: Lachlan Olbrich
Age: 19
Team: Illawarra Hawks
Position: Centre/Forward
SuperCoach price: $69,000
Comment: Teenage sensation Lachlan Olbrich has climbed quickly up the ranks.
He was part of the 2022 NBL1 Central All-Star Five, before making the move to the University of California for college basketball in Riverside.
He now returns to home soil and will don the Illawarra Hawks jersey in the NBL.
Name: Nick Marshall
Age: 24
Team: Adelaide 36ers
Position: Forward
SuperCoach price: $85,900
Comment: This season will mark Marshall’s third in the NBL, but just his first as a fully-rostered player.
The 24-year-old averaged 22.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in his 2023 NBL1 South season for Mt Gambier.
Name: Rocco Zikarsky
Age: 17
Team: Brisbane Bullets
Position: Centre
SuperCoach price: $115,000
Comment: Zikarsky is the most sought-after teen around, and the Brisbane Bullets were quick to claim him as his own.
Standing at 7‘3, it’s no surprise he’s already on NBA radars, but for now the Brisbane-born star will play his part in the NBL as a Next Star.
Name: Taran Armstrong
Age: 21
Team: Cairns Taipans
Position: Guard
SuperCoach price: $69,000
Comment: After two years of college experience with the California Baptist University, Armstrong returns to Aussie soil to join the Cairns Taipans.
The 21-year-old holds a wealth of talent for his age, known as one of the best passers in college basketball.
He’s played alongside the likes of Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, and is a former member of the NBA Global Academy in Canberra.
Name: Luke Travers
Age: 21
Team: Melbourne United
Position: Forward/Guard
SuperCoach price: $276,300
Comment: Travers found himself as pick 56 in the 2022 NBA Draft, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have since kept him in the NBL to develop.
The 21-year-old will switch from Perth colours to the Melbourne United jersey this year following an off-season move.
He is tipped to feature in the starting line-up.
Name: Ben Henshall
Age: 19
Team: Perth Wildcats
Position: Guard/forward
SuperCoach price: $69,000
Comment: A Western Australian local, Henshall has signed with the Perth Wildcats on a two-year deal.
The teen star averaged 18.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in the NBL1 East season while playing for the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.
Wildcats’ General Manager of Basketball Operations Danny Mills has already labelled him the ‘future of the franchise.’
Name: Owen Foxwell
Age: 19
Team: South East Melbourne Phoenix
Position: Guard
SuperCoach price: $132,700
Comment: The South East Melbourne Phoenix have re-signed their promising young gun Owen Foxwell for another two years.
He’s a talented guard who averaged 18.7 points, 5.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game for Eltham in the 2023 NBL1 South season.
After 17 appearances for the Phoenix last season, Foxwell is itching to take on a bigger role on-court.
Name: Alex Toohey
Age: 19
Team: Sydney Kings
Position: Forward
SuperCoach price: $115,000
Comment: A change of heart has led 19-year-old Toohey to the NBL24 season.
The young gun made a last-minute decision to decommit from college powerhouse Gonzaga and will instead join the Sydney Kings as a Next Star.
Toohey had a standout 2023 NBL1 season with the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence and was named NBL1 East Youth Player of the Year.
On the global stage, he has already donned the Boomers colours on three occasions since February 2021.
Name: Jacob Richards
Age: 22
Team: Tasmania JackJumpers
Position: Forward
SuperCoach price: $58,500
Comment: Tasmanian-born and raised, Richards will join the JackJumpers’ playing roster as a development player after two years of train-on experience.
He averaged 13.2 points per game in this year’s NBL1 South season for the Hobart Chargers and received the Coaches award for his performance.
The 6’7 forward has already impressed coaches with his attitude towards the game and will now have the chance to prove himself on-court.
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