After limited minutes during the NBL1 South Eltham Wildcats’ championship run, Zahn Agosta is on pace to become a mainstay on the roster for 2025.
The 20-year-old guard played 23 games last season, averaging 9.5 minutes and 1.7 points – bouncing between the Youth League and NBL1 roster throughout the season.
His first taste of major playing time came earlier in the season, with three games of 10 minutes or more during April. This died down as Angus Glover and Owen Foxwell took over the scoring load, and Agosta’s talent was further needed for the Wildcats’ Youth League side.
His next opportunity came in the National Finals, playing 27 minutes against Forestville and 33 against the Knox Raiders, averaging 13.5 points for the tournament.
All of this has culminated to form his breakout performance during last Thursday’s win during the exhibition tour against Pelita Jaya, where he scored 21 points and swung the game in Eltham’s favour.
It was an impressive display of composure and offensive control against the defending Indonesian Basketball League champions, featuring multiple former NBA players and national team members.
After the game, Wildcats commentator Tyson Whelan explained how impactful Agosta was against this star-studded team.
“He’s now proven his bona fides as an offensive threat at this level,” he said.
“He’s making a strong case for taking on more responsibility within Eltham’s stacked roster.”
After the game, Agosta told NBL Media the value of being able to play in tournaments like the National Finals and in these exhibition clashes.
“It gives me more confidence, it gives me a chance to get on the court and play against good quality teams,” he said.
“The same thing happened up in Sunshine Coast (National Finals), I’m just trying to make the best of that opportunity.”
While the Wildcats didn't have Glover and Foxwell for this game due to the NBL season overlapping, Agosta said their day-to-day impact has been critical to his success.
“Having those guys at training, Tuesday and Thursday and going against them. That’s what’s helped me get to where I am now, I’m forever grateful for those boys,” he said.
With a lot of basketball in his future, Agosta says he wants to make the NBL leap at some point in his career.
“We’ll see what happens, obviously want to play professionally in Australia. That’s my goal. But we’ll take it one step at a time.”
The NBL1 South season starts on March 29, stay up to date with all the latest news and signings via the NBL1 social media pages.
