Feature image via: Lawrence Surgers
NBL1 Championship Game MVP KJ Feagin is back for his second season and is ready to bring another national title to Knox.
After a historic season in 2023, winning the NBL1 South Championship and going onto win the National Finals with seven players, the Los Angeles native explained how Knox has become a second home for him.
“Knox is the first place I stayed somewhere for the whole year since the start of my professional career,” he told the Raiders.
“I wanted to come back to somewhere I feel comfortable, and where I knew what to expect. I really feel like it, it’s a family atmosphere here and everybody embraced me.”
Related: Knox’s ‘no excuses’ approach
While last year’s roster was taller with the likes of Deng Acouth, Mason Pealting and Wayne Stewart Jr, Feagin explained that this season’s roster is far more diverse on both ends of the floor.
“Offensively we are a lot more dynamic then we were last year,” he said.
“We are not as tall as we were last year, but we are a lot more versatile on the defensive end. But offensively, we are much more versatile than we were last year.”
While captaining the team last season, Feagin explained this younger group in 2024 has forced him to improve as a leader.
“This is new territory for me, last year we had a much older group,” he said.
“It’s forced me to grow up a bit... Everyone is looking to me this year. I have to be perfect, I have to put myself last, I don't take that responsibility for granted at all.”
In his short time in Australia, he’s been able to explore the country through basketball. Outside of seeing Mount Gambier and Tasmania during the NBL1 South seasons, Feagin played in Perth during the 2023 National Finals and played a pre-season tournament in Adelaide during his nearly 12 months in the country.
He explained that the location of this season’s National Finals, hosted in the Sunshine Coast, will feel like home to him.
“I'm a Cali guy, I'm from California, so we are used to our beaches and sunshine. So I think around that time I'm gonna need a little extra sunshine to keep me motivated,” he told NBL Media in April.
Make sure to get your tickets to this year’s Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 National Finals to see if the Knox Raiders can defend their title here.
The Knox Raiders have a double-header weekend against the Frankston Blues on Saturday and the NW Tasmania Thunder on Sunday.
Catch the Raiders in the NBL1 South Game of the Week live and free via Kayo Freebies from 8:00pm AEST and against the Thunder from 2:00pm AEST on Sunday via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.
For further information on the official destination of the National Finals, head to www.visitsunshinecoast.com
