The Forestville Eagles have shocked South Australian basketball by signing Woollacott Medallist and Best Defensive Player Alex Starling, adding to their existing championship core.
In what will be considered as one of the strongest line-ups in league history, the Eagles have Adam Doyle, Finals MVP Greg Mays, legend Daniel Johnson and Starling in their starting five.
Last season Starling had a spectacular campaign, averaging an NBL1 career-high 23.2 points and claiming the Woollacott Medal and Best Defensive Player for the third and fifth time respectively. He led the South Adelaide Panthers to their third-straight finals appearance and second Grand Final, falling short in a jaw-dropping 92-90 loss to the Forestville Eagles.
While fans may suspect Starling was chasing further championships, the 35-year-old explained his former club wanted to go in a new direction in 2025.
“I can’t necessarily say what made me want to play for Forestville. I’ll put this out there, I actually wanted to stay at South Adelaide and the new head coach (Paul Bell) had different plans,” he told NBL Media.
“So before we can actually sit down and have a talk, he pretty much let me know straight away he didn’t want me a part of their plans ongoing. From there it was more so me looking at the type of coach that I wanted to play for over the past couple of seasons. I feel like I wasn’t really challenged to push by my coach, so that had a big influence and where I wanted to play.
“It started with Andy (Simons) and stopped at Andy. So I reached out to Andy over at Forestville and then obviously the playing group, they know how to win. Winning’s obviously important to me as well and playing with the group who just came off of a championship. More importantly, a great group of guys who know how to play the game of basketball and I’m all about winning. So for me, it’s a perfect fit or just the right decision for me.”
After Scott Ninnis received the head coaching role with the Adelaide 36ers after the 2022 championship, the Panthers have had three different coaches in the past three seasons.
South Adelaide Club President June McKenzie acknowledged that while it was a tough decision to part ways with Starling, the new-look Panthers under Paul Bell will be built in his vision and the club is excited about its new direction and vision.
“Over the past five years, the South Adelaide Basketball Club has supported Alex Starling both on and off the court. We were thrilled for him when his relationship with Scott Ninnis and his new status as an Australian citizen opened the door to advance his career with the Adelaide 36ers,” Club President June McKenzie said.
“Following the completion of the NBL1 season in 2024, significant changes occurred for both Alex and the South Adelaide Basketball Club. The club found itself in need of a new head coach once again. With the arrival of our new head coach, Paul Bell, we supported his vision to reshape our roster and steer the team in a fresh direction for the 2025 NBL1 season.
This decision also allows us to allocate our budget more effectively, explore new, younger talent, and create opportunities for our local players.
“While it has been a difficult decision to part ways with someone of Alex’s calibre, we respect Alex’s professionalism and wish him nothing but the best in his future basketball endeavours.”
The NBL1 Central season starts March 29th. Stay up-to-date with all the latest signings via the Roster Tracker here.
