Rasmussen's Progress Into The NBL

Keanu Rasmussen hasn’t played much basketball in the past two years, but looking at his performances for Sturt in NBL1 Central, you wouldn’t know.

After two seasons at California Baptist in the NCAA – one of which was redshirted – Rasmussen has returned to his hometown of Adelaide and has hit the ground running this season.

His Sabres side currently sit fourth on the ladder with a 5-3 record. Forestville and South Adelaide have already given themselves some breathing room at the top of the standings, and the Lions, Mavericks and Tigers are already struggling to maintain touching distance with the rest of the competition.

For those other four sides though, the middle of the table is a logjam. A logjam the Sabres are sitting prettily atop.

Rasmussen is leading the side with conviction. The guard had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks in an integral win over Woodville in Round 6, and added 18 points, seven boards, five assists and a pair of steals the week before against the Mavericks.

Keanu Rasmussen STUFFED IT ?

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) April 1, 2023

In short, he’s stuffing the stat sheet. The scary part for the opposition sides is that he believes he can keep on improving.

“I guess I’ve had to find my feet the first few games, and I’m still getting used to it again,” Rasmussen told NBL Media.

“It’s great to be back. We’ve got NBL dudes going up against NBL dudes and I think that’s been great for me – to come back into that.”

His efforts were recently rewarded with an NBL contract with the Adelaide 36ers as a development player for NBL24.

Much like Ben Ayre’s return to Sandringham in NBL1 South, Rasmussen’s return to his hometown from – in his case – the other side of the world has also resulted in a reunion with his junior club.

“Sturt has always been my club,” he said.

“Coming back and knowing all the faces has been great. It’s a great culture down here too. There are always kids at our games who are getting up and around you, and it’s great to play in front of them.

“I’ve had big conversations with my coach (Paul Rigoni) and he just believed in me. He still believes in me. I felt like this would be the best place for me to come and play and get myself back out there.”

When the Adelaide 36ers' development player and his Sabres side take on the South Adelaide Panthers on Sunday night, two of South Australia’s most exciting talents will face off. Rasmussen himself, and Panthers wing Lloyd McVeigh.

McVeigh has been one of the most potent offensive weapons for the second-placed side so far this season, considering he can count on NBL legend Daniel Johnson and reigning NBL1 Central Grand Final MVP Alex Starling.

“It’s hard to say we have to run him off the line,” Rasmussen said of McVeigh.

“Because if we run him off, he’s still getting on the rim. We just have to contain him and make him take tough shots, because he’s a great player and he’s going to shoot it – which everyone knows.

"He’s definitely a tough player to guard, and we just can’t give him easy looks.”

Watch the Sabres in a doubleheader weekend, starting tonight against the Southern Tigers and then the South Adelaide Panthers on Sunday. Streaming live via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here. 

Feature image via: Snap Shot Photography