Sturt's secret weapon in NBL1 title charge

Feature image via: Emma Hoppo

The Sturt Sabres have started the NBL1 Central season on fire, and despite the blip that was their Anzac Day defeat to Woodville, they’re rapidly firming as one of the favourites for the title in what looks primed to be another hotly contested season.

After their Preliminary Final defeat to West Adelaide last season the Sabres have re-tooled, but much of the current roster is as it was last season – but one of the biggest barometers for their improvement has been the remarkable performances of Jacob Rigoni. Who after a season with the Adelaide 36ers, has been unleashed as one of the competition’s best players.

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Of players to have played at least four games in this opening stanza of the season only Brandon Jenkins (32) and Alex Starling (26.8) are averaging more points per game than Rigoni’s 25.4. Yet he is doing so on over 11 fewer attempts per game than Jenkins, and eight per game fewer than Starling.

Jacob Rigoni led Sturt to a nail-biting win over South Adelaide.

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The sharpshooting swingman has established himself as one of the top marksmen in the nation at the NBL1 level so far this season. He said he’s thriving with the opportunity to showcase the improvements he made after a season at NBL level with the 36ers.

“It’s been awesome to be back at Sturt, this is where I grew up playing junior basketball and developed my love for the game. I have a lot of great mates on the team so to join the team again this year with a similar group to what we had last year has been a really good start for us to pick up where we left off,” Rigoni told NBL Media.

“We’ve got better as individuals and a collective and we’ve been able to put some wins on the board early. For myself, it was an awesome year with Adelaide, I was stoked to be a part of the team and training at that level every single day.

“I didn’t have too many games because we were pretty healthy and there weren’t too many injuries. I was able to develop my game on the court with training and different individual sessions with the coaches there. I think it’s translated back to the NBL1 level and I’m excited to keep getting better.

“It’s been good to come back to Sturt and have the opportunity to show that. My teammates are putting a lot of trust in me to make plays and it’s been a lot of fun.”

The Sabres had the opportunity to head into Saturday’s clash with the Southern Tigers on top of the ladder with six straight wins, but their Anzac Day clash with Woodville put pay to their hopes of continuing their winning run.

Warrior Riley Meldrum was awarded the Anzac Day Medal in his side’s 14-point win over Sturt for his 17 points and seven rebounds, while Sharif Black led the scoring with 27 points.

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Rigoni struggled to find his shot in the defeat and scored 17 points on 5-17 shooting on the night.

He said while the loss was disappointing, the opportunity to play on such a special day helped keep basketball in perspective.

“We’re really grateful to the people who came before us and sacrificed themselves to serve us, and it’s good to have a day like that where we continue to create conversation, share their stories and put the game into perspective,” he said,

“We work really hard on basketball but at the end of the day, it is just a game. We’re super grateful to have the opportunity to play the game we love and for the people that have sacrificed themselves to allow us to be in the position we are now."

Reflecting upon the loss, Rgoni said that the team will need to look internally on the result with such a quick turnaround. 

“We have to look internally to start with in what led to the loss. They played great to start with and we didn’t play our best," he said

“You address that in the changerooms after the game but with the quick turnaround you don’t have long to dwell on it or go to practice and work on it, but there are things we’ll carry into the weeks going forward, like we do when we win we look at areas we can improve.

“It’s a long season so we’re trying to be the best version of ourselves come finals if we’re fortunate enough to make them. It’s a quick turnaround and we give each team the respect they deserve, and each team is too good to let your guard down for one game.

“We’re excited for the next challenge, we’ll give Southern a lot of respect, and we’ll go in and right the wrong.”

While anything can happen over the course of a season, should Sturt make finals fortune will likely have little to do with it.

The Sabres have forged a program that is becoming accustomed to a certain level of success within NBL1. Last season’s heartbreaking Preliminary Final defeat to West Adelaide leaves them looking to take themselves a few steps further.

While most of the season is still yet to be played out, a Sabres title for Rigoni will be the crowning achievement at a club with which he’s shared a relationship for most of his life.

“It would mean a lot to win a championship at Sturt. I love playing with these people and the coaches that have put me in the position I am at the moment,” he said.

“It’s such a highly respected league and the players are so good. When you’re playing in such a tough league it makes it even more special when you ultimately do break through.

“I have a lot of love for the club and the people who have put their time into me to develop me and all the other boys in the team. We want to be representatives for the club and inspire the kids that come out every week and we want to keep that generation going through Sturt, for the kids to keep getting better and eventually be able to join the team and play with us.

“We understand we’re always setting an example and we’re working hard to pursue that.”

Sturt’s clash with the Southern Tigers will tip off on Saturday night at 8:30pm ACST via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App.