BIO: Rocco Zikarsky was born in Sunshine Coast, QLD and began playing basketball as a junior with the Rip City basketball program.

Representing Queensland South at the 2023 U18 National Championships, Zikarsky amassed a impressive 19.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game. He also played up a age group at the 2023 U20 National Championships, recording 13.7 points, 10 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game as a member of the NBA Global Academy team.

Zikarsky received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2022. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2022, 2023).

FAMILY: His mum Kylie was a champion ironwoman and dad Bjorn who won an Olympic bronze medal for Germany in swimming.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Rocco Zikarsky made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 17 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

Zikarsky chose to forgo college and a opportunity to play for the G-League Ignite team and sign with the Brisbane Bullets.

“I’m really excited to start my professional career and chose to sign with the Bullets because of the coaching and the community. I grew up in the basketball community in South East Queensland, so to me it was a no brainer,” Zikarsky said upon inking a Next Star deal.

“I decided that the Next Stars opportunity was just too good a fit,” the 7-foot-3 Zikarsky told ESPN. “Being able to train daily with my Under-17 Australian national team coaches, alongside one of my idols Aron Baynes, in my hometown, for my home club, in the NBL, with my family close by, is a dream come true.”

rocco zikarsky moves me strongly, gigantic 7'3 aussie dominating with interior scoring, extremely nimble movement for size + handling, passing and high lvm rim protection + pnr coverage

only 17, not eligible for 2024 draft but absolutely a potential top guy in 2025 pic.twitter.com/XjT3KxThBm— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) August 16, 2023

Zikarsky contributed 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game as the Bullets secured a seventh-place finish with a 13-15 record.

2024/25
Head coach Justin Schueller entered his second season with a renewed roster focused on returning to playoff contention. Brisbane’s offseason began with the surprise jettisoning of face of the franchise Nathan Sobey, who had been with the club for seven seasons. Despite delivering one of the best years of his career in NBL24.

“Really this decision wasn’t about Nathan, but how we can continue to move forward as a club and build a true contender,” Schueller said . “We needed to lean more into our culture and bring in winners who can help us grow. We can’t shy away from Nathan’s production, but we also know there’s other areas we must improve if we want to win a championship.”

Alongside Sobey, Brisbane also farewelled Aron Baynes (retired), Chris Smith (to Japan), Shannon Scott (to Taiwan), and DJ Mitchell (to Manchester). Mitch Norton was elevated to captain in Sobey’s absence, and the club re-signed Isaac White, Norton, Tyrell Harrison, and import forward Casey Prather. Young forward Josh Bannan also returned for his second NBL season. To refresh the squad, Brisbane added high-scoring import duo James Batemon and dynamic wing Keandre Cook. Former NBA player Deng Adel was given another NBL opportunity, and Tohi Smith-Milner arrived via Adelaide to bolster the frontcourt. Development players Kye Savage, Tristan Devers, and Josh Kunen rounded out the roster.

Brisbane opened the season with back-to-back road losses to New Zealand and Illawarra before finally breaking through in Round 4 with a thrilling 87–85 win over South East Melbourne, powered by Tyrell Harrison’s 21-point, 17-rebound double-double. James Batemon and Keandre Cook provided early offensive firepower, with Batemon notching 21 points in a Round 5 win over New Zealand and 21 more in Cairns in Round 7. The highlight of the season came on November 17 when Batemon erupted for 51 points against Perth, hitting 9-of-15 from deep in a 105–84 home victory—marking the first 50-point game by a Bullet in the 40-minute era. By the end of November, Brisbane sat 4–7 but remained in finals contention.

December saw the Bullets hit their best form. Casey Prather led a mid-season surge, scoring 33 points with 8 rebounds against Adelaide in Round 12 and combining with Cook for 27 points each in a high-scoring 122–114 road win over Melbourne. Cook then added 33 points against South East Melbourne, followed by Prather’s 35 in a 107–104 win over Cairns. Brisbane reached 9–8 after a dominant 111–90 victory in Adelaide on Christmas Eve. But a loss to Illawarra at home closed the year at 9–9, and from there, injuries derailed the campaign.

James Batemon suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in mid-December, and the impact was immediate. Jarred Bairstow (ankle), Josh Bannan (concussion), Sam McDaniel (shoulder), and Tyrell Harrison (concussion) all missed time during January, further depleting the roster. Deng Adel was limited to just 10 games for the season due to persistent hand and groin issues. By mid-January, Coach Schueller quipped, “I don’t know if we can field a side right now,” after three players went down with injuries in a single night on a slippery court in Gippsland.

With the squad in crisis, guards Emmett Naar and Josh Adams were signed mid-season to help fill the void.

Despite the setbacks, Casey Prather continued his stellar play, recording 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists in a win over New Zealand on January 8, and posting a season-high 36 points in a road win against Adelaide later that month. New addition Josh Adams (10.7 points in his 9-game stint), provided a spark with 23 points and 7 rebounds in a standout performance against Melbourne on January 26, but these were isolated bright spots in an otherwise difficult second half of the season. After the new year, Brisbane never rose higher than seventh on the ladder.

Keandre Cook remained a consistent scoring threat, finishing strong with 28 points in the final game against Cairns. Ultimately, the toll of injuries and roster instability saw Brisbane drop five of their last seven games to finish 12–17, eighth on the ladder, and outside of the playoff picture.

Casey Prather (21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals) and was awarded Club MVP. Keandre Cook (16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) shined in his NBL debut, also connecting on 2.5 threes per game. James Batemon (15.5 points and 2.8 assists) produced solid numbers prior to his injury, highlighted by his historic 51-point night. Tyrell Harrison (14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds) and Josh Bannan (13.2 points and 8.6 boards) imrpoved in his second season, winning the NBL Youth Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

Captain Mitch Norton (7.4 points and 2.9 assists) played all 29 games, while earning the Bullets Defensive Player and Players’ Player awards. Isaac White provided bench production (6.6 points), and role players Tohi Smith-Milner (5.1 points), Rocco Zikarsky (4.6 points), and Deng Adel (4.7 points) added contributions where available. Young big man Zikarsky impressed with a 10-point game against Perth and later added 9 points and 8 rebounds versus New Zealand before a knee issue sidelined him for nine of the last eleven games.

Rocco Zikarsky played two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 45 NBL games.