BIO: Billy Preston was born in Redondo Beach, California (USA).

A power forward, Preston attended four high schools: St.John Bosco High School, Redondo Union High School, Prime Prep Academy, and Oak Hill Academy.

He was ranked among the top recruits of his class, earning McDonald’s All-American honours while at Oak Hill.

Following high school, Preston enrolled at the University of Kansas and had signed to play basketball for the Jayhawks.

In November 2017, he was involved in a on-campus car accident that resulted in no injuries.

Preston, without having played any games, was sidelined until the completion of a university investigation into the incident.

After being barred for over two months, he opted to play at the professional level instead.

Preston was held out of the Kansas Jayhawks lineup indefinitely due to a car accident on KU campus on November 8, 2017.

The accident, which resulted in no personal injuries, triggered a NCAA investigation into the “financial picture” of the vehicle.

On January 20, 2018, Preston left Kansas in the middle of the 2017/18 season due to frustration over the investigation.

Although he played in Jayhawks exhibition games before the accident, he played no regular-season games for the team.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Billy Preston made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 22 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.

After finishing seventh with a 12-16 record and missing the playoffs the previous season, Illawarra entered the new campaign under first-year head coach Matt Flinn. Kevin White (to Adelaide), Brian Conklin, Jordair Jett and Cedric Jackson departed, while the Hawks added former NBA guard Aaron Brooks, Next Star LaMelo Ball, Josh Boone (via Melbourne), Sunday Dech (via Perth) and Sam Froling (via Creighton) around returning players Todd Blanchfield and AJ Ogilvy.

Illawarra’s roster was hit hard by injuries, with Brooks (17.9 points and 4.1 assists across 7 games) tearing his Achilles in October and Ball (17 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.7 steals across 12 games) bruising his foot in practice in December. Darington Hobson (5.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals across 13 games) was signed as an injury replacement for Brooks, while Billy Preston was signed on December 9 as an injury replacement for Froling (6 points and 3.4 rebounds across 17 games), who was sidelined with an ankle injury. Preston had previously known Ball through their high school basketball years, but Ball’s injury meant the pair never played together for Illawarra.

He made his NBL debut against Melbourne on December 16, finishing with 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal in 23 minutes as Illawarra lost 94-73. Emmett Naar (16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Angus Glover (15 points and 3 rebounds) led the Hawks, while Melo Trimble (22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Shawn Long (21 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks) led Melbourne.

Preston (6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds across 3 games) remained with Illawarra for only three appearances, with his limited season coming from his mid-season arrival and subsequent release rather than an injury of his own.

Four days later he provided 7 points and 3 rebounds in only six minutes as Illawarra defeated Adelaide 93-84, with Preston fouling out after an energetic stint which included a third-quarter tip dunk. Dech (18 points and 2 steals) and Tim Coenraad (14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Hawks, while Jerome Randle (26 points and 6 assists) was Adelaide’s best.

Preston’s best game of the season came against New Zealand on December 22, where he finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds in 23 minutes as Illawarra lost 91-89. Blanchfield (19 points) and Ogilvy (18 points and 7 rebounds) led the Hawks, while Scotty Hopson (21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Sek Henry (21 points and 6 assists) led the Breakers.

His time with Illawarra ended immediately after the New Zealand game. The club cited “family reasons” for the decision, while it was also reported that he had missed multiple practices during the previous week before returning to the United States for the holidays.

Blanchfield (13.3 points and 3.9 rebounds across 28 games) became Illawarra’s leading scorer and won the Hawks’ MVP award for the second consecutive season, while Dech (9.2 points and 3.7 rebounds across 27 games), Ogilvy (8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds across 26 games), Boone (8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds across 24 games) and Coenraad (8.1 points across 28 games) were the other major contributors. Ball was named NBL Rookie of the Year.

“Success is measured in different ways. While we’re not happy with our record, we’re proud of the progress made and the exposure brought to the club,” Flinn said on the challenging season.

With Preston no longer with the team, Illawarra closed the season against Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena on February 14, where Dech (26 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Glover (15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) led the Hawks, while Jae’Sean Tate (19 points and 5 rebounds) led Sydney to a 98-82 victory as Illawarra finished ninth with a 5-23 record and ten consecutive losses.

Billy Preston played one season in the NBL. He averaged 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0 assists in 3 NBL games.