Former Melbourne United duo Stephen Holt and Daniel Kickert appear set to team up once again after Bleacher Report’s David Pick tweeted today both players will sign with the Brisbane Bullets.
Source tells me Stephen Holt has signed in Australia NBL to reinforce Brisbane Bullets for the 2017-18 season.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) May 7, 2017
Kickert signed a multi-year deal with the club last season but that deal incuded a player option, one Kickert has agreed to extend. Former NBA star Cam Bairstow had this same clause in his contract, he too is expected to agree and suit up for the Bullets in 2017-18.
Hearing veteran Daniel Kickert signs offer-sheet to extend with NBL’s Brisbane Bullets. He shot a recent 46% 3s and 91% FTs.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) May 7, 2017
Kickert, 33 and 208cm, played in all 28 of Brisbane’s games last season and averaged 12.8 points. He created history when he finished the season shooting 54% from the field, 46% from three and 95% from the line, the first player in NBL history to shoot 50-40-90 for a season.
Playing alongside a talented playmaker like Holt could see Kickert become even more efficient from the field. In 2015-16 Holt averaged 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game and was named to the All-NBL second team.
There is excitment building in BrisVegas as Holt and Kickert teaming up with another Boomer’s squad member, Adam Gibson and hopefully having a healthy Bairstow could see Brisbane sitting at the top of the NBL ladder come March.
Both Kickert and Holt graduated from the Saint Mary’s College of California. Kickert was the second Australian to ever play at the school, which has since become a solid pipeline for talented Aussies to play in the US college system.
Both players left the school with impressive college careers. Kickert finished as the Gaels all-time leading scorer, later to be broken by Matthew Dellavedova, while coiincidently Holt was a backcourt partner with Dellavedova when the school won both the WCC regular season and tournament titles in 2012, for the first time in the school’s history.
Holt was also a college teammate of Mitch Young, now playing with the Bullets which gives the team a line-up we’re sure St Mary’s coach Randy Bennett would be proud of.
Holt, was looking to play last season with Melbourne as a local due to his Asian heritage (his father is Filipino), however, he was ruled ineligible due growing up in the United States. United went another direction as a result, signing former league MVP Cedric Jackson (which may not have been the right move at the time).
Holt, 23 and 193cm, is currently playing with CAI Zaragoza in the Spanish Liga ACB, perhaps the strongest national competition outside of the NBA, and the Eurocup.
He is currently averaging 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist per game alongside another former NBL player, New Zealand Tall Black Isacc Fotu. Zaragoza sits 15th in the 18 team league with a record of 9-21.
As FIBA rules prohibits players agreeing to two contracts at the same time, it’s likely Brisbane will announce Holt as a member of the team when the ACB regular season concludes in a week’s time.
Gaining the signature’s of Kickert, Holt and Bairstow will mean the Bullets have likely completed their off-season recruiting. When Holt signs at the end of the ACB season the Bullets will have 11 contracted players, the total allowed for an NBL team.
Current Contracted Bullets Players
Adam Gibson, Tom Jervis, Anthony Petrie, Shaun Bruce, Mitch Young, Torrey Craig (Import), Matt Kenyon, Reuben Te Rangi, Cam Bairstow, Daniel Kickert and Stephen Holt (not yet announced).
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
