First Import Announced by Sky Sport Breakers

The Sky Sport Breakers have signed an Import Centre for the upcoming NBL23 season whom Head Coach Mody Maor is describing as having ‘special physical gifts’

25-year-old American Dererk Pardon is the tenth player named to the Breakers’ roster and the first of three imports to be added to the team.

He joins a roster stacked with six kiwis, including Tom Abercrombie, Rob Loe, Sam Timmins, Tom Vodanovich, Izayah Le’afa, and Dan Fotu.

The rest of the roster includes Australian Boomers Will McDowell-White and Cam Gliddon, while outstanding French teenager Rayan Rupert was confirmed as the club’s ‘Next Star’ last week.

Maor, who was only named Head Coach last month, has now signed seven players in 30 days, but securing the signature of Pardon is particularly special.

“Dererk was our number one target heading into the offseason,” said Maor.

“We believe he fits perfectly in the team we are trying to build both as a person and as a player.

“Derek is a fantastic pick and roll partner for Will McDowell-White and Izayah Le’afa, and that combination will play a fundamental piece in our offense this season.”

Pardon averaged an impressive 14.2 points and 9.2 rebounds a game last season in the Israeli Premier League for Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

He averaged more than 33 minutes on the court, starting all 27 games and shooting 55.6 percent from the field.

Last November, the 2.07 metre American scored a career-high 30 points against Bnei Herzeliya.  He also had nine rebounds, two assists, and a block in the same game.

Previously he has played 34 games for Medi Bayreuth in the German Bundesliga and has a wealth of NCAA Division One experience having made 112 appearances for the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten Conference.

Maor says Pardon’s enormous 2.22-metre wingspan makes him an exceptional pickup for the Breakers.

“His special physical gifts, coupled with a sharp basketball mind and a real competitive fire, excite me about our defensive potential,” he said.

“He plays every possession with the toughness and intensity you only find in the best kiwi athletes.

“I have every confidence Dererk is exactly the type of player who will become a fan favourite with all our Breakers fans.”

Pardon has signed a one-year deal and will arrive in Auckland in August.