Warrnambool Seahawks American import Xavier Johnson-Blount says he will hang up his green jersey at the end of season as he looks towards his future away from the south-west.
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But before he departs he wants to enjoy his time playing alongside close mate and former college roommate Nathan Sobey, who originally brought the now 27-year-old to Warrnambool in 2016.
“It has been awesome to play with him again. I didn’t even know he was coming back this time,” 2016 Big V championship player said. “It’s going to be good to have him on the court with me at least for one last time before I hang up my jersey here in Warrnambool and Australia.”
The 2017 Big V division one All-Star said he has been fortunate to spend the past three years in Warrnambool and that the town would have a place in his heart.
“I have been blessed to come out to such a beautiful country and amazing city, this city is like a gold mine,” Johnson-Blount said.
“It’s so hard to explain it to people back at home and I love it here and it’s definitely a place that I will never forget that’s for sure.
“If I ever come back to Australia to visit I will definitely come back here to see my old friends and people that took care of me.
“There are a lot of good people who helped me out here like the Sobeys and the Osbornes. I made a lot of good connections here that I definitely want to see down the road.”
- Nathan Sobey shows off his skills and connection with Xavier Johnson-Blount in last weekend’s win.
Johnson-Blount, who has been very active in the basketball community in the south-west, said his time here as a coach would also impact him when her returned to the United States.
“Being able to coach out here as much as I do is an experience and something that I’m definitely going to take back with me,” he said.
“I want to be more of a coach now just because I got to coach so much out here and spread my knowledge out here. I gained a lot from my time coaching here.”
The fifth-placed Seahawks are heading into their final regular season game against Melbourne University Black Angels at the Arc on Saturday before they gear up for their third finals appearance in Johnson-Blount’s time in Warrnambool.
The Seahawks leader, who has played 792 minutes and averaged 29.82 points, 7.36 rebounds and 2.59 assists this year, said there was a buzz around the team at the moment.
“We are in a good position after we had a bit of adversity earlier in the season,” he said.
“Some teams have down points later in the season and we got ours at the start and we have been winning some games since then and practice has been going good.
“I think we are catching some great momentum right now as a team and we are definitely going to surprise a few people. We just can’t get complacent and need to keep working hard.”
The finals-bound Mermaids, who sit in third, travel to Camberwell on Sunday for their final regular match against the seventh-placed Dragons.
Louise Brown’s side will be eager to bounce back from last weekend’s loss to the fourth-placed Geelong Supercats.
Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
