Defence Reigns at NBL1 Awards

Phoenix recruits Gorjok Gak and Matt Kenyon proved why they were key signings for head coach Mike Kelly’s defence based gameplan by taking out defensive awards in their respective NBL1 conferences last week.

Both Gorjok Gak and Matt Kenyon won the Defensive Player of the Year award in NBL1 West and North leagues respectively, after garnering the respect of their peers throughout each of their campaigns.

211cm Gak has had a standout season with the Willetton Tigers in the NBL1 West and has dominated at both ends of the court, racking up 15 double-doubles in the seasons of far and averaging 18.95 points and 11.86 rebounds. Along with the DPOY award, he was named in the All-NBL1 West First Team proving his importance at both ends of the floor.  

"I'm grateful for winning DPOY and being named on the first team. I wanted to come out here to Western Australia and dominate and play with a chip on my shoulder," commented Gak.

"I had some goals when I decided to come out here, and one of them was to be consistent with my workouts, games, weights, and diet. I proved to myself that I can continue to achieve all of my goals with consistency."

The Tigers finished third on the ladder and are about to head into the qualifying finals against Geraldton Buccaneers.

When Mike Kelly was appointed head coach at the Phoenix, his goal for the team was to sign defence focused player, and the poster boy for that was Kenyon.

The 196cm shooting guard prides himself on the defensive end, and in 13 games for USC Rip City in NBL1 North, he earned the DOPY award.

Across the season, Kenyon averaged 15.31 points, 5.31 assists, and nine rebounds.

"It's always nice to be recognised for your work on the defensive end. I take a lot of pride on that end of the court and making my opponents' life difficult," commented Kenyon. 

Rip City finished the season 8th on the ladder and was knocked out in the first week of finals by reigning champions Gold Coast Rollers.

Gak and Kenyon will fly out to Melbourne over the next week to join their teammates for the start of pre-season training on August 1.

You can see Gak and Kenyon hit the court for the first time in Phoenix colours when Phoenix take on Cal Baptist Lancers for a pre-season game on August 13. Limited tickets still remain - CLICK HERE TO SECURE YOUR SEAT

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