![]() “He's a great teammate, and great team player. “I think he is going to be great in that four spot, backing up Mitch (Creek) and occasionally being able to play a little bit of that five,” Kelly said. New Phoenix coach Mike Kelly says Vague will be a welcome addition to the squad. “What I have seen from the Phoenix - the culture’s there, people are getting around the fan base, the guys, I don’t really want to mess with it, more than anything I just want to slot myself in there and help out in any way I can.” “Being part of four championships there helped (in Perth) me realise what it takes to grow a winning culture and be a part of that, even though I wasn’t at the forefront of that, but being around that and absorbing that was huge for me. I felt like I have carried that through the rest of my career and hopefully imparted that with some of the young guys I have played with. “They taught me how to go about business in the right way. I was playing around guys like Shawn Redhage, Greg Hire, Damian Martin, Bryce Cotton, Jesse Wagstaff, those sorts of guys,” Vague added. “I spent six years with Perth, the biggest things I learnt because I started so young at 18, just how to be professional from an early age. He's hoping to bring valuable experience to South East Melbourne. Vague was a member of the title-winning Australian 2022 FIBA Asia Cup squad, alongside NBL stars Keanu Pinder, Will McDowell-White and Mitch McCarron, and has since become a near mainstay in the Boomers setup. My agency saw what was there in the NBL and then it aligned with the Phoenix. It was one of those things you don’t know what you got until it’s gone and feeling that again was quite surreal. “Also just being back in Melbourne a couple of months ago and that sort of atmosphere for basketball, and that was just really cool. I have a really good relationship with Mike through the Boomers series and World Uni games,” Vague said. “The decision to join the Phoenix, a big part of that was Mike (Kelly) being the head coach. ![]() In his most recent season, Vague averaged 12.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game. League.ĭuring his spell in Japan, the 27-year-old has established himself as one of the premier local talents plying their trade in the international market. Vague made 79 appearances across six seasons for the Wildcats, where he averaged 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, before departing for the Kagawa Red Arrows in the Japanese B. The South East Melbourne Phoenix have added some serious championship pedigree to their side for NBL24, with four-time NBL champion and former Perth Wildcat Rhys Vague committing to the club for two seasons.
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