WHEN Californian basketballer Markus Monroe arrived in Bunbury early last week it was with no guarantee he would ever see the court as a Collie Crane Hire South West Slammer.

The 24-year-old Waylon Baptist University graduate flew out to Australia on the invitation of Slammers coach Ty Harrelson on the understanding he was joining a team that already had its quota of restricted players and that most of his time would be spent warming the bench.

Within hours of landing in Perth, all of that changed.

“The first night I was here I got off the flight, made the trip down to Bunbury, went to practice and then Todd (Hendley) pulled his hamstring,” Monroe said.

“Nobody promised me playing time and I was willing to wait and see what happened but then Todd went down for a couple of weeks and so that process kind of sped up a little bit.”

Harrelson, an alumnus of Waylon Baptist University, met Monroe during a trip back to the US in January when he was inducted into his old college’s hall of fame.

“I had the opportunity to see Markus play in two games and I thought that he would fit in really well with our team,” Harrelson said.

“He is not just a great basketball player, he also has character and I think that is really important when you bring someone in as an import, that they come and fit in and are a good team player.

“I’m excited for him because he played at Waylon Baptist and there aren’t a lot of us playing basketball at a professional level. He’s going to have a good career, I can see it right now.”

The combo guard will add balance to a team that has relied heavily on its frontcourt for offensive production.

The Californian averaged 21 points, six rebounds and four assists per game during the 2013-14 season at WBU and said he was looking forward to beginning his professional career.

“I can play some point guard but I’m more of an athletic two guard, I can get up and down and attack the rim,” Monroe said.

“I did a little bit of everything at college.”

Article by Josh Zimmerman: South Western Times