Ballarat Miners Signs SE-Melbournes Sapwell

The Ballarat Miners Men are thrilled to announce the signing of Koen Sapwell. Sapwell is the son Ex-NBL player Rupert Sapwell and is currently playing with South East Melbourne Phoenix in the NBL and played NBL1 with the Hobart Chargers in 2021.

Upon signing with the Miners Sapwell said “I signed with the Ballarat Miners because of the opportunity to work towards an NBL1 championship. I love to win, and I think the new makeup of both coaching staff and players allows us to compete with the best teams in the competition.”

During Sapwells time in Hobart, he averaged 16 points at 44% from the field and in particular had a night out against the Ballarat Miners as the top scorer with 26 points.

Miners Head Coach Luke Sunderland said “Koen gives us a great starting guard to complement the rest of the roster, especially with his shooting ability and high IQ. I’ve followed his progress from juniors, college, and last season with Hobart, it’s no surprise he’s in the NBL system with his skillset and attitude.

Sunderland added, “Koen will be a great local player that our younger Miners with similar aspirations will be able to learn from with what it takes to become a professional with his work ethic and leadership."

Miners Committee Member Matt Sheehan said, “We are excited for Koen to join the Ballarat Miners, he was impressive for Hobart last season, and having spent his first season in the NBL will only have made him better.”

Sapwell will be training one night a week until the end of the NBL season, he will then move to Ballarat saying “I hope to bring a level of professionalism to the group and be a teammate that everyone enjoys playing with”.

Sapwell joins fellow signings of Jordan Lingard, Zac Dunmore, Will Hynes, Nic Pozoglou, Preston Bungei and David Crisp with more signings to come.

The Ballarat Miners will tip off the 2022 Coles Express NBL1 South season at Selkirk Stadium on Saturday, April 23 against regional rivals Geelong Supercats.