Miners Valentine is Rosendale

 The Ballarat Miners are excited to announce the key signing of reigning NBL1 South Youth Player of the Year, Luke Rosendale for the 2024 NBL1 South Season. 

Originally from Echuca, Rosendale, 23, is currently on the roster at NBL club South East Melbourne Phoenix as a development player and comes to the Miners after crossing over from arch-rivals the Bendigo Braves where he has spent the last couple of seasons averaging 16 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds per game last NBL1 season. 

Ballarat Miners Head Coach, Luke Brennan, was thrilled to have Rosendale on board, saying, “Luke was one of the first people I met when I moved to Melbourne. I immediately was impressed by his demeanour and work ethic. Fast forward 6 months and nothing has changed. A tireless worker who makes his teammates better, he is going to be a great addition to our team.” 

Brennan added, “He will give us some defensive tenacity and shot-making on the court, and off the court he will be a great leader for our program.” 

Ahead of his regional town switch, Luke said “I’m really excited to be joining the Miners for season 2024 and am looking forward to continuing to improve my game under Coach Brennan. The playing group that’s being assembled is one full of really great people that will make it a very enjoyable season and I can’t wait for it to begin.“ 

Elite Teams Committee Member Matt Sheehan said, “Another great signing for the Ballarat Miners. I watched Luke last season play against the Miners and he had 27 points. But it wasn’t just his scoring ability, he had a team-first mentality, defensive intensity, and was always up and about cheering on his teammates which are great attributes that we look for.” 

Sheehan added “Luke has worked tirelessly to get where he is today and is a great example of what hard work can achieve. With Luke being a country boy, culturally he will be a great fit for the team and our basketball community. After spending a year as a development player with the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the NBL this year, I’m excited to see where Luke can take his game this season”. 

Rosendale is the ninth Miners Men’s player announced for the 2024 NBL1 South season behind last week’s announcement of Zac, Ned & Ethan coming on board, new combo guard, Nicholas Stoddart, and with returning players in Jake Lloyd, Max Cody, Amos Brooks, & import MVP Tyler Rudolph, with a couple of more announcements still to come. 

The NBL1 South Season begins on April 3rd when the Miners take on Bendigo Braves at Selkirk Stadium. Memberships are now on sale via Miners Memberships