Second US import Michael Dupree is final piece of the puzzle for the Goldfields Giants men’s side

Another Seattle Mountaineers player joins the Northern Star Resources Goldfields Giants men's roster ahead of the NBL1 West 2023 season.

Second import Michael Dupree, who stands at 185cm, joins the club from Tacoma, Washington, US bringing with him strong shooting capability and a team-oriented mentality.

Dupree led the Mountaineers in points (23.0ppg) and second in assists (2.7apg) and steals (2.0spg) in the 2022/2023 season of the American Basketball Association men’s league.

On making his way to Australia to play in the NBL1, Dupree said he is excited to be a part of the Giants and “get wins” in the 2023 season.

“I hope to bring good atmosphere to the team and will focus on putting in hard work and having good chemistry with my team mates,“ he said.

“I usually play the guard and shooting guard positions – anything from a one through a three.

“The Goldfields community seems great and I am excited to get started out there.”

Head coach Scott Manton said the player is the “last piece” of his team’s recruitment efforts for the season ahead.

“Mike is going to be a very exciting player for our crowd to watch,” he said.

“He is a former NAIA All American, great team-oriented player and a person of high character - a great addition to our team culture and the wider Goldfields community.”

Born and raised in Washington state, the guard said he started playing basketball at three years old and hasn’t stopped since.

He played college basketball for the Northwest University Eagles in 2016 and 2017, totalling 957 career points in just two years of play while handing out 206 assists.

As a senior, he was named to the 2017 Cascade Collegiate All-Conference (All-CCC) basketball team by a vote of the conference coaches.

In the same year, he was the leading scorer for the Eagles with a 17.4 ppg average and also led the team in assists with 104 (3.58 apg) in the 29 games he played in the season.

He shot 48 per cent for the season and 44 per cent from the 3-point line.

Mountaineers coach Don Sims said Dupree “worked hard to earn this contract”.

“He was loyal and dedicated to the program, a player of high character and high basketball skills,” he said.

“He will be an outstanding guard for the Giants."

Former Giants import Hussayn Ford and current import Lafonzo Smith were both also recruited from the Mountaineers.

Dupree is scheduled to arrive in Kalgoorlie in mid-March to join pre-season training ahead of the NBL1 West 2023 season.