Adelaide 36ers Sign Emmanuel 'Manny' Malou

The Adelaide 36ers are pleased to announce that Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Malou has signed for the NBL22 season.

The Kenyan-born 27 year old, 206 cm (6’9) versatile forward, brings international experience as well as recent hot form from the NBL1 competition.

Malou grew up in Victoria from the age of two and was a standout junior who found his way to the United States for junior college experience before enhancing his career trajectory while playing for the South Sudanese national team at various international tournaments.

The 2020 FIBA Afrobasket prequalifying tournament was a breakout event for the athletic swing forward as he posted per-game averages of 11 points and 7 rebounds and was a key cog in South Sudan climbing a massive 16 positions in the FIBA rankings. His team ultimately lost to Kenya in the final of the event in Nairobi, reaching the pinnacle game in defiance of all pre-tournament expert predictions. A strong showing in the 2020-2021 African Championships in Tunisia followed, where South Sudan possessed a 4-1 win/loss record and Malou went for 12.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the field and 79% from the free-throw line.

Malou’s form has carried on playing in the NBL1 North for Mackay, his team holds a 10-3 win/loss record as he leads the playing roster across several categories. He averages 19.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, and the efficiency with which he is doing it is elite - shooting 54% from the field, 40.7% from the three-point line, and a handy 87% clip from the free-throw line.

Manny Malou can’t wait for the pre-season to begin and said “I’m really excited to be joining such a great organisation and am more than grateful for this opportunity at the NBL level. I’m looking forward to playing and learning under Coach Henry.”

Chairman Grant Kelley said, "It was a highly competitive process to win Manny's signature and I'm just delighted we secured him. Manny's experience and athleticism will be a great asset to the team and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do on the court."

General Manager of Basketball Jeff Van Groningen has long followed Manny Malou’s career path and welcomes him to the 36ers, “I’ve enjoyed watching Manny play for many years and with a previous NBL club we had taken him on an overseas tour, but injuries set him back at that particular point in time. In the here and now his form for South Sudan and in the NBL1 has been impeccable and has shown us he’s back to his dynamic self. Manny is a gifted player who works extremely hard on his game and his body, he’s a pro and we welcome Manny to the Club.”

Coach Conner Henry said, “We are really excited to have Manny join our Club. We have been watching his progress for over a year now and have had him on our board with hopefully a chance of landing him as his fitness and game has elevated back to a level where we knew he could get to. I can’t wait to get back from the States and start working with Manny!”

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Manny joins Dusty Hannahs, Mojave King, Mitch McCarron, Kai Sotto, and Tad Dufelmeier as new additions to this season’s roster, as well as existing members Isaac Humphries, Sunday Dech, and Daniel Johnson.

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