Paris dreams as Vasiljevic joins Falcons

Two-time NBL champion DJ Vasiljevic will play for the Waverley Falcons in the 2024 NBL1 South season.

Spending the past two NBL1 seasons with the Diamond Valley, the 2022 NBL1 South All-Star Five member averaged 26 points per game across his NBL1 career at the Eagles.

Vasiljevic made his return to the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers, helping the club turn their season around with an average of 19.7 points per game and shooting 40 per cent from the field.

Vasiljevic explained that head coach Elias Palioyiannis has taken the program to another level.

“What Coach Elias has done for the program, both men and women, has been amazing,” he told NBL Media.

“So joining a club like Waverley was a no-brainer.”

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He believes the NBL1 will be a key part of his preparation for the upcoming Boomers camps for the Paris Olympics.

“The NBL1 will hopefully help me prepare for the Boomers selection camp come June/July,” he said.

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“No one has been told who is selected, but I really wanted to use the NBL1 platform to continue to get game reps.”

Adelaide 36ers NBL24 Development Player Fraser Roxburgh will join Vasiljevic on the Falcons roster for the 2024 season.

Roxburgh moves to Waverley after playing a key role for West Adelaide in the Bearcats’ NBL1 Central championships win last season.  

As a Victorian junior, Vasiljevic cannot wait to reconnect with the grassroots of basketball in his home state.

“Waverley fans should just expect a guy who comes in and loves to compete and win. I want to help the men achieve something that they haven’t done yet, but most importantly impact the community with their grassroots players,” he said.

“Kids of all ages tend to look at us as role models, therefore, being a professional, and impacting the game both on and off the court is what my overall goal for the fans is.”

The Falcons start their NBL1 South campaign on Saturday night with a trip to Bendigo before playing Nick Marshall, Akech Aliir and the Mount Gambier Pioneers at home on Sunday afternoon.