Rigoni says big league key to hot Sabres start

Adelaide 36ers NBL24 Injury Replacement Player Jacob Rigoni has said his experience during the past NBL season has been a big factor in his strong start this NBL1 Central season.

Rigoni, the Sturt Sabres forward who is averaging 21.3 points, eight rebounds and 3.67 assists per game, said his time at the 36ers during NBL24 really took his game to the next level.

“It was an awesome experience, I had some great time under CJ (Bruton), and obviously Scotty Ninnis came in and had some tremendous success,” Rigoni told NBL1 Central Unleashed recently.

“Scotty was really the one that brought me out there (to the 36ers) in the first place and put me name forward.

“I ended up being too old to be a development player by two months, but the injury replacement player option came up and the coaches were on board with that after I trained with the team for a couple of weeks.”

The 25-year-old said he had multiple offers after the Sabres were eliminated by 2023 NBL1 Central champions West Adelaide Bearcats in the preliminary final last season, but the lure of the NBL was too good to resist.

“I was still here after last year’s NBL1 season, and I was looking at some offers to go play in Europe, but the NBL chance came up and I thought that was a huge opportunity to get closer to becoming an NBL player,” Rigoni said.

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“To be able to train with those guys every single day, I think I am a better player for it, so I’m super grateful. To go out there and play with guys who have played for Australia, all over the world was good.

“For guys who have already established themselves at that level, to have time of day for a training player, which I started out as, to share their knowledge and talk through some insights, can go a long way."

The 197cm forward said playing at the next level in the NBL has made him grow both on and off the court.

“NBL is a lot quicker, a lot more up and down the floor and more physical, but I think it’s the mental game, you must be on another level,” Rigoni said.

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“It’s all about making reads in plays, you can’t just rely on a coach to draw something up, you have to understand the concepts of the game.

“I pride myself on being a smart player, but I think this past NBL season has challenged me as well and made me a better player because of it.”

Rigoni will be back in action on Sunday afternoon when Sturt Sabres battle South Adelaide Panthers in an undefeated showdown at Springbank from 3.15pm, watch all the action live and exclusive at www.nbl1.com.au.