ANTHONY Fisher has made an earlier than expected National Basketball League debut.
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The young Ballarat Miners point guard had his first court time for Perth Wildcats in a win over New Zealand Breakers on Friday night – just a few days after arriving in Western Australia to train with the NBL ladder leader.
Although he was on court for only the final 50 seconds, there was no denying his excitement.
“It was exciting just to be on the bench – watching and learning.”
“Then to get on. It was a great experience.”
Fisher suited up for the Wildcats – his first opportunity – without any expectations of getting a run.
He said NZ was always a tough team to play and with a close game likely he was not thinking beyond being on the bench.
However, his prospects improved markedly after the Wildcats moved out to a 20-point lead by half-time and still held an 18-point advantage at the final change.
“(Coach) Trev (Gleeson) likes to get his younger players on court and when I was told to warm up, I thought I was a chance,” Fisher said.
He was told with four to five minutes to go he would get on court – it was just a matter of when.
The moment came when the Wildcats were leading 93-69.
Fisher did not get a statistic to his name.
“We only had a few possessions.
“I got a (defensive) rebound on the buzzer, but it didn’t count.”
Fisher said he thought his best chance for his debut would be against Melbourne Tigers, who play the Wildcats in Perth on Friday night.
He could suit up for that game.