Ballarat Miners’ American import Roy Booker will leave a significant hole to fill in the Miners line-up following his decision to take his basketball to Brazil.
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Booker has been an influential member for the Ballarat outfit – averaging 25 points from his 19 matches in 2016 before his year was prematurely ended by injury.
In 2014 he averaged 29 points and seven rebounds a game while 2015 saw him average 25 while he topped the 30-point mark on five occasions – underlining his scoring ability.
Booker will depart the club after three seasons and will now play for the Bauru Basket in the Novo Basquette Brasil.
Ballarat Miners coach Eric Hayes said the loss of its shooting guard would not be easy to replace but praised his contribution to the team.
“He was a very big scorer for us, he certainly did some really good things for us on the court,” Hayes said.
“He’ll definitely leave some big shoes that need to be filled.
“He certainly made some really deep connections in the community and I know a lot of people in the community will miss him. He was very well liked by the young fans and families.”
Booker earned All SEABL team honours in all three years with the Miners and was the Ballarat Miners Ray Borner Most Valuable Player in 2015.
Hayes said while it can be a tough process gaining the service of imports, the club was in discussion with players in the hope of filling Booker’s place.
The timeline on potential recruits is a loose one, with it being a lengthy process with no designated recruiting period.
“If you lose your imports you’ve just got to see if you can find some other people that can do what’s needed for the group.
“We’ll just do the best we can to put together a group that can help us to move forward next season.”
The Ballarat Miners won 11 of its 24 matches to finish sixth in its east SEABL conference.
