The Ballarat Miners hope their new marquee signing will offer much-needed height for their NBL1 South season.
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Standing at 6'11" (211cm) and just 23-years-old, Deng Gak joins the Miners on a four-week deal after playing four seasons of college basketball at the University of Miami.
Gak, who grew up in western Sydney before moving to the United States in 2015, said he is excited by the opportunity the Miners have given him.
"The Miners are one of the better teams in NBL1 South," he said.
"My friend Deng Acuoth has played for the Miners and said they are a great club to play for."
Gak arrived home in Australia two weeks ago after featuring in Miami's most successful March Madness run where the Hurricanes made it to the Elite Eight.
"That was the highlight of my career at Miami," he said.
"It was up and down but I think I ended on a high note."
On the weekend the Miners went down in overtime against a strong Geelong outfit, with head coach Luke Sunderland admitting that extra height would have made a "huge difference".
With Gak signing on the Miners now have the height and interior defense they desperately needed last week.
Gak said he was ready to do whatever the coach needed.
"I'm a good mid-range shooter and I'm good in and around the rim," he said.
"If I do everything I can to help the team win then all the chips will fall into place for me."
Gak added he's ready to "be a presence inside, rebound, score and take advantage of mismatches."
Miners' guard Koen Sapwell said Gak will be an important signing for the team.
"Him being able to rebound and play defense from the interior is massive for us because that was obviously where we were lacking," he said.
The Miners host Eltham at 8.00pm at Selkirk Stadium on Saturday before travelling to Sandringham for Sunday's clash at 2.30pm.