His name is Lachie Olbrich.
He might be an Australian but it seems unlikely he will embrace the Anzac spirit and be too kind to the Otago Nuggets in the National Basketball League derby at the Edgar Centre.
The 20-year-old South Australian centre has made an immediate impact since joining the Canterbury Rams this season after a promising season at a US college and an NBA Next Star season with the Illawarra Hawks.
Olbrich opened with a handy double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) in a win over the Nelson Giants before taking bereavement leave when his father, South Australian basketball identity Greg, collapsed and died on the court.
The younger Olbrich might have had his dad on his mind when he returned to New Zealand and poured in 35 points, on 12-of-18 shooting, in the defending champion Rams’ 20-point win over the Hawks.
It will be another tough afternoon for Nuggets centre Jack Andrew, who might need some support to shut down the 208cm Australian.
"He’s playing pretty well," Nuggets coach Brent Matehaere said when asked about Olbrich.
"He can dominate the paint but they can also look to utilise him in a playmaking situation, so we’ve got to make sure we have got some assistance to limit his strengths. That’s the plan, anyway."
The Rams’ other major weapon is sharpshooter MJ Walker, the Florida State graduate who can get to the hoop and pose a danger from deep.
"He seems to get across the half-court and get open to shoot.
"He is certainly a guy who, if he gets going, will be a challenge to stop, so keeping the ball out of his hands is one of our priorities."
The Rams, who broke a 31-year drought when they charged to the NBL title last year, also have threats like Max Darling and Taylor Britt.
They are 2-2 but are clearly one of the leading contenders in the league this season.
"I don’t think their record really shows their strength, because they’ve had a large number of players out," Matehaere said.
The Nuggets will seek to bounce back in front of their home crowd after following three straight wins to start the season with the ugly 105-71 loss to the Bulls.
Matehaere wants to see more ball movement and fluidity on offence.
That could be challenging if guards Tai Webster, scheduled to return from a one-game suspension, and Zaccheus Darko-Kelly have not recovered from the illness that forced them to miss training this week.
Star young recruit Dontae Russo-Nance remains sidelined with injury.
The other Anzac Day NBL clash is in Wellington, where the Saints host the Hawks tonight. The Rams will seek a successful southern swing when they follow the Nuggets clash with a game against the 0-6 Sharks in Invercargill on Saturday.
