King: "Fresh blood" key to Phoenix rise

Pictured: Omari Moore

Following the signing of dynamic guard Omari Moore, South East Melbourne Phoenix head coach Josh King says he’s aiming to inject more “fresh blood” into his roster.

“If we can, I would like to bring in guys that haven’t been in the league so far,” he said on NBL Now.

“There have been a lot of good imports in the league throughout the years, but ideally, I’d like to bring in some fresh blood.

“I think it’s exciting for the league to add new talent.”

With Moore officially locked in, the Phoenix have added a superior talent to play alongside Nathan Sobey in the backcourt - something King believes will bring a new level of impact to the team's on-court dynamic.

“We want versatility,” he said. “We want guys that can play multiple positions. That’s the way the game is now.

“Omari can do that ... he’s going to play a lot at the point guard position predominantly. You hear people say they want two point guards on the floor - well, I want three, four point guards on the floor.

“I think we’ll be able to do that. The more guys that you have that can dribble, pass, shoot - I know it sounds simple - but there’s not a lot of guys out there who can do that, and I think we have a lot of those guys in our lineup.”

With the news earlier in the week that Next Star Malique Lewis will return for a second season, King’s attention now turns to the next two crucial import pieces for his roster.

“In a perfect world, we would want a three that can play the four and a four that can play the five,” he added.

“That’s what we’re thinking about right now. But if there’s a really good player that doesn’t fit one of those spots, that we think can help us, then maybe we’ll go that way.

“We’re not in a big rush to get our next two imports ... it’s more important to get the right pieces rather than rush and just sign someone - to 'keep up with the Joneses', per se.”

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