Under the radar: Olbrich primed for monster NBL24

There’s a collegiate takeover of the NBL that is primed to occur in this upcoming season and Illawarra centre Lachlan Olbrich is primed to be right in the thick of it.

The 19-year-old has returned to Australian shores following a solitary season with UC Riverside, and his performances for the Californian NCAA Division I side were more than enough to pique the interest of NBL sides around the competition.

He averaged 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game and was the only freshman in the Big West conference – which contains 10 other sides – to rank in the top six players in both rebounds and field goal percentage.

Olbrich was named the Big West Freshman of the Year and earned an honourable mention for the All-Big West team. In short, he was near dominant as a first-year player.

He’ll be hoping to have a similar impact on the Illawarra Hawks this season as they look to bounce back from their dismal 3-25 record from last season, and says despite last season’s struggles he feels the Hawks are the best fit for him.

“I just looked at the roster at that time. It wasn’t fully complete like it is now, but it just seemed like a bunch of like-minded guys with a similar age profile,” Olbrich told NBL Media.

“It’s a relatively young group, and I felt like it was a group I’d be able to blend in well with.

“It’s a great situation to be in an environment where everyone is trying to grow to start my career.”

If Olbrich’s talents weren’t already known to the casual Hawks fan, former South East Melbourne coach Simon Mitchell’s comments about the young star on the recent Marketplace Round Table will have certainly pricked the ears of those following the competition’s final foundation club.

Mitchell witnessed Olbrich’s abilities firsthand when he trained with the Phoenix prior to heading to college so, it would be fair to assume, he’s progressed even further than when those workouts were conducted.

While Mitchell jovially stated he has a “man crush” on the new Hawk, he believes Olbrich’s performances are going to be key to the Hawks’ aspirations of climbing up the ladder.

“The kid can go,” Mitchell said. “He’s 6’9”, 6’10”, and he’s got a bit of everything in him.

“If he can focus on contributing to the rebounds and on the boards then maybe a Play-In is something Illawarra can aspire to.”

GM of Next Stars Recruitment and bona fide expert on some of the best young players in the world Liam Santamaria even took it a step further, and labelled Olbrich as a “potential future NBA player”, and believes he’s “flying well under the radar” ahead of NBL24.

“That was before I was heading to college and I was just trying to throw my name out there a little bit,” Olbrich reflected on his sessions with the Phoenix.

“It was a bit of a process getting in touch with everyone, but it was relatively easy.

“I had the help of a few people in getting it all set up, and I think I did pretty well in a couple of workouts.

“Basically, I was trying to get my name out so people knew about me when I potentially came back from college.”

While Olbrich has been in Illawarra for the club’s off-season and pre-season training sessions, he has one more marker to tick off before he officially starts his professional career. This weekend’s NBL1 Central final with the West Adelaide Bearcats.

Adelaide-born Olbrich is teaming up with 36ers Mitch McCarron and Fraser Roxburgh, and JackJumper Anthony Drmic against Melbourne’s Malith Machar and the Forestville Eagles in the do-or-die clash on Saturday night.

“Playing to win is something I do,” he said of the upcoming clash. “I love basketball but of course I want to win. It’s no fun losing.

“It would be great to get around the guys who have been there for a long time, win for them and have some fun.

“If we play at the level we need to, play as a team and get everyone involved and really lock in on our defensive schemes then I think it’s just all up to us.

“They’re obviously a very strong team, but how we play as a group will determine if we have the potential to win – or even blow it out.”

Illawarra’s opening game of the NBL24 season is set for Saturday, September 30 against the Sydney Kings.