June 29, 2021 – Annandale, Australia –
Sam Froling was nothing short of effective for the Illawarra Hawks last season. Froling came into the season at just 20 years old and the young, big man put up averages of 11.5 points per game to go along with 7 rebounds per game, all on 52% shooting from the field. Froling was a key piece to the Hawks success this season as they finished with the third best record in the league at 20-16, eventually falling in the semi-finals to the Perth Wildcats.
With the NBL season recently concluding, Froling was looking to expand his basketball opportunities and ultimately chose to join the Townsville Heat of the NBL1. The NBL1 is a relatively new, semi-professional basketball league. Founded in 2018, the NBL1 was the replacement for the South East Australian Basketball League. Froling and the Heat will be playing in the North region, which also includes his brother Harry, the star big man for the Mackay Meteors. In fact, Sam’s first NBL1 game is expected to come on July 2nd, against the Mackay Meteors and his brother Harry.
Froling received one of the highest awards in the NBL last season, taking home the Most Improved Player award as he saw all of his averages increase with his points per game rising from 6 to 11.5, along with his rebounds from 3.3 to 7 per game. Froling will hope to carry this momentum into the NBL1 as his new team looks for his star power and physical presence in the post.
The decision for Froling to move down to the NBL1 from the NBL caught some off guard as he was succeeding in professional basketball and chose to step down to semi-professional basketball. However, it is only a temporary change as he plans to finish out the NBL1 season with the Townsville Heat as the NBL season has finished. Froling will be a huge addition to the Heat and his play should transfer exceptionally to the NBL1. Expect him to return to the NBL for next season and see nothing but extreme potential for Froling in his new role with the Heat. He will have the opportunity to dominate games and rack up stats and accolades for his resume before he returns to the NBL. For the moment, NBL and NBL1 fans can enjoy the pleasure of getting to watch two dominant brothers go head to head in the NBL1 North.
