Jock Landale shines for Grizzlies

His recent stretch of games has been even stronger, with his last 10 games producing 13.9 points and 9 rebounds per outing as his minutes climbed to nearly 27 per game.

In that run he has posted standout performances including 24 points and 11 rebounds against New Orleans, 13 and 11 against Atlanta, and 21 and 8 against Orlando.

For the Memphis Grizzlies, their season hangs in the balance, currently in twelfth position, with 18 wins and 26 losses.

With the season just eclipsing the half way point, the Grizzlies could make a late push, being just three games behind tenth position, which would see them pushed through to the play-in, and keep play-off hopes.

For Deniliquin locals, Landale’s rise is being watched with particular pride. The NBA center, who spent part of his junior years in Deni, returned to town last year for a visit that left a lasting impression.

He stopped in at Deni Stadium, where he met young basketballers, signed around 150 autographs and donated a state-of-the-art Dr Dish shooting machine to help develop the next generation of players.

The visit was coordinated with help from his parents, Clive and Suellen Landale, who said Jock had long wanted to give back to the venue where he trained as a junior.