Tara Murray
Keilor Thunder big man Jacob Lampkin is making his presence felt in the National Basketball League 1 South competition.
Lampkin, who joined the Thunder this season as they moved into the NBL1 competition, was named the competition’s player of the week for round 11.
The standout game among his two in round 11, was against the Melbourne Tigers when he shot 41 points.
The forward-centre said he is enjoying his time at Keilor.
“It’s been good,” he said. “The season hasn’t gone to plan as we lost a lot of games, but we’ve now won three in a row.
“It’s a terrific feeling to get the player of the week and be recognsied as the best player in the league for the week.
“The hard work is paying off.”
While it’s Lampkin’s first season at the Thunder, he has been in Australia since March 2020. He came out from America to play basketball and has been here since.
“I came out here in March 2020 and got stuck out there due to COVID-19,” he said. “I met a girl out here and have stayed.
“I played with Keysborough in the Big V competition, but I wanted to play in the NBL1 competition.
“I talked to Liam [Glascott, Thunder coach] and they needed someone in my position. Liam also seemed like a good coach for me.”
Lampkin sits 10th in the competition for average points per game this season with 20 points per game.
He said he was enjoying the challenge of playing at a higher level.
“The teams are much deeper and athletic than in the Big V,” he said. “There’s not a huge difference.
“I’ve been pushing and playing some great basketball. I’m learning more every game. I’m doing what I can to see me play well and help the side accumulate some more wins.”
While Lampkin is away from home, there’s a familiar face lining up besides him each week, Tyler Kidd.
The two first met when they were 14 and went to high school together in America.
Lampkin said it was pretty cool to have the opportunity to play together on the other side of the world.
“That was unexpected,” he said. “Liam was looking for someone in his position and I recommended him.
“It’s pretty cool.”
With three wins in a row heading into the weekend’s double header against Eltham and Frankston, the Thunder have started to look at home in the competition.
Lampkin said the moral in the group was growing.
“We need to keep getting the wins,” he said. “We’re 5-10 at the moment and it’s going to be tough to get into finals.
“We need to keep winning and see what happens.”
