Anthony Drmic commits to Adelaide 36ers on 2-year deal

Following a standout college season, Anthony Drmic is set to join the NBL basketball scene as a member of the Wilson Adelaide 36ers on a 2-year contract.

The signing was officially announced by the 36ers earlier today. When contacted, Drmic revealed nothing but enthusiasm at being part of the 36ers for the 2016/17 NBL season.

"I'm really excited that I signed for the 36ers," Drmic shared with The Pick and Roll. "Not only is the team shaping up nicely, but I am excited to be joining a team I feel like I will be contribute for straight away. Joey Wright is a great coach and I am eager to get back and starting working."

Drmic also revealed that other NBL teams had been a part of the decision process, but he ultimately committed to Adelaide, when taking into consideration team fit and how his skills would blend in.

"I will be joining an already experienced team, and hope to learn a lot from guys who have been around for awhile," Drmic commented. "I think I'll be able to help contribute with my perimeter scoring and my ability to drive, also my toughness on both ends of the floor."

With that being said, the NBA is still a point of consideration. Drmic has confirmed that he will still be involved in the predraft process, and the timing of return would depend on how the draft pans out.

Antony Drmic | Credit: Patrick Sweeney / Boise State Athletics

After a scintillating sophomore year in which the 6'6 guard posted 17.7 points per game and selection to the All-Mountain West Second Team, Drmic was being talked about as a potential NBA draftee. However Drmic sustained a foot injury during the 2013/14 season (junior year), and played through the pain. He performed well enough to be invited to the Australian Boomers camp ahead of the 2014 Australia-Sino Challenge, during which his foot injury again flared.

Despite doing everything possible, Drmic only managed 7 games for the Broncos in his senior year before he underwent season-ending surgery to address the problem. However what seemed like a relatively straightforward procedure, Drmic was left to manage unforeseen complications that included nerve damage sustained in his lower leg. Granted a medical red-shirt, Drmic was able to sit out the rest of the season and return for a 5th year.

Due to the complications with his surgery on his foot, Drmic's recovery was slow and frustrating. He entered his final year of college still battling chronic pain in his lower leg, and was certainly not what Drmic was expecting or hoping for.

"This season was a very interesting experience for me coming of the injury," Drmic shared. "I had envisioned coming back better and finishing off my college career with my best season yet. However rare nerve damage to my leg post surgery hindered that. It was a balancing act of being able to play whilst also trying to continue recovering the leg which meant I was never really able to get in a grove with playing time and practice. I played early parts of the season with pretty much 50 percent of my left leg. It did get stronger as the season went on."

Despite the adversity, Drmic was still able to deliver on the court. He was able to contribute 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assist per game. Yet playing with the Broncos in his final year, may well have hastened his recovery.

"The leg is doing extremely well now, I am almost 100 percent and can participate fully in whatever I am doing," a relieved Drmic added. "I am almost 18 months post surgery, and that is when most neurologists have said I would be close to 100 percent."

"Obviously it was disappointing, but I was still able to achieve a pretty successfully season even with the injury, on top of that a pretty decent career at Boise State."

Describing his career at Boise State as 'decent' undersell's the value Drmic provided to the Broncos. He departs Boise State owning the school-record for career three-pointers with 275, and came within just 2 points of owning the all-time scoring record with 1,942, a mark that also has him 5th in the Mountain West all-time. He was also named to The Pick and Roll All-Australian Second Team.

"Looking back I really am proud to have been apart of a program that was able to build into one of the top teams on the west coast in such a short time," commented Drmic. "From early lows if our freshmen year, to some of the highs in beating top teams across the country. I was also able to transform my game and become one of Boise states best scorers in recent history."

Drmic has also represented Australia with aplomb in the world stage as a junior, helping Australia earn gold at the 2010 Albert Schweitzer Tournament for the first time. He then drew worldwide attention for his exploits at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships, where he averaged 15.4 points whilst shooting at an efficient 67.6% from the field and 43.8% from long-range.

Deadly from well beyond the three-point line, Drmic is also an effective slasher and can finish in the paint among traffic. As a flat-out scorer, with improved fitness following his recovery from injury, he will once again come into contention for selection to the Australian national team. For now, he is looking forward to embarking on his professional career and to be able to finally play pain-free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E06R5Yp4v-M Season G MP FG% 3P% FT% REB AST STL BLK TO PTS 2011-12 29 30.6 38.1% 31.7% 73.4% 5.0 2.1 1.1 0.2 1.3 12.0 2012-13 32 32.1 46.4% 39.2% 77.7% 4.6 2.3 0.6 0.3 2.1 17.7 2013-14 32 32.8 44.1% 34.1% 78.1% 4.5 1.7 1.1 0.1 1.9 15.9 2014-15 7 35.4 42.9% 37.2% 76.7% 5.0 1.6 0.7 0.0 1.3 15.0 2015-16 31 29.2 43.5% 33.9% 70.8% 4.4 1.4 0.9 0.0 1.6 13.4 Career 131 31.4 43.3% 35.0% 75.4% 4.6 1.9 0.9 0.1 1.7 14.8