Sport
Blasters star Keenan Gorski claims Melbourne Basketball League Rookie of the Year honour
From the courts of the Country Basketball League’s North East Men’s division to the bright lights of Melbourne, Seymour Blasters sharpshooter Keenan Gorski is making a name for himself as one of the state’s top basketball talents.
Travelling down to the city to take part in the Melbourne Basketball League pro-am tournament for the first time, Gorski shone as one of the Melbourne Capitals’ go-to scorers and was recognised with Rookie of the Year honours.
Renowned for his ability to shoot the ball from deep, Gorski averaged an impressive 21.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game from his eight outings as he helped the Capitals reach the semi-final stage of the tournament.
His exploits also saw him finish fourth in MVP voting, which capped off an eye-catching first season at MBL level.
It was another feather in the cap of the 24-year-old’s budding basketball career and Gorski said it was an honour to be recognised with the Rookie of the Year award.
“I was very happy (to win the award). It is always great to be recognised for your performances wherever you are playing,” Gorski said.
“I thought I had a good season. Being my first time playing in the MBL, it was all relatively new to me, but I was happy with the way I adapted and put together consistent performances.
“(Winning the award) came as a bit of a shock because at 24 years old I’m a pretty old Rookie of the Year, but I think my play warranted the award against some tough competition.”
Casting his mind back to the beginning of the season, Gorski explained why he decided to give the MBL a crack and how much he grew over the campaign.
“I’m a country boy so I really had no idea about the MBL or what it was about, but one of my friends who had been playing down there for a few years was telling me about it and it seemed really interesting,” he said.
“I saw some of the players up there, top line NBL1 and Big V guys, and thought this would be a great opportunity to test myself, so I ended up joining the Capitals’ squad.
“These type of leagues are always great because you get to play a little bit out of your comfort zone. In Big V and CBL you are given a role and that can limit your creativity somewhat. But in the MBL it was good having the chance to be one of those go-to players and I was really able to grow as both a player and a leader.”
On the court, the Capitals were one of the big improvers of season 2022, with a new-look squad seeing them reach the semi-final in what Gorski said was a fantastic result.
“In terms of the season as a whole, I thought we did very well,” he said.
“In the past the Capitals had struggled a bit, not winning many games, so the captain Jamie did a great job recruiting and built a championship quality team.
“So compared to previous years, it was a great season and we smashed our goal of making the finals. It was disappointing to lose the semi-final but overall there was a lot to be proud of.”
While his MBL campaign has come to an end, Gorski can still be found lighting up defenders on the basketball as a key pillar in the Seymour Blasters’ CBL line-up.
Having started the new season with five straight wins, Gorski said it was an exciting time to be involved with the Blasters program.
“We were a powerhouse team last year in the CBL, but with some of our new recruits and the development of our young guys, I think this year we are even better,” he said.
“The depth we have this year is incredible. There are no weak links on our team and at the moment we are just playing with such great confidence.
“It’s a really good club to be a part of. It’s a family club and the culture is what makes me love coming back every year.”