Galloway backs Sydney NBL24 title tilt

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Jaylin Galloway has backed his new-look side to once again compete for an NBL title.

For most teams, the thought of replacing an entire championship winning starting five wouldn’t just sound like trouble, it would be a death knell to their immediate title hopes the following season.

The Sydney Kings are no ordinary team though.

Gone are Derrick Walton Jr, DJ Vasiljevic, Justin Simon, Xavier Cooks and Tim Soares. The reigning MVP and Larry Sengstock trophy winners have left for greener pastures, while the homegrown hero has bet on himself to earn himself an NBA opportunity.

Soares – who was crucial in spacing the floor to allow his more high-profile teammates is gone, as is former league Defensive Player of the Year Justin Simon.

On top of that, there’s a new coach coming in to oversee this wholesale change. Now, how much harder does that make the impending three-peat attempt?

Jaylin Galloway has gone from strength to strength while a member of the Kings. The 20-year-old has now won two NBL titles, he’s in the midst of an NBL1 North title charge with Ipswich, and he’s coming back to the NBL fresh off his first NBA Summer League experience.

He says regardless of what changes happen within the playing personnel, the Kings organisation will put itself in a position to compete and thrive.

“I think the Kings’ system really makes it easy for us,” Galloway told NBL Media.

“I don’t get the vibe around the team where there are thoughts that someone should be playing more, everybody knows their role really well, and everybody is just trying to contribute to the team.

“We’ve gone back-to-back, so everyone knows what it’s like to win a championship and I think it will be easy to establish those roles.

“(Alex) Toohey and I are already joking around about who’s going to start, but it’s definitely a great opportunity to take on a bigger role.”

While head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah was named as head coach of the side over a month ago, the former NBA G-League championship-winning coach only touched down in Sydney this past week.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our Next Star <a href="https://twitter.com/tooheyy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tooheyy</a> ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/njeL9jWnXD">pic.twitter.com/njeL9jWnXD</a></p>— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1687006193422876672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Abdelfattah has an infectious energy about him. Whether it’s long-time G-League colleague Travis Stockbridge or new assistant Fleur McIntyre, Sydney’s newest coach has a way of bringing people onside – including Galloway.

“I already love him,” Galloway said of his new coach. “His energy is top notch.

“I didn’t think it was possible for someone to have that much energy.

“I’m not talking about him being a coach – we are only a couple of days into pre-season, but I definitely like him as a person, that’s for sure.”

Sydney will open its NBL24 campaign will open against local rivals Illawarra on Saturday, September 30.