Opportunity knocks for hyper-talented wing

Kody Stattmann has endured a tough two years in the NBL, but the prodigious Cairns-born talent believes he has what it takes to become a mainstay in the competition from NBL25 and beyond.

Stattmann was signed to a full roster spot with the Brisbane Bullets ahead of NBL23 following four successful years at the University of Virginia. Then head coach James Duncan earmarked the young wing as a crucial development piece for the club moving forward, but all did not go to plan for Brisbane that campaign.

Duncan was removed from his post early in the season before Sam Mackinnon, and then Greg Vanderjagt, were inserted in interim head coaching roles. The Bullets limped to a ninth-place finish with just eight wins from 28 games, and Stattmann appeared just 19 times to average 1.5 points per game.

A move south beckoned for NBL24, and Stattmann once again linked up with Mackinnon – this time at the South East Melbourne Phoenix, but this time as a development player. He was forced to bide his time for his opportunity, and he finally hit the floor to a consistent level during his team’s horror, injury-stricken run to the end of the regular season.

Now, Stattmann is at a crossroads. He admitted to NBL Media that there has been “nothing definitive” around a return to South East Melbourne, but he’s still in discussions with the club, and his NBL future looks murky.

The uber-talented 202cm wing has all the tangible assets needed to forge a strong career in the NBL. He has the size, length, and a punchy, effective shooting stroke.

Off the court there’s a palpable confidence in his own ability when you speak to him – the type of confidence needed to back yourself in the face of hardship and misfortune, and a clear desire to get the best out of himself.

He only appeared 16 times for South East Melbourne last season, and just eight of those appearances saw him register over 10 minutes of court-time. However, those eight extended appearances all came in his last nine games of the season.

One game from that late run stands out in particular. He scored a career-high 16 points in the win over the Kings in Round 17 and pulled in six rebounds – three of which came on the offensive end.

That game against Sydney is a snapshot into the type of player Stattmann could definitively become, with the effort and hustle on the glass and the deadly scoring threat from all over the floor.

Stattmann hopes his strong run of performances at the end of the NBL24 campaign will help him earn a place in the NBL next season.

“I think it did help me – well hopefully it did – because I know I can play in the NBL and be a pretty good player in the NBL,” Stattmann told NBL Media.

“Obviously, it’s bad seeing all your teammates go down with injuries but I think it did give me a really good opportunity to showcase myself and I played pretty well in some of the games there.

“Going forward, I think it did help me because it gave me the opportunity for people to see me on an NBL court. Hopefully it did help me out, and we’ll soon see.”

Time is on Stattmann’s side as he looks to find his way at NBL level. He’s still just 23 years of age, and is proving at NBL1 level that he is certainly ready to be consistently tested at the next level up.

Across his first two games for the Cairns Marlins in NBL1 North, Stattmann has recorded an average of a 30-point double double. In his opening game of the season he dropped 33 points and 14 boards against a Darwin side featuring NBL mainstays Kouat Noi and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, emerging star Makuach Maluach, and former NBA player and NBL legend Nate Jawai.

He’s set to clash with the same Salties side on Friday night, who have further strengthened with the addition of Tasmania guard Sean Macdonald.

It’s telling that the Marlins only defeat in their opening three games of the season came last week, when Stattmann did not play.

Stattmann says he’s embracing the challenge and opportunity of being one of Cairns’ main offensive weapons this season after a difficult NBL campaign.

“During the year in the NBL you don’t get to have game reps so coming back into NBL1 and playing 40 minutes, 35 minutes at the start is a little bit tough, but I think it just comes down to confidence and knowing you are one of the better guys in the league,” he said.

“You have to play without any pressure on your shoulders, and it helps me out to tell myself that I am one of the better players out there or the best player out there, so I keep that confidence in myself to be able to play the whole game and have guys trust me.

“Our coach, Kerry Williams, having full faith in me, being able to trust me, and just being able to let me go and play the game I know how to play [helps].

“He gives me a long leash to do whatever I can to go and score the ball and that really helps with my confidence.”

Of course, for all his offensive firepower and immeasurable potential, Stattmann is not the finished product, but he’s showcased an acute awareness of where he needs to improve.

NBL careers are often made or broken on the defensive end. In such a physically demanding, fast-paced league, it doesn’t pay to have to be carried by teammates on the less glamorous end of the floor.

Stattmann’s natural length and quick feet make him far from a passenger defensively, but he’s targeted that end of the floor as his key point of improvement ahead of next season.

“I know I can mostly keep guys in front in most positions, but it comes down to strength and getting knocked off my spot a little bit, so I’m working hard in the gym to get that up,” he said.

"Then on the offensive end, I’m working on all parts of my game.

“I think I’m a pretty good scorer all-around, but I have to always stay consistent with my three-point shot, having good ball-handling skills and passing off the ball, they’re probably the main things I focus on when I got work out.”