Aston happy to finish up at Nuggets

Otago Nuggets recruit Luke Aston gets in some shooting practice at the Edgar 
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Otago Nuggets recruit Luke Aston gets in some shooting practice at the Edgar Centre yesterday. PHOTO GERARD O’BRIEN
Luke Aston will finish up where he started out — at the Otago Nuggets.

It will be a nice way for him to round out his basketball career.

The former Tall Black thought he had already put a full stop on his elite playing career.

He and wife Hailey have been living in California "on and off for the past three years".

He is a fulltime teacher and this year decided to focused on that career path.

But a family member fell ill and Aston has returned home to spend some time with him.

While he is here in Dunedin he thought he would like to suit up for his old team again.

The Nuggets had approached him about playing for the side prior to the season "but I got a really good job and thought it was probably the end of basketball", he said.

"But with it being the summer vacation from school, everything has worked out."

Aston, who finished managed isolation on Monday, grew up in Queenstown but honed his basketball skills at Otago Boys’ High School under coach Brent Matehaere, who is now coaching the Nuggets.

The 30-year-old swingman first played for the Nuggets in 2010 and had a second stint with the side in 2013.

He attended BYU, Hawaii, from 2013 to 2016 and has "bounced around a bit" in the National Basketball League.

He had two seasons with the Hawkes Bay Hawks, two with the Southland Sharks and a year at the Canterbury Rams as well.

He made the Tall Blacks in 2017 following a productive season for the Sharks where he averaged 11.3 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Aston was set to play for the Franklin Bulls last year but decided to stay in the United States when Covid-19 arrived.

His athleticism and shooting game will be a big asset for the Nuggets as the side presses for a playoff spot.

"I’m honestly just hoping to give back to the club and kind of just fill any holes that they need filled," he said.

"I want to play good basketball first and foremost but also to help all the aspiring kids. There are a lot of players in the team who I’ve known, who are a bit younger than me, and it is kind of cool to get a chance to work with them."

Aston said the starters were "doing a great job"and he expects his role will be to add some spark from the bench.

The Nuggets play Canterbury in Christchurch on Thursday and the Hawkes Bay Hawks in Napier on Saturday.

"This is probably the last season I’ll play," Aston said.

"It is funny how it has gone full circle. I hadn’t planned on playing but the situation changed and it’s cool.

"We’ve got five away games and four home games and I just want to leave it all out there."

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