The Otago Nuggets have confirmed the talented swingman will suit up for the Dunedin franchise this season.
It is a big signing and one that was hard to keep under wraps.
The Otago Daily Times revealed the former Tall Black had inked a deal last month.
He joins stalwart Matthew Bardsley and import Buay Tuach as the only confirmed players so far.
The Nuggets have been drip-feeding their player announcements and appear to have accidentally announced the signing of American Michael Henn this afternoon.
‘‘Michael brings strength inside, a polished offensive game, and the ability to anchor both ends of the floor,’’ the social media post read, which was quickly taken down.
‘‘He competes, finishes through contact, and gives us a strong interior presence when it matters most. Another key piece locked in.’’
Coach Jeff Sparrow said he was thrilled Rusbatch would be joining the campaign.
‘‘He’s a leader, a bona fide shooter, a floor-spacer and just a super human being.
“He understood the vision of what we were trying to build and saw an opportunity to come in and impact it in a cultural way as well.
‘‘I think he's going to just be huge for the locker room. So that's a big piece of the puzzle.’’
He is a proven scorer, as witnessed by his last outing at the Edgar Centre. He torched 27 points to lead the Franklin Bulls to a comfortable 107-84 win against the Nuggets.
His combination with Tuach promises to be a productive partnership for the Nuggets.
Sparrow is certainly excited about seeing them play together.
‘‘They’re two guys that can shoot 50 times in a game and I won't blink as long as they get back on defence. They love hearing that.’’
Defensively, Sparrow said Rusbatch is a ‘‘savvy’’ operator who ‘‘knows exactly what the other team is doing’’.
‘‘I think what people don't realise about Ethan Rusbatch is he is a very physical defender. He finishes box outs, finishes perimeter box outs, bumps cutters and doesn't let people post him on mismatches.
‘‘Really, when you dig into his tape, it's obvious from the outside looking in he's a shooter, but he's way more than that. He is very reliable defensively.’’
The 33-year-old has been around the league for more than a decade.
Rusbatch started with the Southland Sharks in 2012 before shifting north to Taranaki the following season.
He had four seasons with the Canterbury Rams, several stints with the Hawke’s Bay Hawks and spent the past two seasons with the Bulls.
He also had two seasons with the Breakers in the Australian Basketball League and professional stints in the Philippines and Finland.
The Otago Nuggets open their season with an away fixture against the Southland Sharks on April 10.
