They have signed Canadian point guard Alain Louis who arrives in the city tomorrow.
The 28-year-old, who was born in Haiti, has had four seasons with the Montreal Alliance in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
He has also had professional stints in the UK and Europe.
Louis will join Buay Tuach, Ethan Rusbatch and Matthew Bardsley as the only confirmed players on the roster, while Michael Henn’s signing was accidentally announced in a social media post last week but was quickly removed.
Nuggets coach Jeff Sparrow said Louis was a tough competitor.
‘‘The first thing that comes to mind is he’s an absolute dog,’’ he said.
‘‘When you really watch full game tape of him defensively, he’s a menace, very rangy and long for his position.
‘‘And then on the other end, I think out of all the point guards that I’ve watched on film, he controls the pace in the game [well].
‘‘If he wants to push it, he’s going to push it.
‘‘If he wants to slow it down, he’s going to get in his set. It’s very hard to take it off him.’’
That is what you want from a point guard - good ball security and quality distribution. Louis is also built like a loose forward and plays a little like a small forward when he cuts to the hoop.
He can shoot from the outside, but that role will fall to Rusbatch and Tuach.
Louis also picked up the Montreal Alliance defensive player of the year title in 2023.
‘‘He’s going to be able to guard his yard. I expect very, very big things from him on that end. I don’t see anybody going by him.
‘‘You know, he’s just very good at the point of attack defensively.’’
The Otago Nuggets will have a very different look this season.
Stalwarts Darcy Knox and Josh Aitcheson have moved on after clocking more than 100 games each for the franchise.
Forwards Jono Janssen and Mac Stodart are not expected to return, but there is talk in the basketball community that suggests Patrick Freeman and Caleb Smiler will return.
The local portion of the roster could also include Harry Bezett, Noah McDowall and Oak Chisholm.
One seasoned observer suggested Wellington Saints point guard Tyson Thata-Paese could be moving south to join the Nuggets.
The Otago Nuggets open their season with an away fixture against the Southland Sharks on April 10.
