Nic Pozoglou

Nic Pozoglou
Mykonos
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
LeagueGreek A2 Elite League
Personal information
Born (1996-02-11) 11 February 1996 (age 28)
NationalityAustralian / Greek
Listed height196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Listed weight97 kg (214 lb)
Career information
High schoolSt Dominic's College
(Sydney, New South Wales)
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2015Penrith Panthers
2016–2017Bankstown Bruins
2017–2019Illawarra Hawks
2018Ballarat Miners
2019Melbourne Tigers
2019–2020Perth Wildcats
2021Cockburn Cougars
2022–2023Ballarat Miners
2023–2024Koroivos
2024–presentMykonos
Career highlights and awards

Nicolas Pozoglou (born 11 February 1996) is an Australian-Greek[1] professional basketball player for AO Mykonou of the Greek A2 Elite League. He played three seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player between 2017 and 2020, winning a championship with the Perth Wildcats in 2020. In 2021, he was named NBL1 West Most Valuable Player as a member of the Cockburn Cougars.

Early life

Pozoglou grew up in Sydney, New South Wales, in the suburb of Penrith. He began playing rugby league before switching to basketball in primary school.[2] He attended St Dominic's College in Penrith[3] and represented New South Wales at the 2015 Under 20 National Championships.[4][5]

Basketball career

In 2014, Pozoglou debuted for the Penrith Panthers in the Waratah League.[6] He subsequently joined the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player for the 2014–15 season.[5][7] He did not play for the Kings during the season.[6] In April 2015, he was named in an extended 25-man squad for the Australian Emus under 19 team ahead of the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.[8]

Pozoglou re-joined the Panthers for the 2015 Waratah League season.[6] During this time, he battled stress fractures in his knees and later broke his foot which ruled him out for eight weeks.[7]

After Penrith withdrew from the league,[9] Pozoglou moved to the Bankstown Bruins in 2016 and helped the team win the Waratah League championship.[6] He played a second season with the Bruins in 2017,[6] averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds per game.[10]

Pozoglou joined the Illawarra Hawks as a development player for the 2017–18 NBL season.[11] He appeared in four games during his first season.[12]

Following the NBL season, Pozoglou joined the Ballarat Miners of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) for the 2018 season.[7][10] In 20 games, he averaged 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.[6]

Pozoglou re-joined the Hawks as a development player for the 2018–19 NBL season, where he appeared in five games.[12]

Following the NBL season, Pozoglou joined the Melbourne Tigers of the newly established NBL1 for the 2019 season.[13] He was ready for a breakout season after an "up and down season" with Ballarat in 2018.[14] In 19 games, he averaged 19.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game.[6]

In August 2019, Pozoglou signed with the Perth Wildcats as a development player for the 2019–20 NBL season.[15] He served as an injury replacement for Wani Swaka Lo Buluk early in the season.[16] He was crowned an NBL champion in March 2020.[2] He appeared in 10 games during the season.[12]

Pozoglou was set to re-join the Melbourne Tigers for the 2020 NBL1 season,[17] but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

In November 2020, Pozoglou signed with the Cockburn Cougars of the NBL1 West for the 2021 season.[19] He was named NBL1 West Most Valuable Player, All-NBL1 West First Team and NBL1 West Defensive Player of the Year.[20][21] In 20 games, he averaged 17.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.[6]

In February 2022, Pozoglou signed with the Ballarat Miners of the NBL1 South for the 2022 season, returning to the team for a second stint.[22] In 21 games, he averaged 10.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.[6]

Pozoglou returned to the Miners as captain for the 2023 season[23] and averaged 13.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals in 22 games.[6]

In July 2023, Pozoglou signed with Koroivos of the Greek A2 Basket League for the 2023–24 season.[24] In 29 games, he averaged 7.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game.[6]

In June 2024, Pozoglou signed with Mykonos for the 2024–25 Greek A2 season.[25][26]

Personal life

Pozoglou's father is Greek.[2] As of 2021, Pozoglou had applied for a Greek passport.[2]

Pozoglou's partner is fellow basketball player, Molly Mathews.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Greek Australian Nicolas Pozoglou joins basketball team in Greece". The Greek Herald. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Alepidis, Marianna (3 November 2021). "Setting sights on Greece: Q&A with basketballer Nic Pozoglou". Neos Kosmos. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  3. ^ "FROM HOT DOG HEAD TO HAWK; PANTHER MAKES NBL DEBUT". facebook.com/PenrithBasketball. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Pozoglou picked to play for New South Wales U20s". Blue Mountains Gazette. 8 December 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b Tarbert, Kristine (16 February 2015). "Sydney Kings visit Penrith basketball courts to pass on advice and skills". The Daily Telegraph. Penrith Press. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Nicolas Pozoglou". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Calafiore, Siobhan (24 April 2018). "Pozoglou embracing Ballarat stop-off in basketball journey". The Courier. Retrieved 28 January 2024. I was coming off stress fractures in my knees and (when I) finally found my feet then I broke my foot and was out for eight weeks.
  8. ^ "One up, one down to the Spiders for Panthers". Blue Mountains Gazette. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  9. ^ Taylor, Nathan (14 October 2015). "Penrith's basketball blow". Western Weekender. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Pozoglou Joins Miners". BallaratBasketball.com. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  11. ^ Pryde, Scott (20 September 2017). "NBL 2017-18 season preview: Illawarra Hawks". The Roar. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Nic Pozoglou". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  13. ^ "NIC POZOGLOU SIGNS WITH TIGERS FOR 2019 NBL1 SEASON". TigersBasketball.com.au. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 March 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  14. ^ McCallum, Jordan (17 April 2019). "Nic Pozoglou is ready for a breakout season". PickAndRoll.co.au. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Nic Pozoglou signed as Development Player". Wildcats.com.au. 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Nic Pozoglou elevated to main roster as injury-replacement player". Wildcats.com.au. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Nic Pozoglou re-signs with Melbourne Tigers". TigersBasketball.com.au. 18 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  18. ^ "NBL1 Season Cancelled". NBL.com.au. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  19. ^ "FORMER WILDCAT PUTS PEN TO PAPER WITH THE FAM". CougarFamily.com. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Pozoglou and Sharp named NBL1 West MVPs". NBL1.com.au. 15 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  21. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (15 August 2021). "Alex Sharp and Nic Pozoglou have eyes on bigger prizes after winning NBL1 West MVP titles". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Molly and Nic Return". NBL1.com.au. 18 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
  23. ^ Calafiore, Siobhan (31 March 2023). "NBL1 South Season Preview: Ballarat Miners take a new look into season 2023". The Courier. Retrieved 28 January 2024. The Miners men's roster has undergone an almost complete overhaul with only three players from last season, captain Nic Pozoglou and young guns, locals Zac Dunmore and Amos Brooks returning.
  24. ^ "ASA KORIVOS announces the start of cooperation with Greek-Australian native athlete Nikola Pozoglou". facebook.com/koroivosbc. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Μύκονος: Τέταρτη μεταγραφή ο Πόζογλου (pic)". novasports.gr (in Greek). 25 June 2024. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024.
  26. ^ Mammides, Chris (25 June 2024). "Nicolas Pozoglou agreed terms with Mykonou". Eurobasket.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024.