MACKAY, QUEENSLAND – Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Malou, a 206cm forward from Melbourne, is the latest player to join the McDonald’s Mackay Meteors line-up for the 2020 NBL1 North season.
Malou who was born in Kenya before moving to Australia at the age of two, heads to Mackay after a solid 2019 NBL1 South campaign with the Albury-Wodonga Bandits, where he averaged 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 25 minutes per game. Prior, Malou was a standout at YUBA College in California averaging 15.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a freshman, before declaring for the 2016 NBA draft. Malou had pre-draft workouts with the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors.
The 26-year-old also represented South Sudan in the FIBA 2020 Afrobasket Pre-Qualifiers in Kenya this past January.
McDonald’s Meteors Head Coach Joel Khalu said Malou was a great fit for the team, particularly with his versatility.
“Manny is a very mobile big man who can play at a high level at both ends of the floor,” Khalu said.
“Offensively, he can score in a variety of ways, both inside and out. Defensively, he’s athletic, a genuine rim protector and will give us a major boost rebounding the ball.”
“We’re really excited at what he brings to our group and think he’s going to make an immediate impact in our league.”
Malou was also thrilled with joining Mackay for their inaugural NBL1 North season.
“Making the move to NBL1 North was something I was very excited about because of the talent level of this league. I feel as though it would be beneficial to play against the best competition possible while also playing under a great coach like Coach Joel,” Malou said.
“I did my research and the feedback from a few guys I spoke too said nothing but great things about Mackay. Especially the professionalism of the club and the local community do a great job of supporting the team.”
“I think we have a great group of young guys and I can’t wait to go to war with my new teammates.”
The McDonald’s Meteors open the 2020 NBL1 North season on April 25 at the McDonald’s Mackay Multi-Sport Stadium against Toowoomba.