THE HOLIDAY season has come and gone, but the National Basketball League (NBL) action did not stop as the competition produced plenty of games over the Christmas and New Year period.

Round 13 saw matches go ahead at a seemingly constant pace, as the league held games in front of jam-packed crowds as fans flocked to their closest stadium to see the nation’s big guns in action.

As is the case every week, Rookie Me Central will be highlighting the three strongest individual outings, with plenty making quite the impact in their respective outings.

Shannon Scott – Cairns Taipans

The Taipans pulled off one of the most remarkable victories of the season to date against the 36ers on New Years Eve, and Scott was the strongest performer in said result. Down 18 with six and a half minutes to go, Scott and the Taipans rallied in the final stages of the game to claim an amazing three-point victory. He finished the match with a game-high 31 points on 11/15 shooting from the field and 5/7 shooting from three-point territory. He has proven to be an impactful addition to the Cairns roster so far this season, and his consistent form culminated in an excellent performance against Adelaide.

Sam Froling – Illawarra Hawks

Froling has seriously announced himself as one of Australia’s best young hoopers, thriving with the leadership role he has been given on a young Hawks side. In Round 13, the 22-year-old delivered a pair of strong showings, and although his side could not get the job done against some quality opposition, there can be no knocking of the big man’s performances. In the loss against the Wildcats to kick off Illawarra’s slate for the round, he led his side in two of the three key categories finishing with 19 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, with the latter two figures being team-high numbers. He backed it up a few days later with an even better game, with his final numbers reading 25 points, 13 rebounds and five dimes to round out an outstanding round from the emerging star.

Brady Manek – Perth Wildcats

In Perth’s 10-point triumph over the Hawks on Saturday evening, the Wildcats had a plethora of contributors as they hit triple digits on the scoreboard thanks to a potent offensive performance. However, the standout proved to be Manek, with the import sharpshooter stuffing the stat sheet with an eye-catching double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. He has proven to be a bit of a barometer for Perth in the 2022/23 season, and the New Years Eve win over the Hawks emphasised how important Manek is to the team.