MOST young talents spend age 18 or lower in junior or development leagues to work on their craft before advancing to a professional league, but that is not the case for Kobe McDowell-White. The young guard has just completed his first season at National Basketball League (NBL)1 level at just 17 years of age, putting himself on the radar of many NBL clubs with his excellent play on the court. With brother William excelling at NBL level for the New Zealand Breakers, there is plenty of chatter that Kobe is next in line to follow this path.

McDowell-White has joined his older brother Darryl at the Red City Roar in the NBL1 and has shown no fear of the big stage, ending the season as one of his side’s most prolific scorers, averaging 17.18 points per game. He showed signs of stardom throughout, and displayed consistency that is often only seen among league veterans. He led the team in scoring on multiple occasions, and even led his side to victories with his excellent performances on a weekly basis.

He showed no fear in his first game of action, registering 13 points, three rebounds and eight assists in a loss against the Thunder. Despite the disappointing result for his team, the Roar would have been ecstatic to find a player with a high level of skill at such a young age. He backed up this performance with a four game stretch of 20-plus points. He had 24 in a win against the South West Metro Pirates, before delivering a whopping 28-point outing against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix, which also came with five rebounds and five assists.

He delivered a season-high 29-point performance against the Gold Coast Rollers, and by this stage he had already announced himself as one of the league’s premier young talents. He showed his ability to expand beyond just scoring, also producing averages of 4.54 rebounds per game and 4.27 assists per game. His defensive work is also noteworthy, with a season-high four steals (to go with 20 points) demonstrating his willingness to work hard at both ends of the court.

With the NBL1 season concluded and the NBL season getting closer by the day, the rumour mill around the youngster’s future is keeping busy. Regardless of where the 18-year-old ends up next year, he is bound to be producing impressive performances.

Picture credit: B Rad Sports Photography