ONE OF many Aussies catching the eye in the NCAAM for the 2024/25 season is Harry Wessels, and he helped his Saint Mary’s Gaels to an 87-68 win over the Akron Zips last week.

The Gaels are well-renowned for bringing Australian players onto their roster, with the likes of Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills forging a path to the NBA as members of Saint Mary’s program, and Wessels is the latest prospect to develop his game there.

A big man who stands a towering seven-foot-one, Wessels is suiting up for his second season with the Gaels, having played limited minutes last year. During his first campaign with the team, he averaged 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 10 minutes of court time.

It was a promising level of production, and showed that he is ready to take a leap with more playing time. Prior to the 2023 FIBA World Cup, he spent time with the Australian national team program, and was highly regarded for his small stint with the Boomers.

The Gaels are flying to start the season in the NCAAM, racking up plenty of wins in the first month of play, and their victory against Akron was an excellent display of what Wessels is capable of as a contributor off the bench.

Saint Mary’s was on top for the majority of the game, and moved to a record of three wins and zero losses and looking strong for the season to come. The Gaels’ biggest area of dominance was on the glass, outrebounding Akron 55-26.

Leading the way was Mikey Lewis off the bench, who poured in 18 points and nailed four three-pointers on six attempts, while Paulius Murauskas stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Wessels came off the bench as well and made quite the impact, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half. The Aussie did not get too much playing time in the first half, but made every post a winner in the second.

He was extremely efficient from the field, making six of his seven attempts from the field and playing to his strengths by driving inside and finishing at the basket. Wessels used all of his seven-foot-one frame to create space at the basket, and he showed composure in pick and rolls to lay the ball in.

Wessels was widely expected to get a boost in playing time which would result in more production, and his performance against the Zips was exactly that. If he can continue to play to his strengths and use his height to his advantage, Wessels will force the coaching staff to play him more.