Sharpshooting guard Ian Clark to return for NBL25

Melbourne United is thrilled to announce that reigning NBL Best Sixth Man, Ian Clark, will be back with the club for the NBL25 season on a one-year deal.

The NBA and NBL championship winner had a spectacular first season with United, averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting the ball at an elite clip from beyond the arc. Across NBL24, no player made as many three pointers at a higher percentage than Clark.

Speaking to Melbourne United Media, the sweet-shooting American touched on his excitement ahead of coming back to Melbourne.

“I’m happy to be getting back with this group and can't wait for next season,” he said.

“Coming back to somewhere where I’m comfortable and feel like I can have success was a major deciding factor.

“It had been maybe four or five years since I had been on the same team for consecutive seasons. It can be difficult going to a new place and starting fresh over and over again; new people, new faces, new coaches, new houses, new cultures, so being able to come back and being able to be comfortable is great.

“The camaraderie we had as a group last season was special. We were able to achieve so much and bringing back a lot of the same group is going to give us a lot of confidence.

“For the older guys, we’re hungry, we know what to expect and for the young guys, having the experience of going to the grand final and being on the number one team in the league, I think it will help them take strides coming into this year.”

After having Clark operating inside United’s system for a full season, Dean Vickerman believes the 33-year-old is capable of producing at an even higher level come NBL25

“We ask so many things of this role,” Vickerman explained.

“We wanted this person to be a really high level shooter, to be a secondary ball carrier and at times play some point guard, to be a starter-level talent and play like the Sixth Man of the Year, be really solid defensively and really fit our culture and Ian Clark ticks every one of those boxes.

“He was magnificent in all of those areas last season, as well as just fitting in with our personnel. He’s a great complement to our guys whether it’s stretching the floor for CG (Chris Goulding) or working with our bigs.

“He’s a winner. He’s willing to play whatever role helps the team find success, whether that be off the bench, starting games or closing games. He provides us with so much versatility with what we can put on the floor.”

Clark joins Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova, Shea Ili, Jack White, Luke Travers, Kyle Bowen, Flynn Cameron, Tanner Krebs and Rob Loe, as well as Development Players Tom Koppens, Akech Aliir and Campbell Blogg for the NBL25 season.