Import guard departs reeling Indian Panthers
- NZ Sports Wire
- Apr 10
- 2 min read
The Indian Panthers' debut season in the National Basketball League (NBL) continues to lurch from bad to worse.
Already winless after six games, the first-year foreign-controlled expansion franchise and American point guard Alex Robinson Jr, the team's lone import and second-leading scorer, parted ways earlier this week.
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Robinson Jr, who also appeared in the INBL Pro league in India earlier this year, averaged 17.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals a game, while shooting 40 percent from the field, in six games.
However, he played just seven minutes, scoring two points, in a 96-79 loss to the Southland Sharks on Sunday.
The Panthers - one of two winless teams in the NBL, along with the 0-5 Nelson Giants - have lost by an average of more than 26 points, including a demoralising 45-point home loss to the Manawatu Jets on March 23.
In a calamitous and rushed start to their existence, the Panthers had to withdraw from Westside Blitz pre-season tournament in early-March, claiming visa issues, despite not having announced a head coach or any player signings at the time.
Head coach Miles Pearce lasted just one game, a road loss to the Hawke's Bay Hawks, before departing, replaced by Australian Jonathan Goodman.
Intended Indian players were delayed arriving in New Zealand due to an extended squad national team camp ahead of India's FIBA Asia Cup final qualifying tournament games in late-March, according to NBL officials.
Despite India's last game in Manama, Bahrain being on March 22, just four of the Panthers' 12 announced players - Robinson Jr, Tushal Singh, Aaron Blessen and Sejin Mathew - have taken the court to date.
The Panthers have survived on New Zealand talent not already on other NBL rosters, with guard Jaylen Gerrand, who last played for the Southland Sharks in 2022, averaging 21.2 points a game, while shooting 37 percent on three-point attempts.
Former Tall Blacks forward and NBL veteran Leon Henry, who was initially named as the team's ambassador and had not played a full NBL season since 2022, has logged almost 30 minutes a game.
Next up, the Panthers take on the Auckland Tuatara at North Shore's Eventfinda Stadium on Friday night (tip-off 7.30pm).