Tag: billy preston

Illawarra Hawks release Billy Preston after multiple missed practices

Billy Preston’s tenure with the Illawarra Hawks was a short-lived one with the forward and the team parting ways on Tuesday.

Former McDonald’s All-American Billy Preston’s tenure with the Illawarra Hawks was short-lived one. On Tuesday, the Hawks’ Twitter account announced that they parted ways with Preston due to family reasons after just two games.

According to Mitch Jennings of the Illawarra Mercury, Preston’s release came after multiple practice no-shows in the past week.

The club confirmed his departure on social media on Tuesday, citing “family reasons” but it is understood the former Oak Hill Academy student was AWOL from three different training sessions with the club, with coach Matt Flinn putting his foot down on Monday.

The two reasons may not be mutually exclusive. The club noted Preston would be returning stateside to spend the holidays with family on it’s Twitter account.

His brief time in Australia saw Preston play in just three games with Illawarra, averaging 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 17.6 minutes per game. In his debut, he shot just 1-of-11 from the field in nearly 24 minutes. His second game saw him play just six minutes before fouling out.

Preston and LaMelo Ball had a connection in the past during their times in high school. The connection was strong enough that Preston considered himself a “brother” to Ball. But given Ball’s current injury, the two never shared the court together in Australia with Ball not set to return until January.

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New teammate Billy Preston says LaMelo Ball is ‘like my little brother’

Illawarra’s signing of Billy Preston not only brings them a talented player but also a player with a history and connection to LaMelo Ball.

In signing Billy Preston, the Illawarra Hawks not only landed a player that was once a highly-touted prospect, but also one that is close to its star player. Preston grew up in Santa Ana, a town relatively close to Chino Hills.

In California, he played high school basketball in both Bellflower and Redondo Beach. Eventually, Preston would make a stop at a high school in Texas before landing at Oak Hill.

Despite moving away, Preston and the Ball family spent enough time together for Preston to consider the family part of his own. In a piece with the Illawarra Mercury, Preston talked about teaming up with LaMelo on the Hawks.

“I’ve known Melo since my seventh-eighth grade year, we go way back. He’s younger than me so he’s kind of like my little brother. I’ve been playing with him and his brothers basically our whole life. We played high school together, he went to Chino, I went to Oak Hill, we played each other once two years ago.”

In the one previous meeting, Preston and Oak Hill ended LaMelo, LiAngelo and Chino Hill’s 60-game win streak with a 96-91 win at the Nike Extravaganza at Santa Ana Mater Dei.

While Ball will be out for a month, Preston presents a different type of player than Ball has previously had as a teammate on the Hawks. In his time in the G League, a span of only 27 games, Preston shot 37.3 percent from beyond the arc. That alone is a positive for the Hawks, but Preston, who is listed at 6’10” and 230 pounds, also pulled down over seven rebounds a game during his brief time overseas.

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LaMelo Ball to play with former McDonald’s All-American Billy Preston

The Illawarra Hawks have signed Billy Preston for the remainder of the season. How can he help LaMelo Ball?

In an effort to get LaMelo Ball help and improve their 3-10 record, the Illawarra Hawks have signed former McDonald’s All-American Billy Preston, the team announced on Sunday.

Preston was ranked No. 18 in the 2017 high school basketball class by ESPN and committed to play at the University of Kansas in 2016. However, Preston never played a regular season game for the Jayhawks because he left Kansas in January of 2018 out of frustration with the NCAA’s attempt to get a “clearer financial picture” of a car accident he was involved in.

Preston went undrafted in 2018 but managed to land a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers a month later. Preston appeared in 10 games for the Canton Charge in the NBA G League before being waived by the Cavaliers in December. After that, he spent some time with the Eerie Bayhawks and Texas Legends.

The 22-year-old power forward has struggled to make an impact at every stop he’s made so far, but he’ll have a clear role with the Hawks in the NBL. Ball has desperately needed a mobile big man that can finish above the rim and Preston, if nothing else, is that.

Ball and Preston have never played with each other, but they did cross paths in the high school basketball circuit. As a matter of fact, Preston, a native of Redondo Beach, CA, was part of the Oak Hill team that ended Chino Hills High School’s 60-game win streak in 2017.

Hopefully there are no hard feelings between Preston and Ball, and they’re able to turn the Hawks’ disappointing season around.

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