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| Saigon Heat’s Murphy Burnatowski (middle) performs in the ASEAN Basketball League. — Photo tinthethao.com.vn |
Viet Nam News
HA NOI — Saigon Heat recently released their captain Murphy Burnatowski.
The team didn’t explain why they made the move.
Burnatowski was the first foreign player recruited by coach Kyle Julius for this season.
The 27-year-old Canadian has performed well for the Heat during 20 matches in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), averaging 19.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.7 blocks per game.
Julius said: “We regret to say goodbye to Burnatowski as we have six more matches to reach to the play-offs but the whole team will make every effort to qualify for the play-offs.”
Burnatowski has an outstanding resume. He is a reigning champion of the Swiss basketball league, where he was named an all-star. He has played at various levels throughout Europe, the US and Canada.
He has also represented the Canadian basketball team at multiple international tournaments and attended a tryout for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors last year.
The Heat were defeated 81-79 by CLS Knights Indonesia in the ASEAN Basketball League on Sunday. They are now in fifth place out of 10 teams in the rankings.
The Heat also recently signed Stefan Nguyen, a Vietnamese-Swedish guard, who has previously turned out for the Heat.
The Heat will next host Zhuhai Wolf Warriors of China at the CIS Arena in HCM City on Sunday. — VNS
OVietnam