John Mooney to soak up NBL Round 1 from quarantine

Perth Wildcats recruit John Mooney will use the weekend in quarantine to soak up Round One of the 2020/21 NBL Season.

Action finally gets underway on Friday evening, with five games to be played across the weekend.

The Wildcats don’t feature in the opening round of games as the players and coaches enter their second week of home quarantine after returning from practice games in Brisbane.

However, Mooney said it’s a great chance to get familiar with some opposition teams.

“There’s not a lot more to do, being in quarantine, so I’ll have the time to do that,” he said.

“I’ll certainly be watching some of the games and looking at other what team’s rosters look like, what their bigs are doing, what they run, how they defend certain coverages.

“As a professional athlete, that’s your job now, to be ready to play come game time and that mental aspect certainly is very important, and the scouting aspect is very important.

“With these games starting today, there’s no better time to do it.”

The American said another positive of the delayed start to the season was extra time with his new teammates, but he can’t wait to pull on the jersey.

“Fortunately we’ve been able to practice and I think that’s been good for all of us, but for now it’s just about getting through this time and I’m just really looking forward to being able to play games. That’s the big thing.

The Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United launch the season on Friday 15 January, with the Wildcats commencing their campaign on Sunday 24 January – on the same day their quarantine period ends.

You can watch 2021 NBL action on ESPN, VICELAND, SBS On Demand, Twitch and NBL.TV.