Eight time championship winner Krishna has not played at all in the league this year but has answered the call from Head Coach Tony Webster and will suit up this Friday for the visit of the Manawatu Jets.

We are a young team and have identified a lack of experience as a weakness so far this season, said Webster. Prem brings us that experience and good communication in the point or 2 guard position, providing us with options in that area. He is a great talker and already in the sessions he has worked with the team has made a noticeable difference to the communication and urgency amongst the guys.

Krishna will also allow current point guard Corey Webster to also spend some time in the 2 position, once again bringing some variety to the Heats offence and allowing Webster to switch roles depending on the state of any game. Krishna has appeared for the Heat in the past, playing briefly for the NBL side back in 2005.

As well as pleased with the signing of Krishna today, Webster was pleased with the contribution of new import Mike Bell in the close loss to the Cougars on Saturday and expects more again from the forward on Friday against the Jets.

The initial input from Mike was good, especially as he had hardly got off the plane. He along with BJ (Anthony) brings another big presence in the paint and makes us a more aggressive team. I expect that Mike and BJ will contribute significantly down the stretch and into the play offs as they come up to speed with our plays and systems.