WILCHER RETURNS FOR FOURTH SEASON WITH HEAT
Dual championship winning point guard Josh Wilcher has re-signed with the Townsville Heat for the 2019 QBL season in a bid to help guide the club to an unprecedented third straight QBL crown. The fiery guard has been a cornerstone of the Heat’s success since he joined the club in 2016, helping lead the Heat to two consecutive crowns and a combined 50 win – 12 loss record, unmatched by any other QBL club over the same period.
Wilcher lead the team in assists in the 2018 season at almost 5 per game while also pouring in better than 18ppg at an impressive 43% from the field and 38% from beyond the 3 point line, his 87.3% free throw percentage was also good for third in the league amongst players who attempted more than 50 free throws on the year. His impressive 2018 included a player of the week performance in round 13, when he poured in 33.5ppg in a sweep of the Central Queensland double header against Gladstone and Rockhampton.
Currently plying his trade in the British Basketball League (BBL) for the Plymouth Raiders, Wilcher will return to the Heat in late April ahead of the 2019 season’s opening round. Currently averaging 16ppg and 6.9apg (4th in the BBL), Wilcher has provided strong point guard play and leadership for the Raiders as they currently sit in 8th place in the league with a 4-6 record.
Beehive-QSolutions Heat Head Coach Rodney Anderson expressed his delight in bringing the championship guard back for a fourth year “Wilch has been one of the cornerstones of our success over the past 3 seasons, he’s tough as nails and always steps up in the big occasions. Bringing him back to contend for a third straight championship was always high on our list of priorities heading into the off-season”.
“I’m excited to once again build a team around Wilch and I know we will have the pieces in place to be contenders once again. We are certainly the hunted now and the road back to the top is going to be incredibly challenging in 2019. Securing Josh’ signature early in our recruiting efforts is a huge plus for us in having the best unrestricted point guard in the league on our roster again”.
Wilcher was once again heavily recruited this off-season but elected to return to the Heat to chase another championship ring.
“Coming back to Townsville for another shot at a title was always going to be tough to pass up. I love the program, the city and my team mates, the way our Basketball community has gotten behind the Heat program is incredible and playing in The Furnace again in 2019 is going to be a lot of fun” Wilcher offered from the UK.
“The QBL is a great league and it just gets better every year. I can’t wait for the challenge of 2019 with the Heat and hopefully we can put ourselves in a position where we are playing good Basketball at the right time of year again”.
The Heat will now work to retain the remainder of the championship winning core from 2018 as the gear up for another title run next season.
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