Thaddeous Loves to Bang

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 1998 at 1:03 PM ET

He turns up ready to play every night and best of all, he loves to bang (bodies) with the big boys. Thaddeous Delaney, Brisbane's newest national basketball import hit town today, immediately putting a smile on the faces of his new Bullets teammates by declaring he loved the physical stuff. "I'm a banger and I come to play every night," said Delaney who carried a "Shaq" nickname during his college days with Charleston in the Trans American Athletic Conference (TAAC). "The 'men' work under the boards, that's my game and I love to bang hard every night". The 24 year-old 203cm American led Charleston to a 101-17 record, taking them to four TAAC titles and four post-season tournaments while notching 51 double-doubles (double figures in points and rebounds). When Delaney left the TAAC he had dragged down more rebounds than any other player in its history. "They used to call me the Shaq of the TAAC," said the 115kg centre from Columbia, South Carolina, voted the TAAC's Player of the Year in 1995.

Delaney, who looks a little like the NBA giant Shaquille O'Neal, would have played for Brisbane last year but for a mix-up between Brisbane coach Brian Kerle and a US agent who did a number on the Bullets. While he is not quite as tall as last year's centre Chick Kornegay, Delaney is thicker in build and from all reports a better offensive player than Kornegay, a powerful rebounder who's range was somewhat restricted. "I not just a post up player, I can bring it outside if I have to, but if they (Brisbane) want me to play inside, I can bang with the best of them," he said. "And I like to play tough defence." He went up against Wake Forest centre Tim Duncan, now one of the NBA stars with San Antonio Spurs, on two occasions for Charleston in the NCAA play-offs. Both times he acquitted himself, scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds in game one and 14 points and eight rebounds in the second game although Charleston lost both times.

*This article taken directly from the AAP