U’u and Ennis win NBL Championship in Perth

Though he got limited minutes in his rookie season, Drake U’u’s Perth Wildcats won the Grand Final in Australia’s NBL. Photo by Tasha Hutchinson/ Perth Wildcats

It wasn’t that long ago that James Ennis and Drake U’u were battling in the Big West conference. At Long Beach State and Cal Poly respectively, Ennis and U’u both finished school in 2013. After being drafted by the Miami Heat, Ennis was loaned to the Perth Wildcats for the season.

At the same time U’u, whose mother is Australian, was signed by Perth. Because of his heritage, U’u doesn’t count against the limit of foreign-born players in the NBL. This past weekend, the Wilcats won the National Basketball League Championship.

They beat the Adelaide 36ers in the Grand Final. Earlier in the season, Perth got into a postgame scuffle with the 36ers. After winning game one of the championship series, they lost game two in Adelaide, forcing the deciding Game 3, which they won 93-59.

Perth’s fans, called the “Red Army” seem to be some of the best in Australia. While Ennis has been one of the better players in the league, U’u has picked his spots off the bench. Jermaine Beal, one of the better point guards in the league, has played ahead of U’u all year. Beal was named the Grand Final MVP.

U’u did get in a sweet step-back three-pointer in the final game — the highlight is at about 2:40 of the second video below. The native of Sacramento (Rio Americano High School) scored eight points, including 2-2 from three-point range in the clinching game.

James Ennis was probably the biggest high-fly act in Australia this year, and one of the better players in the league. By Tomasz Gregorczyk/ Perth Wildcats

Ennis led Perth in scoring with average 22 points and added 7 rebounds per game. His statistics put him third in the league in scoring and fourth in rebounding.

For his part, U’u averaged 2 points and 1 rebound per game.

Cal Poly, U’u’s alma mater, went dancing for the first time in March. U’u just had to wait a month or so and now, half a world away, and two or three days later I’m sure Drizzy is still dancing in the streets of Perth.

…and for you U’u fans who want a jersey, you can order one here for $100.