The Carlton Football Club has signed US basketballer Matt Korcheck as a Category B International Rookie.
Korcheck, who stands at 6”10 (208cm) and weighs 105kg, caught the eye of recruiters at a Florida screening camp in April this year. He was later invited to train with the Blues and spent three weeks at Ikon Park in August.
The 23-year old, who previously played Division 1 College Basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, hasn’t played much ‘Aussie Rules’ but Carlton’s GM List Management Stephen Silvagni says Korcheck has shown great potential.
VIDEO: Korcheck talks about his initial impressions of Carlton
“Matt is a beast of an athlete and showed some real promise when he made the journey over in August, so we’re delighted to have the chance to explore that potential further,” Silvagni said.
“He’s a strongly built and quite powerful athlete, so when you couple that with his 208cm frame, the possibilities are endless in his development.”
Since being introduced to the game only a few months ago, Korcheck has already developed a passion for AFL and says it’s an easy game to fall in love with:
“Tackling is my favourite part of the game. I love the physicality of the sport, the conditioning and just how hard the players have to push themselves,” he said.
Korcheck has signed a two-year contract. He’s set to arrive at Ikon Park in November to commence pre-season training when the team returns from leave.
Click here to watch Korcheck throw it down for Arizona
*Note: In addition to the six rookie-listed players on each AFL club's list, each club can include up to three additional Category B Rookies. Players who fulfil this criteria are players who have not registered in an Australian Football competition for three years immediately before inclusion on the Rookie List, or who are international players, meaning they are not Australian citizens.
