MANCHESTER Giants have signed 6ft 4in Warrington native Jordan Whelan, who rejoins the club from the reigning British Basketball League champions London Lions.

The 26-year-old from Culcheth will relish the opportunity to be back on home ground having left home as a teenager to pursue his hoop dreams in USA at MidAmerica Nazarene college, before turning pro in Germany for two seasons.

Warrington Guardian:

Jordan Whelan signing with Giants head Jamie Edwards

He returned to the UK for a brief stint with the Giants in the 2017-18 season, when he averaged his BBL-best of 11 points, two assists and two steals per game, before going on to further spells at the Worcester Wolves and the London Lions where he played with Love Island finalist, Ovie Soko.

Former Culcheth High School pupil Whelan said: “I’m really excited to be back at the Giants and I’m ready to make an impact on basketball in the city.

Warrington Guardian:

"Being back home will help me as a player and it’s an exciting time to be coming in with the club rebuilding and reinventing itself. I’m really happy to be a part of that.”

The Giants are rebuilding after a poor season last year and coach Danny Byrne will be hoping Whelan becomes a key part of the north west core in his squad.

“We know that Jordan can put points on the board quickly, with a varied offence; but when we brought him in two seasons ago he was one of the late additions that transformed us defensively too, and helped us to finish the season competitively,” said Byrne.

 



 

 

“Since that time, he has been part of two great programmes in the BBL, playing particularly well in the role that he had with London last season and further developing his offensive skillset.

“We feel that in a greater role with his hometown club, this is the time for Jordan to come to the fore as one of the premier British guards in the league.”

A career in basketball always looked likely for Jordan.

As a youngster and captain he led his school basketball team to successive Warrington School League titles.

Warrington Guardian:

In the early days, back in 2007

Warrington Guardian:

His family had a strong heritage in the sport, with his mother captaining the Cameroon national team for 10 years and his father coming close to playing for England before embarking on a successful coaching career.

He involved in the youth development programme at the Manchester Magic basketball team and went on to represent the north west in regional tournaments.

Despite his heavy commitment to basketball from an early age, he also showed his all-round sporting skills as a youngster in rugby, football, cricket and athletics.