Former Geraldton Buccaneer Alex Ducas makes his NBA debut for Oklahoma City Thunder against Denver Nuggets

Geraldton is in celebration mode after Alex Ducas has made his NBA debut on Friday morning, with the 23-year-old given his first minutes in Oklahoma City Thunder’s away victory over the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder won the game 102-87 and Ducas was thrown onto the court with 1:11 remaining in the game. The shooting guard was rewarded for his strong college career at St Mary’s with a two-way contract in July and cemented his place in the roster for the opening game by grabbing his chances during pre-season matches. His mum Andrea watched the game while working at a school in Geraldton while his dad Aaron stepped off a plane from Port Hedland just moments before Ducas got on court. “How exciting,” Andrea told The West Australian. “I said to my colleague, oh my god he is on. It is so wonderful. I didn’t expect him to get on today. I was just stoked that he suited up and had the best seat in the arena. I was messaging him before the game and he said it was a super atmosphere and he was really excited. “It’s so great. It’s surreal. This is his dream. It’s what he’s wanted. He’s been single-mindedly determined to get to that dream. Kudos to him. It’s incredible.” Ducas played for the Geraldton Buccaneers before moving to the US and won a State Basketball League title with them in 2019. Buccaneers coach Dayle Joseph said it was a massive day for the club, the region and the state. “I’ve had messages all day asking if he’s playing. People saw the footage of him getting on the plane so they knew he was there,” he said. “I know all of Geraldton and the Buccaneers players were watching it. I’ve had people asking me about him in Karratha and Kalgoorlie. It’s pretty big. What an experience for him. I’m really happy for him. I know how much work the family have put in. “They did a lot of miles up and down the highway getting him to state training and nationals. They’ve got a game against Chicago Bulls on Sunday so imagine if he gets out there against Josh Giddey. That’d be really cool too.”