Perth Wildcats thrilled that Next Star Noa Kouakou-Heugue didn’t chase NIL money in US college system

Perth Wildcats general manager Danny Mills has declared the explosion of money in the US college system means convincing elite prospective NBA draft talent to become NBL Next Stars has become incredibly challenging, so the club was thrilled they’ve been able to sign talented Frenchman Noa Kouakou-Heugue. The 18-year-old will arrive in Perth having represented France at under age level, but wont have the same level of hype and expectation as his countryman Alex Sarr who became the number two draft pick after being a Next Star with the Wildcats. Mills said convincing young players to ignore the US college system now that Name, Image and Likeness deals were giving them opportunities to earn huge wages had become tough. But he believes Kouakou-Heugue is an example of how targeting Next Stars outside of the US system can uncover talent. “It’s challenging with where the global basketball landscape is with getting young American players down given they have unbelievable opportunities now with NIL in college,” Mills told The West Australian. “Realistically it is going to be very challenging. The basketball landscape has shifted dramatically into the college space given the amount of money they can earn. “So for us, the fact that Noa looked at the NBL, looked at us and thought that was what he wanted for his next step speaks volumes for our program. I think it’s exciting that we’ve got Noa down here this year. “You’ve got to look at all of the available options like the Australian and European kids who haven’t been in that high school system. They’re probably easier targets to try to acquire.” At 208cm, Kouakou-Heugue will play as a power forward or centre for the Wildcats. Mills was confident he could develop strongly and come off the bench to have an impact in the NBL. “His trajectory in the last few years has spiked. We see a lot of upside in what he can become in our program,” Mills said. “He’s an exciting young player. The physicality and pace of the game at a professional level will be something he’ll have to quickly adjust to, like every young player does. But he plays hard. He plays with a motor. He’s a good athlete. He’s got size. “So over the course of the season you should hope to see quite a big improvement in what he can do on the court and hopefully a level of production that is going to be able to provide us some minutes.”