Posted on 12 September, 2020

Junior Cobra Josh Duach has verbally committed to attend Iona College for the 2021 NCAA season.

A SCYC Scorpions junior domestic representative, Duach has enjoyed a stellar junior career at Kilsyth, flourishing into one of the brightest young stars in the country. A member of the U17 Australian Team, Duach enjoyed a standout 2019 season on court, taking home the Junior Cobras Player of the Year award, a national championship gold medal at the U18 National Championships with Victoria, and helped lead the U18-1 Cobra Boys to a top-five finish at the National Junior Classic and the best record in the Victoria.

The athletic 6’5 point guard will join the Iona Gaels – who compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) – in 2021, and will play under Hall of Fame head coach, Rick Pitino. Pitino – who’s also the head coach of the Greek National Team – is the only coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools to a Final Four appearance (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville), and his resume also includes six years of NBA head coaching experience with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

The opportunity to play under a world class coach – and attend school just outside of New York city – played a key role in Duach’s decision to commit to Iona, where he’ll look to team up with Pitino to help turn the Gaels into a powerhouse of the MAAC.

“I’m very excited to be a part of a strong Division 1 program in Iona, and honoured to be recruited by a hall of fame coach,” Duach said. “It’s a bonus that Iona is such a great campus and located in a place as nice as New York city.”

Kilsyth Manager of Basketball Operations, Mark Watkins, is excited to see Duach his game to the next level, and points the the Cobras style of play as a key ingredient in the development of a number of young Cobras progressing into the collegegiate ranks, NBL1, junior national teams and beyond.

“The Cobras are very proud of Josh and how has developed his all around game at Kilsyth,” Watkins said.

“We do our best to implement a style of play for athletes to shine and prepare them for college basketball. We wish him all the best at Iona playing under a world-renowned coach in Rick Pitino.”

Duach joins fellow VYC Cobra Hamish MacDonald (Baker University) as the latest collegiate scholarship recipient, while fellow teammate David Okwera was recently awarded a scholarship to attend the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence at the AIS in Canberra.