In exceptional news for the Castec Rural Pioneers and their fans, the Club has re-signed crowd favourite Erik Burdon.

Burdon has played over 200 games for the Castec Rural Pioneers in an 11-year career with the club, with his contribution having been recognised with life membership in 2018.

Burdon played 51 games in the National Basketball League (NBL) as a shooting guard, in a career that saw him playing for the Adelaide 36ers as a 22-year-old and later with the Perth Wildcats.

Known by fans at the Icehouse as “Eze” he continues to contribute strongly to the Pioneers averaging 20 minutes 6 seconds court time and shooting from the field at 44.3% in 2021.

On his night, Burdon can thrill crowds with his effortless three-point shooting.

The Castec Rural Pioneers head coach Richard Hill is excited to have “Eze” return to the Pioneers for 2022.

“We are very fortunate to have Eze re-sign,” he said.

“He has been an integral part of our past successes and his signing is huge as we transition into the next stage of seeking ongoing success for the Pioneers.

“Erik is one of the best three-point shooters in Australian basketball and is coming off a season where he shot the ball at a consistently very high level.

“Many people associate leadership with a lot of talk and pontification, Eze in his own unique way has, and will, continue to be a great leader for us on and off the court.”

Burdon will be proudly sponsored in 2022 by one of the Pioneers corporate partners, Blue Lake Homes.

The Castec Rural Pioneers and the OneFortyOne Pioneers will commence their 2022 NBL1 South campaigns on 23 April 2022 at The Icehouse.