Lachlan Olbrich

Lachlan Olbrich (born 30 December 2003) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). In 2022, he was named in the NBL1 Central All-Star Five playing for the Southern Tigers. After a season of college basketball in the United States for UC Riverside, he returned to the NBL1 Central in 2023 and helped the West Adelaide Bearcats win the championship while earning grand final MVP and All-Star Five honours. He joined the Illawarra Hawks for the 2023–24 NBL season and then had a championship-winning season with the Canterbury Rams in the 2024 New Zealand NBL season. With the Rams, he was named grand final MVP, league MVP and All-Star Five.

Early life and career

Olbrich was born Adelaide, South Australia. He grew up playing basketball with his older brother Mitchell and his father Greg. He attended Reynella East College in Adelaide, where he played basketball and volleyball. He represented South Australia at national basketball championships in 2020 and 2021.

In 2021, Olbrich played one game for the BA Centre of Excellence in the Waratah League and two games for the Southern Tigers in the NBL1 Central.

In October 2021, Olbrich signed with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player for the 2021–22 season. He appeared in three games for the 36ers during the season.

Olbrich re-joined the Southern Tigers of the NBL1 Central for the 2022 season. He was named to the All-Star Five and won the Frank Angove Award as the league's best under 23 player. In 12 games, he averaged 19.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

College career

Olbrich moved to the United States to play college basketball for the UC Riverside Highlanders of the Big West Conference in the 2022–23 season. He averaged 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He was subsequently named Big West Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big West Honorable Mention honours. He became just the second Big West Freshman of the Year in UC Riverside history.

Professional career

Olbrich returned to the NBL1 Central and joined the West Adelaide Bearcats for the 2023 season. He was once again named to the All-Star Five and won his second Frank Angove Award. He helped the Bearcats reach the NBL1 Central grand final, where they defeated the Forestville Eagles 106–95 to win the championship behind Olbrich's 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He was subsequently named grand final MVP. In 18 games, he averaged 21.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

On 4 April 2023, Olbrich signed a three-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL. He had a breakout showing in the pre-season NBL Blitz but struggled early in the regular season. Upon coach Justin Tatum taking over midway through the season, Olbrich went on to prove himself as a capable back-up for captain Sam Froling. In 31 games in the 2023–24 NBL season, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Following his first NBL season, he had hopes of declaring for the 2025 NBA draft.

Olbrich joined the Canterbury Rams of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) for the 2024 season. On the day he debuted for the Rams on 27 March, he was informed that his father had died in South Australia. He subsequently returned home for an extended period. In his first game back with the Rams in late April, he scored a season-high 35 points against the Hawke's Bay Hawks. He helped the Rams finish top of the competition with a 17–3 record that included a 16-game winning streak. For the season, he was named the New Zealand NBL Most Valuable Player alongside All-Star Five, Most Outstanding Forward and Youth Player of the Year. In the semi-final, Olbrich had 22 points and 16 rebounds and made the game-winning layup with seconds left in a 112–111 double-overtime win over the Taranaki Airs. In the grand final, he had 29 points, 18 rebounds and six assists to lead the Rams to a 102–87 victory over the Auckland Tuatara to win the championship. Olbrich was named grand final MVP.

Olbrich entered the 2024–25 NBL season after a standout NBL Blitz pre-season tournament with the Hawks, demonstrating his potential in front of NBA scouts.

Personal life

Olbrich's father, Greg Olbrich, was a figure in South Australian basketball and had won the most valuable player in the South Australian State League in 1995. Greg died in March 2024 at age 51 after suffering a cardiac arrest during a social basketball game.

References

External links

Illawarra Hawks profileUC Riverside Highlanders college bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olbrich, Lachlan
2003 births
Living people
Adelaide 36ers players
Australian men's basketball players
Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Basketball players from Adelaide
Canterbury Rams players
Centers (basketball)
Illawarra Hawks players
Power forwards
UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball players