HORSHAM basketball product Shaun Bruce is celebrating a new NBL contract with the Cairns Taipans, while older brother Aaron has quit the league.
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The Taipans announced on Monday that Shaun, 22, had been promoted to the team's active roster for the 2013-14 NBL season.
Shaun was part of the team's CQUniversity Taipans Academy development program last season but has been elevated to the main list on a new one-year contract.
The deal comes after he averaged 1.1 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 17 appearances for Cairns last season.
He said he was elated to continue with the Taipans for another year and looked forward to a bright future with the team.
"I felt like I did everything I could last season in terms of stuff off the court," he said.
"I didn't get to play too much but any chance I got at practice and the small time I got in games, I tried to do the best I could and felt pretty confident that I could play at this level.
"I'm over the moon I dreamt as a little boy and looked up to the NBL and wanted to be part of a club.
"I definitely like it up here and the club's been great so hopefully I can remain a Taipan for years to come." The co-captain of the Ballarat Miners' SEABL side said he would back up American import Jamar Wilson at point guard in the coming season.
Meanwhile, father Steve Bruce said Aaron quit the league after failing to negotiate a pay raise with Sydney Kings.
Steve said the club asked Aaron to take a pay cut after last season and he decided to quit the team rather than accept a reduced contract.
"Sydney was trying to squeeze him for money and I think he felt like he'd helped make other players better, so he thought he deserved a pay rise not to be asked to take a cut," he said.
"He did have feelers put out from other clubs but he and his girlfriend have just bought a house in Sydney so he wanted to stay in Sydney and not be away. It's a shame, but that's professional sport."
Aaron averaged 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 35 per cent shooting for the Kings last season.
He took to Twitter on Monday to congratulate Shaun after the new contract announcement.
The brothers appeared in one NBL game together in October last year, although they were never on the court at the same time.
Aaron scored five points and dished out six assists, while Shaun did not score in more than a minute of court time.
Taipans head coach Aaron Fearne said the club was extremely pleased to promote Shaun.
"As a development player he was always ready to go, always understood our scouting and proved he was capable of playing at the NBL level," he said.
"Shaun has had a very good grounding over the past two years with Guy Molloy in Ballarat, and then he came into the academy and worked very hard to get stronger.
"He was extremely professional."