Harding joined the Eagles SEABL squad last year, and averaged 12 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists a game in an injury-interrupted season.

The new contract is just the next step in Darcy’s basketball career, one that started with the Albury Wodonga Bandits in 2013.

Harding then moved into a development position with the Sydney Kings in 2016, where he showed significant improvement in his game.

Darcy’s contract with the Kings wasn’t renewed after the season, giving him the opportunity to play with the Eagles in 2018.

Harding has also represented Australia in the 3x3 format of the game.

Eagles head coach Grant Wallace said the decision to re-sign Harding was an easy one to make.

“He’s a quality guy off the court, he was fantastic with our younger group, and he makes us so much better when he’s healthy,” Wallace said.

“We’re backing him in to stay healthy this season. I think he would have taken us to the playoffs if he’d played a full year last season.

“The irony is he looks after his body so well, but it keeps breaking down him. We’re hoping he can play injury free this year.”

Wallace said Darcy played out of position for long periods last season, but some new recruits will allow him to slot into the shooting guard or small forward position this year.

“He had to play a bit of stretch four last year, because we didn’t get the recruits we thought we were going to get,” he said. “We were a bit short as a team, so Darcy had to play bigger than he is.

Wallace said Darcy’s ability to defend multiple possessions, and his offensive versatility, were invaluable tools to a coach.

“He has a great ability to defend big or small,” he said. “Last year he was usually defending the import big men. That’s a great luxury for me, to have someone I can send to their best player and know they’ll do the job.

“His offence gives us another string to the bow as well. If anything, we’re a bit deficient in outside shooting this year, so there’s a fair amount of scope there for Darcy to provide that skill for us.”

Wallace said if Darcy had an injury-free season, there was no reason he couldn’t be playing at a higher level in 2020.

“He was our captain last year, and he’s doing a fantastic job around the club,” he said. “He’s a great ambassador for the club, and a great ambassador for the sport.

“He’s always one of the first ones to training, and he’s one of the last to leave. He’s easy to coach, he competes well and follows instructions, and that’s why we re-signed him.

“If he can have an uninterrupted season, there’s no reason he can’t get into the NBL or Europe next year.”