On Wednesday night, the Shepparton-born basketball whiz made his third appearance for Australia, lighting up the box score against New Zealand in the first of three games played in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown.
Lacing up for action at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Pepper — whose father Ryan played for the Shepparton Gators in the early 2000s — was on fire from outside the arc as the Boomers beat the Tall Blacks 80-68.
He dropped five triples on his way to 16 points, while NBA superstars Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels watched on from court side, finishing as the game’s second top scorer behind teammate Dejan Vasiljevic (23 points).
Not that it’s anything new for the knock-down guard.
Pepper put on a tantalising display on his Boomers debut on February 20, top scoring against Indonesia with 18 points in a FIBA Asia Cup qualifier before going even bigger with 24 against Thailand three days later.
His form has carried through into the NBL1 West, where he is currently averaging 43.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game for the unbeaten Warwick Senators.
And frankly, the scoring run he’s been on has been downright unprecedented.
Pepper threw up a game-high 28 points in the Senators’ latest win, making it his least proficient performance after dropping 50, 51, 48 and 50 in the first four rounds.
The Senators will be without their maverick marksman this weekend, however, as Pepper will travel with the Boomers in the second and third instalments of the Trans-Tasman Throwdown.
Game two arrives on Friday as Australia takes on New Zealand on the Sunshine Coast, followed by the final leg in Hamilton, New Zealand, on Sunday.
Pepper will hope to bring his silk touch on the shooting front once more and impress Boomers coach Dean Vickerman, who was content with Australia’s performance in game one.
“Really pleased with our defensive effort in the second half,” he said.
“Once we really sat down and slowed down their pace, we made it more difficult for them to put their feet in the keyway.
“There will be really good learnings from that one about how we get better as a group.”
