AUSSIE STARS – ON AND OFF THE COURT
I wanted to do an article on Australian basketballer’s in the NBA, but this has turn into something much bigger. It was originally meant to look at Patty Mills and how he has carved out a nice spot in the rotation for the San Antonio Spurs. Then the Spurs took it to the next step and signed another Aussie to their squad so welcome Aron Baynes, you are now a part of this feature as well. Finally, Matt Dellevadova was recently described as the best St Mary’s product since Patty himself, so I figured he should get a mention too. And yesterday it all culminated with a terrific twitter promotion from Patty Mills himself, as he offered signed jerseys to everyone who spent over $150 on his Wears My Shirt website so he could raise money for Cottage By the Sea. So here we are – this is much more than just a basketball article, it’s much more than an Australian article, this is quite frankly, one of the best, most enlightening and interesting stories you will read this week.
Let’s start with Matthew Dellevadova. Delly was born in Maryborough, about an hour from where I am sitting and writing this. A small country town mainly known for farming, it will soon be known for producing one of Australia’s best basketball stars. He was recruited to the Australian Ins ute of Sport for high performance athlete’s and competed for the Australian Junior National team at the FIBA Under 19 World Championships. The Aussies finished 4th and Delly lead the squad with 10.1 points per game. Matthew Dellevadova also made it to the London 2012 Olympic squad which is where you may have seen his game most recently (unless you follow the Gaels of St Mary’s like a number of basketball mad Aussies do!) The 6’4” point guard has a very impressive resume, but a more impressive repertoire of skills. He is strong, quick, has terrific court vision and tops all that off with a smooth as silk jump shot. At 22 years of age and in his last year with the Gaels, we could be watching another Australian enter the NBA in the next draft. His scoring has gone up in each of his four seasons and he is currently pouring in 17.3ppg. Impressively, his shooting percentages have also gone up each year and he is netting them at a very efficient 45% fg and 40% 3pt. The Gaels have gotten off to a 4-1 start to their campaign and Delly is the big reason why. Make sure you follow this young man on twitter too, and show your support for a future star – @matthewdelly.
Next on the list is arguably the best player in the European league currently and it is this form that has made the San Antonio Spurs sit up and take notice (having Aussie Boomers Head Coach Brett Brown as an assistant coach must help too) but there is no denying Aron Baynes is a star. Baynes was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia and we now claim him! He is a different story to Dellevadova – for starters Baynes is 26 years old, 6”10’ and plays big. He played four years of college basketball in the United States of America for Washington State from 2005-2009. In his final year he had decent numbers of 12.7ppg and 7.5rpg but went undrafted. He has had a good career over in Europe which started in Lithuania, and he has really impressed in his latest stint with Olimpija Ljubljana where he is putting up numbers to the tune of 14ppg and 10rpg. San Antonio have taken notice and it is no surprise as nearly half the roster for the Spurs is foreign, including Patty Mills. Baynes also played in the Olympic team with Mills and Dellevadova and his size and fundamental skill shone through on a number of occasions. After signing his new $3.5million 4 year contract, I for one can’t wait to see just what he can do on the world’s biggest and best stage – we think he has the goods! @aronbaynes
Now we have spoken about the next generation of Aussie stars who have or will most likely make the NBA, it is time to focus on Patty Mills. Mills is a diminutive point guard from Australia. He stands barely 6’0 tall but plays big with blinding speed. Mills is the only Indigenous Australian currently playing in the NBA and is a big part of the Spurs rotation. He provides speed, outside shooting, a keen eye and sound knowledge of the game as well as the aforementioned quickness that an aging Spurs lineup needs. Mills played for the ACT Under 18 team and was swiftly recognised and given a scholarship to the Australian Ins ute of Sport which was not far from his home town of Canberra. Patty was selected to represent Australia in the Under 20 national team and impressed. He was then asked to try out for the 2006 FIBA World Championship Boomers squad, the youngest player to ever attend a Boomers training camp. He also earned Basketball Australia’s Male Junior player of the year award and then the 2006 Basketball Australia Player of the Year.
After these accolades and honing his craft in the very compe ive SEABL compe ion, Mills took his talents over to the United States collegiate program where he attended St Marys University. After a very impressive career spanning 2 years (and dropping 18.4ppg and 4apg) and after leading the Gaels to the NCAA tournament, Mills went to the NBA. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers, but only appeared in 10 games after breaking his foot in the NAB summer league. The following year he saw more games and more court time, with 64 appearances and averaging 12 mins per game, as he came back to full speed from his previous injury. During the NBA lockout, Patty Mills came back to Australia to play in the local NBL compe ion for the Melbourne Tigers. (Side Note: I was lucky enough to score a jersey and catch the Tigers victory over New Zealand for my bucks day!) However after just 9 games, Mills decided he would head over to China and ply his trade there. He would be released due to a hamstring injury and then was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs where he continued his career and stills plays today.
Now we know of Patty’s on court achievements and his basketball talent, but this is where the story continues to grow and develop. Patty Mills is a very proud Australian – he loves the country, the people and gets back as often as he can. He also proudly represents Australia especially via his twitter account (@Patty_Mills). Yesterday, Patty hosted a compe ion via the Wears My Shirt website and the Patty Mills Foundation. He was raising money for Cottage By The Sea and was providing everyone who spent over $150 on products from the store a signed Patty Mills #8 Spurs jersey. The support was deafening, and not just from the faithful Aussie followers. He has a cult following over in America also and they were well represented on twitter this afternoon. By the end of it, thousands of dollars worth of orders were placed and Patty Mills was issuing over 40 signed jerseys. What an absolute champion. These types of stories get buried far too often and with the timing of Delly and Baynes and the upcoming Australia Day (which Patty cannot wait for!) we at Above The Rim thought it needed to be thrust into the spotlight.
In a day an age where people especially sporting stars are seen as insensitive, selfish, inaccessible, Patty Mills is the polar opposite. Perhaps it is his nature, his background, his patriotism to his country, perhaps he wants to give back to those who have helped and supported him – whatever the reason, it needs to be acknowledged. I have no doubt that everyone in Australia is proud of Patty’s achievements as a basketball player, but I have a feeling that everyone who knows and follows Mills is proud of who he is as a person just as much, if not more so.
For more information on the Patty Mills Foundation or Wears My Shirt, head over to their website at
www.wearsmyshirt.com – check out all the work they do, but especially check out Patty Mills – his ASSIST AUSTRALIA campaign is listed on there, where he raised $40,000 for victims of natural disasters in Australia and much more. More importantly, continue to follow and support Patty who is super active on twitter – he deserves our attention on and off the court.
Reply With Quote
)
!
