New York Knicks international scout Adam Tatalovich is always on the lookout for the next big thing and he never knows where he will find it.
Although the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) camp, which was host to some of the best young prospects across the Asia-Pacific region earlier this month, is probably the right place to start.
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“When I’m watching these kids, it’s almost like a blank canvas,” he told foxsports.com.au.
“I don’t like to write the book on a kid early. I think you can grow into being a really good player.”
But sometimes, the flashes of talent appear in less obvious places.
When it comes to Australia’s latest NBA prospect Dyson Daniels, four-time Olympic medallist Kristi Harrower saw the potential in the most fleeting of moments.
“I remember, this is no lie, playing for the Spirit and the brothers would be on the court mucking around before we were getting on the court and you could see the talent straight away,” Harrower told foxsports.com.au.
“You just knew. That was maybe 10 years ago so he was probably only an eight year old or a nine year old and we saw the talent then, you could see it.”
Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) has four decades of history and success stories behind it, with Daniels and Josh Giddey the latest additions to that long list.
Daniels, Giddey, Ingles, Mills, Dellavedova, Bogut, Cambage, Jackson… they all came out of the very same halls that last week played host to some of Australia’s next best basketball prodigies.
Some of them may build on that longstanding tradition, carving their own path to the NBA or WNBA, while for others that dream may not eventuate.
Foxsports.com.au spoke to five promising young Australian players – both male and female – from the BWB camp about their experience in Canberra and hopes for the future.
THE 7-FOOT GIANT WITH A POINT TO PROVE
Rocco Zikarsky is hard to miss. At 218 centimetres (7-foot-1), he towers over everyone – including Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen.
But here’s the thing. Sure, Zikarsky’s size naturally makes him stand out but there is so much more to his game and him as a person than just his height. It is something the 16-year-old is in a constant battle to prove.
“That’s been one of my points for the past year,” he said.
“Just trying to prove that I’m one of the guys that can extend my range and engine and be that person and show that it’s not just my size that’s helping me out. I’ve actually got some skills and stuff I can do.”
Zikarsky could have easily been dominating in the swimming pool instead of on the basketball court, the son of Bjorn Zikarsky, who won bronze for Germany at the 1996 Summer Games in the 4×100 relay.
Then there’s mother Kylie, who was a champion ironwoman.
Rocco was still winning national swimming titles as late as last year but is now turning heads in basketball gyms, recently named in the All-Star five after Australia’s FIBA U17 Asia Cup campaign in Qatar.
Zikarsky averaged 11.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 66.0 per cent from the field as the Crocs went on an undefeated run all the way to a second-straight championship.
He carried that strong form into BWB, also named into the boys’ All-Star team at the end of the event, which tested Zikarsky in ways he had never experienced before.
“It was great to play with all these guys from Asia-Pacific,” he said.
“It was a great experience to finally find out where I’m at in this region. It’s way different. I’ve never been to a camp really where it’s anyone but Australians. To have these guys come over is crazy.”
Even crazier though was getting praise from one of his idols, Cavaliers star Jarrett Allen, who knows the challenges that come with growing into your body and the evolution of the NBA big man.
“I’ve been able to talk with these players and learn a lot about them and they’ve given me a lot of insight on what I need to do to become a better player myself,” Zikarsky said.
“Especially Jarrett, he’s helped me a lot. He’s in a position I want to be in and I’m happy he was able to help me out and teach me and also show me things he’s been through to get to where he is at today.”
ROMAN SIULEPA: THE RUGBY CONVERT CHASING A NEW DREAM
Roman Siulepa has a very similar story to Zikarsky.
He too could have easily taken a very different path to the one that now has him at the NBA’s Global Academy, following in the footsteps of Giddey and Daniels.
Only last year Siulepa had been named in the Emerging Reds Cup, which brought Queensland’s best under-15 rugby union talent together.
“I didn’t really play too well there,” a frank Siulepa said, “but I think if I kept going and kept pushing myself like in basketball, I could have taken off in rugby”.
He just was not seeing the results. Not making the progress he wanted to, he deserved for the amount of work he was putting in. Basketball was different.
“I’d go all out in the off-season and could just see it was working,” Siulepa.
“It was probably just those moments putting in the work [in basketball] and seeing how it paid off. [That] was probably when I realised I could probably make a living out of this.
“When I was a kid that was definitely the dream to take that pathway but as I got older I sort of fell out of love with rugby. I still loved playing with the boys and the vibes there.
“I just sort of drifted towards basketball.”
Drifted is definitely not the right word to describe how Siulepa moves on the court though.
He dominates, playing on both ends with a competitive fire and controlled aggression that saw him crowned camp MVP for the boys’ division.
“[I was] just coming into the camp and trying to make a name for yourself,” he said.
“Trying to do all the right things where people look at you and say: ‘Hey, I want this guy on my team’ or the other teammates say: ‘I want to be on his team’. That’s the things I try to do. Shooting early or just coming in and bringing positive energy and just being that guy that people want to be around.”
If Siulepa’s recent results on the court are anything to go by, he is definitely the kind of guy you want on your team, and that is not even factoring in his infectious energy and personality.
The 16-year-old led the scoring for Queensland South with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks as he took his team to an under-18s national title in April earlier this year.
And two months later he was putting up 18 points and nine rebounds in the Asian Championship final, having averaged 11.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists across the tournament.
Now Siulepa is at the NBA’s Global Academy in Canberra on a scholarship, learning from the best in the country and on a similar path to the one forged by Giddey and Daniels.
“It’s pretty cool,” Siulepa said.
“Just to be here and be in the same Academy they were in, not necessarily gets my hopes up, but gives me trust in the program that they can sort of develop me, push me and a bit of me pushing myself into a pathway where I can reach the NBA or maybe NBL.”
Like Giddey, Siulepa may first develop his game in the NBL with the Brisbane Bullets before setting his sights on the NBA, although even that first goal may still be a few years away.
“I’m just playing it by ear and if that opportunity ever comes up, I’ll definitely take it,” Siulepa said.
RUBY VLAHOV: AUSSIE GREAT’S DAUGHTER READY TO MAKE OWN MARK
Her father is a Perth Wildcats legend, Australian Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time Olympian with the Boomers.
But Ruby Vlahov is carving her own path towards basketball’s big stage, named as one of the All-Stars of the BWB camp and is well on her way to building on the legacy of the family name.
“It’s been the most amazing opportunity I have ever been a part of,” Vlahov said.
“Getting to meet all these people from really around the globe and getting to play alongside them, even if there’s been a language barrier, it’s been such a great experience to get to know them and get to see how they play.”
Vlahov, who was one of only seven Australians invited to the 2020 NBA Women’s Academy Next Generation Showcase, is planning to go overseas to college in 2023.
With that in mind, the early exposure to an elite international environment like BWB will only put her in a stronger position to handle the different challenges that come with competing on the global stage.
“I definitely think the speed the international players play at has been the biggest challenge to adapt to,” Vlahov said of her time at BWB.
“They run so quick and play a completely different level and it’s been really good to challenge myself each day to get better at keeping up with them.”
Vhalov made her NBL1 debut earlier this year for Perry Lake Hawks, scoring 24 points, and is already reaping the rewards from years of hard work.
“I’ve been training with my dad since day one really, every day, all day,” she said.
“I worked really hard to get where I can be, to make a name for myself and my dad helps me every step of the way. I’ve just been trying to grind every time.”
AMY KURKOWSKI: THE SHARPSHOOTER LOOKING TO EMULATE HER IDOL
Steph Curry is the NBA’s undisputed 3-point king and like her idol, Amy Kurkowski is a sharpshooter from deep.
The Sandringham Sabres junior grew up watching Curry lighting it up for the Golden State Warriors and was doing the same in Canberra at BWB, taking home the girls’ 3-point shootout crown
“Steph’s been my idol since I was like 12 years old,” Kurkowski said.
“I’ve just been watching videos, watching his technique and just taking things from his game.”
Kurkowski, who was selected in the Victoria Metro under-18 team at just 15 years old, has hopes of playing in the WNBA and eventually representing the Opals.
But the first step is making it to college and like Vlahov, Kurkowski already has had a few chances to test herself on the global stage, both at BWB and the NBA Women’s Academy Games in July.
“It was amazing,” she said of playing at the Academy Games in Atlanta.
“To travel the world doing what you love is something so special. It’s amazing learning from all different cultures and how they play the game.
“Kristi Harrower was our coach [at BWB] and she taught me a different way to one-on-one defence, just putting the hand over the ball and I didn’t know that before, so it was good to learn that.
“It was just really special to learn from all different coaches and NBA players.”
CARLIN BRIGGS: AN ATHLETIC GUARD ON THE RISE
An invitation to the BWB camp was just the latest in a long list of achievements this year for Victorian Carlin Briggs.
Briggs, who joined the NBA’s Global Academy in May this year, also represented Victoria Metro at the Australian Junior Championships in April and was also named in his first national team.
The athletic guard from Knox Basketball Association in Melbourne scored double figures in three games as he helped the Crocs to glory at the FIBA Asia Championships in Qatar.
With each new opportunity there has been a need for Briggs to lift his game even further to match the increased level of competition, a challenge the 17-year-old is embracing.
“Everything’s come together quickly,” Briggs said.
“The last few months have been big for me. It’s been a big shift in competition but it’s great being here. The first few weeks at the Academy have been great and I’m just going to keep building.”
At this stage Briggs does not have any concrete plans for his future, just focused on constantly improving his game in the hope of following the pathway set by Giddey and Daniels.
“It proves that kids like me can make it to the next level,” Briggs said.
“They’re an inspiration for all us. That’s where I want to be and I’m striving to get to where they’re at.
“They’re [the NBA Global Academy] always bringing up what they did, how hard they worked, telling stories to give us that motivation and prove that we can follow footsteps and get to where they’re at.”
AUSTRALIAN CAMPERS AT BASKETBALL WITHOUT BORDERS 2022
BOYS
Carlin Briggs
Kye Savage
Josh Dent – Defensive player of BWB, All-Star
Roman Siulepa – MVP, All-Star
Josh Hughes
Josh Ibukunoluwa – All-Star
James O’Donnell
Lachlan Brewer – All-Star
Rocco Zikarsky – All-Star
GIRLS
Lulu Laditan – MVP, All-Star
Holly Griffiths
Amy Kurkowski – 3-point shooting champion
Ruby Vlahov – All-Star
