My Pursuit of Happiness

To a lot of people, stepping away at 27, from playing a sport I lived and breathed since I was a kid, seemed like an interesting choice that I may eventually regret. But for me, it was the only choice. 

Whilst I tell my story and what I’ve learnt in a lot of depth, in a keynote speech to many different schools/groups/businesses, I’ve been meaning to share a very small snapshot of how this all happened. 

 

When I say it was my only choice, I’m referring to my only choice if I wanted to be happy again. Because for a while there, I was anything but. And after everything I had been through in the previous years leading up to my decision, I had learnt the hard way that life is too short to be unhappy. 

 

Everything I am now and everything I have learnt about myself, came from my Mum in the years she battled cancer before she passed away. To see how someone who was going through such a battle and still find a way to be happy, really opened my eyes to what is important in life. She never showed her pain or complained but would rather do everything she can to make everyone else smile around her and it seemed to bring her nothing buy joy in return. That was so powerful for me to experience and it was something that would ultimately change my life.

 

In 2015 when she passed, I had made a promise to her that I would finish what I started at college. She had always taught me the value of education before sport. That meant that I would go back for my fifth year and complete a Master’s degree in Media/Journalism, which had always been my passion. When that ended, I knew I wanted to play professionally and see how far that could take me. I felt like I owed that to myself to experience.

 

After being away from home for five years, I was ecstatic to learn that I was going to have a chance to play for the Townsville Crocs when I returned home. That excitement didn’t last long, as they folded soon after, which left me bound for England to start my professional career. Without getting too deep into it, my six-month stint in England was a living nightmare that ultimately led to the small cracks in my mental wellbeing opening up. I was far from happy and spent many days in tears to my partner, wondering what I am going to do next. 

 

A lot transpired in the following years after I left that situation and I was so thankful to be back home and playing in the NBL. Through a couple of minor setbacks and some lucky breaks, it was a dream come true to sign with Melbourne and win a championship in my rookie season. After that season, I felt like all the obstacles and setbacks in my life had finally been and gone… until they weren’t. It was pretty early into my second season, I felt those small cracks reopening and I had no way of stopping them. 

 

Ever since my Mum passed away, I have always suffered with anxiety. Thankfully, it’s never been anything on a major level but it’s enough to know when it’s controlling me. Whether it’s a big life moment or something small, from time to time, that feeling of being trapped in your thoughts/fears is something I never thought I’d have to deal with. I’m thankful that I have found ways of coping with that now. But more than that, I'm thankful to have learnt and grown from each situation. However, when it came to basketball and my career, I had no way of escaping it.

 

For all professional athletes, these thoughts and feelings are completely normal and can occur consistently. But for me, this anxiety became unbearable and ultimately led to me losing the love for playing the game. Every practice and every game was a challenge to overcome my thoughts on what’s next. As it grew bigger, I could see it turning me into someone I never wanted to be.

Basketball has taken me all around the world and I've played at the highest level possible, leaving me with incredible memories that will stay with me forever. In my mind, I had achieved everything I could have dreamt of with playing the game. I’d seen some amazing countries, won championships at every level and got paid to play the sport I grew up on. I had ticked every box I wanted to ever since I first picked up a ball as a kid.

 

However, it also meant for a long time I was never settled off the court. My partner had moved to Australia from America to start a new chapter of our life together. Between playing SEABL (NBL1) and NBL, we moved house seven times in 3 years. This required her to find a new job each and every time, which started to take a toll on me. Knowing how much I was asking of her, to pick up and change everything, in an effort for me to keep playing basketball. With that came the constant anxiety of being on short and small contracts, which meant it was crucial for me to find a good offseason contract so I could make a decent income. That’s just one of the realities of professional sport not many think about until they’re in it. The fear of the unknown.

I admire so many of my old teammates and pro athletes because of what I know now and have personally been through. I never wanted to burden anyone else with my thoughts/fears because it's just basketball right? It's just a game of putting a ball in a hoop yet my cracks had opened up and it changed me.

 

When that second season ended, I knew I had to do something about it. It wasn’t fair to be continuing down this path and it definitely wasn’t healthy. So I asked myself a simple question:

 

“What makes me the happiest?”

 

I wasn’t looking for any cryptic answer - rather trying to find that meaning in myself. And it became clear that it was in front of my face all along. Because that’s what my Mum had taught me. It was time for me to put someone else’s happiness before my own and see where that takes me. 

 

For so long I had focussed on me. My path. My goals. It was time for a change. I knew my wife had found a job she enjoyed and was living in a place she loved - this was my starting point. To see that smile meant I would be okay. Everything else would take care of itself after that.

 

I had the chance to go back overseas or three opportunities to continue playing in the NBL but two of them required moving once again. I knew I could not do that. I also had to ask myself just where I saw myself in three years, if I kept playing. That was an honest and somewhat sad reality. 

 

We loved living in Melbourne and I was lucky enough to be surrounded by such prominent sports media. I made, what was at the time, a very hard decision to hang up the boots and move on. 

 

It was no doubt an uncertain couple of months as I figured out how to get into the door of my next chapter. Trying to use my other passion and my degrees to start fresh on a new journey. But at the same time, I felt settled and a strange sense of comfort.

 

Thankfully, I was able to start doing some media pieces for United and then waited for an opportunity from the NBL to do what I do now. About halfway through the NBL20 season, with just a few months under my belt, I found myself sitting in bed and thinking about where I’d come from. It suddenly dawned on me that for the first time in a long time, I was happy. Not just with work but in every facet of my life.

 

It’s been an incredible first three years of this journey and there is still so much to learn and grow going forward. I’m so thankful to those who gave me a chance to do something that I love. To be able to talk about the game, meet, chat to amazing people and help share their stories is another dream come true. Every year is exciting and every year I get to learn from some incredible people and continue to grow.

 

Perhaps though, the most rewarding part of all, is that I now get opportunities to speak to a bunch of different people through a keynote address about my entire journey and the things I have learnt and continue to deal with (along with some entertaining anecdotes). Being able to shed some light on coping with grief and mental challenges in sport/life is something I feel very strongly about.

 

When I look back at where I was just three years ago, as a person, husband, friend, and soon-to-be father, I couldn’t be happier to know I’ve managed to find a way through - using the lessons I learnt from the woman who inspired me the most.

 

I still deal with many anxieties and troubled moments but I feel they’re less damaging to me now - because I found my own way to deal with it and the happiness I choose to surround myself with. 

 

Life has three rules: Paradox, Humour and Change.

 

-Paradox: Life is a mystery; don’t waste your time figuring it out.

 

-Humour: Keep a sense of humour, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure.

 

-Change: Know that nothing ever stays the same

 

Dan Millman (Peaceful Warrior)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 💩 Preview: Boomers Vs Team USA

Team USA – 

Well, much like this piece, it’s the game no one really wanted. Not until there was a Gold Medal on the line, anyway. Having said that, you know the Boomers have been ready for this one for 12+ years. As nice as it would have been to get some revenge on Spain, it will be equally as nice to end Team USA’s quest for Gold. Just quietly on Spain, Ricky Rubio seems to get better the longer his hair gets, no? He gave it his all with a cheeky 38-piece nugget and multiple ponytail fixes. But let’s breakdown some key things about the semi final against Team USA, which will be an almighty test for the Boomers.

Firstly,

They’re Beatable 

This is something we don’t often say when talking about Team USA on the hardwood. However they’re not the same team that played Australia in the exhibition games or even France in the first game of the tournament. They didn’t have three main guys in that warm up game, and then those three were likely still hungover when they played France. Heck, Jrue Holiday may very well have been fresh out of the club at the championship parade and struggling to recite the alphabet backwards whilst standing on one leg. But make no mistake, Holiday and Devin Booker provide a new dynamic for Team USA. 

They’re deep, they play nearly everyone solid minutes, and keep the game fresh and fast. So it will be interesting to see how the Boomers attack this. Whether they try to slow the game down or just beat the USA at their own game and bank on the FIBA style of play to help them. The Boomers will have to weather every storm, as we saw Spain try to multiple times. Team USA’s offensive firepower is like lockdowns right now, they just keep coming! We saw Spain’s head coach call back to back timeouts in under three minutes, to try and halt USA’s momentum. Gorj will be trying to do the same, as well as trust the veteran group to come together and slow those runs down, when they inevitably occur. On Gorj, we couldn’t get him some Aussie Kobe’s to rock? We saw him wear red Kobe’s during NBL21, as he loves to get up and down that sideline, so I’m a little flat that this wasn’t sorted.

The Big Men Battle

Spain’s bigs caused all sorts of issues to USA in the first 17 minutes of their Quarter Final. Which will always happen with the way the FIBA game is called. However, that is why not having Aron Baynes, will really hurt in this game. When Baynesy hedges ball screens, his little fingernail is strong enough to force the offense to take a back step. Not to mention his last line of defense and his overall presence underneath the rim. Without him, it’s going to be an interesting battle down low between Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green, Jock Landale and Nick Kay.

People love to treat Draymond Green like he’s the chips that are put under a parmi (don’t even), but Draymond clearly belongs! He is a huge piece to the USA puzzle. He’s the second best defender on the team, behind Jrue Holiday, and he does so many positive things that help USA. He’s essentially the American version of Nick Kay, except doesn’t always tick the scoreboard over. Does that mean Kay is better than Green? 

@NBA… surely?

Well no, hold your Daryl Braithwaite’s, Green is a 3x NBA Champion… and he was pivotal in every single one of those rings? But side note: Nick Kay is the absolute Don of Dons! He is as invaluable to the Boomers as any other guy on the team, and I love that those Twitter accounts who questioned his addition on this team, have either retracted their comments or become a LeBron hating account. Kay is every Aussies second favourite player, and it’s been incredible to see his rise over the last few years. Funny tidbit, Kay and myself were the last two players cut from our U19 Aus team… Now one is tearing it up on the world stage and one is writing bad previews for banter… classic. #KayforPM

Nick Kay is invaluable on this team! Defence, screens, rebounding. Does all those little things that make him the perfect fit on any team tbh.

— Peter Hooley (@PeterHooley12) July 25, 2021

 

This matchup will be massive. If the Boomer’s bigs can do what they’ve been doing all tournament, cleaning the glass, taking charges, walling up, knocking down outside shots, it should take a lot of pressure off the likes of Patty and Joe, and Australia should be looking good!

HoW mAnY NbA pLaYeRs Do wE hAvE?

For those tuning into basketball for the first time this Olympics, and judging each countries chances based on how many NBA players they have, let’s break it down.

Team USA – All of them. Players. Coaches. Support staff. COVID test guys. Security. All leaguers.

Boomers – We have plenty. Joe, Patty, Baynes (lace them up big fella?), Dante, Thybulle, Delly and Josh Green. 

We know what we will get from FIBA Patty and Joe. They’re different beasts in the Green & Gold, and don’t we love it! I’m convinced FIBA Patty could open for us in Ashes series. He just loves playing for Australia. But they’ll need the support cast to help get the job done.   

All these NBA blokes have been there, done that, and still doing that. But now there’s more. Landale has signed a deal with the Spurs! Extremely well deserved. He has been balling out for a few years now, and letting his Olympics show that he is more than ready of an NBA gig. And what better way to say thank you to the team that signed you, than to beat up on your head coach in the Olympic Semi Finals! 

Goulding has shown he can do his thing on the world stage numerous times, and not to forget that he had 19 in the first half on the 76ers three years ago, before Embiid killed him. So technically speaking, he’s a leaguer. 

Nick Kay would help any team win games and rings, as he’s shown. Does that mean he has an NBA future? Unsure. But he made some NBA talent already look average in the first four games of this tournament. So we’ll claim him. He’s a leaguer.

And whilst Delly doesn’t haven’t a deal yet, we all know what he brings and what he can do. So does Team USA. Mr. Aussie Spirit himself, does all the little things that don’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet, and I’m expecting him to cause some nightmares for USA guards. Let’s not forget he was a vital piece on LeBron’s championship winning team! On that, we all want the Boomers to win gold, just to see Hawaiian shirt Delly celebrating with a beer again.

Speaking of beers…

Matisse Thybulle

Doesn’t he just seem like an elite guy to have a beer with (If you haven’t seen them. Check out his Vlogs on YouTube). From all reports, Thybulle has embraced the Boomers culture quickly, both on and off the floor. He actually seems like the type of bloke to get everyone at the office a present for Secret Santa, even though he only had to get one for Phillip from accounting. But his on court presence has been super impressive. Defensively, both on and off the ball, he’s a nightmare for oppositions. He does absolutely everything on the defensive end, and does them at a world class level. I honestly believe if he played Jrue Holiday 1 on 1, that they’d both just lock each other up every possession. They’re two of the best defenders in the world.

I’m just imagining a Jrue Holiday vs Matisse Thybulle 1v1 game. It might stay 0-0 forever. #Tokyo2020

— Peter Hooley (@PeterHooley12) August 3, 2021

 His ability to also knock down the three consistently, means Thybulle is the X-Factor for this game. He will get a lot of opportunity to guard Kevin Durant. And while we are on the topic of Durant. He is arguably the best scorer the world has ever seen! And I say ‘arguably’ to keep the LeBron stans out of my mentions telling KD to win a real ring. So let’s cut the silly business, KD is the best scorer we have ever seen. He took over the game against Spain, and when he taps into that mindset, not even Steven Seagal could stop him. The Boomers will have their hands full if KD starts rolling. 

Aussie Spirit

I could nearly call this the Jess Fox, because let’s be honest, that was incredible what she did! But, this is the one area that the Boomers will always have the edge over their opposition. It’s something that’s been built from years in the past, from the likes of Bogut, Gaze, Bradtke, Heal, Anderson etc, and something that every guy who has put on the Green & Gold (s/o ASICS for the highlighter yellow) jersey embraces. The never give up attitude, the fight, the do it for one another, is something that will give the Boomers every chance to win this game and make history! It might be 12 guys out there, but you cant help but think there’s 20+ million Aussies standing side by side thes guys in this one. Call it redemption, a reward for their hard work, call it whatever you want — but this is the game that Australia has been building towards for years. So strap yourselves in, this will be fun!

Pursuit Of Happiness

In a time like this, there are plenty of obstacles to add to our pursuit of happiness. There are a lot of unknowns over the next few weeks, months and years. And all of us have been affected in one way or another. We’d probably all be forgiven if we were really struggling right now. But what are you really looking at? Personally I’ve been through much worse, that losing a couple jobs and cancelling my wedding etc, are things I know I’ll get through. So much is out of our control right now, and mental health has never been more crucial. So while you’re reading this, I challenge you to reach out to a mate who might be facing a tough time right now. Just ask how they’re doing — it’ll do more good than you realize.

For as long as I can remember, my pursuit of happiness always involved playing basketball. Growing up, I could always only see myself playing basketball for the rest of my life. From playing state, to college, to professional, I ticked off every box i had hoped. As a young naive teenager, I had tunnel vision for basketball. I wanted to get to every level that others told me I couldn’t get to. I got cut from my U14 state team, but i wanted to make the next. Then cut from U16 two years in a row. Playing Division 2 domestic, I was then cut from U18 my first year attempt. But my second year at U18, I made the team. I could tick that off, and man, was i happy to be part of that national tournament. But then I wanted more. I managed to make U20’s nationals two years in a row, which catapulted me into my scholarship at UAlbany. After so many disappointing years growing up, basketball was finally happening for me. My dreams were being ticked off and I was happy. Until all of a sudden, I wasn’t.

When my Mum originally got diagnosed with cancer in 2011, my perspective changed completely. I realized my vision was too narrow. It was too selfish. As i was growing up each year, my head seemingly wasn’t. I was in my own bubble. Mum getting sick showed me the inevitably fragile nature of life. Life is too short to be anything but happy. But if you’re only focused on yourself, then you’ll never truly be happy. And Mum showed me all this in all those months she battled cancer. Your happiness will never come entirely from something like a job, or a moment, but so much more. 

I’ll never forget that. For me, it became all about choices. If I was happy with the decision I’ve made, then I could smile. What am I choosing to look at? The shit times I’m facing, or all the good that I have? The ones I love around me or the ones i’ve lost? To fall victim to those negative thoughts, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But it’s our choice. I saw this first hand from Mum as she battled cancer for four years. Why wasn’t she mad/upset to go to her fifth treatment that week? Why was she smiling with chemo going through her arm? Why was she feeling sick at 3am but watching me play on the other side of the world? Why was she making sure the rest of her family was ok, when she was the one that needed all the help? They were her choices. We might have every reason in the world to be down, but maybe you’re looking at the this life all wrong.

A lot of people asked me why I stopped playing basketball last year, and the truth is, because I felt my path had changed. I lost the joy I used to have of stepping onto to the court. I tried many different things to get it back, tried to approach it many different ways, but it ultimately became clearer and clearer that I was ready to try something else in my life. I had been blessed with the chance to taste success at every level I played at, and for a long time thought playing basketball was my single source of happiness. But after all that, it became enough for me to realize it was time for something new. From college championships to professional ones, I had ticked all my boxes, it was time to change paths. At least for the time being. 

When i came home from college in the middle of my junior year to be with Mum as she passed, I promised her I would finish what I started. But I wasn’t referring to just basketball. I was talking about my next steps in life. About using what she taught me during those last couple years to make myself a better person. A happier and stronger person. I went back, won another championship, got a Master’s degree in media communications, and got ready to start life beyond school. I knew my first step was to pursue professional basketball, and that’s what i did. I went to England for six months to start and it didn’t work out at all. I was being treated terribly and I started to find that the focus of my happiness was selfishly shifting little by little. And with being away from my family for almost six years, I knew it was time to come home. 

I was lucky enough to get a chance to play for Melbourne soon after, and I found a new happiness. I was surrounded by family and friends, my partner had moved across from America with me and we started our life here. Things were going well. Until that last year, when those little cracks in my mind started to get bigger and bigger. I tried to change my mindset so many times, but it wasn’t working. It started to change who I was as a person. I was angry all the time, I was so anxious just to step onto the court, knowing my head was somewhere else. That’s when I started to really buy into what my Mum taught me those years. I was focusing so much on myself, that I had driven myself to this place I didn’t want to be at. So I had to make a change. I could have moved states/countries to play somewhere else, but I knew it wouldn’t make me happy right now. I had just got engaged, and I knew I was happy here, to start building our life together with family and friends around. To be close to help family, help my fiancé, and start a whole new chapter of our lives as we look to get married and beyond, was enough to make me start to smile again.

Thankfully I was given the chance to chase jobs I always wanted, in the media. I kept it in my back pocket for so long, and I knew now was the time to jump into this next step. I had a whole new outlook on things, and was enjoying every bit of it. I was commentating games and loving it. I was doing radio shows and knew it was something I wanted to do for my future. And I have had the chance to tell my story and everything I have learnt to different schools/groups/people that makes all those tough times worth it. Will I ever pick up a ball again? Maybe. But in a different way and with a different mindset. Right now It is all slowly coming together, but such a long way to go. And whilst I couldn’t be happier starting all this, I knew it wasn’t just the work that had made me smile, but so much more. Yea, i was doing something something I loved, but I was loving just living with who was around me. All these visions in my mind of what could come next, what I can build with my friends and family around me. No more selfish mindsets. This was it. 

One of my all time favourite books/movies is ”Into The Wild.” A story of Chris McCandless, and whilst I won’t ruin it for you, there’s one thing he said that’ll stick with me forever.

”Happiness is only real, when shared.”

My journey is a different one, but I have been on so many different pursuits for happiness, and only recently really discovered what it truly meant. During these last few months, it’s been tough for so many of us, and I am sure there are more to come. And I have had my moments where I start to think things have gone backwards whilst i cant work, whilst i cant find new opportunities to start, with nothing to look forward to, and it gets a little scary. But I can’t look at it that way. I want to look at the possibilities of what is to come. At the new paths ahead of me and my family and friends. At the beautiful things we can all do and create. 

You might be in a bad way right now, but right now isn’t normal. We’ll all get through this, and we’ll all be better for it. So smile when you can, cry when you have to, and choose to look at the good you have around you. No matter how small it may be, there is always something to smile at :)

“Happiness is a direction, not a place.” - Sydney J. Harris

Pay It Forward

I haven’t written a post in a while, mainly because I really only choose to write them when I feel like something is directing me too. And today I feel compelled to share some things that I have experienced recently

PAY. IT. FORWARD.

I have been trying to employ these three words into the way I live my life ever since my Mum passed away. As I had written in previous posts, my Mum used to always preach to me the importance of putting others first, before yourself, and that when you make other’s happy, there is no better feeling in the world. Through everything I have been through and continue to go through, I try to embody this simple yet important message in my life.

In a simple definition, paying it forward is the simple task of doing good by someone else without expecting anything in return other than hoping they then continue that trend onto someone else and so on.

For the last couple of months, while I play for Ballarat in the SEABL, I have also been spending 3 to 4 days a week at a school in a “mentoring” role. Everyone on both the mens/womens teams do extra community work throughout the week, whether that be coaching or running clinics etc. However, after doing those hours last year, it was decided that this year – myself, Sam Short and women’s captain Joy Burke would be used as ambassadors/mentors at different schools in Ballarat to help out with students/classes that need our help. To be honest, when I had heard about the idea, I wasn’t sure what the role would really consist of and didn’t know whether it would be worth the time. Until today…

My role has consisted of spending these days at the school doing one of two things. One of these is that Joy and I do “Leadership” programs with three different classes a week for an hour each. However, it isn’t so much discussing how each student can be a leader like a captain etc, but rather how each student can find different ways to lead in their own lives. Whether they are battling something big or small that they can figure out ways to respond to it and help them grow as they get older etc. Half of our sessions involve different leadership activities to get the students engaged and thinking conceptually, and then we finish by me sharing with them the personal story of my own loss and growth with my Mum's cancer battle while I was away at college. It’s more than just showing a video of a miracle shot or talking about playing professional sport, but rather breaking down with them the choices I had as I went through that difficult time and how to move forward. We encourage the kids to find us at school when we are walking around and talk with us or send us emails if they need to chat, just to know that there’s always people for them to talk to other than teachers, whom most are afraid to speak to anyway.

The other days, I spend up in a student support room. It’s a room where kids can come to speak with people if they’re struggling with things or just need a break or to calm down. It’s a great initiative for a school to have. While I’m there, I get assigned hour blocks with different kids across the week, to just spend time with them and grow a relationship throughout the school year. For the most part, these kids have real troubled or sad backgrounds with tough homes. For the last few weeks, I have just spent time with them and just talked about different things in life, from sport to fortnite, just trying to grow a relationship with them. But today was different…

Today I was spending time with one of the students and some older kids outside on the basketball court, trying to get them to tell me why they keep missing school and getting into trouble. Full of responses like “F*$k school, I don’t need it anyway” and “they treat me like S*%t here” sometimes it’s hard to break through to these kids. We’ve all been there, through high school and the bad times, so you can understand some of their feelings. So I decided to take it a step further and really just sit down with them and talk about everything but school. Talk about life. Talk about things they feel they have no control over and their plans after school. A couple want to go to college, so we spoke about that. Then we spoke of the troubles I went through. Which shocked them. All they saw was a guy playing professional basketball as a job and loving life, without knowing everything I had gone through recently to get here. Life is unfair, always will be if you see it that way. You just have to play with the cards you’re dealt. It's a vulnerable situation to be sharing a story like mine with kids you hardly know who have their own battles they aren't ready to share yet, but being able to converse with them about different aspects of it is an interesting and rewarding journey.

Anyway, we had a good talk for an hour or so and for the first time in seven weeks I really felt like I got somewhere with these kids, and it was a cool feeling. Then out of nowhere, a young boy walked out onto the outdoor courts very slowly. I asked him what he was doing and he said nothing. So I asked him again and he said he didn’t have class but he was only year 8 so I knew he was lying. So I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk and he picked up a ball and said yea. I just tried to speak to him but he didn’t want to talk at all and refused to look at me. I asked him his name and he finally whispered it to me. Then he looked up with tears in his eyes and said something that made the entire last two months worth it. “I was in your program two weeks ago, I lost my mum when I was younger and I hate it.” I asked him if that’s why he was outside and not in class and he started to cry and said “yes. Kids in my class were saying mean things about my mum and they just don’t know. Why does it always hurt?” I didn’t really have an answer for him, because I don’t know why it always hurts, I just assume it always will. But rather that you just continue to get through each day because you know you can. We chatted for a while and just shot some hoops and he started to smile again. I went to tell the teacher that I had stumbled upon this kid and they were shocked as they said he had run away hours before and they couldn’t find him, so I just explained to them what he had told me, so they knew what they were dealing with.

I went to find the kids in his class to talk to them. Not to tell them about this kids mother, but to tell them something I’ve learnt the hard way. “treat everyone as though they’re fragile, so that you don’t break the ones who are.” These kids are young and have their whole life ahead of them, so the whole premise behind our leadership talks with them is not for them to become perfect students or captains etc, but rather for when they face struggles in life, maybe they remember something I spoke about that can help them.

It’s a rewarding feeling to know that one simple story or one simple talk with someone can leave a lasting imprint on them in some positive way. As I said, when I started this role I wasn't sure if it was really going to be worth the time, but days like today definitely make it so. Pay it forward - in whatever way you can. One simple message that I’m trying to get across to everyone I come across, in hopes to brighten everyone I encounter. 

I'm blessed to be in the position I am and have an impactful story that can help others. As tough as my experiences have been, I can't help but feel that my story and my Mum's vision through which I am trying to live is now my gift to use to help others.

"Gifts aren't meant to be paid back, they're to be paid forward" - Cedric Crawford 

Life Vs Basketball: How basketball went from being a distraction to my happiness.

When I was real young, playing basketball was purely something I did for fun, without any real aspirations to play it at a high level. Now that I look back, I can see that basketball has been a basis for some of my life’s greatest moments, but also some of my lowest. What I have managed to learn from all the years is something that helps me constantly move forward.

It wasn’t until my teenager years did I realize I could perhaps go somewhere with it. I remember one day getting a Jacob Holmes 36ers jersey from my parents, and one day I got him to sign it. I remember my Mum telling me something that I completely brushed off at the time.

“One day that’ll be you signing a kids jersey,” she said.

When I left to go to college in America, I left at one of the worst possible times. I left just a month after my Mum had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. I didn’t want to go, but she made me. I had to try to compete at one of the highest levels of basketball for my age, while being thousands of miles away from a battling family. It wasn’t easy.

For my first four years of college, I used basketball as a distraction. It was a chance for me to escape the harsh reality that I was facing in my life. The moment I stepped onto the court, for training or games, I had two or three hours where all I could focus on was the game itself. It was soothing. I needed that distraction. For in reality, my spare time in college was always spent between calling my family, checking in with Mum on how she was feeling, how her treatments were going and praying for a miracle.

The first year was arguably the toughest. Thankfully, my family was flying over to see me play in my first home game of my college career. But it wasn’t to be. After battling with a sore foot for a few weeks, while my family was mid flight from Australia to USA, an MRI revealed a fracture in my foot that was to sideline me for the entire year. I was shattered. It wasn’t until they landed 13 hours later were I able to tell them the bad news. I was in a bad headspace. I had lost my distraction.

Thankfully, I got to spend two weeks with my family and my Mum showed me how I could get through the year. She said if she could battle cancer and keep smiling then I could get through my first year of college. It wasn’t easy, but I managed.

Two years on, and throughout many ups and downs with her treatments, basketball had become the perfect means of clearing my head, and it helped. It wasn’t as though I was truly enjoying the game – rather I was enjoying being able to focus on something positive for a change. An empty happiness. Things were going well for me, until I got that one phone call I had been dreading for four years. I’ll never forget the words from my Dad that left my world crushed and body shaking.

“I will never tell you to leave, but I think you have to come home, Pete.”

Two weeks after I had returned home, after spending some of memorable moments with my Mum, the inevitable hit and she passed away. Four years of battling it, many highs and lows for my whole family had come to an end in the worst possible way. However, I had to go back as it was my last promise to her. To finish off what I started. I’m forever thankful to my family for flying me back and being with me as I transitioned back into a life of basketball. There were many times during my few games back when I was ready to throw it all away. There was no distraction anymore, only reality. For four years of college basketball, after every game, no matter what time it was, the first message on my phone after the game was from my Mum. Now never again. Little did I know, she had one message left to send. An assist on a championship buzzer beater from the top of the key…

That moment, compiled with the opportunity to be the commencement speaker at my undergraduate ceremony one behalf of the class of 2015 and being awarded the inspiration award for Coaches vs Cancer, helped me realise the true value of life within my story, and gave me the chance to help others in similar positions to myself. That is something that really makes me happy. 

After college, I had aspirations of playing basketball at the highest level I possibly could, because it’s something I had spoken about with my Mum for many years. I had goals, and I still do. But I had never had a chance to play basketball for fun and to truly enjoy myself until now.

From college I went to England, and unfortunately ended up in a bad situation that had me close to quitting altogether. Again I was thousands of miles away from home, and at a breaking point ready to give it all away. I just wanted to find something to make me happy. I was being treated horribly and I hated every moment I had with basketball. I was down and out for the second time in two years. I had to leave. So I went home, with the hope that being back with family would help me smile again.

Thankfully I was offered a chance with Ballarat to play once again, close to home. I remember walking into the stadium the first day and meeting the assistant coach. He asked me what I had hoped to get out of my season, and I simply said, “I want to love basketball again.” And he simply responded “You will.” Then he asked me what is my next goal after that and I said that if I could love playing again, I want to make the NBL. I want to play here and be close to my family. And all he said was “I’ll get you there.”

I never truly thought I would be able to break into the NBL. There are only so many opportunities, but I never stopped working towards it. For the many times my agent called me and asked if he should start looking at teams overseas, I kept shutting it down. I wanted the NBL and nothing else. No matter how slim the odds looked, I just kept working for it.

Now here I am…

For the first time in as long as I can remember, basketball is a source of happiness. Playing with Melbourne is a dream come true. Being surrounded by not only good people but good teammates too. I’m thankful for that. It’s not always easy, nor do things always go well for me, but I am thankful for where I am. Recently, I flew with the team to America to fulfill a dream of playing on an NBA court against an NBA team. What an incredible experience. However, the day before the game, I came down awkwardly in training and all hurt my ankle. I was down, but unlike the past, I wasn’t out. If it wasn’t for the experiences I have had, I may have really struggled through that. To sit on the sideline and watch my team go toe-to-toe with the world’s best, it wasn’t easy, but I kept looking forward. Seeing how far I had come and how much I have ahead of me. I’m grateful for where I am right now, and I am truly happy every day because of it.

In the past three years, I have experienced some of the greatest moments in my life and also the ultimate worst… But last week I endured one of the most emotional ones.

My first career NBL game, at home in Adelaide, in front of my family and friends. The game had finished, and I got to see and hug everyone, and it truly felt special. This was a moment I had dreamed of, but there was one person missing. As I turned to head back to the locker room, it happened. A kid and his Mum stopped me and asked me to sign his jersey…

That hit me. After I gave him back the pen, I looked up and closed my eyes and simply smiled. That memory came flooding back to me.

“One day that’ll be you signing a kids jersey.”

She had one last message to send…

It’s those memories that I have forever, and it is now basketball, which has opened so many doors for me and given me a chance to truly be happy. Through everything I am able to truly appreciate the value of life, but also am able to understand how lucky I am. I’m unbelievably thankful for where I am and excited for the future. I don’t have to use it as a distraction anymore, rather use these feelings to remember that I am making my Mum proud, one game at a time.

And that’s the biggest win of all for me.