Domestic Teams

DBYC (Doveton Boys Youth Club) 1996

Spartans 1997

Narre Jacks 1997

Berwick 1997       

Vermont Vultres 1998

Waverley Comets 1999

Mentone Mustangs 2000

Representative Teams         

Dandenong Rangers 1996 - 1999

Under 12's, Under 14's Bottom Age, Under 14's Top Age State Champions, Under 16's Bottom Age 

Waverley Falcons 1999 Under 16's Top Age

Sandringham Sabres 2000 - 2001 Under 18's Bottom Age, Under 18's Top Age

Victoria State Teams

2001 Victorian ITC Member (Dandenong)

Under 18's Top Age Emergency Player 2001

Under 20's Bottom Age Squad - Bronze Medal 2002

Under 20's Top Age Squad - Gold Medal 2003

A.I.S. (Australian Institute of Sport)


Full Scholarship Holder 2002 - SEABL (South East Australian Basketball League) CHAMPIONS

Full Scholarship Holder 2003 - SEABL Top 4 - Averages: 22 points, 14.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots

 

 

Australian Junior Team (Emus)

Albert Schweitzer Tournament Germany 2002
Under 19 World Junior Championships, Greece 2003 - Gold Medal & MVP - Averages: 26.3 points, 17.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game

Where and How it all Started

My first team of organized basketball was with DBYC (Doveton Boys Youth Club) in 1995. The domestic competition the team was in was held at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium on Saturday mornings. Funnily enough, the team was coached by AFL player Adam Ramanauskas’ Dad Joe, along with Adam’s Brother Daniel. I was an avid Essendon fan growing up so it worked out to be pretty funny, especially when Adam was then drafted by Essendon. My height made it a given that I would be playing the center position, which is something I don't agree with to this day. I think every young kid should be given the opportunity to shoot, dribble and pass. Grass roots are for development first, winning second. I agree winning is important, but not as important as developing a player. What happens to the player who is tall in Under 12's and 14's and just plays center all his life, then all of a sudden by the time he is playing Under 16's every other kid is taller than him. Now he is told he must learn to play a smaller position, maybe small forward or shooting guard, but how? When was he taught how to shoot from the outside, and how to dribble? Where does he end up, away from the game and taking up something else? I've seen a lot of kids with even more potential than me quit, and it was a big shame.  Sometimes coaching at the young level gets lost in a way of trying to win and be 'champions'. Moving on. In my first year of organized basketball I definitely didn’t set the world on fire, or even close to that. Joe Ramanauskas saw some potential, obviously height being a big part of it, and invited me to local representative team tryout with the Dandenong Rangers. I then went on to make the under 12 second team, coached by Joe. I thought I was the best thing since sliced bread, and was very excited and proud to be representing my suburb. The team was pretty successful and finished the season in the top 4 in the state. I was very shy at the time, but at the same time took basketball very seriously and took a lot of things to heart. I would often get very angry on the court and show a lot of emotion, whether I was having a bad game or the team wasn’t performing well. I was a fiery little tacker.  Unfortunately, this was labelled straight away as an attitude problem. I played with a fire and didn’t appreciate the game not being played the right way, much like today, but the difference being a 11 year old kid you have no say what so ever. I agree I was a little runt at times, but I was a young kid who was still learning about basketball, and most importantly about life. This is where the attitude problem of Andrew Bogut started and as you will read on followed me throughout my junior care.

After my first season of basketball there was no doubt I had found my passion. My Father Mišo soon put a basketball unit up. Funnily enough the unit was up in my front driveway of Endeavour Hills. Hence the name of the suburb the driveway slanted down on a 45 degree angle, meaning every spot you shot from the hoop would be a different height, sometimes the regulation 10 foot, sometimes 12, if you dared long distance you’d be looking at 13! The second problem being my parent’s cars. Every day I would annoy my parents like crazy, until they would have to move the cars on the grass just so I could shoot. This was about the time my Father realized my passion and came to think this hoop just didn’t cut it. My Father then went on to remove the above ground pool from the back yard, much to the disgust of my older sister! He then laid down pavers and concreted in a basketball pole and backboard unit. I can still remember my Father yelling at me because I was shooting on the unit even though the concrete was not set. With a pint of confidence, or maybe cockiness, I told my Dad not to worry; the ball is only touching the net! Now there wasn’t that much room, my backyard court was in width the equivalent of a basketball key, and about as long as just past the free throw line. But it was enough, and the ground was flat and even! Next problem was the ball going over the fence to the neighbor’s yard. Remember the days when you’re young and the ball goes over your neighbor’s fence, and getting it back was a covert operation. You scope out your neighbor’s house, making sure no one was looking you would leap the fence, sprint to your ball and be back over in your yard in no time. Oh the memories! This problem was easily solved when My Father put up a 3 to 4 meter high shade mesh. This was my heaven. Every day to my neighbor’s disgust the ball would be bouncing, for countless hours.  The next major problem was night time, in winter around 5:30pm it would start to get dark, leaving me with no option but to go inside, leaving me very angry with whoever thought of making the world dark for 12 hours a day. My Father once again thoughtfully came to the rescue and bought some flood lights and bolted them on to two corners of the veranda, problem solved, for now. 

I would often rush home from school, and be straight in the back yard, shooting hoops, forgetting about school, forgetting about any problems. I was free and in my sanctuary. My mother Ankica would come outside around 830, 9 pm every night and yell at me to come inside. It was always getting late and the neighbors might start to get annoyed (actually I'm pretty sure they already were) and complain of the constant ball bouncing. But once I heard my Mum it was always ok, one more shot. 30 minutes later Ankica would come out and once again repeat herself. One thing with my parents growing up was, if they ever repeated themselves I knew I was on thin ice and it was time to come to a agreement.   My Mum would then wait at the back door, making sure I came in, and then she would lock the door behind me. Now it was dinner, shower, and then off to sleep for school the next morning. The next day, well, groundhog day. To a tee. 

I then remained with the Dandenong Rangers through to 1999. Along the way I would be part of a great team that would win a state title in Under 14's. Funnily enough I was just another face in the crowd on a stacked team, and I had also stopped growing and nearly every player had caught up to me, or even passed me. This meant I was forced to move to the small forward/off guard spot. I played this position for a couple of years, as I thought I might even be done growing. I was about 6 foot give or take. Today I will still tell you that this was a main reason my game developed. It was a time where I was forced to learn how to shoot from the outside, and handle the basketball. Times weren’t like they used to be: "Hey big fella, you just stand under the hoop and rebound and make easy layups."


First Turning Point

In 1999 at about the age of 15, I went to the local under 16 rep ream tryouts with one thought in mind: to make the first team for the Dandenong Rangers. No matter what I did or how much I progressed, I never really had a chance to make that team. Junior sports are a funny thing, and I soon would realize the politics of politics within junior and grass roots sports. My parents Mišo and Ankica rarely would talk with the parents of the other kids on any of my teams. My Parents would not suck up to the coach and try to be his best friend so his son could make it. It was clear a lot of kids progressed into the first team after first team because of their parents involvements within the club, whether it was having the coach over for BBQ’s, donating money to club, or just being a downright two face. But my most vivid memory at these tryouts was on a regular Sunday morning session at Dandenong. I would usually be one of the first kids there before training already shooting. My Mother would also be there with a pile of magazines sitting in the stands reading. To this day I still remember all the kids and parents slowly filing into the stadium for training. Firstly I noticed maybe only one or two people acknowledged my Mother, but this was ok, and perfectly normal as it was something my family and I grew up with even away from the court. The most shocking part was what happened next.  When the head coach at the time walked into practice he would shyly acknowledge my Mother with a slight head nod. Annoying, but no big deal. Then he would keep walking to where the main group of parents were sitting. This is when I knew my days were numbered with Dandenong. The coach was smiling, laughing and generally was very talkative to all the parents. But when one of the parents whose son I was competing with for one of the big man spots on the team, opened her bag and spoiled the coach with cookies and biscuits she had freshly baked just for him, along with fresh coffee and a selection of drinks, I was in disbelief and nearly collapsed in shock. Was there a point in even being there? I felt sorry for my mother who would usually be sitting by herself at trainings without a peep from anyone, I would always notice little things like this, and still do to this day.   

My Father Mišo then scheduled a meeting with one of the main coaches at the Dandenong Rangers Basketball Club. My father and I both wanted to know whether there was a point remaining at Dandenong. Without a clear cut answer similar to what you would receive from a car salesman, I desperately begged my Father to change clubs. My stigma of having a bad attitude was something I could not shake and that was always a good excuse I got as to why I wasn’t in the first team. Hey, maybe I really wasn't good enough, but the excuse of ''your good enough but your attitude is bad" had gotten old. I wanted a second chance, much like in high school. But hey, at least I had it straight that it was my attitude, not the delicious chocolate chip cookies and coffee. 

Somehow I ended up at the Waverley Falcons Under 16 tryouts; I made the first team and played in a division below the top division in my home state of Victoria. No doubt my team probably wouldn’t have stood a chance against the first team I didn’t make at Dandenong, but the change was good. I had a decent year with Waverley, but quickly realized that the grass isn’t greener on the other side, actually come to think of it the grass isn’t greener on any side of junior grass level sports. Parents play a big influence and it’s a shame that kids can’t just go out and play the sport they love without having to be part of a political revolution.  A couple of kids at Waverley had very wealthy parents who would donate a lot of money to the club, no doubt a great gesture, but when a coach has so many different influences, then all of a sudden two kids are fighting for the same court time or spot, which kids parents would you want to make happy?

Second Turning Point