Angus Brandt has built an impressive resumé as a professional basketballer. Commonwealth Games gold medallist, 2-time National Basketball League (NBL) champion and being named to Pac-12 All-Academic at Oregon State University headline an impressive career to-date for the 32-year-old. Yet, the journey to this point has not been conventional. From the moment he first started playing basketball alongside school mates in Wagga Wagga, Angus has been driven purely by his passion for the game, a mindset that has seen him overcome many hurdles over the years.
“As a kid growing up playing basketball, I was just oblivious to the world of what you could achieve by being a basketball player. I played basketball because I loved it,” Angus said.
“There was no thought to doing it (basketball) as a career. I didn’t grow up expecting to be a professional basketball player.”
Playing locally in his youth for the Springwood Scorchers and Penrith Panthers, Angus made a name for himself with his athletic play and imposing figure on the court. Missing selection to state representative teams as an 18-year-old was not a deterrent for Angus. With a mature and open mind to life, Angus maintained a grounded perspective about basketball.
As fate would have it, the right people were watching at the right time. The aforementioned selection trials did not yield a place in the team, but Damian Cotter – then NSW Institute of Sport basketball coach, now Assistant Coach with the Chicago Bulls – was looking on with intrigue and interest. Cotter was impressed with the work ethic and raw skill set displayed by the young Brandt.
“For me, that was the first opportunity I had really been given to train with a high-level program. I jumped right in and took full advantage of it (scholarship with NSWIS)”, Angus said.
“He said he saw a raw talent in me…he saw the physical attributes I had and I guess he thought he would be able to sharpen those skills and that’s what he did. He helped me push past what I thought my physical barriers were.”
The persistence to his craft and desire to train started to reap reward for Angus. Fine tuning his on-court game to complement a sharper mental and physical approach, saw significant improvements. With prompting and counsel from Cotter, Angus took a leap of faith in pursuing a place within the USA college system – the leading amateur sport competition in the world.
“We trained all the time…we would go wherever Damian wanted us to go and we trained multiple days a week. From that, Damian basically said ‘You’ve got a shot at going to college in America’”, Angus said.
“Up to that point, I didn’t think I could do that…the whole world of college basketball was so foreign to me…so foreign that I didn’t even consider it as an option.”
Instagram: @passionperspectivepodcast
Music: “Friendship” by Annie Burbank
