A Basketball Life

Basketball Blue Blood

Another Kentucky Hoops story

While NCAA Division 1 teams are finishing up their conference tournaments over the weekend, the Division 3 bracket is down to the Sweet 16 and Division 2 kicks off their version of March Madness with a few games on Friday night and a full schedule on Saturday.

In looking at Division 2 my attention turns to Josh Derksen of Bellarmine University from Louisville Kentucky. The Knights (27-3) will be hosting the Midwest Regional over the weekend and the 6'9" forward from the city of Toowoomba, situated in Southeast Queensland Australia will play an integral part for the team in their quest to win a national title. Derksen is the product of a rugged, rebounding, feisty, take no prisoners power forward and his father Michael wasn't a bad player either!  Therein lies my slant for this posting today, the connections and re-connections that we make through basketball life.

The Family

My involvement in sports (basketball/baseball) in Australia started in Perth on the West Coast of the country in the late 1980's. While there I met a young lady who would eventually become my wife and in the early 1990's, I finally caved in and agreed to move to her home town of Toowoomba where I coached women's basketball on a few levels. Around the same time, one of the players for the ladies team had also just moved to the city. Chree (Clark at the time) Derksen stood out as a dedicated basketballer with grit and determination. On local club level I played alongside Michael Derksen on occasion who was also a decent rebounder and defender.

Fast forward through a couple of decades to 2014 when Chree found me on Facebook and caught me up on the family and their son Josh. Now this year, the family has made the Toowoomba-Louisville trek to see Josh play live.

My first vision of the family in the USA was a news report from WAVE3 TV in Louisville with a story of delayed flights and Michael arriving in Chicago dressed for a thirty degree Queensland BBQ afternoon in the middle of the worse winter America has seen in ages. None of that mattered as Michael, Chree and Emily were there to see Josh play in an NCAA game for the first time.

Here are some of the impressions/observations from the family:

In spite of being in record snowfalls for three of the four weeks thus far, the family has found the level of support for basketball in the community truly amazing. Among highlights for Chree,"one young fan gave us one of those enlarged faces of Josh that he had made himself to wave in the crowd at a game".

March Madness is truly a madness with everyone in Louisville and Kentucky at large being "basketball crazy". The family has found the sports/fan stores in the area interesting to say the least, "half University of Louisville and half University of Kentucky, almost feel like you can only step on one side or the other. Supporter gear for Kentucky and Louisville is everywhere, it's a serious business supporting your team here, no matter what the game".

The family has found the hospitality of the area "humbling"  with the locals being polite and helpful  while driving has been simply termed "a different story" !

Of course there are a lot of new terms and words now in the family's vocabulary... "we have learnt new words around March Maddness, Bracketology, Bracetologist and on the bubble, it's is a religion here at this time, it's amazing to be in the middle of it" !

Unfortunately by game time for the Knights, the family will be on their return trip back to Australia but will have lasting memories, even those of both Louisville and Kentucky fans supporting Bellarmine in their quest for glory.

The Player

@joshderksen

In his sophomore season, the 6'9" Derksen has been a mainstay in the Knights line up. In his twenty eight games for the 2014-2015 season, Josh has produced 11.5 points per game, shot 42.3% from the field, 31.7% from the three point line, 80.2% from the charity stripe and pulled down 3.1 rebounds in roughly twenty four minutes per game court time.

The Centenary Heights State High School  product has adapted well to life in the USA but misses some things from home including the Aussie fresh food and home cooking. He stated recently that he has met great, hospitable people who love sports in general but particularly basketball in Kentucky, "it's a basketball mad place this time of year".

One of the biggest adjustments for Derksen has been "how I talk so I don't have to repeat myself constantly". I know that situation all too well myself! Of course for a young man of Josh's age the all important thing is food! He has been impressed with the variety of great take out options along with the diversity of it. Oddly though, he finds that even though living in Kentucky, the KFC tastes better in Australia.

In the short term, Josh is hoping for a win on Saturday and for the team to keep winning. As far as future goals, Josh is hoping to possibly play in Europe along with completing his degree in Communications with a view of getting into Sports Media once the playing days are over. 

As far as pre game music, anything from Wiz Khalifa sets the tone.

Best wishes to Josh and the Knights against Drury on Saturday and through the rest of the postseason. For any family and friends in the area (Jimmi Morrison, the Smith family) if you get a chance ... go out and support the locals ... especially since the Cardinals won't be busy Saturday thanks to my Tarheels!! 

Back with more overnight ... enjoy the action sports fans.