Football players with a basketball background

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Jason Gram was an absolute jet of a basketball player. I used to play against him, or at least attempt to. Finished up before the incessant mentioning of basketball-backgrounds happened so probably not well known.

I was told second-hand that as a junior there was interest from the AIS but he was fixed on football. though I am unclear if that was true and what exactly "interest" meant.
 

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I went from a basketball background tonfoory as a junior and it helped a lot in some areas. Footwork and vision are important in basketball, particularly in congestion, and you need clean hands in close situations. That's the Pendelbury effect I think. Also body work - similar to 1-1 contested.marking and boundary throw ins. I remember tucking as a 17 yo against a player who was drafted to the ago that year, and doing very well at the boundary throw ins (and getting trounced at centre bounces).

I was absolutely lost in other areas. Running and leading patterns? Hopeless. It's really hard to know when NOT to run in footy, because in basketball you always follow the ball, but footy requires you to hold a position and read off the play 30-70 metres away. When the ball.is on the ground nearby, you also have to stay out and let someone else get it a lot, which i found weird. In basketball you tend to go back into rebounding contests with the flight of the ball, using your butt to make contact. In footy... That's a bad idea unless you want someone to flatten you. The other thing is how in footy guys just run - there is so much more space - whereas basketball everything is fixed, and you generally know exactly where someone is going (ie - the ring)

Given all that, with the rise of congestion it's no surprise to me that more basketballers are having an impact. That's the part that translates best imo, whereas the free flowing stuff is much harder to pick up
 
btdg said:
I went from a basketball background tonfoory as a junior and it helped a lot in some areas. Footwork and vision are important in basketball, particularly in congestion, and you need clean hands in close situations. That's the Pendelbury effect I think. Also body work - similar to 1-1 contested.marking and boundary throw ins. I remember tucking as a 17 yo against a player who was drafted to the ago that year, and doing very well at the boundary throw ins (and getting trounced at centre bounces).

I was absolutely lost in other areas. Running and leading patterns? Hopeless. It's really hard to know when NOT to run in footy, because in basketball you always follow the ball, but footy requires you to hold a position and read off the play 30-70 metres away. When the ball.is on the ground nearby, you also have to stay out and let someone else get it a lot, which i found weird. In basketball you tend to go back into rebounding contests with the flight of the ball, using your butt to make contact. In footy... That's a bad idea unless you want someone to flatten you. The other thing is how in footy guys just run - there is so much more space - whereas basketball everything is fixed, and you generally know exactly where someone is going (ie - the ring)

Given all that, with the rise of congestion it's no surprise to me that more basketballers are having an impact. That's the part that translates best imo, whereas the free flowing stuff is much harder to pick up
Click to expand...

Interesting inside info! Yeah that makes sense, of course only some of it translates, as they're two very different games, but interesting to see how it would anyway. Pendlebury does always seem to have a lot of time: that's where decision making is important.
 
Seen Wingard kick a footy into a ring, possibly full court. Believe he's done other similar things too.
 

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Percel said:
Im surprised we don't have any tall americans in the league
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I'm actually not surprised much.

First reason is that even serious basketballers in Australia have some exposure to footy, particularly in Southern States. They've kicked a footy, seen it on tv, and are aware of how it works. American basketballers are learning a totally foreign sport, from scratch, and its very tough trying to do that and get to elite level. Not just the skills - kicking etc is easy enough to learn - but everything else that goes alongside the game.

Secondly, America has a lot of pathways for tall, athletic basketballers through college, and often junior college first. Any supremely athletic or tall American who is good at basketball is likely to be tied up in those pathways until age 22-24 anyway. Most basketball kids would rather, for example, take a college scholarship at 18 and spend 4 years playing at one of the 300-odd D1 and 500-odd DII schools, than take a chance on moving to the other end of the world for a non-guaranteed shot at a sport they have never played. Sure, we can pick up guys who wash out, but they tend to be 22-23 at that point, and given say 3 years of development, its a lot of work for a guy who will be 26 when they are actually ready to play.

Incidentally, that's exactly Mason Cox's pathway. Played College at Oklahoma state and graduated at 23. Drafted as a rookie pick aged 24. Now, as a 27 year-old, he's actually contributing to his team. But he's got a lot of miles on his body, probably only has 3-4 good years in him from here, and is an ACL injury away from washing out again. I don't think it is surprising other teams aren't exactly rushing to follow in those footsteps...
 
btdg said:
I'm actually not surprised much.

First reason is that even serious basketballers in Australia have some exposure to footy, particularly in Southern States. They've kicked a footy, seen it on tv, and are aware of how it works. American basketballers are learning a totally foreign sport, from scratch, and its very tough trying to do that and get to elite level. Not just the skills - kicking etc is easy enough to learn - but everything else that goes alongside the game.

Secondly, America has a lot of pathways for tall, athletic basketballers through college, and often junior college first. Any supremely athletic or tall American who is good at basketball is likely to be tied up in those pathways until age 22-24 anyway. Most basketball kids would rather, for example, take a college scholarship at 18 and spend 4 years playing at one of the 300-odd D1 and 500-odd DII schools, than take a chance on moving to the other end of the world for a non-guaranteed shot at a sport they have never played. Sure, we can pick up guys who wash out, but they tend to be 22-23 at that point, and given say 3 years of development, its a lot of work for a guy who will be 26 when they are actually ready to play.

Incidentally, that's exactly Mason Cox's pathway. Played College at Oklahoma state and graduated at 23. Drafted as a rookie pick aged 24. Now, as a 27 year-old, he's actually contributing to his team. But he's got a lot of miles on his body, probably only has 3-4 good years in him from here, and is an ACL injury away from washing out again. I don't think it is surprising other teams aren't exactly rushing to follow in those footsteps...
Click to expand...

Oh Cox is 27? I thought he was around 24ish. Yeah pretty late to be debuting mid 20s.
 
Glen Jakovich played a decent level of basketball in his time, watched him play one game - certainly brought a high level of intensity and aggression to the game. Maybe their should be some kind of cross code sport bringing the two games together, reckon it could be fun to watch - Basketbrafl. Hip and shoulders allowed, don't argues allowed, no arm chopping or holding. Basketball ring in the middle a bit smaller for 6 points and 2 larger rings next to it for 1. I think I'm onto something.
 
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