By Lachlan Onions
NICK MARSHALL has continued to turn heads in the basketball world and his career reached a peak when he made his debut for the Australian Boomers over the weekend.
The 23-year-old spoke to The Border Watch this week and said it was an “unreal experience” to become a Boomer.
“It was really cool to learn from some of the guys in the group, there was (Nathan) Sobey and Nick Kay, who have been Olympians and won that bronze medal,” he said.
“It was just really cool to be a part of it.”
Marshall said he was over the moon when he found out he was selected to play in the final round of FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
“It was so exciting, I got a phone call and it was the team manager asking for some details and he said I would know if I was selected later that night,” Marshall said.
“Later that night, I was sitting on the couch waiting for it and I got the message and just jumped up and was like ‘let’s go.’
“I was so happy.”
Marshall stepped onto the court for the first time in green and gold colours late in the final quarter of Australia’s 83-51 win over Bahrain last Thursday.
“I was so excited, I was itching to get on and get a taste of it,” he said.
“I had been cheering the whole game, just seeing everyone having fun out there and I wanted to be a part of it.”
The second game took place on Sunday where Marshall was given more minutes on the court and brought the Melbourne State Basketball Centre to its feet with a steal and dunk off a fastbreak to put the icing on the cake of Australia’s 98-53 win over Kazakhstan.
“It was sick,” Marshall said.
“I was just so happy I got a bucket and for it to be that way, it was so cool.”
Along with bringing the crowd to its feet with a rim-rattling dunk, Marshall said another highlight of the experience was being a part of the Australian camp in the leadup to the games.
“I got to train with some of the best guys in Australia and got to compete with them everyday and learn from them,” he said.
“We had multiple past Boomers come in to speak with us throughout the week, so it was cool hearing their experiences.
“All of them had the same response in saying that playing for the Boomers was some of the best times in their basketball careers and they loved the Boomers the most.”
Marshall also praised the team culture within the Boomers.
He said it was a surreal experience which was unlike anything he had previously come across at club or franchise level.
“Everyone who is there wants the same thing – to win – so everyone is happy to be there and accepts their roles to do everything for the team,” Marshall said.
“We are eating three times a day together, then training and doing everything together so it was really cool to get that culture.”
Marshall’s week with the Australian side has inspired him to push on and he said he is hopeful to play for Australia again in the future.
“Because I didn’t really play basketball growing up, it (playing for the Boomers) wasn’t really a dream of mine when I first started playing,” he said.
“But probably the last couple of years, I have had it up there as one of the things I wanted to do in basketball.
“For it to come in my second year with Adelaide is pretty cool, hopefully I can do it again and I would love to do it all the time.”
Marshall’s unforgettable week was capped off on Wednesday when it was announced he had signed a new three-year contract with the Adelaide 36ers and will be promoted to the side’s main roster.
With the NBL1 season just around the corner and a new-look Mount Gambier Pioneers side for 2023, Marshall is aware of the weight on his shoulders to lead the side moving forward.
“We have a lot of young guys on our team this year so Richo (Mount Gambier Pioneers head coach Richard Hill) has already told me he wants me to be more of a leader and show those guys what it takes,” Marshall said.
“I have been working hard these last two years with Mount Gambier so I’ll show those young guys the way I did it and help them with some of the things that I didn’t know back then compared to now.”
