Tara Murray
The allure of returning to Australia to play basketball has led Briana Gray and Alexis Dillard to the Hume City Broncos.
Having both been in the country before to play basketball, the two Americans were keen to head back down under.
When the opportunity came to come to the Broncos they jumped at the chance.
Gray said Melbourne just felt like home and she wanted to come back and have another opportunity to play in Australia.
“Everyone is so nice and caring,” she said. “They’re all been welcoming and professional.
“I was in Melbourne back in 2019 at the Melbourne Tigers and I had a great experience. I told my agent to look at other options when they came up.
“I had a connection through my coach from college. We did some networking…I spoke with [general manager] Todd [Anderson] and [coach] Robbie [Baldwin] and they have aspirations to win a championship and move into the NBL1 [National Basketball League 1 South competition].”
For Dillard her trip to Australia has already been more successful than her first one. Like Gray, he was keen to return.
“I’m loving it so far,” she said.
“I was actually in Adelaide in 2002 and had a really great experience there, then COVID hit. I was only there for a month.
“I always wanted to come back and play. When the opportunity came up, it was an easy decision.”
Both players said that they had been made right at home at Hume and felt like they were part of the team even before arriving in the country.
Gray said having come off having success overseas she was keen to share a similar feeling at Hume. She said basketball was something that she had always done.
“Legend goes, I actually told my mum when I was three that I wanted to be an athlete,” she said.
“I came through the college system and then I played four or five years in Europe. I won a medal in Ukraine and I just finished a season in Germany.
“I was home for one week before they said you are needed and I packed my bags.”
Dillard also grew up playing basketball and went through the college system. She tore her ACL during college, but has since travelled the world playing basketball.
“I always wanted to travel and what is a better way than playing basketball.”
The Broncos entered the Easter break on the back of their first win of the season against the McKinnon Cougars.
Dillard said that the key for them was making sure everyone stepped up and played a role and were on the same page, which she feels like is coming.
For the forward when she is on the court, she’s someone who will quickly get noticed.
“I can be really loud and I enjoy entertaining,” she said.
“I like giving the crowd high rives and I love that they are coming to support us, so I want to give them something worthwhile to watch.
Meanwhile, Gray said that they have tons of potential. Personally the guard said it’s about making sure she stays involved in the game.
“I compete in everything I do.”
