Australian basketball.

[peternorth]

NATIVES OF AUSTRALIA IN THE NBA
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Dyson Daniels	Atlanta Hawks	5
Alex Ducas	OKC Thunder	88
Dante Exum	Dallas Mavericks	5
Johnny Furphy	Indiana Pacers	12
Josh Giddey	Chicago Bulls	3
Joe Ingles	Minnesota Timberwolves	7
Kyrie Irving *	Dallas Mavericks	2
Jock Landale	Houston Rockets	2
Thon Maker	Houston Rockets	15
Jack McVeigh	Also of the Houston Rockets	58
Patty mills	Utah Jazz	8
Duop Reath	Portland Trailblazers	28
Ben Simmons	Brooklyn Nets	10
Matisse Thybulle	Portland Trailblazers	4
Luke Travers	Cleveland Cavaliers	33
Josh Green	Charlotte Hornets	10

 

[Crafted]

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Ben Simmons​

Ben Simmons 6'9" 230, SF/PF, Melbourne, Australia, Montverde Academy 2015 - Simmons took the U.S. high school basketball scene by storm by dominating the 2012 Pangos All American Camp. He moved to the United States this past year to suit up for Coach Kevin Boyle at Montverde Academy in Florida and did not disappoint, immediately helping them win the HS national championship. He's got SF skills and has grown in the past year into PF size. A smooth and skilled lefty who can do everything on the floor, Simmons has a soft left handed feathery touch from outside and can put the ball on the floor and get in the lane when he wants to. His passing ability for a kid his size is what sets him apart from his peers. With upperclassmen such as Kasey Hill, and D'Angelo Russell, Simmons took a backseat on a senior led Montverde team this past season, but will be the main focal point offensively which should allow him to grow into the role of more of an alpha dog that his talent suggests. If he stays focused and continues to work hard, he has a chance to be very special. NBA Comparison: Tracy McGrady

Strengths:
6'8 Aussie small forward with a versatile skill set ... High level athlete with a smoothness to his game ... Has a chance to be special ... Just turned 16 and already playing at an high level for high school age ... Lefty shooter with feathery touch and excellent release ... Grew up around the game, and shows a feel for the game that cannot be learned on the fly ... Adept at creating shots for himself and can spot up or pull up off the dribble ... Very good at creating offense for himself or others ... Has a tremendous basketball body with a big frame, wide shoulders, enormous hands and long arms ... Strong family background has made him a hard working kid with a strong work ethic ... High level vision and passing skills. His passing ability is rare for a forward ... Already 6'8 and his growth plates are still open. Could end up in the 6'10 range when all is said and done ... Great first step and knows how to use ball fakes to get his man off balance ... Shows the competitiveness to raise his level of play in clutch situations and when he's challenged ... Solid defender. Gets a low base. Good lateral speed. Stays in front of his man. Doesn't gamble ... Great maturity/composure. Rarely rushes things and gets out of control. ... Has avoided being coddled by the AAU scene ... His game is very advanced/complete for such a young player, doesn't have any glaring weaknesses ...

Weaknesses:
He's such an advanced player for his age, any defiencies are really nit picking at this point ... Plays almost too unselfish at times. Not a prolific scorer, yet. Should look to become more aggressive at creating shots for himself ... Needs to mature physically, but has a great body already and will only continue to get stronger. Just a baby at 16 so plenty of time for his body to get stronger ... Will need to be able to block out the hype and stay focused ... Can become better at moving without the ball. Learning to set his man up off of screnes and staying active ...


Notes: Plans to play college ball after high school, and possibly come over to the US for his senior year ... Broke onto the scene with a strong performance at the 2012 Pangos Camp gaining national attention in the US ... Has proven himself against the best high school players on numerous occaisions ... Grew up around basketball. Father, Dave Simmons, played in the NBL ... Has know countryman Dante Exum since he was 7 years old ...

 

[Crafted]

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Dante Exum​

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The #3 Ranked prospect on Draft Express and nbadraft.net​

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Strengths:​

-Terrific size for a point guard​

-Nice wingspan. Good frame​

-Extremely smooth, fluid athlete with unbelievable body control​

-Great first step​

-Tremendous creativity with the ball in his hands​

-Gets extremely low to ground on drives. Terrific ball-handler. Changes speeds. Super long strides make him tough to stay in front of. Rangy drives. Gets to basket off one dribble​

-Puts huge pressure on the defense. Draws tons of fouls​

-Superb in transition​

-Finishes elegantly around the basket, sometimes from far outside the paint. Uses reverse moves effectively​

-Can finish above the rim​

-Creates effectively for others. Unselfish player​

-Excellent feel for the game. Everything comes incredibly easy​

-Solid rebounder for position​

Weaknesses:​

-Struggles to make shots from outside​

-Shooting mechanics are poor​

-Needs to improve his ability to drive and finish with his left hand​

-Must get stronger. Gets pushed around on defense at times​

-Still working on decision making skills in the half-court- when to score and when to distribute. Not quite a pure point guard yet​

Notes:​

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Australian shooting guard Dante Exum is draft-eligible for 2014 and would open next season as one of the top prospects, but said “My gut tells me right now I’m going to college,” partly because he is intrigued by the idea of a run with a top U.S. program and partly because that would allow him to avoid the packed Class of ’14 led by Canadian phenom/incoming Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins. That would position Exum for 2015. The son of Cecil Exum, who won a national championship with North Carolina in 1982, has made one campus visit, to Indiana, and puts the Hoosiers at the top of his working list if he goes the NCAA route for 2014-15. He loves the college feel in Bloomington and the basketball tradition. He is also getting attention from a lot of other elite programs – mentioning Louisville, Kentucky and Michigan – so no decision is imminent.​

 

[Crafted]

Ben Simmons Videos:​

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Dante Exum Videos:​

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[LouisvilleLip]

Been following Ben's progress for a little while. He's from the same area as me and I had a few friends who played with him at Box Hill Senior.

A great talent and from all account a pretty level headed kid.

Along with himself, Dante Exum and a few others theres lots to be excited about with the future of Australian basketballers

 

[mitchzz]

Dante Exum is the one im excited about! So smooth

 

[Shade]

This guy and Dante will be straight up Baller's

Dante gets to the rim with such ease great driver and has a nasty first step.

 

[LouisvilleLip]

For those interested in Dante Exum, he's currently playing for the Australian under 19 team at the world champs in Prague.

Has recorded stat lines of 11-6-6 in 16 mins vs Senegal, 14-2-1 in 33 mins vs Serbia and 12-5-5 in 18 mins vs Brazil




Not sure of the reason why Simmons isn't over playing in the world's, not injured as far as I know.

 

[flaps]

Has know countryman Dante Exum since he was 7 years old ...

Special kids.

 

[PP34]

Saw him at my club when I was 12, and there was big hype around him then. His old man was taking him from club to club before he settled at Knox.

Was going to play at my club again this season, but then he went to the States to play HS basketball.

Gun.

 

[TheSituation23]

he's a nice level headed kid
and one hell of a baller

 

[nufan]

Not sure of the reason why Simmons isn't over playing in the world's, not injured as far as I know.

Back home right now playing in the VBL for Chelsea I believe. Using the American summer to come home to see family etc.

 

[PP34]

Back home right now playing in the VBL for Chelsea I believe. Using the American summer to come home to see family etc.

Bulleen, Big V.

 

[nufan]

Bulleen, Big V.

Correct, was on my way to edit my post. House mate plays for Chelsea and couldn't remember who played for who.

 

[LouisvilleLip]

Back home right now playing in the VBL for Chelsea I believe. Using the American summer to come home to see family etc.

Makes sense. Don't blame him for taking that time to see his family. It would of been great to have him at the u19 world champs though. That team made the gold medal match vs the US in 2012. Not having Ben there would hurt them this year.

 

[nufan]

http://socialhub.usatodayhss.com/social-hub/blogs/item/176-the-ben-simmons-blog-1

 

[LouisvilleLip]

Know it's Ben Simmons thread, but Dante Exum was being talked about as well....

Dante is currently putting on a bit of a show for the Aus under 19's vs Spain. According to some on twitter he looks a class above everyone else.

 

[LouisvilleLip]

Dante finishes with 33 points 5 rebounds 4 assists and 4 steals. Leads Australia to a upset victory over Spain to move onto the semis

 

[sojthebest]

30 points in the second half!!! Draft Express has him going #3 in the 2014 draft.

 

[sojthebest]

Sorry, 20 in the 2nd half.

 

[peternorth]

30 points in the second half!!! Draft Express has him going #3 in the 2014 draft.

Sorry, 20 in the 2nd half.

lol

 

[Barnzy]

There will be a lot of Australian bandwagon fans for whichever team Exum gets drafted to.

 

[sojthebest]

lol

How's that funny? Draft Express tweeted that he scored 30 in the second half.

 

[Crafted]

Wish I could change the name of the thread to 'Young Australian Basketball Prospects'

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

There will be a lot of Australian bandwagon fans for whichever team Exum gets drafted to.

Hopefully that's a good thing.

Wish I could change the name of the thread to 'Young Australian Basketball Prospects'

You can change it, just edit your OP.

 

[Crafted]

Hopefully that's a good thing.

You can change it, just edit your OP.

Done. Have now added A little profile for Dante Exum.

FYI everyone, none of the information is made by me, I have simply copy pasted it from other websites to make it easier for everyone