Year 12 student, Baxter Kam, was a member of the Melbourne Grammar School USA Basketball Tour team. Over a two week period in December 2023, the group visited National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Colleges, competed in games against American high schools, attended both College and NBA games and undertook elite training sessions with professional athletes.
Here, Baxter reflects on what he learnt about the basketball culture in the USA.
Intended to improve our sporting abilities, the USA basketball tour was also an enlightening experience. We already knew that the sport of basketball has a lower profile here in Australia compared to the United States. What we didn’t expect was the marked difference between our basketball culture, and that of the groups with whom we interacted.
Where the basketball experience at Melbourne Grammar School revolves around teamwork and fundamentals, the version of the sport at the American schools we played against almost seemed to be more focused on the show than the substance, where neologisms like ‘posterising’ (dunking over an opponent) take centre stage.
The majority of teams we played succeeded on an individual level, using their players’ raw athletic ability or individual skills to score. This contrasted with our method, which was focused on a team-first defence followed by a structured offence. The hardwood became a facilitator for the dance between individual skill and team play.
In these American schools, sport also seems to be held in higher esteem than it is in schools like ours. It represents an opportunity for success, often offering a pathway for scholarships at university. For the elite players, it is a training ground for the professional level.
In attending College and NCAA games, it seemed to me that, if Australian professional basketball is the introvert, then American professional basketball is the extrovert that wears ostentatious shoes, blasts music, has three mascots and waves its flag at every opportunity. The strong national pride, interwoven with the excitement of show-business and the spectator’s increased adrenaline levels, was pure theatre. The anthem was sung before each game, while a 30-foot flag was held and waved on the court (a procedure we featured in on the court). As this happens, screens in the arena transform into a waving American flag and fireworks are set off. The crowd then is sent into a frenzy as the words “land of the free and home of the brave” are sung ceremoniously.
During our tour, we observed a basketball culture that represented some of America’s greatest qualities, while we also gained a unique introspection into the USA.
