Hoops

Luke Jackson picks AFL over Basketball

Yes, basketball you can play longer. The nature of Aussie rules is that you are done earlier age wise.

Jackson could grow another 5/10 cm yet. The afl talk it up and promise a lot but don’t deliver most times.

If you liked both sports equally and scouts were projecting you to be a really high pick in one then it makes sense that you'd choose it. Plus more money available locally whereas hoops you might need to go overseas.

The global aspect of basketball is what makes it more exciting I think. Plus, if you wanted to think longer term, would the average career length in basketball be longer than footy?

My preference is a global sport too, but not everyone feels that way.

And, in a country where the major sporting codes are divided heavily by geography, AFL is still by far the number 1.

NRL would be considered "favourite" sport among most people in NSW and QLD, but even there, AFL teams in Sydney and Brisbane average more people per game than NRL teams.

AFL might be considered "quaint" or "insular" compared to other world sports, but in most of Australia, it is a giant compared to everything else.

Most teams play a majority of the season in Melbourne with a few trips to another city. So insular. And it is really a half-national game. Give me a global sport any day.

I don't think its about what is easiest, I think guys just weigh up all of the factors.

Footy is the most popular sport in Australia, so for some, the love of the game is enough to tip the scales. When you've grown up around footy, with it being the biggest show in town, and you get a chance to be part of that, its gotta be hard to pass up.

Also, as was the case with Jackson, others have said the ability to play their whole career in Australia near family and friends is a big attraction.

Moller left the afl to come back to basketball. He’s taller than listed when you see photos plus has massive arm span.

Patty Mills could have pursued an AFL career. I think AFL just seems to be the safer option for a lot of guys. Very hard to make it to the NBA/Top euro where the big bucks are. Could see more start to pick basketball one day in the future when the NBL grows more and has a bigger salary cap.

Seems basketball always loses out to footy in these instances. Have there been any scenarios where someone chose basketball over footy?

AFL easier to get into because you aren't competing with the superior athletes of the US if you go college route and then want to play NBA/overseas.

"Isn't he only 16. Could grow taller"

Could potentially but hard to say. I wonder if he's had scans on his growth plates to see how much they've closed. Possibly (probably?) has and that may have played a role in his decision

Fair counters by most. Some smaller details that I hadn't considered. Doesn't necessarily change my overall though on this (As idealistic as it may be), but accept those points made.

And just to clarify about the fortunate and 100% comments.
I never said he hasn't put in the hard work. But a lot of kids (and adults) put in a lot of hard work to be better at their chosen sports. But very few would be fortunate enough to also have the genetic/physical traits (further developed by the hard work) to make you elite at one, let alone multiple sports.
And his hard work had to be 100% to achieve those levels and opportunities. My 100% point was about the commitment to a specific sport. I'm still not convinced HE needed to accept the ASIA roster spot and later Worlds spot to make his decision.

Anyway, I do wish him very well in the AFL, and do think he did very well at both 16U ASIA and 17U Worlds!

Handful of AFL u18 state games*

I think he genuinely hadn't made up his mind until after worlds. May have been leaning towards AFL, but he loves basketball and probably wanted to see how he went on the world stage and what scouts were saying about him before making his final decision. Probably felt like he owed it to the team too to finish what they started after playing a key role over the last year. He was fully committed to playing too, he missed out on a handful of u18 state games and missed a lot of colts games because of basketball. As arguably the best performing Aussie i don't think you can say someone else should have played, and I'm sure the coaches wanted him playing.

I kinda wanted him to pick basketball just to see how far he could actually go with it, but i think footy is the smart choice. A little undersized in his position for the next level. Shaping as a gun AFL prospect with comparisons to Nic Nat, and big key Rucks/forwards are in high demand. Lots of tall spuds still get good money and the stars get a big pay day.

If for some reason he didn't make it as a footy player, he could always come back to the NBL around 22-24 and have a solid career. With his style of play and attributes i think he could pick up basketball again relatively easily.

How good of a basketballer was he? Projected NBL star?

Seems to me no one has told these kids that everyone in the NBL is on $400 kay these days.

I think it's a very ballsy move to choose AFL, I mean let's say he goes #1 pick and ends up at a big club like Carlton and doesn't live up to expectation as a ruckman, he could be 21/22 and give up on footy due to the scrutiny and still have time to play in the NBL and carve out a solid European career if he really is that good... only time will tell

Didn't make the u18 Asian champs team. Might have made his decision pretty quick after WC.
Only Wigness from that u17 group made it into the u18 squad.
Bowen, Leaupepe, Kunen look Be the players in his position for u18s.

Rook, pretty sure Basketball Australia knew he had AFL ambitions (given he played in the AFL 18s Australian carnival) and even if he told them he was leaning that way they would still have given him every opportunity to go to worlds and camps etc. in the hope that he would swing back to basketball after those experiences and opportunities. If BA said, we are not picking him because he may choose footy instead, I think they would be questioned as to why they didn't do everything they could to keep him in basketball.!

He was probably the best performed player for Australia in his age group, so its not like he was last picked for the team of 10 worlds or 50 at camps and "piped" someone out. If he was last in then I agree with you in an ideal world, but he was probably first picked.

He is not "fortunate" to be a multi sport athlete. He's someone who's worked hard and earned the right to make his own decisions.

Cram, I do not disagee with any of your 3 points.

But I'm looking at it more from the perspective of those kids who are 100% committed to basketball at that elite or prospects level but miss out because of the athletes that pip them to those spots (Hopefully for the right reasons), but aren't 100% committed to basketball. Just fortunate enough to be multi-sport elite athletes.

I know it's very idealistic thinking on my part, but at these levels, opportunities aren't a dime a dozen (especially if they're age based opportunities)...So just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

Learn to read.

^^^ so if its about money then then why did he pick AFL?

The funny thing is it seems to be about money, even for young kids nowadays, because the AFL is easier to get into and in your own backyard, but what these athletes don't realise is AFL being local may be easier to get into but severely caps your earning potential whereas with basketball the ceiling is way higher.

Rook, he earned the right to play at Worlds and the academy games. He earned the right to make his decision on his terms.

Assuming he makes it.

Best choice for him.
At only 6'6-6'7, he would have struggled in the post at the next level.

He will be great in the ruck, a high afl draft pick and willl earn much more than he would playing nbl or some lower level league.

Granted I may be being cynical here, but I don't get this comment/way of thinking:

“I wanted to keep my final decision open until I’d played at Worlds,” Jackson told foxsports.com.au.

Why did he need to have played at Worlds to make that decision?...surely he and his parents had a fairly good idea of how he was leaning before the event.

It's great that he's a multi-sport elite athlete, and I do wish him the very best with his AFL choice.
But these decisions I've observed by young athletes (and their parents) who have been given opportunities ahead of others to then jump ship make me wonder a lot about the process.

That's an opportunity of representing Australia at Worlds that could otherwise have gone to someone else who only has basketball in their mindset/goals.

An opportunity at last week's NBA Global Academy & BA prospects that could have gone to someone who is definite on pursuing say a college scholarship and/or beyond in the sport of basketball.

I know it will be a difficult aspect to manage, but I think short term and long term plans of all elite athletes should become of the BA and State pathways.

Yes you can change your mind about something. But as mentioned above, these were opportunities another basketball athlete could have been giving who was determined to try and go as far as they could in the sport.

Yeah it sounds like he's made the right decision for himself. Has the chance to be a really special AFL player and stay close to family while making a great living.

As a basketball fan its a bit disappointing, but wish him the best of luck.

His loss.

Way more money in basketball and it's global. vs. a sport that is only popular in half of Aus.

^^^ which is exactly the reason he should go to AFL, (plus $$$ way more if you make it as a key big man in AFL where they are paying over $1m a season)

ok people here we go

who is going to win friday nights Div 1 games

boys
u12 Forestville v Woodville have to go for Forestville
u14 Woodville v Sturt its Woodville for me
u16 Norwood v Sturt unfortunately think Sturt will win
u18 Forestville v Southern be a belter of a game Southern to just get up

Girls
someone else can have a go at this cos i have no idea on the girls side ;-)