By JARROD POTTER
FOOTBALL almost lost recent convert Jayden Bubb back to his sporting roots.
Sidelined with injury, watching Australians Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova battle it out in the NBA Finals earlier this year, the Dandenong Stingrays’ ruckman wondered if his ambitious return to football – five years after he last played as a junior – was worth continuing at all.
It wasn’t an easy decision in the first place to leave behind a sport that he already was excelling in.
Bubb, 19, from Berwick, was selected for a prestigious international basketball camp last year and was on the radar for a number of American college teams as he finished his secondary schooling.
But the 205cm ruck/forward prospect made the leap into the new sport over summer and found the going a lot harder than he initially predicted.
“I made the transition within two weeks – had that pill in my hand and going into that pre-season was pretty tough,” Bubb said.
“I wasn’t fit enough with the long distance running and trying to get used to the oval pill instead of the round ball.
“Probably the first four weeks of the TAC Cup was pretty hard – I wasn’t really understanding much and knowing where I was meant to be at certain times.
“The coaches at Stingrays were very helpful – especially Nick Cox – always believed in me and backed me, it was a big change and I’ve slowly adjusted to it.”
After a rough start to his TAC Cup career – effectively re-learning the game under the intense spotlight of the elite competition – Bubb contemplated leaving football completely and getting back to the Victorian basketball landscape where he had already made a strong name for himself.
“It (returning to basketball) crossed my mind not too long ago,” Bubb said.
“Not too many people know it crossed my mind – except for my best mates and my family.
“I sat down and talked to Wheels (Mark Wheeler) and Blacky (Craig Black) about it – I was injured at the time and kind of down on myself.
“Kind of missed basketball and was watching the NBA finals, watching Bogut and probably got down at it and sat down to see where my head was at.
“They gave me the week off to get away from everything.”
Time away from Shepley Oval was spent with a basketball in his hand as he wondered if he was making the right choice for his sporting future.
Surprisingly it was a shoot around with friends – going back to basketball even if only for a fleeting moment – that made Bubb realise he could always do that no matter what.
His time in the TAC Cup however was fleeting and ticking away week-by-week, so he needed to focus on that and grab any football opportunity with both hands.
“I went and shot some hoops with mates and then I kind of sat down and thought I can always go back to this sport,” Bubb said.
“It’s always going to be there for me, but I just need to get on with the goal now and finish off the season strongly and see what happens and just go from there.”
His persistence to return, not on the easier route back to basketball but to get back onto the football oval, paid off handsomely this weekend.
After battling back from injury, shrugging off his doubts and earning his place once more in the Stingrays’ line-up, the Beaconsfield footballer was told on Tuesday he would get to run out onto Frankston Oval over the weekend, but not with his Stingrays team-mates in the curtain-raiser.
“I rocked up to training on Tuesday night at the Stingrays and thought it would be a normal session, but Blacky (Craig Black) and Wheels (Mark Wheeler) pulled me into the office and said ‘you’re playing VFL this weekend’,” Bubb said.
“I was shocked at first, but the Frankston ruckman was injured and they told me I was playing against Geelong’s big Dawson (Simpson).
“Saturday night I didn’t have too great of a sleep – was pretty nervous – but once I got there everyone said to me ‘you’re a big boy – just use your size’ and everyone got around me and I was comfortable on Sunday.
“It was great to get out there – especially playing against big Dawson – who threw me around like a rag doll – but it was a great experience that I’ll always remember.”
There was no easing into the VFL process for the newly anointed Frankston ruckman, though, as he was thrust into the initial centre bounce to battle the Cats’ main ruckman Dawson Simpson.
While it was a tough outing all around for the Dolphins, downed by 71 points, Bubb savoured the senior opportunity and was welcomed with open arms into the VFL ranks by Frankston team-mates and most unlikely of all … his direct opponent on Sunday.
“Got onto the end of it eventually – after the game Simpson said to me to keep working on my craft,” Bubb said.
“He said that I was a big boy and one of the tougher opponents he had faced this year and hopefully sees me out on the big stage one day, which was great to hear.”
Bubb expects to stay in the VFL ranks for the time being and return to the Stingrays towards the start of finals.
He wanted to thank the Stingrays and his family for their continual support of where his sporting ambitions have taken him.
