Cranbourne basketballer Michael Theodoridis hopes a strong performance at next month’s national championships will help him achieve his dream of playing in the United States. Picture: Stewart Chambers.By Marc McGowan
TWO state selections in three years have Cranbourne’s Michael Theodoridis dreaming of a professional basketball career.
The talented 180-centimetre guard will play for the Victorian Metro under 18 team at the Australian Championships in Ballarat from 5 to 12 July.
Theodoridis, 17, first represented Victoria at under 16 level, and United States college scouts have kept tabs on him ever since.
“It was a goal of mine to get selected and it’s a pretty big honour,” he said.
“My real goal is to get to college in America and then if I could play in a better league than the Australian league I’d do that.
“Otherwise playing for the Melbourne Tigers (in the National Basketball League) would be something I’d want to do.”
But while Theodoridis, who idolises National Basketball Association superstar Allen Iverson and retired legend Michael Jordan, has some lofty personal ambitions, he understands the first priority at the national championships is the team.
“Victoria are favourites … there’s an expectation that we’ll get the gold medal, but I’m sure our coach (former NBL mentor Guy Molloy) would be even happier if we get a few guys selected to the AIS,” the Sandringham Sabres player said.
“Because I’m one of the older blokes, the coach is sort of looking at me as one of the leaders, but if individually I can go about my business as well as I can, I’d definitely love to go to the AIS.”
Basketball helped Theodoridis through a tough childhood, when he and his mother struggled financially.
Not surprisingly, the year 12 Lyndhurst Secondary College student cannot speak highly enough of his mother’s role in helping him get to where he is today.
“For the first six years of my life I lived in Hallam and then we moved to Cranbourne and lived in a unit and now a house,” Theodoridis said.
“I would be nowhere without my mum. She’s my biggest supporter and nothing would be possible without her.”
The sport also offers Theodoridis the chance for a bright future, but with that comes the high pressure world of scouts and intense levels of scrutiny.
“It’s sometimes better not to know they’re there because it can play on your mind,” he said.
“I haven’t known scouts have been there a couple of times because they disguise themselves pretty well.
“They’re pretty cool and calm, but it can be pretty intimidating and daunting.”
Theodoridis hones his skills five days a week and is well aware he needs to develop his game further to achieve his dreams.
“To get to the higher levels you basically need an all-round game – the ability to shoot from the perimeter, get to the basket and obviously defensive skills,” he said.
“If you absolutely stand out in any of those fields they take you to play in those particular roles, but mentally it can get pretty tough.”
