In the midst of a muggy Chicago summer, Mason Bruce witnessed the scale of professional American basketball firsthand.
The United Center crowd pulsed with enough energy to power the city. Eyes locked in on the court. Fans relinquished their emotions to the tides of the game, investing in a dance between elation and devastation. Thousands of frenzied viewers counted on the Bulls to give them that rush.
Bruce, native of Canberra, Australia, had never felt energy so devotional that it bordered on worship. Basketball back home was grassroots. A crowd was lucky to tip over 300.
“When I say America breathes basketball,” said Bruce, “I don’t mean to say this in an offensive way, but it’s almost like a religion. People follow that college or follow an NBA team, and it’s just ride or die. We just don’t have that in Australia.”
American basketball is a massive cultural staple and a billion-dollar business. It’s a relentless machine that churns out talent. The grit required to play in the U.S. makes it a hotspot for resume-padding among international students.
The chance for that in-depth development brought Bruce and his fellow Canberra native Ted Bigg-Wither to the courts of California. The Las Positas College Hawks had spaces to fill, and both men fit the bill. Bruce for his shooting ability, and Bigg-Wither for his height.
Despite an 8,000 mile journey, neither of the Australian native say they experienced drastic culture shock. For countries on opposite sides of the world, they are threaded together by shared language, temperate weather and a friendly populace. Bruce noted the “beachy vibes” of California parallel to home.
“If you went to Australia, you’d be like ‘It’s a nice place’ but you wouldn’t be like, ‘Dude, I’m on an alien planet,’” said Bruce.
“We’re pretty culturally similar,” said Bigg-Wither.
The main difference? Everything in America is amplified. From inflated prices, to super-sized sodas to basketball as a cultural powerhouse. The world of the “Aussie” pair and their career opportunities just got a whole lot bigger.
The men’s first practice with LPC made America’s fast-paced, aggressive style of basketball clear from the get-go. The Hawks are undoubtedly hungry. Coach Giacomazzi and the team debuted with the intensity of shark-infested waters. “It’s like everyone is trying to just rip your head off,” said Bruce.
“I remember at first, we were just doing runs at that point, 5 vs. 5. And man, just the pace that he wanted everyone playing at and just guarding the guys,” said Bruce. “Every guy I was switching on to here, they just wanted to get a bucket on you.”
CANBERRA CREW Mason Bruce, left, and Ted Bigg-Wither, right, congratulate each other after the team’s win on Thursday, Dec. 4. The Hawks won 95-60, taking their eighth victory of the season. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Used to guarding players that weren’t imminent offensive threats, Bruce quickly wised up. Here, it was sink or swim.
“That was like, ‘oh s—, yeah, you actually have to play some defense,’” said Bruce.
Bigg-Wither described it as organized chaos, contrary to the more play-focused approach in Australia. Here, every player embraced the same routine: capture the ball, attack and repeat.
“They’ll hit you and it doesn’t matter,” said Bigg-Wither. “I’m just trying to learn to use my size more and just hit people first.”
Jaden Woodard, a Hawks returner, noticed the pair acclimating to the ferocity of American basketball.
“At first you could see them adjusting to the speed and physicality,” said Woodard. “But every week they’ve gotten more comfortable. They’re reading the game quicker, playing stronger, and you can just see their confidence growing”.
At 6-foot-9, Bigg-Wither’s height is a major asset. It drove his recruitment. But it’s not all there is to him. Giacomazzi noted that Bigg-Wither is a well-rounded, ambitious player whose potential is only trending upward. Getting used to the pace of the game has been key.
“The biggest thing for Ted was just trying to get used to the speed of the game. I think the speed of the game is a lot faster here,” said Giacomazzi. “But Ted’s really, really skilled. So he’s picked it up and come a long way.”
Bigg-Wither’s prime skills include ball-handling, shooting and passing. Eager to incorporate his face-up skills in addition to being under the basket this season, he aims to maximize his input for the team.
“Ted’s versatility is really helping us inside and out, in particular defensively,” said Giacomazzi. “I think he’s come a long way already and he’s really just scratching the surface on how good he could be.”
Bruce’s former coach from the Canberra Gunners program, Reece Kaye, described Bruce’s physicality as the gold standard.
“He walked in looking like a f—ing centaur,” said Kaye. “He was kind of an in-between guard, so he could fill a bit of a bigger spot for us when needed, slide up to the four spot and just bang bodies with people.”
Kaye praised Bruce’s presence on and off the court. One afternoon, before his initial move to Iowa to play at William Penn University, Bruce insisted on stopping by Kaye’s house for a chat. He came to express his appreciation for his head coach, and his wife who assisted the team.
The pair helped Bruce realize his desire to take basketball to the next level. To pursue it in another country. To Kaye, the sweetness of the moment cemented it as a sentimental milestone in his coaching career.
“We all still have super high hopes for Mason, not just as a basketball player, but as a really great bloke,” said Kaye. “Really kind-hearted, very hard worker and someone who is just an ultimate teammate.”
With the Hawks, Bruce is finding his footing as a shooter. He’s focused on getting enough reps in to sink shots consistently. According to Giacomazzi, Bruce emerged as a vocal leader and proved to be one of the most cerebral in the bunch.
Off the court, Bruce and Bigg-Wither bring a fresh perspective enriched with “Aussie” charm. They’ve infused the Hawks with positivity and a bit of cheeky teasing, or “taking the piss,” as the two call it. The team has even started adopting the pair’s slang. Two of their favorite additions include “lad” and “geed up”.
“If you’re getting geed up, you’re just getting excited. You get rowdy. So I just tell them to get geed up in the warm-ups,” said Bruce. “It’s pretty funny. That’s a thing that’s definitely made me feel more comfortable.”
Since the pair’s arrival, the Hawks locker room has been filled with light-hearted conversations on culture. Whether it’s slang, driving on the opposite side of the road or junk-food staples, Woodard said the team enjoys comparing little variations in upbringing.
“They just work, listen and bring good vibes every day,” Woodard said. “They’ve got a lot of potential to help us down the stretch of the season.”
The charismatic Australian duo has big shoes to fill in shaping the Hawks’ success this season. The consensus is clear: the potential is all there. Now, the ball is in their court to deliver. The pair’s chance lies in their ability to magnify their game — just like their newly super-sized food portions. That looks like harnessing physicality, speed and embodying the assertive mentality of American basketball. Giacomazzi isn’t worried.
“They help us in everything that they do. They help us win,” said Giacomazzi. “And the players have all kind of gravitated towards that as well. They’ll help us tremendously.”
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TOP PHOTO: The Hawks lost all their top players from last year’s state tournament team. But the influx of talent includes a pair of Australians who’ve helped keep Las Positas potent. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/ The Express)
Jaxyn Good is a staff writer for The Express. Follow her on Instagram @jaxyngood.