THE DAY I SIGNED SERIES WRAPS UP
HOW BASKETBALL STAR MADE IT TO THE TOP
WHEN Brendan Le Gassick returned to the Gold Coast from the Australian Institute of Sport in 1991, a professional basketball contract awaited.
But it didn’t make his transition into senior basketball any easier.
As a junior, Le Gassick was one of the Coast’s finest talents and he was quickly scooped by the AIS Basketball Program for their 1989 intake.
Around the time, the Gold Coast made their start in the NBL as the Cougars before being renamed the Rollers.
Having played under coach Dave Claxton as a junior, Le Gassick’s Rollers contract was merely a formality despite attracting interest from Perth and Newcastle.
“I was at the institute for two years but I wanted to come home and was keen to get back to the Coast,” he said.
“I had been to a few games previously at the old Carrara stadium and it really used to rock and was an amazing environment to play in.
“Dave and Terry Ryan (general manager) reached out to me while I was at the institute to see where I was at but I was always keen to be back with my family because I struggled a bit when I was away.”
When Le Gassick stepped out onto the national stage, basketball was at the peak of its powers globally thanks largely to the emergence of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
His superiors earnt more than $200,000 a year while Le Gassick lived off a base wage, supplementing his income with community programs and event appearances.
After months spent battling American import and multiple golden hands winner Andre LaFleur at training, Le Gassick made his debut against the Canberra Cannons.
“I knew I wouldn’t be playing a lot in my first year because our team went about seven or eight deep and I was in the eight to ten region,” he said. “I always had a lot of nervous energy so a lot of pregames was dealing with that.”
The Rollers finished eighth in their first season but Le Gassick admits he never felt like he solidified his spot.
“I was always a role player at the elite level and had that challenge of coming off the bench,” he said. “It was strange at first coming from a good junior career but being regarded as a bench guy.”