CHARLTON’S CHALLENGE

THE harsh reality of life in the bush, and the resilience borne out of years in North Queensland, were the keys to college success for Townsville’s Charlton Offermans.

The 21-year-old point guard has been forced to do plenty of growing up over his first three years in the US college system, but it is a task he has refused to shirk.

“The level of competition over there is a lot different to Aussie basketball,” he said.

“I knew a lot of guys that went over and a lot came back because it was tough. My first year was a punch in the face.

“You have those high expectations but once you sign with the college they have got you and they want to rip in and challenge you. At the start it is a bit difficult to process. It has challenged me in a lot of areas, both physically and mentally.

“But I have never really quit anything that I have started, I like to see things out. Sometimes that can be a bad thing – sometimes it can be great. Even when I was getting recruited to play basketball over there, they recognise Australians as being tough blokes. That was one thing I thought helped me out.”

Offermans is on the cusp of finishing his second year in the US college system on scholarship in the Midwest at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world, the Townsville basketball prodigy took the opportunity to return home two months early. It is the first time in almost five years Offermans has