YOUNG GUNS
Basketball-mad George Kloska has revealed how Michael Jordan’s starring role in hit TV series The Last Dance helped inspire Bristol’s Challenge Cup success.
Rising star Kloska featured off the bench in last week’s epic final victory over Toulon – a proud achievement for a man with Polish ancestry but a born and bred Bristolian who might have been a pro basketballer had the rugby bug not intervened.
Kloska, 20, explained: “I played a few sports as a kid but basketball was my biggest for a few years. I actually quit rugby to do it but then got back into rugby at 14 and took it a bit more seriously when it became apparent that I might be able to make a career of it.
“Basketball was my first love, though, and I’m big on the NBA. The LA Lakers have just won the Championship and LeBron James is the man. I find him inspiring.”
Kloska added: “A lot of us at Bristol were watching The Last Dance recently and as a squad we actually took a lot from that series featuring Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
“Some of our older guys like John Afoa and Steven Luatua led that and it helped galvanise the squad towards the end of the season. It was just the work-rate of Jordan and the motivation and ethos he had to back up what he did in training that inspired us.”
At 20, Kloska is among a number of homegrown youngsters rising to the top under Pat Lam.
He said: “My family roots are Polish but I was born in Bristol and my dad played for St Brendan’s Old Boys, so to play my junior rugby there was quite special.
“I used to watch Bristol at the Memorial Stadium and it was cool to see guys like
Mitch
Eadie and Joe Joyce coming through, so to play with them now is brilliant.
“I managed to get into the Bristol set-up at Filton College and worked my way from there.
“Initially, I came in as a second row, which seems a bit weird now, but when I came into the academy it was mainly as a back rower and then I transferred to hooker. I’d back my ballcarrying skills – my size (6ft and 17st 7lbs) helps there – and I feel I do the basics pretty well, too.
“I’m happy with the way I’m progressing and to be part of the team that won the Challenge Cup last week was pretty surreal. It was a nice surprise being part of the 23 and I was grateful to get on at the end. Being Bristolian made me feel extra proud and it’s cool to see the club’s first silverware in 37 years – we all want to kick-on and get more now.”
With Harry Thacker and Will Capon providing stiff competition, Kloska adds: “I’ll just try to keep the pressure on to get more game time, but we’re all trying to help each other. I’ve got a good role model in John Afoa, who helps me stay strong mentally.”