Mansey R. Billiot
June 21, 2011
Eugene Valentine Sr.
June 23, 2011
Former Nicholls State forward Anatoly Bose has officially fulfilled his dream.
He’s a professional basketball player.
The standout forward signed with the Sydney Kings of the Australian-based National Basketball League last Wednesday.
‘This is a proud day for the Nicholls basketball program, Nicholls State men’s basketball coach J.P. Piper said of his former player’s signing.
The NBL is to Australia what the NBA is to the United States.
Of that elite status, the Sydney Kings just may be that the ‘kings of the continent.
Bose’s new team has appeared in the NBL Finals in five of the past eight seasons, winning three championships in that span.
Piper said it’s difficult for Americans unfamiliar with Australian basketball to understand how big an accomplishment this is for Bose.
To help paint a clearer picture, the Colonels’ coach related Bose’s signing in Louisiana terms.
‘This is like a kid growing up in New Orleans and signing with the Saints, he said. ‘The Sydney Kings have a great coaching staff and a tradition of winning.
Bose landed on the professional basketball radar after having one of the best Colonels careers in recent memory.
After averaging 21.1 points per game as a junior, Bose lifted his game to another level in 2010-11, taking Nicholls to the Southland Conference Tournament, despite the team’s second scorer, Fred Hunter, being lost to an injury.
For his senior season, the Australian averaged 22.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
During that final collegiate go-round, the senior scored 37 points in a game against annual contender Oklahoma State and also led the Colonels to a victory against LSU, scoring 28 points in the 62-53 win.
In his Nicholls State career, the 6-foot-6-inch standout finished with 50 games of 20-or-more points and 2,050 career points.
‘I always had hoop dreams just like anyone else growing up. But no, I never really expected to go this far, Bose said in May when asked of his professional ambitions. ‘I always wanted to do something with basketball, but this really all is a dream come true for me. Because I honestly didn’t think I would be able to make it this far with the game.
The past several weeks, Bose has been working out for several NBA teams across the country in advance of tomorrow’s 2011 NBA Draft.
Bose still may be one of the 60 players selected to play at the highest level in the world, and recent mock drafts have the player listed as a fringe player, meaning he could be a late second round pick or an undrafted free agent signee.
But with a lengthy NBA lockout widely expected among those inside basketball circles, Piper said his player took initiative and decided that signing in Australia was the best thing to do at this time.
‘With the impending NBA lockout, professional opportunities in any country will be hard to come by, Piper explained. ‘That makes this opportunity even more special, given the shortage of jobs and the number of qualified players out there willing to go play anywhere.
With his professional contract taking him home to Australia, Bose will shift gears and try to become a member of the country’s national team for a second-straight season.
He will spend some of his summer looking to make the country’s team as it prepares for the Olympic qualifying series.
If he makes the team, that’d be another dream scratched off Bose’s list of life-long goals.
For now, Bose just being a pro is good enough for Piper.
‘I am thrilled for Anatoly and his family, Piper said. ‘It is great for Anatoly to be able to go home and begin his professional career.
Nicholls State senior forward Anatoly Bose fires a shot in traffic during a game last season. Bose signed a contract this week to begin his professional career with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League. NSU SPORTS MEDIA
