Warrnambool's Jaylen Brown says his biggest lesson from the recent Under 23 World Championships was the need to be switched on for the full 40 minutes.
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The wheelchair basketballer, representing the Australian Spinners, said the elite standard of play was evident from the opening game in Phuket.
"International basketball is a lot different to basketball in Australia," he said. "It was a little hard to adapt for the first couple games but after that it was pretty good."
Brown spent 18 days in Thailand, seven of those training prior to the start of competition (September 8-16). He said it felt great to represent his country in an international tournament, with the World Championships held every four years.
"When we were warming up for our first game it really hit home that we're actually here to represent the country and have to perform for everyone and not just ourselves," he said.
The Emmanuel College student was the Spinners' leading point scorer for the tournament, finishing in the top-10 overall for points scored (110) and top-five for points per game (19.6). The Spinners finished fifth, losing to Spain in the quarter finals before winning their final two play-off games.
"We were kinda happy and kinda upset at the same time," Brown said of the finish. "We thought we should have been in a medal match but we lost a few crucial games by only two or three points in our pool games which hurt us a bit.
"It just shows you have to be switched on for the full 40 minutes and can't have any little lapses as a team."
Brown said conditions were tough, with the team spending their spare time at the hotel to avoid the heat.
"Where we played they didn't have any fans or air-con," Brown said. "Our first training session we all blew up in about half an hour. As time went on we adapted quite well."
Brown battled a 24-hour bout of gastro on the second day of competition, missing the Spinners' game against host-team Thailand. Brown believed he returned to form in his final two games, while his first halves were stronger than his second.
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Meg Saultry
Sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard, with a strong interest in Australian rules football, basketball and women in sport.
Sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard, with a strong interest in Australian rules football, basketball and women in sport.
