Posted on 26 October, 2011

With Stephen O’Brien, Joel Naburgs, Liam McInerney, Courtney Healy, Brett Seljak, Zach Taulien, Zach Moult, Daniel Tomada and Will Sinclair all at college in the US, they will keep us up to date with regular blogs.

It’s hard to believe it has already been two whole years since I boarded that horrendous 24-hour flight from Melbourne for the first time, bound for Carrollton, Georgia. My first two years here have not been short on excitement, that is for sure, but I am keen on making some lasting memories on the court during my final two years of eligibility – losing in the first round of the conference tournament two years in a row has left somewhat of a bitter taste. My freshmen and sophomore campaigns have culminated in a total of just 32 games after dealing with several repeated bouts of glandular fever, chronic tonsillitis, stomach viruses, and eventually a tonsillectomy. I can now add staphylococcus to my impressive list of diseases that have continually made a fool out of my immune system, after dealing with the infection more commonly known as staph for a week during our preseason training schedule.
 
Once I was able to overcome that, it allowed me to concentrate all my efforts on our preseason training program, which consisted of a rigorous weightlifting program, 6am basketball practices, and plenty of grueling conditioning sessions in the unforgiving Georgia humidity. While definitely demanding, it was also extremely beneficial, as I was able to build myself up to a solid 235lbs (107kgs) after weighing as little as 200lbs (91kgs) following my surgery in February.
 
Now that preseason practice is underway, our collective team focus is on the upcoming season, which begins November 2nd with back-to-back exhibition matches against Division I opponents Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State. I have been working hard in practice on achieving greater consistency on my jump shot and developing my post game, as Coach understandably would prefer I spent more time playing inside and less time pretending to be a 6’10” shooting guard.
 
I’m excited about our team’s chances this season, as we have a lot of experienced players returning as well as some exciting new additions. Amazingly, we also have six Australians on this year’s squad, including of course my fellow former Cobra Zacharias Taulien.  Understandably the presence of six Aussies made for an unforgettable AFL grand final night earlier this month, which was capped off perfectly by a memorable Geelong victory.
 
Hopefully by seasons end my teammates and I will be celebrating our own memorable victory.
 
Go Wolves!
 
Brett Seljak #40