With ball in hand, he’s been everywhere, man

AUSTRALIAN Boomers point guard CJ Bruton has faced guns in Venezuela, early warning sirens in Israel and the disappointment of missing out on the NBA and Australian Olympic teams – but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

In a career spanning 15 years Bruton, who is in Ballina visiting his in-laws and will hold some free coaching clinics next week, has seen it all, earning a living in various basketball leagues around the world.

The experience of that has been priceless.

“I’ve enjoyed my time, you could say I’m definitely a journeyman,” he said at Ballina’s Southern Cross K-12 School basketball courts yesterday.

“I’ve enjoyed meeting people from other cultures. I like introducing myself and showing what I have to offer on the court but also to enjoy their company and culture and share an understanding of what they go through.”

Bruton missed out on a shot in the NBA after trialling with a few teams and then deciding that playing for the Boomers in the Sydney Olympic Games would be his priority.

The American-born but Aussie-raised shooter was one of the last cut before the 2000 Olympics and the decision stalled his career before he fought back to become one of the most respected players in the NBL.

He won two championships with the Sydney Kings and has played in two Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and a world championships.

Bruton can look back on some difficult moments in his career now and laugh, but some experiences have been traumatic, like the time he was held at gunpoint in Venezuela.

“I had just arrived in Caracas in the airport that is the size of a basketball court, and a taxi pulled up and the driver pulled a gun on me,” Bruton recalled.

“I heard the click at the back of the gun and I have shot a few guns before but seeing a gun at close range like that ...

“Then a guy got out of the trunk and you know that’s not right.”

The thieves took everything the basketballer had – gear, money, passport and his bags – but the 32-year-old counts himself lucky.

“I heard later that a soccer player came in the morning – I arrived on the last flight at night – and he was a striker and they shot him in the foot,” Bruton said.

“He played for a major team and I believe there is heaps of betting over there and they sent him straight to hospital.”

Then there was the time the early warning sirens blared when he was playing for Israeli team Ashkelon earlier this year.

“It was near the Gaza border. Tel Aviv is like Sydney and Ashkelon a bit like Wollongong,” Bruton said.

“It was a great place to visit and safe. The sirens didn’t go off once except on Independence Day and I was told beforehand not to stress out and that the cars would stop and everything.

“Some of my team-mates didn’t know though and they stressed out and got me on the phone and were about to go into hiding with their passports.”

Bruton will be in Ballina on and off until August when he resumes with the New Zealand Breakers in the revamp-ed NBL.

Bruton, whose father Cal was involved when the NBL started in the 1970s, is also part of the
Boomers squad that will contest the world championships under new head coach Brett Brown.

The 1.88m guard has been flavour of the month at the Ballina school with kids constantly asking him to either slam dunk the ball or shoot three-pointers when he’s working out at the court. He usually obliges with a smile.

The affable Bruton is the type of character who will stop and shoot some hoops if he sees a game in action on any street court.

“In New Zealand I often drop into schools and shoot around,” he said.

Experiences like these mean Bruton has had a full career – despite missing out on the NBA.

The free clinics with Bruton will be conducted by the Ballina Basketball Association at the
Southern Cross K-12 gym for 16- to 18-year-olds next Friday night, July 3, from 5pm to 6.30pm, and for 12- to 14-year-olds on Saturday morning, July 4, from 10am to 12am.