Angus Brandt
EVERYDAY CHAMPION: ANGUS BRANDT Like most foreign student-athletes, Oregon State University’s Angus Brandt wouldn’t be playing a sport he loves competitively while pursuing a dream academically – all in the same place. Brandt, a sophomore from Sydney, Australia, is among a growing number of Beavers who call “Down Under” their homes and they universally share the same thoughts about their fortunes to be at OSU. “I’m lucky that I’ve been given the chance to go to school virtually cost-free,” Brandt said. “Having a scholarship here is just unbelievable. It puts me a step up in the world and gives me that great head start after basketball is done. There are plenty of people out there who would love to be in my shoes and I’m real, real fortunate that I was given this opportunity.” Brandt’s opportunity to come to the States can be traced back to his coach in Australia – Damien Carter. “Coach Carter put the idea in my head,” Brandt said. “He thought I was good enough to come over and give it my best shot to make it to a college program.” It was also Coach Carter who started Brandt’s journey via Lake Forest Prep Academy in Illinois, where in one season he drew attention of several top Division I programs after being rated among the top 20 centers in America. “Coach Carter thought it would be good for me to get a little more experience playing before I entered a college program,” Brandt explained of his decision to venture to Illinois. It’s that experience plus playing one season of AAU basketball that ultimately led Brandt to OSU via the recruiting that began with Beaver assistant coach Nate Pomeday following a tournament in Cincinnati. So far, it’s worked out pretty well for Brandt who still has two-plus seasons of Beaver basketball in him. To read more about Brandt continue to the following Q&A: Were your parents supportive of your decision to come to the United States? “My parents were 100% supportive. They had my back the whole way ever since I made the decision.” What is the biggest difference between basketball in Australia and the United States? “There are a few little differences in rules from Australian basketball to American basketball. There are so many athletes over here that are just more athletic and play above the rim and are quicker. The key is shaped differently; it’s more of a trapezoid shape with the diagonal lane lines. Around the rim rules are different and the shot clock is only 24 seconds in Australia, where it’s 35 seconds here.” What would you be doing if you didn’t come to the United States?
“If I didn’t come to the States, I would probably be in college and not focusing on basketball at all. Basketball probably would just become a secondary, everyday hobby and I’d just be going to a university like any normal kid with a job on the side.” What goals do you have for yourself as a basketball player? “Once I arrived in the United States, the goal was to make it to a college. To come all this way for a long period, that’s why I put all of my focus into getting into a college for basketball. It was pretty far to come, not to be focused on that goal.” Now that you’re at a college, what are your individual and team goals? “Individually, I’d just like to keep improving and keep playing better and better. For the team, just keep winning games and trying to do the best we can in our league and who knows from there.” Do you have any interest in playing for the Australian national team in the future? “Definitely. Who wouldn’t want to play for the national team if given the opportunity? So that’s definitely a goal of mine.” What’s it like playing for Coach Robinson? “Playing for Coach Robinson is interesting. It’s a challenge every single day. But it’s real good and I like it a lot. You never know what to expect stepping out on the floor how he’s going to challenge you to become better. As a person, I think that’s a real good thing.” Why did Coach Robinson want you to learn the hook shot? “Coach Rob in the spring last year put that into my game and taught me the mechanics of it. Then it was up to me to work on it and put the reps in to make it better.” What has surprised you most about Oregon State? “How intense the culture is surrounding the sports teams. Being an athlete here, everyone knows your face and it’s almost like you’re a mini-celebrity in this town. I didn’t expect how into the team everyone around me would be.” What do you like best about Corvallis? “I like the combination of everything. Corvallis is a small town that is filled with 20,000 kids the same age as me. I love that part. You meet new people every day and everyone is so friendly -- I really like that part about it. It’s a great part of the world.” What do you tell people in Australia what it’s like at Oregon State? “There are a lot of great people and you’ll have a lot of fun if you come here.” Did you have a role model growing up and, if so, why was he or she the person you looked up to?
“My role model growing up was probably my older brother or my dad. My dad was a real good rugby player and he was always a hard worker. My brother was always good at sports as well. I’ve always looked up to him and I still look up to him in terms of how to act and hold myself.” Did you play other sports in Australia? “My first sport was actually baseball, interestingly enough. I played a little soccer, as well, like every kid. I changed to basketball in about year six. I didn’t really start taking basketball seriously until about year 10, which is like a sophomore year here. I guess basketball was the last sport that I really pursued.” What do you miss most about home? “The thing I miss most about home is my friends. I have a real great group of friends there and they always message me and tell me what they are up to. Whenever I go home, that’s the first thing I do is go and try to catch up with my old mates.” Does your family get a chance to watch you play? “My family tries to watch as much as possible. They’ve come over twice to watch a few games. Other than that, our games aren’t televised that much in Australia so it’s hard for them to watch on TV. But they always keep track of the scores and listen to the post-game interviews to find out who did what and what kind of a game I had.” Why did you decide to major in Exercise and Sports Science? “I had a little interest in how the body works. From playing sports all of my life and having a few injuries, I found myself when I was at the doctor being really interested in what they were talking about -- so it kind of sparked an interest that way. If basketball doesn’t work out, I’d like to be a physical therapist. I’m not real sure in what field. I’m thinking either sports or something to do with disabilities.” Is there anybody on campus who has been particularly influential in your OSU life? “All of the coaches and teammates have influenced me in one way or another. The people who have influenced me are usually the people real close to the team who I see every day like the trainers, the coaches and teammates.” What’s it like to have someone on the team like Rhys Murphy who is also from Australia? “Having other Australians around me like Rhys on the team is great. It’s always good to have that connection to home. It’s funny because there are only five or six Australian athletes in Corvallis but we somehow all became really, really good friends. It’s good to have that connection we have from home and good to get together with someone who can share what you’re going through being so far away from home.”
“If I didn’t come to the States, I would probably be in college and not focusing on basketball at all. Basketball probably would just become a secondary, everyday hobby and I’d just be going to a university like any normal kid with a job on the side.” What goals do you have for yourself as a basketball player? “Once I arrived in the United States, the goal was to make it to a college. To come all this way for a long period, that’s why I put all of my focus into getting into a college for basketball. It was pretty far to come, not to be focused on that goal.” Now that you’re at a college, what are your individual and team goals? “Individually, I’d just like to keep improving and keep playing better and better. For the team, just keep winning games and trying to do the best we can in our league and who knows from there.” Do you have any interest in playing for the Australian national team in the future? “Definitely. Who wouldn’t want to play for the national team if given the opportunity? So that’s definitely a goal of mine.” What’s it like playing for Coach Robinson? “Playing for Coach Robinson is interesting. It’s a challenge every single day. But it’s real good and I like it a lot. You never know what to expect stepping out on the floor how he’s going to challenge you to become better. As a person, I think that’s a real good thing.” Why did Coach Robinson want you to learn the hook shot? “Coach Rob in the spring last year put that into my game and taught me the mechanics of it. Then it was up to me to work on it and put the reps in to make it better.” What has surprised you most about Oregon State? “How intense the culture is surrounding the sports teams. Being an athlete here, everyone knows your face and it’s almost like you’re a mini-celebrity in this town. I didn’t expect how into the team everyone around me would be.” What do you like best about Corvallis? “I like the combination of everything. Corvallis is a small town that is filled with 20,000 kids the same age as me. I love that part. You meet new people every day and everyone is so friendly -- I really like that part about it. It’s a great part of the world.” What do you tell people in Australia what it’s like at Oregon State? “There are a lot of great people and you’ll have a lot of fun if you come here.” Did you have a role model growing up and, if so, why was he or she the person you looked up to?
“My role model growing up was probably my older brother or my dad. My dad was a real good rugby player and he was always a hard worker. My brother was always good at sports as well. I’ve always looked up to him and I still look up to him in terms of how to act and hold myself.” Did you play other sports in Australia? “My first sport was actually baseball, interestingly enough. I played a little soccer, as well, like every kid. I changed to basketball in about year six. I didn’t really start taking basketball seriously until about year 10, which is like a sophomore year here. I guess basketball was the last sport that I really pursued.” What do you miss most about home? “The thing I miss most about home is my friends. I have a real great group of friends there and they always message me and tell me what they are up to. Whenever I go home, that’s the first thing I do is go and try to catch up with my old mates.” Does your family get a chance to watch you play? “My family tries to watch as much as possible. They’ve come over twice to watch a few games. Other than that, our games aren’t televised that much in Australia so it’s hard for them to watch on TV. But they always keep track of the scores and listen to the post-game interviews to find out who did what and what kind of a game I had.” Why did you decide to major in Exercise and Sports Science? “I had a little interest in how the body works. From playing sports all of my life and having a few injuries, I found myself when I was at the doctor being really interested in what they were talking about -- so it kind of sparked an interest that way. If basketball doesn’t work out, I’d like to be a physical therapist. I’m not real sure in what field. I’m thinking either sports or something to do with disabilities.” Is there anybody on campus who has been particularly influential in your OSU life? “All of the coaches and teammates have influenced me in one way or another. The people who have influenced me are usually the people real close to the team who I see every day like the trainers, the coaches and teammates.” What’s it like to have someone on the team like Rhys Murphy who is also from Australia? “Having other Australians around me like Rhys on the team is great. It’s always good to have that connection to home. It’s funny because there are only five or six Australian athletes in Corvallis but we somehow all became really, really good friends. It’s good to have that connection we have from home and good to get together with someone who can share what you’re going through being so far away from home.”
