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If there are two plays that get the home crowd on their feet during a game, it’s dunks and three-pointers from the car park.
Sydney Kings fans are in for a treat this season, with 22-year-old guard Michael Bryson joining the team as one of their imports.
A simple search of his college highlights shows the versatility and attacking nature that he possesses, a sight that will have Qudos Bank Arena shaking.
His potential was shown in his senior year at UC Santa Barbara, averaging 18 points and six rebounds per game, including starting all 32 of the team’s games.
It was a game against Seattle where it all went right, dropping 36 points, including tying the school record for most three-pointers in a game with nine.
“The warm-up felt good that game, everything was just falling through the net. You kind of have one of those feelings before a game where you’re going to go off,” Bryson said.
“I’d been in a slump before that, so going into that game I just decided I was going to go off a little bit. They were playing a zone, so I just knew how to shoot the ball well.
“That was a great game. It was one of my favourite moments in college basketball. That entire game was really memorable to me, just the feeling I had, it was really nice.”
NBL fans got a chance to witness Bryson’s ability to fly in the pre-season Australian Basketball Challenge, where he featured as a contestant in the dunk contest.
While he didn’t come away with the title, fans were able to witness just how exciting this young man can be.
“It was fun. I didn’t necessarily like the layout, but it was an enjoyable experience, especially that type of environment.”
Minor setbacks aside, Bryson is looking to contribute to a winning culture that the Kings are trying to create.
“If I can bring some athleticism and excitement to a game then I’m obviously doing my job. More than anything I want to being an offensive threat by stretching the floor out and attacking the rim. I just want to be a good teammate and bring some wins to the team.”
Putting the team first is a mentality that coach Andrew Gaze is looking to instil into his players, and is something that Bryson is happy to do.
Buying into a new system has been made easier by the fact the organisation has been so welcoming to him.
“I thought it would be a lot tougher as far as the living aspect goes, but the guys have made me extremely welcome and made it a warm environment to come into.
“There’s a lot of love within the team and within the organisation.”
A player that Bryson has formed a friendship with in a short amount of time is fellow import Greg Whittington, and a player that he admires.
“A guy like Greg is going to bring a lot of intensity to the offence and a lot of energy to the team.
“I love someone that gets fiery and gets pumped up for the game. It’s passion.”
The two bring a level of excitement to training sessions, although Bryson couldn’t tell who would win in a game of one-on-one.
“We’re both very competitive, so if you give us three games, it’s going to be a coin toss. If you give us two, we’re going to split it every time.
“You’ll never get a true winner out of us two, because we’ll just keep asking for a re-match.”
Many players fresh out of college are picked up by teams in non-English speaking countries, which makes Bryson grateful to ply his trade in Sydney.
“The fact that people speak English here helps a huge amount. We went to China for ten days and being able to see the difference between what going overseas can be and what I have really put things into perspective for me.”
The obvious dream for Bryson is to make it to the NBA, however he has moved past looking up to players, choosing rather to focus on making his own game better.
“I can’t idolise you if I’m hoping to one day play against you. That’s not going to work.
“I kind of shut that down (idolising players) and focused on respecting each other’s games, trying to find a nuance or niche that I liked in their game.”
Michael Bryson and the Sydney Kings commence their season on Saturday evening at 5.30pm at Qudos Bank Arena.
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