How 118-point loss lit Boomers' big Nick Kay's fire

• Nick Kay is an Olympic bronze medallist and two-time NBL champion
• He currently plays for the Shimane Susanoo Magic in the Japan B League
• Kay is from the country New South Wales town of Tamworth

Nick Kay wasn't always a standout on the basketball court.

In fact, his junior team in Tamworth was the exact opposite when they started out, losing their first game 124-6. But the story of how that team turned it all around to beat that same team just two years later, was a true sign of how he would transform his career from little known college star to an integral piece of Boomers and Australian basketball history.

Now plying his trade in the Japanese B League for the Shimane Susanoo Magic, basketball.com.au's Brayden Heslehurst had an exclusive sit down with the Olympic bronze medallist and two-time NBL champion about his journey from juniors, college to the NBL, Europe and starting on the first Boomers team to stand on the podium at a major international event.

BASKETBALL WASN'T EVERYTHING

Growing up in regional New South Wales, Kay was well and truly in rugby league country.

"I feel like it was all about rugby league at the time I was growing up. That's what everyone kind of did, everyone watched footy because it was on free to air on the weekends and all my friends played footy until probably mid-primary or even high school and then had to kind of make a choice around the high school age," he said.

"Was it going to be play more basketball or go down the footy route? I definitely chose basketball and happy I did."

Playing in a regional town, you might think Kay was a big fish in a small basketball pond early on, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

He didn't make many rep teams, didn't have much success early on but it was the ride of playing with his mates that made it all worthwhile. The enjoyment of playing with his friends soon turned into some good fortune on the court.

"I really didn't do a whole lot of (NSW) Country stuff growing up. I didn't make a whole lot of teams until top age 18s, so, it was really just the group of guys I had in Tamworth that we really just enjoyed playing," Kay said.

"We weren't any good, we weren't good at all when we started. I think our first game I think was like 124-6 or something.

"We got smacked in reps and then I guess the thing that kind of drove us all was the fact that by the time we got to top age 16s, we beat that team in the grand final and that was just like kind of that light that went off like, goodness, we're putting the work and it's kind of paid off here and then we all kind of kept playing and enjoying it ever since."

Could you find a more Nick Kay story than that?

FROM TAMWORTH TO COLORADO

Things started to happen for the unheralded Kay towards the end of his junior career.

After making it as a reserve for a state school team before being brought into the side due to injury, Kay was invited to Sydney private school Newington College, where he ended up spending time with former Sydney Kings coach and current Chicago Bulls assistant Damien Cotter.

"It kind of felt like a lot of things just fell into place with it all," he said.

"Damien Cotter knew a coach in the states and next thing I was heading over to Metro State for four years of college. Obviously a lot of work went into it to get there and without going to Newington and a few other coaches along the way helping in the process it wouldn't have happened."

While majority of young Aussie talents are purely focused on playing division one basketball in college, Kay had the chance to join good mate, Mitch McCarron, at Metro State in Colorado — a place, just like St Mary's, which became a breeding ground for future Australian professional stars.

Kay and McCarron were the latest in a long line of prospects from Down Under to have their skills moulded at Metro State, following in the footsteps of legends such as Mark Worthington, Jesse Wagstaff and Luke Kendall.

It was there he developed under the mentorship of Derek Clark, who was previously the deputy to legendary coach Mike Dunlap.

"I was pretty fortunate to end up over there and then even that was just kind of like if I get another four years of playing basketball and I come out with a degree, life's great," Kay said.

"Like Mike Dunlap, Derek was one of those American coaches who was very tough, demanded excellence and wanted certain things defensively and that kind of I guess taught me a lot about what I needed to do to become a professional and a lot of things I learnt from him I ended up applying to being a pro."

Known for being the ultimate professional, Kay credited his four years at Metro State for shaping him into that player and person.

"You had to earn it there and they provided people with opportunities to go out there, earn court time and myself and Mitch McCarron went over there and worked our butts off and I think just the lessons we learnt from being over there under a tough coach kind of set us up to come back to the NBL and start off our career with the right foot forward," he said.

"Going to Metro State definitely allowed me to go up against some quicker, more athletic competition, which helped my development grow a lot like especially going over there at the start, trying to defend some of the American guys.

"I was obviously a step behind on a lot of those things and I guess when I came back I felt like, 'oh shit, I can do this now', this is something I've been up against and I can do it."

Kay's four years at Metro State were highly successful, having led the Roadrunners to the NCAA Division 2 Tournament all four years. But it was his second season, where he really stood up and which he believed gave him the belief he could play at the highest level.

"We made a run to the national championship game that second year and I guess when we got to the division two March Madness, we kind of had a really good tournament at that point, we won a lot of games and I was playing some really good basketball," he said.

"I started to realise all this work is paying off and maybe have an opportunity when this is all said and done."

Kay also had a message for athletes, who may have the chance to play at a quality division two school rather than believing division one is everything.

"I think (playing at a quality division two program) is definitely undervalued," he added.

"The opportunity to go somewhere and get court time, develop and have an opportunity to grow your game and grow as a person as well. I think even looking back, if I had the chance to go to a D1, I'd still take the same path I did.

"I learned more and had a lot of pressure on being in the position I was by going to Metro and you don't necessarily get all the accolades and whatnot to go along with being in a big school or anything, but I also don't think I'd be where I was today if I didn't go to Metro."

BECOMING A PRO, A CROC AND A ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Like so many others before him who attended Metro State University, it seemed Nick Kay was destined for a Hall of Fame NBL career. And his rookie season proved that was nothing but the truth.

Kay joined a Townsville Crocodiles team featuring former NBL MVP Brian Conklin, future close friend Mitch Norton, as well as former St Mary's college standouts Omar Samhan and Mitch Young, for his first professional season in 2015-16 after developing a good relationship with the NBL club's coach Shawn Dennis during the recruitment period.

While expectations for the group were low, Kay and the Crocodiles appeared to be building something for the future, recording several big upset victories throughout the season and the Tamworth big man's contribution was a major reason for that bright light for Townsville.

Kay would go on to earn NBL Rookie of the Year, playing 28.1 minutes per game and recording stats of 10.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

"It was a very typical rookie season. I came out to Townsville and knew I had Brian Conklin as the starting power forward that year and I remember the first day he showed up to practice, gave me a little shoulder to the chest and I went flying," Kay said.

"I went, holy moly, I've got some stuff to learn here still and as the season went on, I felt more confident, more comfortable and I guess even at the start of the season, I wasn't getting much minutes or anything. You just had to go out there and show what you could do and make the most of the opportunities when you were presented them and I think that's really all that occurred.

"When I did get the opportunities, I tried to do the things the team needed to help us win and opportunity and minutes came from that. It was a good first year.

"I thought we were building something really cool up there... it was an awesome first year experience."

DISASTER STRIKES, FLYING WITH THE HAWKS

Following an impressive rookie season, Kay had a contract in his inbox ready to sign on for a second year with the Townsville Crocodiles before disaster struck.

"(Mitch Norton) and I were living together playing in the New Zealand National Basketball League and I remember getting a call from my agent just saying 'I know you've got a contract in your mailbox but that's gone, Townsville's folded' and we had to start looking for something else," Kay said.

"I mean, I was shocked at the time, I was really looking forward to going back.

"We had a good team. I thought we were building something really cool, they provided such a good environment for us up there to continue to get better, I was disappointed.

"I came out of that conversation with my agent and was like 'Norto you need to give your agent a call, we've got some interesting news'. We were both shocked and obviously gutted for what we'd kind of started to do and what we weren't able to finish off."

But Kay and Norton, quickly turned that disappointment into a bright new opportunity, signing with the Illawarra Hawks to play under Rob Beveridge, where they went all the way to the championship series, losing to eventual champions the Perth Wildcats.

"We joined a group that was just coming off a really good season the year before, made a good playoff run and wasn't far away from having a chance to win a championship in themselves," Kay said.

"Moving to Illawarra, it was definitely a different environment, but it was also playing under Rob Beveridge, I'd heard wonderful things and he was a great coach, so I really cherished that chance as well.

"Obviously we fell a little bit short due to Bryce Cotton's ability to drop 45 or something in that Grand Final series but I learned a lot again from that year under Bevo as well as the vets we had in AJ Ogilvy and Oscar Forman and the guys who really led the way for us. Illawarra is such a cool place and their fans are so supportive."

While Kay and the Hawks thought they were on the verge of something special, it wasn't to be. The team finished fifth the following season in 2017-18, which led to an overhaul of the roster, Beveridge moving on and the duo of Kay and Norton joining the enemy.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

Kay and Norton were off contract at the end of their second season with the Hawks, and their rivals from the 2017 championship series came calling immediately.

And it was chatting with 2018 Commonwealth Games teammates Damian Martin and Jesse Wagstaff, which helped deliver Kay, as well as Norton, to the Wildcats. While it was a tough decision, it was a decision which would take his game to the next level and ultimately help establish himself as one of the stars of Australian basketball.

"They were the pinnacle club of the NBL, they had so much success and I guess looking at it, guys that went to Perth never really left Perth, they loved it there and they had such a strong culture there," he said.

But it wasn't only the Wildcats culture, which was a benefit to Kay, it was also legendary coach Trevor Gleeson's trademark flex offense as well as learning from former Boomers skipper and Perth assistant Matthew Neilsen.

"The system kind of just suited exactly the way I thought I'd play. Set screens, make reads on and off ball and I just thought if there's anywhere to be, this is the place," he said.

"Matt Nielsen was the assistant at the time and the way I spoke to him, I just thought, yeah, there's some great things I can learn from him and I think at the end of the day, it wasn't an easy decision (to leave the Hawks) but it was definitely the right decision to help me continue to grow as a player and I think that really helped me kind of take that next step forward too.

"Anytime you've got the MVP in your team with Bryce as well, he makes the game a hell of a lot easier and Trevor runs a tight ship. But he's another guy that's in Japan right now and I've got such a good relationship because of the time we spent there and even when I'm back in the offseason, Trevor and I work out every few mornings at the Warwick Stadium.

"These are relationships we built through that time and yeah just loved every minute of it."

Kay would go on to become a two-time NBL champion in 2019 and 2020 and be named in the All-NBL First Team both years. A period which saw him become a Wildcats icon.

He also took us behind-the-scenes with a Wildcats tradition, where players and coaches grew beards during the playoffs and gave a cheeky dig at his former coach's attempt at growing facial hair.

"I feel like Trev's has got to be up there (for the worst beard)," he said.

"It was a cool tradition though but you're definitely ready to get rid of it by the end of the playoffs and stuff and I mean, there were some good ones throughout the time... I think it's one of those things that even when I look back on, I still laugh and I remember my grandpa was like 'if you guys are doing it, I'm going to jump in and he didn't shave either' and my grandma was getting up him the whole time as well, so it was cool."

Kay also spoke about the experience of playing with one of the NBL's greatest ever players, five-time MVP Bryce Cotton and his decision to leave the league after nine seasons.

"You see him play and you think, how does he hit these shots? Goodness, that's a tough shot but then when you go to practice every day and you see it occur time and time again, it doesn't surprise you anymore. You're kind of waiting for it to happen so when he does miss one, you're more shocked about that. He makes the game so easy," he said.

"He's such an unselfish player as well. He takes the tough shots to draw that attention so other guys can get easier shots."

"Bryce has such a legacy in the NBL that I guess you're always going tobe a little bit shocked to see him leave. I mean, I tried to drag him over here (Japan) a few years back saying 'we got a good spot for you over here if you want to come' and he stuck around Perth. After that, I thought maybe that was what he was going to be in Perth forever but I'm also excited to see what path he takes now and where he ends up."

LEAVING FOR EUROPE AND JAPAN

Few people may have known but Kay's plan after back-to-back championships with the Wildcats was always to test himself in Europe.

COVID played a role during the 2020 NBL Championship series but the Tokyo Olympics were meant to follow that season before the pandemic forced the Games to be pushed back a year.

So, Kay thought it was the perfect time to take his talents overseas, joining Spanish club Real Betis, where he felt he gained the experience needed to be a mainstay of the Boomers at future Olympic Games and World Cups.

"I got to learn a lot, go up against these bigger European bodies, where I feel like I struggled a little bit in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and I thought that really helped me grow in a different way in basketball," he said.

"There was a lot of off ball movement and kind of different things that I wasn't used to playing in the NBL and I thought that really helped me prepare myself for that Olympic run in 2021.

"It was a very different style of game in Europe European game compared to Australia and stuff. Even just little things like you're playing against the same guys as you're going up against in the Olympics and having that in that scout kind of where you've played against these guys before, you know what to do. You know what you're expecting those kind of things in such short windows, like the Olympics.

"That was really key for me to, I guess, give me a bit of an edge or a leg up on where I was previously."

Then on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics, Kay joined the initial influx of Australian talent to sign in Japan, agreeing to play under former New Zealand Breakers coach Paul Henare at the Shimane Susanoo Magic. He had previously played for Henare at the Wellington Saints in the NZNBL.

"He spoke about what he wanted to build, what he was trying to accomplish, what it was like over here, and I guess at that point like my goal is always to make an Olympics and. I thought I'd done the work to kind of set myself up to do that," Kay said.

"I never thought that I'd be able to go to another World Cup or an Olympics after that, so I thought, well, if there's a chance to go over here and try something different, be a bit closer to home, I'll give that a go and I was really grateful I made that choice.

"It's been an awesome four years so far and when I went over there, I thought it'd be a one year type thing. Now I've been here for four, so I guess it just shows what it's like in Japan and the quality of people and the stuff over here as well."

Kay has averaged 13 points, seven rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season for the Magic, who finished the regular season in eighth place with the playoffs about to start tonight at 8.35pm AEST.

STEPPING UP TO MAKE BOOMERS HISTORY

Having made his debut for the Boomers in 2017 and being part of another defeat at the hands of arch rivals Spain in the semi-final of the 2019 FIBA World Cup before losing to France in the bronze medal game, Kay was hellbent on making the Tokyo Olympics team.

But with the pandemic impacting life as we knew it, just getting from Spain to California for the Boomers selection camp proved difficult. However, Kay was announced in the star-studded Australian side, which boasted the motto 'Gold Vibes Only' as they looked to make history and win the country's first ever medal at a men's major tournament.

Unfortunately his family wouldn't be there for his first and only COVID Olympics.

"(My family) couldn't get the smiles off their faces when I told them. It was really rewarding to give back to them as well as just myself that for all the time and effort they've put into getting me to that position," he said.

While Kay was always going to play a significant role at the Olympics, his responsibilities increased after being moved to the starting lineup following a tournament-ending injury to big man Aron Baynes.

The boy from Tamworth would go on to play 30 minutes in Australia's history-making 107-93 win over NBA superstar Luka Doncic and Slovenia to capture the bronze medal and etch his name in Boomers folklore.

"The fortunate part for me was from first game, i kind of got in a good flow and good rhythm and I wasn't starting. It felt like I was positively contributing to the group, so it just kind of felt like there wasn't any major jump, although obviously starting it becomes a lot more pressure I guess," Kay said.

"Once Baynesy went down, we all knew we had to take a step up, and although I went to the starting role, I mean Jock's ability to control the boards, his playmaking, Joe (Ingles) going from playing the three to playing a bit more four.

"There were a lot of guys that contributed, it just meant I started on the court compared to some of the other guys, I mean Patty, the way he played that whole Olympic campaign, Matisse was incredible.

"Everyone just knew their role and knew what they had to do to be successful."

Kay called the scenes when the final buzzer went in that bronze medal game his "best basketball memory of all-time".

"At the end of the game, I mean you turn around and you just see Joe and Patty and looks on their faces and just the relief, the excitement, I don't know how to describe it, it just felt amazing. Just even thinking about it again and what it means, not just for us but everyone else as well.

"It'll go down as my best basketball memory of all-time.

"I remember shooting out at grandparents' hoop out the front of their house and just like trying to make a shots in a row felt like an impossible task, let alone making the Olympics and winning a medal. So, you look back and don't think that would ever be possible and then suddenly you're there in that moment.

"I guess that was one of the things for me, is just thinking about family and all the people that had done little things like putting up a hoop at their house or taking me on some different basketball trips. They were the things I was thinking about, particularly in that moment, to be more thankful for."

CARRYING ON THE BOOMERS LEGACY

Players such as Patty Mills, Andrew Bogut and Joe Ingles as well as legends such as Andrew Gaze made the Boomers what they are today.

Having seen it first hand, taking that tradition and culture forward is now a priority for Kay as one of the stalwarts and older heads of the program.

"I guess in these little FIBA windows in particular, is the way that I try and give back to the program and help out," he said.

"Also to show that being in the NBL or being in the other leagues around the world, you still have the ability to go and play in these environments and play these campaigns and you never know what will come from doing so."

As far as making the 2028 Olympics, it's a goal for Kay but he is taking it one step at a time.

"I don't know what's next, but I love every time we get to go out there and wear that green and gold and I'll keep doing it for as long as I have the chance to," he said.

A RETURN TO THE NBL?

It seems every offseason we hear about NBL teams trying to chase Kay for a potential return for the first time since 2020.

And while the former Wildcat, Hawk and Townsville Croc said it would be "amazing" to one day make an NBL comeback, he also said the league was too good just to expect to walk back in and make a significant impact.

"I guess one of the things that I keep thinking of these days is it's not just a league where you can walk back into at any point and be like 'basketball overseas is done, I'm going to come back and play in Australia'. You've got to earn it, you've got to be ready to go, and you've got to be playing some good basketball to not only play in the NBL, but to have success as well," Kay said.

"I want still be playing good basketball for as long as I can and if that means I get a chance to come back to Australia and play then I'd love to be able to do that. But also don't expect to be able to just walk in and be successful or play in the NBL because the league is good. There's a hell of a lot of good players and it's just going to continue to get better as well."

While he would be open to future opportunities anywhere in the NBL, Kay conceded it would be hard not to return to Perth.

HENARE SHOULD BE IN THE NBL

In closing the chat with Kay, he gave his thoughts on his coach in Japan, Paul Henare, after he was a finalist for the Brisbane Bullets head coaching vacancy before the club gave it to former Senior Basketball Advisor Stu Lash.

"I thought Paulie would have been like a perfect piece for the Bullets. Obviously I'm not in the know of what's going on in Brisbane and whatnot and I'm sure Stu Lash is going to have success there," he said.

"But having been around Paulie for so long that I know what he can bring to an organisation and the way he played is the way he coaches now. He's a great guy, great culture dude, he's been around winning programs and had so much success throughout his time that I thought he would be a perfect fit for that situation.

"I think he was pretty keen to get to go there too, so it'll be interesting to see what's next for Paulie or what he does after this, but it would have been cool to see him back in the NBL and see him have success there as well."