An Indigenous Western Australian basketballer is hoping his pathway from "humble country kid" to player on the competitive US college circuit can inspire others to achieve dreams of their own.
Marshall Kearing was drawn to basketball in his "footy mad" town of Pinjarra, one hour south of Perth, aged 7, but credits a growth spurt in his early teens as the catalyst for the game taking priority over all other interests.
"In year 9 I went from six feet tall to six feet five inches (1.96 metres)," Mr Kearing said.
"I went from playing a bit of footy and a bit of basketball pretty much to strictly basketball.
"It was a bit hard because all my mates were into footy, but my older brother Aaron played and he was the one I looked up to."
The teen ascended the ranks of WA's amateur basketball leagues before being spotted by Ash McCormick of Aussie Prospects, an organisation which facilitates transfers of local players to the US college circuit.
"Ash by that stage had a wingspan of over seven feet so he was pretty hard to miss," Mr McCormick said.
"But what struck me was how he carried himself. He was obviously very talented with a very dominant game, but he was also a very humble country kid and not one to sing his own praises. He just went about his business."
Grades a key to launching a career
Unfortunately Mr Kearing's school grades did not match up with his on-court potential, which put him at odds with a key requirement for the Aussie Prospects selection criteria.
"A requirement for being selected in our program is having a certain level of grade and completion of particular subjects which are recognised by the US university system," Mr McCormick said.
"When we first identified Marshall he was failing high school and wayward with his grades."
But it would take just one tour of the US college basketball circuit to prompt Mr Kearing toward focusing on study in his final year of school.
"We saw him come home from that trip and he was as driven and motivated as you will see any individual," Mr McCormick said.
"He got himself a tutor, doubled down on his study, passed high school and earned himself a full scholarship to a university in the US, and bang, he was on his way."
Mr Marshall recently achieved a undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of South Alabama and now plays Division One basketball for the associated South Alabama Jaguars.
While a career in the elite NBA or European league may beckon, Mr Kearing said for now he was appreciative of the support of his adopted club.
"There is big focus on all areas of your development, not just with the basketball," he said.
He said while he went through an initial culture shock of grasping the size and scope of the US, he has since become enamoured with his adopted home town of Mobile, Alabama, which has a population nearly 50 times that of Pinjarra which has just under 4,000.
"There are probably more people at each game than there are in the town of Pinjarra," Mr Kearing said.
"That is what stood out the most at first, just the crowd size and diversity of people."
Mr Kearing said while locals in Alabama had a basic understanding of Australian culture, its indigenous history "took a bit of explaining".
"I broke it down in terms that could be understood and basically compared my people to Native Americans," he said.
"That sparked a bit of interest and a few questions like what we are referred to in Australia.
"I explained, we're Aborigines. They got the gist of it and now have a better understanding of who I am and who my people are."
Mr Kearing said he remained deeply proud to represent Pinjarra's Binjareb people and hoped his success in reaching the first step of his basketball dream would inspire other regional Australians to chase theirs.
"It feels really good to be able to represent my people and my culture," Mr Kearing said.
"I hope I can inspire other kids from regional areas along the way to follow their own dream.
"I would say if they just stay focused, stay motivated and disciplined, someone's going to see what you're doing and you'll get that opportunity to take it further than what you ever expected."
