Austin Prosser (Year 12, 2025)
1. How long have you been playing basketball, and what inspired you to start?
I’ve been playing basketball for about 10 year now but only the past 4 have I started to take it seriously. My older brother Vaughn put the ball in my hands. When he started playing I inevitably got sucked into the game.
2. What position do you play, and what do you enjoy most about it?
I mainly play the 3(wing), but can play anywhere from the 1-4(point guard to the power forward). I enjoy playing the wing because you are used a lot in transition for either corer 3’s or getting a dunk every now and then. So in less words, I enjoy the pace and versatility.
3. Can you share a memorable moment from your time with the Bally Basketball school?
The most memorable moment playing for bally was playing in the summer shootout with the boys. Ijust loved playing with my close mates and then getting the W in the finals.
4. What’s your proudest basketball moment?
It would be untrue if I didn’t say my proudest basketball moment was making the U17 Australian Oceania team.
5. How do you balance basketball with your academic responsibilities?
There is no easy way to balance academic responsibilities and basketball. If there was, I would tell you. My best advice is making sure you do any work early. Don’t leave it until the last minute because then it can just get in the way with basketball.
6. Who is your favourite professional basketball player and why?
My favourite professional basketball player was KD but now is quickly becoming Wemby because no one else is doing what he’s doing.
7. Who is your favourite NBA team?
I don’t support any NBA team but I really enjoy watching the Rockets because they have such a stacked lineup from Amen Thompson to KD to Sengun.
8. What personal goals have you set for yourself this year?
1 personal goal I have set for myself this year is to become more of a defensive threat in as many ways as I can. I really want to work on my foot angles decrease opportunities for the offense to get by me.
9. How do you prepare mentally and physically for games?
To prepare mentally for games I will imagine myself just shooting all kinds of shots and all of them are swishes, basically playing 1 on 1 with myself in my mind. And physically I will warm up runs and stretches followed by some touch work and hooting. 1 tip for games, especially for layup lines, start your first 3-4 shots in close (e.g. layups/floaters) and then expand out (mid range/three pointers) once you’ve built your confidence from short range.
10. What do you think sets the Bally Basketball program apart from others?
I think the main thing that separates Bally basketball teams from others is the chemistry. When I played for Bally, My team was basically my friend group. So things like playing against each other at recess and lunch helped us understand one another’s game. Not saying that other teams don’t do this, I just feel there is a greater sense of mateship at Bally.
11. How has being part of the Bally team impacted your overall experience at Bally Boys High School?
As I said before the team I played for at Bally is pretty much a core group of my mates. Bally basketball really binded us and created our identity to begin with.
12. Do you have any advice for younger students who aspire to join the basketball program?
Advice I would give to you if you aspire to join the basketball program is to always have the will to learn something new. Even if it’s just a little detail. If you’re determined to learn and get better at the game, it is truly one of the best feelings waking up and being able to do something new you couldn’t the day before or week before.