Georgina Lennon sits down with Co-Captain Julius Joseph...
Like most kids his age, Rocks forward, Julius Joseph (JJ) loved nothing better than playing football: “I initially played football all day, everyday, during school break and after school. I even played defence in the local youth team, but knew basketball was my passion, so decided to give it a shot when I was about 12-years-old.”
“I was one of the worst players in the team, but since I loved the game so much I practiced and played as often as I could and eventually got better.”
That passion for the game only got stronger for JJ, so at age 14-years-old, he decided to get some professional training and joined the Westminster Warriors. At the club he received coaching from Steve Bucknall, who JJ says is responsible for getting him into the National team.
“Steve is someone I always looked up to and admired as a player.“In-fact, he got me my break on the national team.”
“He always seen the potential in me so I’ll always be grateful to him for that,” says JJ.
“There wasn't much to do apart from get into trouble around where I lived, so playing basketball everyday kept me focused and challenged my energy into something positive,” said Julius.
That attitude paid off and after five years with the Warriors, Julius was spotted at a basketball camp in London and offered a four-year scholarship to play basketball in the USA with Georgia College.
There he became an All-American NCAA (National College Athletic Association) Division 2. He also earned a degree in Computer Science.
“America is definitely to the best environment for student athletes.
“It’s amazing the level of competition, the facilities, and it was learning and growing experience for me,” said JJ.
If he hadn’t followed basketball, JJ would have pursued a career in technology, putting his computer science degree to good use.
“I really enjoyed studying them so think I’d have gone down that path.”
Julius was part of last years Commonwealth Team in Melbourne, which he counts as the all-time high of his career.
“Playing in the Commonwealth was definitely the biggest achievement of my career.
“It was the first time basketball had been included in the games so it was really exciting to be a part of it.”
“It was a great experience to play at that level and we managed to come home with the Bronze medal,” he says.
JJ is hoping to make it third time lucky, returning to the Rocks next season.
“There’s a lot of benefits to me being here next year – the Rocks are a great organisation to work for, the fans are great and I’ve set up home here, so definitely see a future in Scotland,” says JJ.
JJ has worked hard to get to where he is and says anyone wanting to have a career in the game should be prepared to give it their all.
“If you want it you can get it but you’ll need to work hard and practice all the time.
“It’s like anything in life, if you work hard enough at it, you’ll eventually perfect it and basketball is no different.”
