By JARROD POTTER
It takes a certain type of person to take the plunge, pack their bags and move across the world to follow a dream. An even braver type is needed to turn their back on that when it doesn’t feel right. Dandenong Rangers rising star Rachel Antoniadou talked to JARROD POTTER about taking her collegiate chance but most importantly, knowing when to leave it behind and take her journey in another direction.
OVER 15,000 kilometres separates Ripplebrook – a small town outside of Warragul – and Tallahassee – the capital of Florida, USA.
It takes nearly 24 hours, crossing 14 time-zones just to do the trip, but for Rachael Antoniadou her school and her home couldn’t have felt further apart.
Antoniadou, 20, has been on the fast-track to American college system from the moment she took the court at Dandenong; impressing with her relentless speed and natural ability at the point.
After representing the state multiple times, donning the Australian jersey at the Pacific Games and making her WNBL debut for Dandenong at only 17-years-old … it seemed a certainty that she’d take the now well-worn path to college.
It’s where Australia’s premier talent tends to go once high school is finished; higher education and chance to impress in the premier proving ground for the world’s junior basketball talent is too hard to resist.
So Antoniadou packed up and farewelled a litany of friends, family and her Dandenong SEABL team to take on a student-athlete opportunity at Florida State University.
The team had its great successes in 2015/16 and throughout it Antoniadou played her part.
As a freshman guard her time on court was limited, but in her 21 games she fought for every minute and earned them all.
Her last match – the Sweet 16 clash against Baylor saw her Seminoles bow out of the national tournament 58-78. It’s the peak of collegiate sport; bringing the best of women’s college basketball across the country together for one almighty tournament to decide the champions.
But with those last few seconds on court, it wasn’t everything she wanted it to be … so her first year as a Seminole has also become her last after eight months abroad.
“It was pretty good, being overseas was definitely an experience, I’ll say that,” Antoniadou said. “I learned a lot – not only basketball wise but culture wise.
“I would say go with your gut instinct and don’t regret anything at all – I don’t cause it’s such a great opportunity and experience.”
“I’m not going back next year though – it wasn’t really a fit for me.
“I didn’t really find it up to what I wanted it to be – it was very intense, I knew it would be with basketball and everything, but it definitely takes the term ‘student-athlete’ to a whole other level.
“Being a student-athlete just consumes you – I thought it would but I didn’t really find that intensity of it fit the way I would’ve liked it to.
“Trainings were hard, that wasn’t a problem, but the workload with study and basketball – it didn’t really give you time to be a person.
“It’s a little bit too far away from home for me – very long way from home.”
While it was only a brief stay in the Seminoles’ system, Antoniadou has brought back a great deal of wisdom and a better understanding of herself on and off the court.
“I learned so much from the coaches – my coaches were great, they really for that and made some excellent friendships and learned a different style of play,” Antoniadou said. “Got to play against some of the best teams in the country – I went to NCAA tournament and we made the Sweet 16, we were in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) which was one of the best conferences and they were all highlights in of themselves.
“I want to say there is quite a difference – some games were definitely not up to what SEABL was, but there were other games that were at SEABL level or above.
“It really varied on the team you played, especially towards the end of the season and got into the ACC tournament, the finals, the NCAA tournament – it was really a grudge match nearly every game and the standard lifted.”
While the college experience is now in her rear-view mirror now, she doesn’t regret a second of it.
It was a necessary pit stop on her basketball journey and despite leaving early, she encouraged anyone questioning whether to go, stay or return home to not hold back and just give it a chance.
“I would say go with your gut instinct and don’t regret anything at all – I don’t cause it’s such a great opportunity and experience,” Antoniadou said.
“Just because it doesn’t work out for someone like me and I didn’t find it was the right fit for me, doesn’t mean it will be the wrong fit for someone else.
“Go with what is best for you and colleges are so understanding – I know mine was, especially when you’re such a long way from home.
“You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose if you stay college, go to college and come home or never go at all.”
Her return last month was quickly followed by lacing up the basketball shoes again … to re-join her beloved Dandenong in the SEABL ranks.
“Right now I’m just finding my feet again back in the team – it’s a little bit different from last year,” Antoniadou said. “I don’t have any personal goals with SEABL and it’s all team oriented; last year the girls won a national championship, which even though I wasn’t there for the final I was lucky enough to be part of the team that got to that stage.
“The focus is staying in the same spot with that and hoping to be national champions again with SEABL … we’ve got a lot to learn, but it helps us make our own mark and presence.”
She now gets a chance to add to her five WNBL matches – also at Dandenong – where Antoniadou hopes to earn a call-up to play under her former SEABL coach Larissa Anderson … but this time at the domestic basketball peak.
“Whether I stayed at college or not I’ve got endless opportunities, especially at a club like Dandenong who have been nothing but supportive of me with college and coming back,” Antoniadou said.
“SEABL is going to be the opportunity to play a lot more minutes than what I did at college – ultimately that puts me in a better position if I do get a chance to play WNBL.
“I just got back, I’m not expecting the world, but it opens up a lot of avenues for me, especially at my age.
“I’d love that (playing WNBL at Dandenong again) and can’t speak highly enough of Larissa as a coach – I know she had a great season as coach in the WNBL and I’d love to be a part of that, even if I’m just a development player.”
Above all, on or off the court she’s loved every second back in Victoria as she’s back in the right spot with friends and family at her literal side.
“Being surrounded by friends and family, having a bit more freedom to do what I want with my schedule,” Antoniadou said.
“I’m not run like clockwork like I was in college and that’s a little bit nicer I have to say, but I’m just finding my feet, finding out what I want to do.
“Getting back into study and work and things like that – but it’s definitely nice to be back with family and friends.”
