WITH the National Basketball League (NBL) passing over the halfway mark of the season, Rookie Me Central took the opportunity to get to know the up and coming future in the making that is Mason Peatling.

Peatling has risen through the ranks of the Victorian basketball pathway, firstly starting a team at Casey with mates, to playing at Dandenong, being coached by the legendary Ricky Baldwin, being apart of multiple Victorian Junior Championship and Victorian Championship teams, to playing college in the United States. Now, he’s a fully contracted Melbourne United player.

Heading over to the US to play with Eastern Washington University, Peatling shared his experiences of being part of the championship team, as well as his mentors, and having the guidance from former NBL player, Jacob Wiley.

“For me, going to college was pretty nerve racking and I wasn’t sure what to expect,” Peatling said. “There were a couple of Australians on the team and to have that connection, you don’t really know what it’s going to be like so it was a massive unknown for me. I was really lucky to have good teammates that made me feel comfortable, make me feel settled and taking my wife was a massive support system to have as well.

“I think it’s important to find the right college and school for you. So many players get caught up on how schools can be flashy or promise a lot of things that they can’t keep. The coaches were really understanding of what I needed to succeed on and off the floor, which really set me up for success and I was really lucky to be a part of that program.

“I was lucky that they made it work for me. They allowed me to bring my wife, Laura, over to America with me was a huge part of making it work. It was the two of us that went over to America and spent four years of basketball there, which was a lot of ups and downs and a lot of hard work.”

As COVID had an impact on the tournaments, Peatling had the opportunity to head home to Australia and from there, there has been plenty on the horizon. The United baller reflected on that journey.

“It allowed me to come home back to Australia bit earlier to train for both the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne United,” he said. “It allowed me to go to their gym and practise with those teams. If I didn’t have time, because of COVID, maybe I don’t get signed by Melbourne United, which was one of the best things that has happened in my basketball career. As much as it was a setback to lose an opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament because of COVID, to get signed by Melbourne United – the rest is sort of history.

“For me, when I was really young, I wasn’t the best player in the gym and the most talented player on the team, whether that’s juniors, state teams, college or the NBL. Because of that, I’ve moulded my game around being one of the best teammates that I can be at every level, I’ve been able to achieve that which has been huge to my successes as a basketball player.

“I don’t really do a good job at reflecting back and thinking back on all my past accomplishments and I’d like to think that there is plenty of time for me to do that at the end of my career and I hope there is plenty of basketball ahead of me. Hopefully I can use all that time afterwards to look back and enjoy.”

Currently playing with Melbourne United, Peatling is enjoying every moment in the NBL. From playing in the centre position in college to now playing in the power forward role, Peatling shares who has helped him along the way, including being coached by Dean Vickerman.

“Having a guy like David Barlow on the team is huge. He’s been a great resource for me, asking questions every day and he’s awesome at helping me all the time,” he said. “I’ve also got another teammate in Jack White, where we both play the same position. Often at times, we’re teaching each other because we’re both learning on the job and that’s been a great experience for me. It’s also been a really good opportunity to improve what I learned in college. It’s an intensive environment in college in America and you learn a lot of things such as how to watch film, how to stay in games and what to improve.

“I really like his very fair approach to the game, especially coaching his players. Dean is someone who doesn’t get caught up in the emotions in the game, we all do, players included, players, fans, anyone. For him to come to training every day or when we have a meeting, he approaches it in a non-emotional way. He is very firm in delivering feedback and criticism. He keeps all players accountable because he’s not exaggerating anything.

“Dean does a great job of making you feel comfortable and  as players, that shows in how we play individually but also as a team. He does a great job keeping it fresh, changing it up and doing little things. No one is every bored, keeps us engaged and it’s a huge part to getting better by everyone showing up everyday and doing their job.”

Playing alongside the likes of White since Under 18s and playing against him in the AIS, Peatling got a glimpse of how tough he is as both a teammate and opponent. Glad to be on the same side, Peatling shares how special it is to line up next to White.

“Jack has gotten better… in every aspect of his game,” Peatling said. “It’s been awesome to see and to be on the same team as him and share the highs and low of professional basketball, it’s made the experience so much better for me.

“He has been one of my best teammates now and we enjoy playing and growing together. I can’t wait to see what he can do in the league or wherever he plays his professional basketball over the next 10 to 15 years and he thinks exactly for me. It’s been a privilege to play with him and I look forward to being his teammate for a long, long time.”

With Melbourne United looking good on top of the ladder, Peatling believes since getting key players and the whole group together, the team has played well and is excited for what is to come.

“As a team, we feed off each other and play really well together and those new pieces we’ve added to the mix this year… On defence, it’s even better than the team last year. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the season goes forward,” he said.

Throughout Peatling’s basketball journey, he has enjoyed being in a team environment where he doesn’t have to put pressure on himself to win on his own. With basketball having a huge impact for as long as he can remember, Peatling is grateful for the opportunities that has earned.

“I was able to go oversees for a couple of years, go to university and to go oversees with a different experience, I wouldn’t take it back,” he said. “To play in front of massive crowds at John Cain Arena in the state where I grew up, it’s an amazing thing I get to do playing in front of friends and family. I started to play basketball because I love the game. I really enjoy it and it makes me feel good. I’m going to keep doing it as long as I can and keep enjoying it.

“When things go wrong, there’s so many things to look at and there’s many ways to work together to fix the problem. That’s the best part about team sport, I like to work together with my teammates and share the success we have. That’s one of my favourite things about playing basketball.”

Lastly, Peatling shared his words of wisdom for those that want to improve their game.

“Keep working hard at the craft,” he said. “There’s so many good things that can come from working hard, not only on the court but off the court. For young kids working on their game, working hard goes a long way towards achieving the success you want.”