The FIBA Under-19s Championships have long been the place where Australia’s young basketball talent introduces itself to the world – in 2003, the Aussies won the event in Greece, led by a talented young big man named Andrew Bogut. At the latest Under-19s, held last month in the Czech Republic, the name often mentioned was Dante Exum. Within local basketball circles, the young Melburnian is already well-known, and the expectations are above-the-rim-high; Exum is predicted to soon become the next Australian to play in the NBA.

WHAT’S HIS STORY?

About that name – Exum’s father, Cecil, was an import who played for seven seasons in the NBL with North Melbourne, Melbourne and Geelong. Notably, he was also a member of the University of North Carolina’s famed 1982 NCAA champion side, best known for its skinny freshman guard, Michael Jordan.

Cecil settled in Australia after the end of his playing days, and Dante was born in 1995. The kid starred for the Keilor club, earning a spot in the AIS program in 2010. At last year’s Under-17s Worlds, he was the leading scorer for the silver medal-winning Australians, and was named on the all-tournament team.

The buzz around Exum was already building when he went to the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon, last April. The game is a showcase for the top school-aged talent, and while Exum was one of the youngest players there, he more than matched up to what is considered a strong class of future NBA stars, including the likes of Canadian Andrew Wiggins and American Jabari Parker.

Exum heads another class – a wave of young Australian talent that AIS coach Ian Stacker and Basketball Australia’s Mike McHugh have called the best the nation has ever produced. Fans of the NBL in the ’80s and ’90s will recognise the import influence on this cohort – along with Exum, there’s another big-time prospect in 16-year-old Ben Simmons, while the likes of Jonah Bolden and Keanu Pinder were on the under-19s team.

Exum’s next move is keenly anticipated. While he finishes high school this November and could be eligible for the NBA Draft mid-next year, he’s shown interest in US college ball, with the powerhouse Indiana University among the schools vying for his commitment. Exum would be an impact freshman for any program – ESPN’s basketball recruiting guru, Dave Telep, estimated he would at least be in the top-15 of college recruits next season.

WHO’S HE LIKE?

It’s something of a hoops heresy to invoke comparison to Jordan, but more than a few observers have noted how Exum cuts a figure not entirely dissimilar to the teenaged MJ.

“It’d be a long stretch to put that kind of pressure on him,” Stacker says. “But he can be a similar kind of player – Jordan was a versatile guy who could guard multiple positions, fill in holes. In the NBL, Rob Rose was that player, somebody who could play wherever you needed him to play.”

Having grown over the last couple of years to 198cm tall, Exum’s best attribute is a lightning first step that allows him to blow past defenders. Combined with his 206cm wingspan – he has what basketball scouts call “great length” – he can attack the basket and finish athletically at the rim, the prerequisite skill for NBA stardom.

Exum’s body has some filling out to do, and Stacker’s focus over the last few years has been to improve the youngster’s jump shot. Exum is what scouts would call a combo guard, capable of playing both backcourt spots. Interestingly, Stacker believes Exum’s future at the senior national level is at point guard.

The Boomers had languished through a dearth at the point for a few years, but are now looking at a surfeit of ball-handling guards: Patrick Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Hugh Greenwood. Says Stacker: “If Patty Mills is on the team and Dante’s on the team, maybe Patty will play shooting guard [on offense], and Dante will defend the shooting guard. If you were going to pick one spot you’d want [Exum] to be able to play, it would be the point.”

WHAT DO THEY SAY?

“I was coaching Andrew Gaze when he was in under-18s, and I’ve seen each Australian since then, with the exception of Bogut. I’ve coached in camps and teams with Anstey, Heal, Sam MacKinnon, Newley and Ingles. I’d put Dante ahead of all of them ... I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t make the NBA, and he won’t be a towel-waver.”

– AIS coach Ian Stacker

“Exum is one of the most electric players I’ve seen going end to end with the ball in his hands

in a very long time.”

– Nike Hoop Summit World team coach Roy Rana

Story: Jeff Centenera, Image: Getty Images