Rapp's battle: The Phoenix DP defying expectations

Photo: Ian Knight Photography

Austin Rapp has had an NBL off-season most player can only dream of, and now the 18-year-old development player is preparing to do all he can to help South East Melbourne win a championship.

Rapp was just 17 when he was brought on as a train-on player for the Phoenix’s NBL23 campaign, and since then he’s earned a DP contract, won the NBL1 South with Knox, and played a starring role in the Raiders’ NBL1 National Finals win over Western Australian side, Rockingham.

The forward is one of a number of young Australian youth international representatives who will be looking to make their mark on the league this season, and his fellow U16 Asian Championship teammates Rocco Zikarsky and Tristan Devers have already signed for the Bullets ahead of NBL24. 

Rapp (back right) celebrates winning the FIBA U16 Asian Championship - photo via FIBA.

He’s also one of a number of players – including second-year Adelaide DP Fraser Roxburgh – to be juggling school commitments, in tandem with trying to forge a professional career in Australian basketball.

Rapp believes the pressures of juggling so many important commitments at such a young age is crucial to the development of some off-court necessities needed to make it as a professional.

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“I think it’s crucial to my development now that I learn this time-management, I get to learn on working on balancing my social life, my school life, my training, and everything,” Rapp told NBL Media.

“It’s overwhelming but I’m really, truly excited to take it on and I’m so thankful to the Phoenix for giving me this opportunity.

“Right now, it’s crazy. I want to praise Mike Kelly and the staff and leadership group at the Phoenix to let me and have faith in me to come in late because I still have to do all my schooling. I’m there as much as I can but it’s hard at the moment.

“I have to balance getting it all done, but I also want to impact the team as much as I can this year whether that’s in training or even in games, I want to come in to training and do my best, but it’s a tough thing to balance.”

Such is Rapp’s youth that he only went for his driver’s licence following the interview conducted for this article. When people like him have already experienced so much success in the game at such a tender age, it can be easy to forget they are still so young.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">18th Birthday Buckets for Austin Rapp ?<br><br>Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL1NationalFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL1NationalFinals</a> men&#39;s Championship Game Live &amp; Free via Kayo Freebies ? <a href="https://t.co/XugGPjEPDx">pic.twitter.com/XugGPjEPDx</a></p>&mdash; NBL1 (@NBL1) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL1/status/1693136841027813479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Rapp will once again be battling two of the NBL’s best at training every week – after all, he’s in a direct positional battle with Mitch Creek and Alan Williams.

The emerging star is not fazed by the prospect of trying to make life difficult for a pair of former NBA talents, he’s embracing it – and he believes that’s the most crucial role he’ll play in South East Melbourne’s title charge this season.

“I think the most important thing for everyone – especially me – is to see the team have success throughout this year. We’ve been close to that championship for a few years now and we’re getting to that point where we want to see the South East Melbourne win a chip,” Rapp said.

“I want to help in that as much as I can. That’s the big goal, but another big goal for me is to help the guys get better.

“DPs don’t often get to play as much, so that’s not a big thing for me – of course, it would be great ot get on the court and impact the team there, but I want to be the guy to push guys like Mitch Creek and Alan Williams in training to get better throughout the season, and help the team strive to make that next step.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Yupppppp <a href="https://t.co/vrFUSDRArA">pic.twitter.com/vrFUSDRArA</a></p>&mdash; austin rapp (@austinrappp) <a href="https://twitter.com/austinrappp/status/1693221093757305218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Despite having signed on for the upcoming NBL season, Rapp is at a crossroads in his career, and it’s the same set of crossroads that affects almost every young, high-level prospect across the globe.

Go professional, or play collegiately.

Even in the NBL and the wider landscape of Australian basketball, there are success stories in both camps.

Current Boomer and NBA champions Jack White played one season as a DP with Cairns, before heading to Duke University for four years, while reigning NBL MVP Xavier Cooks returned to the NBL via four years at Winthrop and a stint in Europe.

Rapp’s teammate Mitch Creek decided to forego college and come straight into the NBL with Adelaide, to great success, as did Melbourne star Chris Goulding.

The current class of up-and-coming locals all have converse levels of college experience. Cairns' Taran Armstrong played two years with California Baptist, Melbourne's Flynn Cameron spent five seasons across De Paul University and UC Riverside, while Brisbane's Josh Bannan played four years with Montana.

Melbourne's Flynn Cameron is one of a host of players returning to the NBL from the American college system this season - a desicion which currently faces Rapp. Photo via MU Media.

In short, the changing landscape of not just the NBL, but world basketball, ensures there’s no flatline right answer – and it’s a question that’s weighing heavily on Rapp’s mind, as he prepares to begin his first season in the NBL.

“I’m still right now set on going to college next year, but that’s definitely not set in stone,” Rapp said.

“I’m very open-minded and if I have a good season here, learn a lot and my development keeps progressing, then I’d love to stay here.

“I think the big thing for me is, I think there’s a bigger part to life than just basketball – even though I wish I could play basketball my whole life. Being able to stay in the game for your whole life doesn’t happen to many people.

“The big thing for me going to college is to get the education I want to get. That’s what I want to do at the moment – I’m looking at a degree in business management – but then, again, I can play NBL and go to university here.

“I still have a lot of things to toss up, I’ve still got a lot of time as well, but there are definitely things I’m thinking about for my future at this moment in time.”

Regardless of what he decides, Rapp knows head coach Mike Kelly is going to be in his corner.

“Mike’s a great guy. My dad’s known Mike Kelly for a while from playing against each other back in the day, so we had a little bit of a connection before this," he added.”

“When I first met Mike I had the under 19s national camp at the AIS and sort of introduced myself, but he already knew who I was and it went from there. He’s a great guy, a great coach, and the time I’ve spent with him so far – you know exactly what you’re going to get from him.

“You know exactly what your role is throughout trainings and that’s a credit to him. I can’t wait to get this season started.”

South East Melbourne’s opening game of the season is set for Thursday, September 28 against local rivals Melbourne.

The Phoenix’s first home game of the season will come just days later against Perth on Sunday, October 1.