The Sunbury Jets latest import Benjamon Robertson is ready to make an immediate impact in the upcoming Big V state championship season.
Robertson landed at the Jets from New Zealand earlier this year and he said he has been loving the transition.
“It’s been lovely, they’re all great boys, great teammates as well,” he said.
“The whole Sunbury community are all lovely people, welcoming people and they’re really looking out for us so it’s been a really warm welcome.
“I absolutely love it being a little bit away from the city, kind of just allows you to put your head down and grind through every day and enjoy the process of becoming better and improving every day.”
Fellow Jets’ recruit Joel Coffey also made the move from New Zealand, and while the imports didn’t know each other, Robertson said it is nice to have a countryman by his side.
“He’s a little bit older than me so I didn’t know him too well,” he said.
“I’ve played a few games against him, but it’s been awesome having a fellow Kiwi here and we’ve been loving it.”
In his home country, Robertson comes from a professional set up within New Zealand’s National Basketball League. He said he is keen to pass down the standards and learnings he has picked up from the league and deliver them to his new teammates.
“I played one year with the Manawatu Jets and then I was with the [Wellington] Saints last year which was awesome, learning from guys like Kyle Adnam, Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa, Tohi Smith-Milner and Taane Samuel, heaps of star studded NBL players, so that was really good,” he said.
“For sure, passing it down to the younger kids, helping them out, trying to get them through and giving them new learnings and teachings through the whole season which will be good for them and good for me.
“I’ve learnt that from playing the last two years professionally, you’ve got to treat it more as a job instead of just your passion.
“That’s about coming to the gym early, getting your body ready and taking it as a day of work instead of just for the love of the game which is nice.”
As a player, Robertson is the ultimate teammate, with an ability to play multiple positions and stretch the opposition. However, one thing is the most important thing he said.
“I just want to win ultimately,” he said. “Just get as many wins under the belt as we can.
“Culture is obviously better once you’re winning and the more wins you get everyone’s happier, the club’s happier, the community’s happier, so it just makes everything a little bit easier.”
Harper Sercombe
