A Long Journey
September 26, 2008 08:46 AM | General
September 26, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University freshman women’s basketball player Natalie Burton has endured a long journey from her hometown of Perth, Australia, to the rugged hills of Morgantown, West Virginia.
 |
||
| Freshman Natalie Burton is looking to get a taste of American basketball playing at WVU this year.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
Burton, a 6-foot-5-inch center, made her way from the “Land Down Under” to get a taste of the American brand of basketball. Although the decision was quite a sacrifice for the Western Australian phenom, she felt it was necessary to accelerate her raw skills and develop a game that could eventually land her a professional career.
“Personally, a lot of people are doing it back at home,” Burton said of her fellow Australians playing basketball overseas. “In Australia, there are not a lot of places where you can get developed at this age. All you’ve got is the pro teams, so the level is really nothing compared to this.
“You come over here to get better, go to college and get an education at the same time. And then you go home and go to those pro teams and get better.”
The decision to establish a temporary life far from her family and friends was tough for the five-year Western Australian state team member. She admits to being envious sometimes when she talks to her parents and they give her the latest buzz on what is happening back at home.
“We talk like twice a week I suppose,” Burton said. “Most of it is about what they’re doing in Australia because I miss certain parts of daily life back at home. If I have a bad workout and talk to them they give me encouragement like parents do.”
The transition Burton is making has admittedly been better than expected. She had plenty of questions about American life, wondering how she would adjust and how her teammates – whom she will be bonding with for a large period of time – would accept her.
So far the result has been nothing but warm welcomes from everyone involved in the WVU program.
“It’s very different,” Burton said. “I had no idea what to expect coming here, except that I knew basketball was going to be hard with training and everything. It’s different but not as bad as I thought it would be because you’re coming to a family in basketball and they are looking after you. You’ve got an immediate friend system here and they help you.”
Coming from a country that prides itself on cricket and soccer, the sport of basketball remains relatively obscure throughout Australia. The country has produced some national standouts like WNBA star Lauren Jackson, NBA player Andrew Bogut and St. Mary’s College sensation Patrick Mills, but the high level of competition in the United States has forced those players and others to migrate away from home and enjoy a productive career in the basketball capital of the world.
Burton acknowledges that basketball is one of America’s most passionate games, and admits that it will be a welcoming change from her days on the Western Australian state squad.
“With the women’s teams – like the team I was playing for in Australia, which is as high as you can go besides the pro level – there were about 150 people at each game,” Burton admitted. “It was very small.”
The Australian native can enjoy playing in front of much bigger crowds for one of the BIG EAST’s fastest-rising programs. With the Mountaineers lacking size this season, WVU Head Coach Mike Carey has found a recruit that gives WVU some height in the frontcourt and athleticism when running the floor.
Burton was first spotted by former assistant coach Dave Dagostino, who scouted Burton at a 10-day national competition and was instrumental in recruiting her to WVU. Now that Burton has experienced first-hand the way the game is played and practiced on Division I college campuses, she notices the changes compared to her upbringing back at home.
“I think it’s mainly how the women are built,” Burton said of the most noticeable difference in American and Australian basketball. “They are a lot more athletic over here. The intensity and the practices we have are very upbeat and very in-your-face. Back home it’s like that, but not as much.”
Culturally, the freshman remains removed from some of the things she loves most – including her favorite music group, Bloc Party. The band falls under the musical genre of Indie Rock, which has not broken ground much in the United States but remains pertinent as an underground, alternative form of rock back in Australia.
Another different facet is the daily cuisine that Burton consumes in West Virginia.
“I always loved the meals my mom cooked because she was conscious about eating healthy. I loved our Aussie barbecues and over here there’s a lot of grease and fat,” Burton said with a laugh. “But I am getting used to it.”
But health won’t be a concern for Burton as she grinds through each and every intense-filled practice. The pre-business major crossed over the borders to get a quality education and to play the game that she loves the most, which she credits her mother, Rosemary, for instilling in her.
“When I was in primary school my mom and dad were always pushing me to do a lot of sports,” Burton said. “I did things like swimming, but my mom told me that I needed to do a sport that I could focus on and she chose basketball. I’ve been playing ever since and that’s my life now.”
And the more hard work she puts in, the easier it will be for Burton to make her mark in Morgantown.
