Gators sharpshooter Josh Kooiman reflects ahead of Big V grand final

At 20 years old, he was trading the familiar hustle and bustle of Auckland for a regional town in Victoria, Australia.

A hole in the ground by all accounts, but a hole in the ground with a decent basketball team according to Dylan Wilkie.

“Dylan is my boy, I played with him for four or five years in high school,” Kooiman said.

“Dylan came and loved it and obviously thrived, which helped me because they wanted another one.”

Kooiman was billed as the latest Kiwi sharpshooter after Wilkie’s importation to Shepparton last season correlated with a grand final run for the Gators.

He’s certainly delivered and, on Saturday, August 19, he’s got a chance to go one better than his compatriot in the Big V division one grand final against RMIT.

“He’s (Wilkie) said to me that he’s glad we’re doing well, but a part of him hopes we lose because we’re doing it without him,” Kooiman said laughing.

“And that’s the nature of it, just being a competitor, and he’s right, I will hang that on him for the rest of his life if we do.”

Kooiman was initially inspired to pick up the orange ball by watching his older sister play.

But like any Kiwi, he first had aspirations of chasing the try-line.

“At my high school, we were an elite sport high school and we had academies,” Kooiman said.

“I had to choose between basketball and rugby and I kind of got pushed down this path and I’m forever thankful.

“I was probably a bit better at basketball, because obviously there’s a huge talent pool of rugby in New Zealand, but I was pretty good at rugby.

“I had a coach that really wanted me to take this opportunity and come to Australia and I did too, and the rest is history and now we’re here.”

When he got here Kooiman was pleasantly surprised.

The hole in the ground was a lot bigger than he expected it to be, not just one strip with a few houses like he was told.

“I was undersold, it’s obviously not as big as Auckland, but that’s made it an exciting change for me,” Kooiman said.

“It’s a close-knit community, everyone knows each other and I love that.

“I’m a people person.”

Having observed the Gators' loss in last year's grand final through a live stream, Kooiman couldn't help but notice the Shepparton crowd.

While players often praise their fans' enthusiasm as the best in the league, Kooiman's expectations were exceeded when he witnessed the remarkable support from Shepparton.

He singled out the Bill McCarthy Memorial Shield game against Warrnambool as a high point and said the atmosphere was unlike anything he’d ever been apart of.

When he got to Shepparton, he’d made a point of learning as much as possible about the team and already knew the names of his teammates.

From the first training it was a match made in heaven.

“We were going through our offence and I was like yeah, I know it,” Kooiman said.

“It was exactly what I had ran back home, so I didn’t really need to adjust.”

Prior to arriving in Shepparton, Kooiman's defensive skills weren't particularly strong.

There were instances in the past where he was even benched during crucial moments due to his challenges on the defensive end.

“That was an insult to me and definitely something I took personal,” he said.

“Coming in I said that’s what I wanted to work on the most and sat down with the coaches to see how we could make that happen.

“And now I get to guard the best player on the other team every time, so they trusted me with that and the work paid off.”

Kooiman takes after his favourite NBA player Russell Westbrook, displaying a large amount of passion and confidence while playing.

Whether it’s getting into the opposition or being a hype man for one of his boys, Kooiman is a presence on the court.

He credits this to his influences, including his basketball idols in his home country, family members and coaches along the way.

“One of my coaches was an American import back in New Zealand and he would always trash talk us,” Kooiman said.

“He still messages me to this day, not to ask me how I’m going, but to tell me he’d still kill me in a one-on-one.

“To make it in sport where I want to make it, you have to have self belief.

“A lot of people fall out of sport because they lose that and that’s not something someone can give to you, you have to have that confidence in yourself.”

When Kooiman first spoke to The News, he said “I want to get a chip’’.

He said that whether his shots find the mark or not, the only thing that truly matters is securing the victory, and he's committed to giving his all to fulfil his own prophecy come Saturday night.

Win or lose though, he’ll look back on this season with fond memories.

“I had no idea what to expect, whether I’d like it here or I’d miss home,” Kooiman said.

“The people here have adopted me like a family.

“I’ve met such incredible people and having Derek (Murphy) here as someone who’s been an import and has that experience has been huge for me.

“The only thing left to say is come down Saturday night, let’s show them why I was told we had the best crowd in the league and why I’ve been saying it since.

“And let’s win.”