Written by Julia Montesano
Home is an interesting concept for West Adelaide Bearcats recruit Earnest Ross.
Even though he was born in Guam, he has spent time living in Hawaii, Japan, Chicago, Maryland and Texas, and playing basketball in New Zealand, Europe, the United States and Australia.
Ross mainly has his parents to thank for these experiences.
Not only did his parents get him to play basketball but they also opened him up to new abroad experiences in their previous roles with the military.
Add NBA roots to the family tree, and Ross certainly has plenty to be thankful for.
“Just growing up, my Mum always had me playing basketball specifically,” he says.
“I just grew up in that basketball family.
“My Dad played basketball and his cousin played in the NBA a long time ago, he was called Gerald Glass.
“Basketball just kind of came to me because I was just around the game a lot.”
One of the highlights of Ross’s basketball journey was getting to play with the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G-League.
The South Bay Lakers are owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, so the 30-year-old got to learn from some of the NBA’s top players each and every day.
“It was a great experience being able to work out with five or six NBA teams,” he says.
“I was on the brink of getting drafted and then agents and stuff started getting involved, so my career was getting bigger in the grand scheme of things.
“I never got drafted but it was amazing to come back and play with the South Bay Lakers under the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019 right before COVID-19.
“It was amazing being able to see guys like Lebron James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard and being able to be in the same facility and same practice gym every single day and working with guys like that.”
But before this amazing opportunity presented itself in 2019, Ross had to deal with heartbreak in his first year of professional basketball back in 2014.
Suiting up for another dominant game with the Perth Wildcats after successful college stints at Auburn and Missouri, things were looking up for Ross, who was aiming to put his name firmly in the ring for an NBA roster spot.
But at the beginning of his second year in Perth’s program, he tore his Achilles just 30 seconds into a game.
Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Ross decided to look at the bigger picture.
“Going to Missouri and being a top-five player in the nation to almost getting drafted to going to the Wildcats was like a totally different side of the game I’d never really seen, with that being my rookie year,” he says.
“Going to one of the most prestigious teams in the NBL in the Wildcats and just experiencing a lot of stuff as a professional was just eye-opening for me.
“Tearing my Achilles just set me back a year of, not just playing the game, but also being involved in the growth of it.”
The big picture for Ross also involved him playing for the Wildcats as a local Oceania player rather than an import, despite being born in Guam.
While it was a bit controversial at the time, Ross says he is grateful for what has come out of the classification.
“It was a surprise for me too (to qualify as a local player),” the guard/ forward says.
“It benefits me with a lot of opportunities to stay out here and play in Australia, so it’s just been a blessed opportunity for me to be a local and further my career as long as possible.”
The opportunities to play in Australia included racking up minutes for the Ballarat Miners in 2016, Geraldton Buccaneers in 2018 and Joondalup Wolves in 2019.
Now in 2021, Ross is ready to take his game to the next level with West Adelaide in the new NBL1 Central competition.
Having played for various now-NBL1 teams, he has had a first-hand look at the league’s potential to grow and wants to play a big part in it.
“I’m just extremely blessed and thankful to even be playing the game during these times,” he says.
“I thank all the teams that put out offers to me but most importantly, I’m just appreciative of West Adelaide doing everything they can to make everything work and making me and my family comfortable out here.
“I’m looking forward to this season and bringing some exposure to the NBL1 and NBL1 Central in particular.
“I just want to make the whole NBL1, whether it’s NBL1 South, North, East or West, a competitive league.”
Ross and the Bearcats will commence their NBL1 Central campaign on Saturday night with a clash against the Central Districts Lions at the Port Adelaide Recreation Centre.
