Chris Cameron Louisiana's Australian Big Guy

[Turbine]

One of the last things I found on his career is from 2016 and I read elsewhere he was there till 2018 but I can't verify.

https://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_.cleID=36551559

[CoolCajun123]

That was a good guy!

[Turbine]

Chris gave me this in 2006 at my request, can't find where or if I posted it.

Bio before coming to play for Louisiana. In Chris' own words.

I started playing ball when i was 16, before that i played field hockey and aussie rules football and cricket. Now in Australia basketball isnt focused around school athletics, it is as most sports are there, focused around the club sports. This means that your team has nothing to do with school at all.

It is a sporting club that has all kind of teams in all kind of age groups, e.g under 14's, u 16's, u 18's, u 20's and all these age groups have different teams as in the first team second and so forth. There are alot of different clubs in melbourne and most of the time you play for the club that is close to where you live. In every age group you play 2 years bottom age (1st year) and top age (2nd year).

Now the melbourne tigers are a pro team which has a junior club that feeds off it, that is what i played for, if you are in the first team it is called playing representive ball, and you play on a friday night all over victoria (the state melbourne is in)

I played for the melbourne tigers development team in my first year (1997) i was top age u 16's, i think it was the third team so i wasnt very high up. In my second year (1998) i was bottom age u 18's, and i made the first team for the Tigers and practiced with the pro team. During this year i tried out for my first state team. I made emergency (means i was a reserve, didnt play)

A state team is a team that is made up after a series of try outs, it is basically and all star team of the best players in the state, there are 4 different weekends of try outs to see who makes it, they make cuts after every session, about 200 people try out in every age group every year. The state of victoria is split into Victoria Metro and Victoria Country, two seperate teams one for kids close to the city and the other for kids out in the country. This hapens in all states, and we go to a site and play in a tournament for the national title. The state team and nationals are a once a year tournament so you still represent your club team for the rest of the time.

In 1999 i made the u 18 state team as a top age player, we came 3rd at nationals. This year i also played in the u 20's first team for melbourne tigers as a bottom age player i did this because i didnt get along with the u 18's coach.

Now in 1998 i changed high schools from Montmorency Secondary College to Box Hill Senior Secondary College, i did this because it was a school that had a great basketball program with a good coach. It was similar to a high school here with the athletes doing individuals weights and team practices during the school week, this is unusual for most high schools. In 1998 we won our state competition and were ranked 2nd in the nation, we lost to the 1st ranked team in the national title game, this was held in canberra as it is every year and it is the national high schools basketball tournament. In 1999 we won state again and didnt go to the national high schools tournament due to many of our players not being available because of state team commitments. (i couldnt play cos i was away with the Vic Metro team as were another 2 players on our team) As i said high school ball isnt that important.

While playing for Vic Metro at the nationals in 1999, i was seen by the coaches of the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) basketball team. This is the absolute best place a someone can go to play basketball in Australia. The youngest they take is about 15 and the oldest 18. Thye have to offer you a scholarship to go there and you live in dorms, and practice everyday and play 2 times a weeks, kinda like college. I got offered a scholarship for the 2000 season (feburary to july). Now i had finished high school as i went there in 1999 so all i did was play ball, i didnt go to high school there although if u are young you still go to school close by untill you graduate.

I played there in the 2000 season and then got another scholarship fior the 2001 season. Scholarships are a yearly thing. It was after during this season when Coach Johnson recruited me, and heres where i ended up.

I know its long and you might have to read it a couple of times, i tried to make it as simple as i could, but i hope it is what you need. I would love to see what you do with it and i would love to see some of the photos you have.

Thanks Chris

[Turbine]

Some pictures from 2003

[Hatch]

Chris gave me this in 2006 at my request, can't find where or if I posted it.

Bio before coming to play for Louisiana. In Chris' own words.

Very cool, thanks for posting that Turb

[IberiaCajun]

Nice look back. Thanks.

[cjr3888]

Took typing at UL with him. We sat next to each other and the keyboard in those small desks hit him under his knees. Dude couldn't get under the desk so it was good that his arms were so long.

[CajunSaint08]

Some pictures from 2003

Check out how full the stands look. Haven't seen that in a few years.

[BabbForHeisman]

Oh man, those red jerseys in the last picture made me remember that time period where basketball jerseys turned into sleeveless tshirts. Weird.