BOB LATTA/Hesston Record
Ryan Lohfink has traveled far from his part-time Hesston bank teller position. The former Bethel College graduate from western Kansas is playing basketball in a professional league in a coastal city in Australia.
Sports: Bethel grad's dream of pro basketball is still alive
A year ago, Ryan Lohfink was working as a part-time teller at Central National Bank in Hesston.
But the 6-foot, 7-inch former Bethel College hoop standout dreamed of playing professional basketball, and he was taking the year off after his college graduation to somehow see if he could make it happen.
Lohfink’s dream is still alive. In fact, to some extent, it has come true, but he had to travel half way around the world and to another continent to nurture that dream.
He currently is playing for the Mandurah Magic in the State Basketball League, a professional league in Australia. The SBL is a step below the National Basketball League, the top level in Australia.
Lohfink said he left the bank in mid November to join the New York Nationals, the team that travels and plays the Harlem Globetrotters. It was formerly known as the Washington Generals. Lohfink was under contract to tour with them until early May.
“The scout for the Nationals found out about me through the Infosport camp I attended in Florida in June of last year,” said Lohfink.
He said John Triscari, the coach of the Australian team, had also seen his profile on the Infosport Web site and in mid December, Triscari sent the former Thresher an email asking if he would be available in March when their season began.
“I told them that I was under contract until May with the Nationals, but if they still needed somebody around that time, I would be happy to come and play.”
Lohfink said an American player on the Magic roster hurt his knee at the beginning of May, so they called to see if he could fill in for the rest of the season.
The end result was that Lohfink arrived in Australia on May 24. He said the regular season is from April 1 to Aug. 4. After that, the top eight out of 13 teams make the playoffs.
Each team can have two foreigners on its roster.
“I’m the only American on my team, but almost every team has at least one,” said Lohfink.
He said there are about 15 players who come to the Mandurah practices, but only 10 suit up on game days.
Right now, with World Cup soccer prominent, he said the attention of the Aussies is divided between soccer and Australian football, which is very popular at the moment.
“Right now, basketball is out of season,” said Lohfink. “The National Basketball League starts in September. That’s when basketball becomes one of the bigger sports.”
His team is based in a coastal town in the southwestern corner of Australia. It is a new experience for him, because he said he has never lived near a coast.
“The country is really beautiful,” said Lohfink, a native of Holcomb in western Kansas. “The town that I am in is right on the Indian Ocean in Western Australia and it has about 60,000 people. It is about 75 kilometers (about 50 miles) south of Perth.”
Western Australia is the largest state, taking up nearly a third of the continent.
The towns may sound a bit strange to American ears — places such as Cockburn, Willetton, Geraldton, Wanneroo and Banbury — but most of the team nicknames have a familiar ring — names such as Hawks, Cougars, Tigers, Wolves, Eagles, Lightning and Flames.
Lohfink said the arenas they play in probably aren’t as large as those of the NBA or of Division I or II colleges in the U.S.
“I would say they are comparable to high school and small college gyms like Bethel.”
Although the team has a sub-.500 record thus far, Lohfink apparently has been doing quite well. He is averaging more than 20 points a game and has been the leading scorer for the Magic in at least three of their games.
In addition to working on the court, “American import” Lohfink, as he is referred to on the Mandurah Web site, and other Magic players will help with a basketball camp next week.
In Australia for the first time, Lohfink said everybody he has met has been really nice.
“They are a real laid back-type of people and that makes them real easy to get along with. All in all, I think they are a great people, from what I've seen in my month’s time here.”
The Bethel grad said he has not encountered any anti-American talk since he’s been there.
Asked to compare living expenses there to those in Kansas, he said they were almost the same.
“The pay is enough to get me by, but I try not to spend a whole lot on unnecessary things. I try to save as much as I can.”
Lohfink said his last regular season game is on Aug. 4.
“I’m not sure how much longer I will be here after that. I guess it all depends on whether we make the playoffs or not.”