VandyMania: AJ, thanks for joining us on VandyMania. I know you are in Australia but where in Australia are you?
A.J. Ogilvy: I'm in Canberra.
VM: Tell us a little about the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) that you are a part of?
AO: It's actually based in Canberra. So we all live here full time as part of the team. We train everyday together
and then we play on the weekends so depending on the draw we usually have one game a weekend or
sometimes two.
VM: I hear you are doing pretty well. Congratulations recently named South East Australian Basketball League
(SEABL) East Player of the Month for April.
AO: Thanks very much.
VM: You've been putting up some big numbers out there.
AO: Yeah, I had a couple of good games. It's nice to get that recognition.
VM: What are some of the things that you feel makes you a great player, I know you are a big, tall and strong
player.
AO: Shot is pretty good. Speed as well. I can shoot off the dribble, from the perimeter it just gives me another weapon to use against stronger guards.
VM: How about your shooting. I know you've been putting up a lot of points lately. You scored 45 points recently in a game. You shoot very well from the field goal range. Just give us an idea of what your range is shooting the ball.
AO: I can go to about mid range. I don't really get that many three pointers. I've got a pretty good jump shot up to about mid range.
VM: Like free throw line range?
AO: Yes, to about the free throw line.
VM: I understand you shoot a lot of free throws. How many three-point shots have you taken?
AO: Maybe 2 or 3 in 13 games.
VM: When did you first start playing organized basketball?
AO: When I was about 7. They actually built a basketball stadium just down the way from me. I started playing back then more for fun than anything else. It took off from there.
VM: You are, I guess, 211 cm tall? Is that correct?
AO: Yes.
VM: That's pretty tall.
AO: Yeah. [laughs]
VM: How old are you A.J.?
AO: I'm 18.
VM: Are you still growing?
AO: No, not really. I haven't grown in a while.
VM: In America kids play in high school and if they are good then move up to college and then the NBA. In Australia what is the normal procedure for moving up in basketball?
AO: Generally you play like all your juniors and stuff. It's not as much school based over here, high school basketball isn't a very big thing. You represent your area in rep teams and you play for your state and national championships and then from there, if you are good enough, you get picked for the Australia Institute of Sports and from there, usually when you come down to the Institute in Canberra you have like one year left of school. The coaches will talk to you and see what you want to do; whether you want to go to college or stay here and play in our professional league, called the MBL. Most players generally tend to head over to America and go to college over there. Just for a bit of more experience because heading into the MBL straight out of the AIS is still quite young.