Champ Brandt 'prepared' to end six-year NBL hiatus

Angus Brandt was willing to listen to offers for NBL26 but as he prepares for a sixth season playing in Japan, it's hard for him to imagine a better all-round environment for him and his young family.

The Sydney born centre never envisioned that Japan was even a possibility six years ago let alone that he would now be preparing for a sixth season in the country and with it being the place where he and wife Megan welcomed both children.

But the Oregon State graduate who started his NBL career at the Sydney Kings and then won two championships with the Perth Wildcats while having also represented the Australian Boomers can't imagine anywhere better than Japan on a basketball and family front right now.

However, for the first time since Brandt first started playing in Japan, this off-season he was open to seriously consider offers from NBL teams.

And he did receive offers but in the end the combination of the chance to play another season with the Shizuoka Veltex in the B2 League was too good to pass up.

He'll again way up his options ahead of the 2026/27 season and there would be a chance of an NBL27 return if everything all aligned though.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn’t look to the future and inherently my nature is someone who is a planner, but in the past when teams have reached out to me I've tried to respectful of people's time but have just told them I'm not looking to come home and that I don't want to waste their time," Brandt told basketball.com.au.

"So I've just thanked those teams for their interest and left it at let's touch base down the road because I didn't want to leave Japan.

"But this last off-season, I said to my agent to tell those clubs that I was willing to listen to offers and that I wanted to explore what was out there in the NBL.

"I wanted to then compare it to Japan so I could see what the best fit was for me and my family, and I did have some good interest from clubs in Australia and also obviously still in Japan.

"At the end of the day, I chose to stay with the club I was at last season but that was the first time since I first came to Japan that I actually wanted to explore and see what's out there with the NBL," he added.

"I was prepared to really think about coming home and then next year and into the future it will probably be the same. I'll field offers and see what interest is there, and compare it on its merit with what interest I have in Japan or elsewhere."

Decision to stay in Japan

After Brandt's college career at Oregon State and then two NBL seasons at the Kings and then three with the Wildcats for two championships, the last thing he ever thought was that Japan would become his basketball home.

The lure of Europe did interest him and he spent a season with OriOra Pistoia in Italy but Covid soon changed everything and Japan seemed to be as good a place anywhere in the world to play during that whole pandemic.

And Brandt has stayed ever since. It began with a season under Shawn Dennis at the Shiga Lakestars before two seasons with the Kagawa Fire Arrows, and splitting 2023/24 with the Cyberdyne Ibaraki Robots and Shinshu Brave Warriors in Nagano.

Now he was more than happy to come back to the Shizuoka Veltex for a second season.

"I like the basketball here, I like the lifestyle here and I didn’t expect to come to Japan when I did all those years ago," Brandt said.

"But then a year after Covid with the prospects and budgets and everything were down in Europe, and I was trying to go back there, but nothing was really standing out.

"Then Shawn Dennis was at Shiga at the time and reached out to me and he made a proposition to me. He spoke to me about how the league was improving and that there was good opportunity here so I took the leap to play for him there for a year.

"I've basically stayed here ever since very happily. I really like this time that I'm coming back to and I like the coach and club, and everything. I feel really at home here and I had an enjoyable year last season with this team so that was a big part in deciding to stay as well."

Whole package makes it attractive

While the money on offer in Japan might be what initially attracts a lot of players, none of them would stay if that was the only reason to go.

Especially in Brandt's situation with his wife and their two young children there as well so it's the entire package that now has him back for a sixth season with the basketball, the lifestyle and the way he and his family are treated making it an easy decision to keep wanting to return.

"Obviously money is a part of it and you're a professional basketball player at the end of the day, and this is our job so that is an element, and the money is good and it has been good to me in Japan, but there's other factors too," Brandt said.

"The lifestyle here is good, it's a very safe country which for me is perfect because my wife and our kids are here with me so that's important.

"The culture in Japan is also amazing and the people are incredible. They're so welcoming and friendly, and it's such a rich culture as well.

"We've really enjoyed our time here and we wouldn’t have stayed here this long if we hadn’t. I think every year we've been here I've had interest from NBL clubs so it's not like I haven’t had the opportunity to go home had I wanted to either."

Raising a young family in Japan

Brandt's wife Megan has now gone through the pregnancies and given birth to the couple's two children, four-year-old Archie and six-month-old Felicity in Japan.

The way that the health care system made that such a positive experience has only added to how comfortable the whole family now feels living in Japan. Archie now has even started his schooling in an international school as of this upcoming season.

While life after basketball is going to take the family to either Australia or the United States, Brandt can't think of anywhere better for them to be right now.

"Both of my kids were actually born in Japan so that was a different experience and something we'll always look back on with fond memories," Brandt said.

"The way that my wife was treated during the whole birth process right from when she first found out she was pregnant all the way to delivery was amazing over here.

"Their health care system is incredible and the way they treat kids and women when they're pregnant is really great. We were able to take advantage of that so we will forever be thankful of that."

Basketball on the rise in Japan

Brandt had never really considered Japan as a realistic basketball destination going back to 2020 with him liking the idea of continuing to play in Europe coming off a season in Italy.

However, Covid made Brandt consider other options and when former NBL Coach of the Year Shawn Dennis put in the call and told him that basketball in Japan was only going to keep getting better, the big man listened.

And with the benefit of hindsight now, Dennis was absolutely spot on with basketball in Japan rapidly improving highlighted by the fact that someone like him can make a good living in the second division and the same can be said for his former teammate Rhys Vague in the B3 League.

As a result, Brandt is anything but surprised to see Japan become such an attractive destination for high-calibre players to come play now from all over the world.

"The basketball is getting better so SD was right with what he told me all those years ago," Brandt said.

"Every year I've been here it's improved and some of the names are coming out to play in Japan now are pretty big deal players.

"There's some really good players coming out of Europe and I think with the way people get treated here, it's becoming really attractive for guys who have played in Europe most of their careers.

"You hear a lot of stories from players not always getting treated the best in Europe and payments might be late and other aspects. So when they hear about how things are in Japan, players really start to gravitate here.

"Basketball players obviously speak to each other so the word amongst players is Japan is a difficult place to get y our foot in the door, but once you're in, most guys want to stay and keep playing in."

Life after basketball

As a future planner, Brandt and his wife Megan have already discussed what their life might look like after his basketball career whenever it might be, but as of yet they haven't decided on anything.

A lot of that is going to depend on the career paths both of them decide to take in the next phase of their lives, but right now there's a 50-50 chance they end up settling back in the United States and likely Washington where Megan is from or back in Australia somewhere.

"The future is something we've spoken about and it's been quite open-ended to be honest with you," Brandt said.

"My wife's American and I'm Australian so at the moment it's really dependent on prospects that come after basketball, but it's something we're not putting a definite answer to now and we'll be open to anything while positioning ourselves to be able to choose either when that time comes."

Chris Pike

Brandt open to NBL return but more than happy in Japan