Drake's Jesse Hunt, one of the better known imports north of the Golden Gate Bridge, fielded some odd questions when he came to the U.S. four years ago.
Now a 6-foot-6 forward for Drake, Hunt had moved with his family from Australia to play for the alma mater of his father, Dan. Dan Hunt helped lead Drake to back-to-back CIF-State titles and a 64-1 record over two years in the early 1980s.
"I got a lot of weird ones," Hunt said with a chuckle. "Kids asked me if I tackled crocodiles and rode kangaroos. They asked if I'd ever been bitten by a snake. But I had weird ideas (about the U.S.) too. I thought everyone was fat and shot guns at each other."
But then Hunt was only 12 or 13 at the time, He's 17 now, is a third-year varsity player for the Pirates and is the team's star, having averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds last season in leading Drake to the state title game where it fell by 71-51 to Chaminade-West Hills.
Hunt will lead the Pirates into action at 2:15 p.m. today against Moreau Catholic in the Prep2Prep Tip-Off Classic at Newark Memorial High.
Said Hunt of the bizarre queries he fielded upon his arrival in San Anselmo: "One kid asked if we had salsa. I said yeah we do. I mean, it's salsa. I thought that was kind of weird. Another asked me if I was neighbors with Steve Irwin (the late Aussie crocodile hunter of TV fame). Irwin died after an unfortunate encounter with a Sting Ray.
"I had to explain that Australia is about the same size of the United States so I probably wasn't his neighbor," Hunt said. "But it was a terrible thing when he died and I cried. It was a sad day for all of us."
Another not-so-stellar day for Hunt was March 28 of this year at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento when Chaminade poleaxed the Pirates. Hunt and his team had visions of becoming the first Pirates' team since Dan Hunt's 1982 squad to win a state title. However, Chaminade (27-0) quickly doused such notions before a raucous but ultimately disappointed Drake throng.
"Our problem was our mentality," Hunt said. "We were happy just to be there. We were only the ninth seed and everyone was saying how cool it was to make it. But I didn't just want to be there, I wanted to win it."
It was an unexpected run for Drake, though. It only advanced to NorCals because Bishop O'Dowd was moved to the Open Division and the NCS backfilled the D3 NorCal bracket. The junior-dominated Pirates led by Hunt, Malik Huff and Jasper Verduin, won three straight state games, highlighted by the stunner against Sacred Heart Cathedral. Hunt had 38 points in that one and then 25 in a semifinal home win against Miramonte.
The Pirates' star is smart (3.3 grade point average), funny and pleasant. He spoke highly of both his former home Geraldton near the ocean in Australia and his new city San Anselmo which he found so welcoming, despite the stereotypes on both sides of the equation.
"It's beautiful," Hunt said of San Anselmo. "It has a different feel. Everyone is so behind the team and the people are so lovely. They're really nice and accepting. But Geraldton was a nice place too. It's beautiful and we lived about 100 feet from the beach."
Drake has already met Montgomery this season in a Foundation Game (glorified scrimmage). The Pirates beat the visitors by 12 points before a packed house with Hunt getting a double-double.
Hunt of course has those sports genes going for him. His 6-foot-8 father Dan after starring for Drake, went on to play at the University of Portland. He then competed in Australia and performed at such a high level for 17 pro seasons that an MVP trophy was named in his honor.
Both Hunt boys have excelled in basketball at Drake with Liam earning Marin County Athletic League MVP honors his senior year and now playing at Hope University in Fullerton. Jesse on November 12 ended his college recruitment by signing with Eastern Washington University in Chaney, Wash.
"His versatility is his best asset," Drake coach Doug Donnellan told MaxPreps last season. "He's really long. He can bring the ball up and face the basket. He shoots the three and is totally willing to bang down low with bigger guys. He can really play anywhere on the court."
Hunt is sold on Eastern Washington and Chaney, the third environ in a short period of time he's embraced.
"It's awesome," Hunt said of Eastern Washington. "They just beat Indiana so I'm excited. It's just 10 minutes from Spokane and it's a nice place with plenty of good fishing which I love."
Just no crocodile wrestling for the Aussie ex-pat.
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