Bonnie Deas had a tough time of it in the Sydney Flames' WNBL semifinal series against Sami Whitcomb's Bendigo Spirit. (Getty Images: Kelly Defina)
In short:
Bonnie Deas is playing her freshman US college basketball season with the University of Arkansas.
After a slew of injuries hit the Sydney Flames last WNBL season, the teenage guard was thrown into semifinal match-up against Australian great Sami Whitcomb.
Whitcomb scored 48 points across two games, and Deas said that WNBL season helped things "click" for her in the States.
When guard Bonnie Deas faced Australian basketball legend Sami Whitcomb, she had 48 points dropped on her head in just two games.
The freshman said it was one reason she had shot out of the gates in her American college career.
Deas played for the Sydney Flames in the WNBL last season and was only expected to feature a handful of times.
"That's a WNBA player. I was having to face-guard her, and she still dropped 25 points on my head [in one game]," Deas said.
"After guarding Whitcomb, I've become a massive fan. The way she plays, goes about things, and how professional she is, I just absolutely love her.
"I always keep looking back on my season with the Flames and just how much I've learned. Now in college, things are just clicking."
Deas, who plays for the University of Arkansas, is one of 119 Australian women college basketballers taking the court in the US this season.
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The 19-year-old is thriving, breaking Arkansas freshman rebound records and averaging a double-double per game and being named Freshman of the Week after her debut game.
"I took that [WNBL] opportunity to just be a sponge and soak up as much as I could," Deas said.
"It's honestly helped with my growth in college, because I've been able to convert what I learned into my season."
Another emerging Australian talent, Sienna Harvey, is playing for the University of Washington, producing double-digit scoring performances and averaging 15 minutes per game.
But Harvey would not have made it if not for her parents driving three-and-a-half hours to training sessions and games from Wodonga, in regional Victoria, to Melbourne.
When the guard decided she wanted to make a career out of basketball, she moved to Geelong aged just 14.
"I feel bad for the kids that still have to do that, it's a lot of travelling and everything," Harvey said.
"I knew [moving to Geelong] was going to help me and my basketball career, just because of travelling.
"[Playing college basketball] just shows no matter where you come from, you can really do anything. It definitely is cool."
The US college campaign is well underway, with the regular season to finish in March, before the best teams compete for the national championship.
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