By Aaron Cordy
TATURA to Louisiana is a big jump for any young person, for trailblazing teenager Julie Gross who made the shift to the USA in 1976, after representing Australia when she accepted a scholarship to play basketball for the Louisiana State University (LSU).
In the time before the internet and cell phones or even major news coverage of US basketball, let alone Women’s basketball, it was a big leap for the young woman to leave her family and head across the world.
“I wanted to go and play basketball in America because that’s where the big scene was. Everyone’s dream was to go over there, but I really didn’t know anything,” said Julie.
“I remember there was a team from the US playing here, from Mississippi State University. And I talked to one of the players, and he’s like, ‘oh, they have a real tiger, who’s their mascot.’ That’s pretty much all I knew.”
Julie, now Staudenmaier, who lives in Mississippi USA was back in town visiting friends and family last week, strolled through memory lane down at the Greater Shepparton Basketball Stadium. Where she was part of the Tatura women’s team in the new Shepparton Association when games were played in the Army Drill Hall before the basketball stadium was built the following year.
For LSU, Julie was the first All-American and finished her career as the all-time leading rebounder in LSU history with 1,466 rebounds and was second on the all-time scoring list with 2,488 points [both have since been passed]. Along with Maree Bennie (now Jackson), Julie was the first Australian female to win All-American honours while playing college basketball in the United States.
“It was exciting, and it was scary all at the same time. But you know, once I got into the swing of things, figured out how it all works it was good. It was intense. I just had school basketball; I didn’t have much time for anything else.”
After her time at LSU, Julie was recruited to play in LA, in the women’s league at the time, without much support for the league she soon retired. Not long she met her husband, and some children soon followed.
Despite the highs she reached playing for Australia and LSU, Julie reflects that her time playing in Shepparton, in what was a golden age of basketball for both women and men locally, was some of the best times she had playing the sport.
“I firmly believe that the team that gets along off the court are always winners. In Shepp we were good. And we were like our own little family. It was so down to earth, and it was fun,” said Julie.
