Under The Surface with Anneli Maley

Anneli Maley sits down with Bec Cole on behalf of Basketball.com.au to discuss her 3x3 Asia Cup Gold Medal, the love of the 3x3 game, her experience with the Chicago Sky and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Kenyon from the South East Melbourne Phoenix opens up about the struggles and questions we all face, whether that’s as a person or in your career as an athlete. Matt talks about his shift in mindset when it comes to basketball, the importance of journalling and meditation when it comes to his mental health, and the gap in the Australian market when it comes to Australian athletes and their brands. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:50 - Childhood 3:25 - Early challenges with balance and self doubt 4:40 - Knee injury setback 9:55 - Being vulnerable 11:15 - Outlets as an athlete 14:15 - Meditation 15:35 - Defining yourself away from basketball 18:05 - Setbacks and failures, DNP’s 22:35 - What is your why? 24:00 - What would you say to your younger self? 24:55 - Athlete branding 28:35 - Creative outlets: film photography, reading 30:55 - Anxiety and psychologists 35:15 - Movember 38:05 - What would you be doing if you weren’t a basketball player? 39:35 - Setting goals (or not) 42:05 - Who you are vs how people perceive you 48:45 - How to deal with change See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HoopsFest was a great thing for many reasons, but one of those was what it did to highlight the women’s game and continue to grow it. Anneli speaks about her first WNBL experiences, being in small stadiums with little crowds to now, where young teammates of hers got to play their first game at RAC Arena in front of thousands of people. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Self love and self worth is a challenging thing for many. Sometimes you have so much love and positivity to give to others that you forget to give it to yourself! Ask your circle of people to tell you what they love about you, and then write a list, it helps. This is Under The Surface, with Anneli Maley. Pumped by Reebok. Produced by NBL Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let’s all stop and ‘drop the anchor’. An exercise to make us feel present and relaxed in the moment. Anneli was taught this by her psychologist and still uses it to this day. It’s a short exercise in 3 steps: Acknowledging, Connecting and Engaging. Give it a go! This is Under The Surface, with Anneli Maley. Pumped by Reebok. Produced by NBL Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Failure is such a strong word and strong way of dealing with situations. Anneli talks about her experiences with failure and in particular, learning to trust the process and making sure failures aren’t determined by outcomes alone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jo Lual Acuil Jr, NBL star for Melbourne United, gives us an honest and raw insight into everything that he has been through in life. Some serious challenges along the way where he was literally fighting to survive has made him realise that basketball adversity isn’t real adversity. Fleeing South Sudan on foot at 3 years old, the NBA shutting him down due to heart conditions, being told he’d never play again at 18 years old - these are just a few insights Jo gives us but through it all he has remained strong, confident and is where he is today because of that mindset.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone knows Bryce Cotton the basketball player but even he admits that Bryce Cotton the person is a bit of a “mystery man”. Bryce gives us a great insight into who he is and explains that often there is seemingly two sides to him. Many see the quiet, professional side but there’s a different, louder side to him that he hopes to show more of in the media space moving forward. Mindset, self belief, NBA opportunities, making Australia his home, the NBL GOAT conversation and much more is discussed in this chat with Perth Wildcat and NBL legend, Bryce Cotton. This is Under The Surface, with Anneli Maley. Pumped by Reebok. Produced by NBL Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A wholesome and energetic chat of the best kind with basketball and all round star Sara Blicavs. It’s basically a fantastic coffee chat between two friends, just recorded, if we’re being honest. Anneli and Sara touch on Sara’s clothing brand Sara Kristi (check them out), her fascinating insight into her WNBA and Olympic team experiences, how she re-found her love for basketball and the art of remaining positive throughout anything and everything. The energy in the room was felt by all, this episode is a great vibe, even if we do say so ourselves. This is Under The Surface, with Anneli Maley. Pumped by Reebok. Produced by NBL Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 8th fittest man on earth, a CrossFit athlete, Reebok athlete, Jay Crouch joins us live from the Reebok Studio to talk about his journey to ‘fitness fame’, the mindset it takes to be a CrossFit athlete, the dedication and everything in between. Jay explains that sometimes it literally does just come back to having fun and enjoying the process you’re going through, enjoy the path that you’re on and the rest will take care of itself. This is Under The Surface, with Anneli Maley. Pumped by Reebok. Produced by NBL Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AFLW star, Essendon Bombers fan as a youngster turned Essendon Bombers player, dog lover, potential DJ, Maddy Prespakis joins the show! She talks about growing up with women's football on the rise, her journey to becoming an AFLW player, her interests outside of sport, how important the mental side of the game has been to her, the move from Carlton to Essendon and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now playing in his home town of South East Melbourne, Ben Ayre talks about his journey to the NBL and the key points in his life that got him there. Including treating training as “his game”, being a gym rat, playing overseas, not caring about the bright lights of being a pro and how everything for him comes back down to one thing, his genuine love of basketball. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angus Glover is a brilliant and inspirational story. Angus' basketball career has had literally everything, from the massive highs of 2 X NBL championships to the excruciating lows of three torn ACL injuries. This is a story of resilience, bravery and never letting go of your dream... no matter what life throws at you. Angus should have quit numerous times throughout his career - so what kept driving him forward? Well, apart from his dads transplanted hamstring... it took incredible mental strength and we thank him for sharing his story in full for the first time on Under The Surface. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.