Hobbs pulls up Bellarmine roots, takes his game abroad

Braydon Hobbs last dribbled a basketball for Bellarmine University two years ago. Since then, he's played for four professional teams and traveled to 25 countries. He's seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum.

Hobbs, who attended New Albany High School, and his wife, Sadie, have talked about having children overseas, which amuses Hobbs. He turned down Division I offers so he could stay close to home. At Bellarmine, the guard led the Knights to the 2011 Division II national championship.

Braydon Hobbs, basketball homebody, is now Braydon Hobbs, world traveler.

"It's been a blur, the two years we've been gone. It's unreal," said Hobbs, 25.

He said Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport always said: Use the game of basketball. You don't want it to use you.

"I think I've used it to the best of my ability," Hobbs said. "It's taken me to places that I didn't think I'd see."

Hobbs is home now, and was recently working at a basketball camp with Davenport after a nine-month stint playing in Hungary for a team in Székesfehérvár, about 40 miles from Budapest.

After Hobbs left Bellarmine with a degree in criminal justice, he traveled about as far from home as possible, first playing for two teams in Australia, a team in Spain, then Hungary.

Some graduates travel before entering the real world. Hobbs ratcheted up that idea. Before embarking on a career — possibly in law enforcement — he's playing overseas as long as he can. He helped Albacomp, his team in Hungary, reach the playoffs last season.

"There's a tremendous maturity about him, a tremendous idea of what he wants to do in his life," Davenport said. "... I'm incredibly proud of him. Basketball-wise, from the highest level to the beginning players, we need more Braydon Hobbs."

Hobbs' journey began three days after graduation. Before this trip, he had spent just seven days at home in two years. He'll spend the summer here before returning to Europe.

Hobbs began his pro career playing for the McDonalds Mackay Meteors of the Queensland Basketball League. Other than a Cancun vacation, it was his first trip out of the country.

"Going by myself, I was kind of intimidated since I'd only been to Mexico," he said. "I didn't know what to expect. We only practiced twice a week. It was a real cruisy life. It wasn't anything like the European leagues I heard about. But it was a good thing. I got my feet wet."

The Meteors won the championship but Hobbs' favorite thing might have been the tropical lifestyle.

"We were five minutes from the beach," he said. "We had a pool in the backyard. It was a great experience. I was spoiled. ... Everybody is so friendly and laid back. It's a totally different atmosphere than here in the States."

Hobbs moved on to play in Cáceres, Spain, which is near Portugal. The language barrier was difficult and Hobbs and his wife didn't have a car, but he said the town was small enough that they could walk everywhere.

His most unusual memory of Spain? "They didn't have ice baths," he said. "So they just filled up trash cans with ice water and we (the players) were all sitting in trash cans."

When not playing basketball, Hobbs and his wife have enjoyed playing tourist. Their favorite country visited is Italy, specifically Cinque Terre on the Riviera.

"It stands for the five cities," Hobbs said. "You just hike from city to city. You're on the rock cliffs on the coast. It's just unbelievable."

Hobbs hopes to play in Italy next or Germany. He and his wife said they want to have their children in Europe for multiple reasons, including cost and access to foreign passports, just in case any turn out to be basketball players who might travel overseas someday.

"We're getting to travel the world for free," Hobbs said. "That's the way we're looking at it."

Contact Michael Grant at (502) 582-4069. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelGrant_CJ.