Mitch Creek on Europe, potential NBL return

• Mitch Creek is currently playing for Trabzonspur in the Turkish Basketball League 2
• He is averaging 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for a team which sits atop the ladder with a 23-6 record.
• Creek announced he would depart the NBL and the South East Melbourne Phoenix last year with one year left on his contract

Australian superstar Mitch Creek has opened up about a potential return to the NBL, almost a year after his departure from the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The 34-year-old is currently dominating in the Turkish Basketball League 2 with Trabzonspor, averaging 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for ateam which sits atop the ladder with a 23-6 record.

Creek was a star in the NBL, firstly with the Adelaide 36ers where he led the team to the 2018 Championship Series against Melbourne United, before becoming South East Melbourne's marquee signing when they entered the league.

But following stints in China, Puerto Rico and even Canada since he left the NBL, the Horsham product revealed he would love to one day be back home.

"I would like to come back and play in Australia at some point," he said.

"For me, it does come down to, when you have people in your life, it does come down to sometimes financially making the right decision as well. I played in Australia for a lot of years and I kind of sacrificed playing over in Europe, where you don't have to be a Google whiz to realise that, an entry level player can nearly double or triple the salaries of an Australian high level player.

"Albeit there's some great growth there (in the NBL), it is starting to come down to, OK, I want to give Europe a real hot crack for maybe two or three years, put myself in a great position financially.

"I've made some great investments and I've got some great assets on my side, but I don't want to be good for the next three to four years, I want to set up my life, I want to set up my child's life, I want to set up my family, I want to continue to help my circle who have given everything to help me achieve this dream of playing basketball.

"Look, if Australia is a destination where certain things align in multiple areas of my life, then yes, I would definitely come back and play. But right now, I'm really enjoying playing in Europe. I'm really enjoying kind of having the pressures of being only one of two imports here.

"There's a lot of pressure on you and sometimes that's really good, sometimes it's very stressful, but it's an exciting journey I have to go on."

Creek said the fans in Australia were one of the main factors, which made him want to return.

"I'd love to play in Australia again, I love playing in front of the Australian fans, they're an extremely wise bunch, they love their basketball, they turn out in droves, as you can see from the final series."

Creek's basketball resume is full of accolades and achievements, having represented the Boomers at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, as well as having spent time in the NBA, mainly with the Brooklyn Nets.

And the former Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder revealed it was advice from former 36ers coach and NBL legend Joey Wright, which helped take his game to the next level.

"I remember Joey put it in my brain like, 'man, you don't know how good you could be, like you're kind of really effing this up a little bit for yourself'," Creek said.

"I was like, what do you mean? And he goes, 'you think you work hard and you do, you're the hardest workers I've almost ever met but the way you work and what you're doing, it could be more fluent and it could be smarter'.

"And then I took a step back and I really listened to Joey's advice. And he pushed me unlike anyone has ever pushed me. My view of Joey is it is firm but fair, but he's the best development and coach that I've ever had and someone that I will always, if he picked up a job anywhere, I'd play for him today.

"Like I would get out of this contract right now, pay my fee and I'd go and play for Joey right now."

Creek also spoke about what went through his mind after the "elation" of signing in the NBA with the Nets, before realising he had to match up with the best players in the world.

"I've got to go and play against Giannis (Antetokounmpo), I've got to go and play against Karl-Anthony Towns or Dwayne Wade or Russell Westbrook and I'm like, 'God, I wanted this, what an idiot'. I have to go and compete against the most ruthless competitor ever to have laid on this earth," he said.