Adelaide's Patrick D'Arcy shoots into lucrative world of US college basketball

Australia Broadcast Center

3 days ago

Australian basketball players are on the rise on the world stage and Adelaide teenager Patrick D'Arcy wants to be part of it.
He's just signed a four-year deal with East Carolina University, in Greenville North Carolina.
"Everything just felt right from the first phone call with the coach and talking to players that have been there, it just felt like the right place for me," he said before flying to America.
College basketball is a well-worn path for ambitious young Australians, stretching right back to Chicago Bulls' three-time NBA championship winner Luc Longley, who represented the University of New Mexico.
In the 2024-2025 season, there were 232 young Australian men and women enrolled in divisions one to three of college programs.
"I'm definitely excited, it's been a long time waiting for me, but you know I'm always nervous, there's always going to be nerves when it comes to it, but it's more excitement," D'Arcy said.
East Carolina University, known as the Pirates, was buzzing to sign D'Arcy.
"His positional size and perimeter shooting immediately strengthens our team," the university said in a media statement.
The world of US college basketball is a fascinating and lucrative beast.
"You've got some teams; their budgets are $10 to $12 million and it's only going to go up over the next decade," Adelaide 36ers general manager, Matt Weston said.
"It'll be quite scary the amount of dollars they'll be paying college kids.
"You're not only a star on campus, but you are on national TV, you're flying around the country, it is almost a pro league for kids aged between 18 and 24."
Young Adelaide 36ers centre Ben Griscti spent two seasons in the US college system and said the game is so big that fans are often obsessive and pack out stadiums in their thousands.
"They were screaming out my parents' names during the game, they were so into it, the crowd love it and I'd never played in a louder environment," he said.
"The fans are so dedicated, they live and breathe the college and there's towns built just around the college."
Recent number one pick in the annual NBA draft Cooper Flagg reportedly earned more than $US28 million in his one-year at the fabled Duke University.
He was playing in the same team as Australian Tyrese Proctor, who was also drafted to the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Playing US college basketball has become especially lucrative since the Name, Image and Likeness provision was introduced to allow US college athletes to profit from the nationwide coverage the sport attracts.
Weston said the burgeoning pay deals are having a profound impact across the basketball world, with 36ers assistant coach Marko Marinovic seeing his Serbian under 20 team decimated.
"He's lost 12 players that won't play in the national team now, they'll go to college instead because of the dollars," Weston said.
"For them to earn $300 to 400,000 is life changing for their family."
D'Arcy isn't allowed to reveal what he's being paid, and while it's believed to be a tidy amount for an 18-year-old, it's nowhere near those figures.
But, he does have a four-year deal with East Carolina, which also includes having university tuition paid, accommodation and day-to-day expenses.
The wages come with immense pressures, with many players finding the cut-throat nature of the competition and living away from home too much.
D'Arcy's older brother Noah returned to Adelaide after a year playing college ball in Iowa, while Ben Griscti had to grit his teeth at times to stick with his plan for two seasons.
"Things are really hard, there's times when you know you want to pack it up and come home and get some home cooking, but you can't," he said.
D'Arcy had an Adelaide 36ers contract in the NBL, before agreeing to a multi-year deal to play in the US.
At 198-centimetres, the teen is confident he has what it takes to last the course with the Pirates.
"I think I'll take it one year at a time in college, like, obviously I'm there for four years, but each year I'll look at my options, but yeah, I'd love to come back and play for the [Adelaide] 36ers."
As a former NBA scout, Weston has seen hundreds of basketballers with professional potential, and is confident D'Arcy has what it takes to make it.
"It is early days, but when I look at his body type, I look at his athleticism, he can handle the ball well and those are the things that he'll need to get better as he goes along, and consistency in his shot," he said.
"I think shooting is one of my main strengths, use my athleticism to my advantage, my height and length as well for my position [on the court], I'm a lot bigger and longer than others," D'Arcy said.
For a family obsessed with football and English Premier League side Liverpool, basketball has become life for the D'Arcys.
As well as Patrick and his older brother Noah, there's also 15-year-old Xavier and 17-year-old Harry coming through the ranks at state side Sturt Sabres Basketball Club.