The Aussies
Nick Gruber
The Boise State women’s basketball team features a roster of 17 players – three of whom hail from Australia. Dani Bayes, Libby Hutton and Milly Sharp have each made the 8,000+ mile journey from the Land Down Under to the Treasure Valley.
Of the trio, Dani Bayes is the most familiar with Boise. The current junior came to Idaho from Brisbane, Australia, in 2022. Bayes began her athletic career at a young age on the netball floor, a popular Australian sport played on a rectangular court with raised goal rings at each end. However, it didn’t take long for her to grow her dislike for the game.
“I went to one practice and I quit after,” said Bayes. “I was like, ‘mom, I hate it. It’s so boring, it’s so slow and people are touching me the whole time.’”
After Bayes voiced her disinterest, her PE coach suggested she try basketball, a sport with many similarities to netball. By age six, Bayes had discovered her passion for hoops.
For freshman Milly Sharp, netball actually served as an assist to the game of basketball. She began both as a child, but two years prior to committing to Boise State, Sharp had to choose which to pursue. Ultimately, she decided on basketball, believing it would provide a better opportunity to see the world and offered a more exciting atmosphere. Still, Sharp credits netball for helping her become a better defensive player.
“Netball not only helped me with my footwork, but also my interceptions,” said Sharp. “It's why I think I go for a lot of steals, because I can read the passes better.”
Fellow freshman Libby Hutton didn’t start playing basketball until she was 11, picking it up casually with her friends. She participated in other sports like track and field and rowing, but it was the team aspect of basketball that attracted her. The energy and camaraderie is what set it apart, and she never looked back.
TRANSITIONING TO THE UNITED STATES
All three players shared a similar basketball upbringing in Australia, having competed in the NBL1, a semi-professional league with both men’s and women’s competitions. Bayes, Hutton and Sharp were all contacted by current Boise State assistant coach Mike Petrino after impressive seasons in the league.
Each of them faced a decision: stick with NBL1 to pursue a spot on an NBL roster, or make the trek to the United States to play college basketball. The reasons behind their choice were similar, each citing the excitement of a new landscape and the chance to simultaneously pursue a basketball career and college degree.
After texts, calls and emails with the Bronco coaching staff, each of them committed to Boise State sight unseen. The thought of packing their bags and making the trip across the Pacific Ocean was daunting.
“I was very scared,” said Hutton. “Thinking about leaving everyone who I knew and not knowing what I was getting myself into was really scary.”
Beyond adapting a new home, they were also facing the challenge of doing it without their families.
“I remember standing in the line to go and say goodbye to my dad and I broke down,” Bayes said. “I have a journal, and I wrote down ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’”
It was equally hard for their families. Watching your kids leave to live halfway around the globe wasn’t easy to accept.
“The night before I left, I heard my dad crying, and I thought ‘Why is he so upset? It’s going to make me upset,’” Sharp added.
Once they boarded the plane, however, there was no turning back. As each player arrived, they were greeted by Coach Petrino, who immediately took them to snap a photo with ‘The B’, officially marking the beginning of their careers at Boise State.
Now, it was time for them to adjust to life in the United States– a task that proved to be difficult.
“The food,” Sharp said. “I feel like I’m eating the same things that I would back home, but the preservatives and the added fat, salt and oil gets really stuffed up in my stomach.”
Bayes added, “You’re thousands of miles away from home. You don’t have your parents, there’s no food in the fridge, and you have to wait until 5 p.m. to call your mom instead of the locals, who can do that when they wake up in the morning.”
Beyond lifestyle changes, being an international student comes with logistical hurdles.
“I had to get a foreign cell phone plan, I had to set up a new bank account,” Hutton noted. “I also often think, ‘Okay, well how am I going to get to that place?’ Or ‘what documents do I need to get that?’ There are so many things that you don’t have, and it's easy to get overstimulated and worked up.”
The challenges didn’t stop off the court, as adapting to collegiate basketball was also a learning process.
“The physicality is different– people are more up in your grill,” Bayes said. “And the footwork calls are different. We play FIBA rules in Australia, not college rules, so you would get those extra steps. My freshman year, I know I really struggled with it.”
For Bayes, however, all of these difficulties began as a freshman in 2022, two years before Hutton and Sharp arrived in Idaho. As she adjusted to life in Boise, she leaned heavily on former Bronco Kaitlin Burgess, a native of Auckland, New Zealand.
“Having Kaitlin when I was here was the best thing for me,” Bayes explained. “I think she helped me more than I could say.”
The numbers spoke for themselves. Bayes was a two-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week and was named to the MW All-Freshman Team. She continued to excel in her sophomore season, playing in all 35 games and posting a career-high 21 points in a win over New Mexico.
That mentoring experience inspired Bayes to take on a similar role for the incoming Aussies. She expressed that if they ever needed help or advice, she wanted to be a resource for them, knowing firsthand how challenging the transition can be.
That effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“It’s so nice to have somebody who’s been through it for a couple of years,” said Sharp. “Sometimes I just ask her, ‘Dani, can I do this?’ and she’ll say ‘Don’t say that or don’t do that.’ It’s also helpful to know what the coaches like, or how I should approach them if I need to ask specific questions.”
The feeling is mutual for Bayes, who appreciates having two players who share similar experiences from Australia. It has created a unique opportunity for her to bond over things the rest of the team might not fully understand. Over the past five months, the trio has developed a strong connection off the court, often gathering at Bayes’s house to hang out and chat about life—or to gossip about Australian basketball.
That bond extends onto the court, where their complementary playing styles, shaped by Australian basketball, have stood out. Their teammates have even coined it the “Aussie connection,” a chemistry that’s hard to miss when they’re in action.
This has blended well into the team’s overall dynamic, contributing to a red-hot start this season. The team is 4-0, including a statement victory over Colorado. The win marked Boise State’s first Power 5/4 victory at home since 2017, and was the program’s first over a Big 12 opponent in school history.
“We can go as far as we want to go. The only limit to this team is ourselves. We know we have a really high ceiling, but it’s going to take effort every single day. We will do really good things if we stay on the right path.”Dani Bayes
Before hitting the court on a gameday, Bayes, Hutton and Sharp will always see the two Australian flags hanging proudly in the locker room – a symbol of the journey that brought the three of them to Boise. As they continue their careers, their Australian roots remain a central part of their identity. They strive to represent their home country with pride and aim to make their families proud, both on and off the court.
The Broncos will look to start 5-0 for the ninth time in program history when they take on San Francisco on Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. MT at Chase Center. Fans may watch on ESPN+ or listen live on 670 KBOI AM. The team will return to ExtraMile arena on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. to square off with Weber State. Stay connected with the squad by following on Instagram (@boisestatewbb), X (@BroncoSportsWBB), and Facebook (Boise State Women’s Basketball).
Hitting the road and then back home on Sunday! ????#BleedBlue | #WhatsNext pic.twitter.com/jHbY9d7hD6
— Boise State Women’s Basketball (@BroncoSportsWBB) November 20, 2024