Following my discussion with Farid Aslani, I was compelled to delve deeper into basketball across Asia. My focus sharpened during the West Asian Super League (WASL) where the top eight teams battled for two spots in the prestigious BCL Asia (Basketball Champions League Asia) finals, which I watched closely.
This tournament featured diverse teams such as Indonesia’s Pelita Jaya, Malaysia’s NS Matrix Deers, South Korea’s Busan KCC Egis, China’s Liaoning Flying Leopards, Japan’s Hiroshima Dragonflies, the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli, Lebanon’s Al Riyadi, and Iran’s Shahrdari Gorgan. The competition spanned from June 9 to 15, showcasing sixteen thrilling matches. It culminated in a riveting final where Al Riyadi of Lebanon clinched the inaugural BCL Asia title with a decisive 122-96 victory over Shabab Al Ahli.
Travin who we spoke with was a player of second placed Shabab Al Ahli basketball club. Not only did he play in the final, he was also named in the team of the tournament BCL Asia tournament with impressive stats – 14.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Our conversation began with his upbringing in Louisiana and his beginnings in basketball. He describes Louisiana as one of the more culturally interesting states that also has a unique cuisine that could appeal to many people. However, if we go a step deeper, we see that it is a tough place to grow up. There are not many resources or outlets to get better or work on your craft growing up. “Nothing will be given, you have to earn it” Travin said about his mentality. A very important thing was also that he always saw himself as a diamond in the rough. That helped him, that he did not let other people’s doubts stop him from overcoming his obstacles. He is still proud to be successfully on his journey.
Travin Thibodeaux’s basketball journey began at age five when his father first placed a basketball in his hands. He recalls early memories of practicing dribbling drills around cones in their driveway, with his father continually reminding him to use his left hand. This early emphasis on his non-dominant hand still influences his game today; he prefers using his left hand for hook shots, even though he is naturally right-handed.
While basketball was always his first love, Travin also played American football and baseball until his late teens. “Competing in American football taught me physical toughness and this is where I got most of my agressive playing style from,” said Travin, who eventually decided to play basketball because of his height and potential
Growing up, Travin idolized Tracy Mcgrady. Travin had many posters of him and even wore his “T-Macs” signature shoes. After Mcgrady/s retirement, Kevin Durant became his favorite player.
Our conversation then shifted to Travin’s high school and college years. “In high school, I relied on pure raw talent, because I didn’t go through drills that I am conditioned to now,” Travin reflected. “I was also very lucky to be coached by Harold Boudreaux, who is a former professional basketball player, who played alongside Shaquille O’Neal in LSU.” Travin shared that his high school coach pushed him mentally more than anyone ever did. No matter how well he played, coach Boudreaux always expected more and pushed him to his limits. Travin remains grateful for that to this day.
“In college, I went in with an outwork everybody mentality,” Travin said, reflecting on his changed mindset. Playing at the University of New Orleans was vastly different from what us Europeans are used to. The rigorous schedule included two daily practices: one in the morning at 6:30 a.m. and one in the afternoon at 15:30 p.m., with each session lasting two and a half hours. Despite this grueling regimen, Travin still found time almost every day to shoot an extra four hundred to a thousad additional shots daily on a shooting machine.
Immediately after college, Travin started working with personal trainer Dwayne Harmason, who elevated his game to new heights. Harmanson’s mantra “Fail Harder,” set the tone for their rigorous training sessions. They worked together all summer, sometimes as early as eight in the morning and sometimes as late as two at night. According to Travin, coach Dwayne pushed him to exceed his potential and pushed his work ethic to the maximum in every single workout session.
Although he dreamed of playing in the NBA from his childhood, his collegiate experiences opened his eyes to alternative paths to professional basketbal. Summer games against overseas players like Bo McCalebb and Kendall Dykes showed him the possibilities of a lucrative career in international basketball, while also showing him, how to be a pro.
Travin earned his first “pay check” after university playing 3×3 basketball. He played in a tournament that featured the best players from NCAA Division 1. “3×3 basketball is very fast-paced and fun!” said Trevin, who added that he would try 3×3 basketball again if the opportunity arose – a tip for any 3×3 team looking for a new addition to their roster.
After four years of collegiate basketball at the University of New Orleans, Travin’s journey took him to the G-League where he joined the Indiana Mad Ants. After that his European adventure began. First stop was Kiev, then a well-known club in Bulgaria – Balkan, where Mirko Mulalic and Michael Hopkins also played before joining Cedevita Olimpija. Following a year playing in Ukraine and another one in Bulgaria, Travin spent two very successful years in Cyprus, playing for Apoel Nicosia, managed by Slobodan Piksi Subotić in his last year with the club.
Travin spoke highly of Subotic: “When I played in Cyprus, I was coached by the great Slobodan Subotic, who is well known in basketball circles in Europe and in the basketball world in general. I am honoured and happy to have been coached by him. He was a down-to-earth coach – a true ‘players coach’. He also had a great sense of humor”.
Not to be outdone by Travis, we also spoke to Slobodan Subotić. He also had nice words to say about Travin. “Travin is a model professional with a great character. He can easily play at a higher level. We worked together for 8 months and he improved a lot in that time. I can only tell you good things about him as a player and as a person,” said “Piksi” Subotić.
Travin’s most significant accomplishments came after his Cypriot adventure in Bahrain with Manama, a club with the richest history in Bahrain. The expectation for success was high, but Travin rose to the challenge securing the WASL (West Asia Super League), two national championships, two cups and a Super Cup, amassing a total of six trophies. His success in Bahrain paved the way for his transfer to Shabab Al Ahli, with whom he competed in the final of BCL Asia tournament
Despite the stellar perfomances and securing second place in BCL Asia, Travin is not resting. Shortly after the tournament, he signed a contract with the Indonesian club Kesatria Bengawan Solo, which is poised to start playing in the Indonesian Championship playoffs. Travin continues to play exceptionally in IBL (Indonesian basketball league), with 22 points, 8,5 rebounds and 3,5 assists per game in his last two games with the club.
I would sincerely like to thank Travin for his willingness to participate in this interview, despite the demanding and rigorous season that is still in full swing. Sometimes we may forget that behind the professional basketball player there is a real person with their own story. We often focus solely on statistics and on-court action, which causes us to overlook the life stories of foreign players who play for our favorite clubs. Travin’s journey is a wonderful example of how it is possible to pursue your dreams through hard work and how quality basketball is played elsewhere, not just in the NBA and EuroLeague. We wish Travin much success on his continuing path, and perhaps one day we will see him in a club closer to us!
