A shark from Down Under may seem cliche, but Barnaby is anything but the norm. He's one of my draft entries for the 2013 FBA Draft, and a Top 24 hopeful. Below is his history and entry form; it's a little scratchy perhaps, but I think he'll prove a solid player and only hope that one of the teams decides to give him a chance. His jersey number of choice is #69. Why? Barnaby considers it to be one of his favourite positions, so why not put it on his jersey.

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Name: Barnaby Jazz
Nicknames: Barbie, Thrasher, and Jaws
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Species: Shark (Bull/Thresher/Tiger)
Height: 7’6”
Weight: 327 lbs
Handedness: Left
Hometown: Hobart, Tasmania
Position: Power Forward/Center
Team: Free Agency

College: Aquatic College of Brisbane
Team: ACB Stingers

A shark isn’t what someone would expect to see on the basketball court; fishing, swimming, diving, surfing...they all seem like usual pastime for aquatic species. Especially those that come from the Land Down Under. And Barnaby certainly loves all those things and more. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, he grew up near the beaches and spent every moment of his free time swimming, fishing (with rod and spear), diving, and surfing. And thanks to a bunch of landlocked friends, he wound up on a basketball court more than once. He’d tried out rugby and Australian football, but wound up hurting people with his massive size and aggressive nature, but basketball worked well with his height and power. And he came to enjoy it almost as much as his aquatic activities.

Although basketball started out as a secondary activity for Barnaby; doing water-related things would always be his first love he figured. It was his natural element, and he even wanted to go to college to continue that. Growing up, he was really a stereotypical Australian surfer; loved to chill on the beach with some beer and his surfboard, surrounded by charming young men and, unfortunately, young women. They weren’t really to his taste, and he didn’t hesitate to make that known.

But his preferences aside, it wasn’t until Barnaby went off to college that his passion started to grow as he made it onto his college team. In his first year of college, an FBA exhibition tour came through Brisbane, trying to encourage draft entries from the land down under. It was there he saw Ryan Malone, unable to help but be quite impressed by the ‘roo’s career and skills on the court. And the very next year, he was watching the FBA and saw Bobby-Rae Brine, Australian Rookie, playing a damn good game. It fired up his passion for the game, and he started to follow the Galveston games with a dedication to the level of obsession. And a dream grew in his mind to leave his desires for education behind and focus on a future in the sport of basketball.

Truthfully, he grew a bit of a crush for Bobby-Rae, and decided to enter his name in the draft both for the sport, and in an attempt to get closer to his fellow aquatic Aussie. Besides, as far as he was concerned, there just wasn’t enough fish, or Aussies, in the league as of yet. And he proved through college that his quick moves, his power, and his aggression made him a force to be reckoned with on court. After his first year playing in college, he started to train in the water, swimming, and actually practicing certain moves and whatnot. Since he’s such a strong swimmer, he figured why not try to bring his basketball practice into that. So even with his massive height and weight, he can really move, though his tail does get in the way at time, or accidentally hits people. His biggest weakness is likely his quick temper, and the fact that he can sometimes act before thinking about his actions.

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Art by
Character by me.