The possibilities were endless, and Brendan Joyce still thinks about it.
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It was 1999 and Joyce was head coach of the Illawarra Hawks. The club had struck gold with the acquisition of 19-year-old David Andersen, and Joyce knew it.
The seven-foot sharpshooter made a big impact in his rookie year - so much so that Joyce was ready to build the team around him the following NBL season.
But Joyce wasn't the only one taking notice.
"He had a big impact in his first year and helped us get to the final four," Joyce recalled.
"Unfortunately for us, he got a big offer to go to Italy.
"He still had a year to go on his contract, but you never want to stand in a player's way of opportunities, and I knew he was going places with his ability."
Andersen spent the better part of two decades overseas, playing in Italy, Russia, France, Spain, Turkey and in the NBA before returning to the Australian professional circuit in 2016.
He is a Euroleague champion and has represented Australia at four Olympic Games.
Joyce recognised Andersen's potential almost immediately.
"For me it was about trying to utilise his strengths," Joyce said.
"He would step into games and average 20-plus minutes and average double figure points and close to that in rebounds.
"That year was the first-final four we made and a lot of it had to do with depth, and Dave was a very smart player right from day one with a high IQ and shooting ability, which hasn't changed."
I was upset about losing him because he was going to be the starting big the following year, but that's sport.
- Brendan Joyce
Joyce went on to coach the Hawks to a championship in 2001, but he never forgot Andersen's contributions to the club, which is why he held on to his jersey.
"I've had it for 20 years, I had it in plastic and didn't really know what to do with it, I thought about getting him to sign it then selling it to make some cash," Joyce joked.
"But it's his singlet, and I know that he keeps the singlets of all the teams he has played for, so I've been waiting to give it back to him."
Joyce returned the 20-year-old heirloom to Andersen on Friday ahead of a preseason clash between Melbourne United and the Illawarra Hawks in Ballarat.
Andersen, who rejoined the Hawks this season, said it was great to get it back.
"His expletives were very frequent in training and it builds toughness, which makes you the player you are," Andersen said with a laugh.
"Every coach has an impact on a player over their career and Joycey definitely helped me," he said.
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