EWU’s Venky Jois: ‘If you’re good enough, why not go for it?’

Venky Jois may be the image of Australian basketball success in the Inland Northwest, but that same face wrinkles at the notion that he’s some kind of pioneer.

At 22, Jois is old enough to recall the stigma attached to young Aussies playing college basketball in the United States. He insists that the road was paved a decade ago by the dreamers who came before, and by the coaches who gave them a chance.

In 2012, that was Jim Hayford, who recruited Jois to Cheney because he saw something special.

“People started seeing that the college path was working, and they’d have a great experience,” said Jois, a senior forward at Eastern Washington.

“If you’re good enough, why not go for it?” Jois said.

Five years later, he’s one of five Aussies on the EWU roster, but easily the most successful. One of the top players in the Big Sky Conference, the 6-foot-8 Jois was a major reason the Eagles reached the NCAA Tournament last year.

This season, he averages almost 17 points and nine rebounds for a team that might just get there again. He’s a crowd favorite at Reese Court, and his slam-dunks are answered by students who’ve made him feel at home.

“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi oi,” they chant after every score by Jois and fellow Melbournian Felix Von Hofe.

Reflecting on his American adventure, Jois said, “You say you never want to leave home, but you make new friends here, and you don’t want to leave.”