Embracing moment leads Black to bigger things

Featured image: Tyson Lumbaca | @ty.visuales

Sharif Black thought he'd never play professionally after college nor again to start 2026, but he has embraced every opportunity and that's why his NBL1 West stint at Joondalup Wolves has started in blistering style.

It's hard to imagine a ride to playing NBL1 West in front of big crowds in what could be the best NBL environment in the country from the Wolfpack at Arena Joondalup like Black has been on.

After splitting his career at Chadron State College and then Bemidji State University, Black never thought he'd play basketball at a high level again and had in fact already started working an office job.

A chance in Portugal then opened up, but before he'd played a regular season game, he was gone and once again thought he wouldn’t play anywhere else.

That led into a first chance in Australia in Division 2 of the Big V with the Wallan Panthers. From there he worked up to State Championships with McKinnon Cougars, and played the past two seasons in NBL1 Central with Woodville Warriors and Sturt Sabres.

In between NBL1 seasons, he thought he'd try a new adventure and play in Ireland while his partner Tia was working and living in London, but the side effect was that the experience of that once again killed his basketball passion.

So come the end of 2025 and start of 2026, he was back home working another office job in Detroit and thought he was moving on from basketball until the call came from new Wolves coach Lucas Allen and the rest is history.

The Wolfpack are 3-0 to start the NBL1 West season, Black has starred with 26.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals a game, and he couldn’t be happier.

"It's been a great start and I actually came in pretty late and got in probably two weeks before the season started, and I had one pre-season game where we played Kalamunda which I was literally here for three or four days before," Black said.

"Just to see me get acclimatised with the team so quickly was kinda surprising but not that surprising when you've got guys that have been around the league as long as they have like Taylor, Caleb and obviously CJ, and even that core that's been there a while like Gabe, Jordan and Damon who come in and bring a lot of energy.

"So I was coming into a close-knit group and I'm not surprised with the start we've had and Lucas is a coach we all have full faith in.

"I've known Lucas for quite some time now because we played against each other in Big V so there was mutual respect there, and I've known his teams to always be successful.

"The one thing I was surprised by was how quickly I feel like I'd been here for a long time once I got here and to fit in so seamlessly."

Being at a club like Wolfpack

It was a real pinch himself moment on Saturday night when Black played his first home game with the Wolfpack at Arena Joondalup and just being part of that game night experience in front of a big crowd.

Compare that to what he first experienced at Wallan when he first came to Australia and it just shows what is possible if you continue to have faith in yourself to continue to get better, and move up the ranks.

"I stepped onto our home court for the first time on Saturday and you kinda just have to take it all in," Black said.

"You look around and take a couple of breaths, and think that you're really playing at this level now in front of this sort of crowd.

"I'll tell you, at Wallan we had a nice little crowd with some of the footy guys coming down from around the corner for the $2 beers so it would get a bit rowdy, but it's nothing like this.

"This is just on a whole different level and it's not just the crowd and atmosphere, but it's the level of players you're playing against too who play at the highest level in Australia or have played Div 1 or 2 college and have come back to play here, or just guys who have played in this level for a long time.

"Then you add in the community there is here and in Joondalup, all the surrounding areas get behind the club and we get around to the schools during the week and they come along on game night. It's just a bit wider of a community and it's awesome to be part of this now and I want to make the most of it."

Reconnecting with old Michigan gun

Speaking of pinch himself moments, Black still fondly recalls seeing CJ Turnage go about his business back when they were both in Detroit as younger men. Now to call him a teammate with Joondalup is something he is fully embracing.

And beyond that, just the level of basketball he's now part of with most NBL1 West teams featuring NBL players, high level imports and some of the best local talent across the country, and he will never take for granted where he is and where he's come from.

"I remember CJ from when I was in high school and I remember he was a highly touted player who got Division 1 offers," Black said.

"CJ doesn’t remember me because I wasn’t that good at the time, but even going beyond since I first came to Australia, I've had a really topsy turvy journey but it's prepared me for this exactly.

"Throughout everything from where I started, I've ended up on a team with CJ Turnage and playing on a court against guys like Michael Harris and Isaac White who just played in the NBL Finals, and this week I've got David Okwera and Lat Mayen I'm coming up against.

"Now I'm on the court with them so at the end of the day it's just made me appreciate the journey and I always make the most of wherever I'm at."

The journey to this point

Black's whole life has seen people doubting him and questioning whether he's capable of playing at the level he's at. That's why he has risen to every challenge along the way and now why he is currently at the high point of his basketball journey in the NBL1 West with the Wolfpack.

"You could say it's a crazy journey and I don’t know anybody that's down the route that I have. I don’t think there's anybody as an import who's come in here and played Big V D2 and then worked their way up from there," Black said.

"I feel like every league I've played in pretty much I've shown that I've belonged the whole time and it always comes with the whole baggage where everyone thinks because I played at the level below that I was the underdog and people doubted I could make that jump up.

"I'm used to people thinking I'm not that good because I played here or there, but I've had a different journey than everybody else.

"I wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school and I actually quit basketball right after college and didn’t think I would play professionally, and I was working in sales with a logistics company."

Embracing the moment at the time

One big reason why Black feels like he has been able to move up the ranks and continue to shine along the way is because he has always thrown himself fully into embracing where he is in the moment.

So when he first came to play Division 2 Big V with Wallan, he wasn’t thinking he should be playing at a higher level, he just wanted to put his best foot forward there, and as a result, he was up to the top level of Big V with McKinnon as of 2022.

He was Player of the Year of the Big V in 2022 and made the First Team in both 2022 and 2023. That led to an NBL1 opportunity in the Central firstly with Woodville in 2024 and then Sturt in 2024.

Again, when he was playing Big V, he wasn’t thinking he should be playing NBL1, and that's why he was able to shine.

Then when he was playing Central, he wasn’t thinking he could be at a more highly rated NBL1 conference. Because of that attitude he feels it has been key to continue to lead him to bigger things.

"So I didn't think I would be doing this myself so I'm used to people doubting me but I think in turn, I've built up callouses over the years and don't really pay attention to what people might be saying about me and I just let my basketball do the talking when I roll up to play," Black said.

"I just go out there and compete wherever I am, and now I've gone from playing Big V D2 to now going up against NBL players pretty much every night.

"At the end of the day, all I worry about is coming out to compete and it has fuelled me this whole time the journey I've had to go on, and it's made me appreciate where I am even more because I always felt wherever I was playing at the time was where I was supposed to be at that time.

"What's always helped me is just taking everything day to day and making the most of where I am, and now it's got me to where I am now in the NBL1 and what's got me here is focusing on every day at hand.

"I think it's a good lesson for any kids out there who might not have made a rep team and they might think it's over, but I got cut from a couple of teams in my life and have been through a lot, so it just shows you what is possible."

Finding a home in Australia

The basketball homes Black has found in Australia at Wallam, McKinnon, Woodville, Sturt and now Joondalup speak for themselves, but it's been more than just that why he feels so at home in the country.

The lifestyle and communities he is part of beyond just what happens on the court is a big reason why he has kept on coming back since that first arrival in 2020, and why he now can't see himself wanting to play basketball anywhere else.

"This is my second home and Detroit is always my home, I'm a true through and through Detroit guy, but this is where I feel home as much as anywhere else," Black said.

"I knew as soon as I came here and stepped off the plane in Melbourne and it was the most liveable city in the world at the time, and I don’t know if I want to admit this coming from America, but it's just so easy to live here in comparison.

"It's really easy going, people care about each other and try to help each other, and it's just small things like that which might not be the same back home. It's just a lot more relaxed and there's a lot more care around society down here, and everyone here seems to care about the land you live on and now I feel part of that community.

"I even felt that in my first year in Big V with Wallan and I came during Covid and they were sending most imports back home, but the president Gary O'Brien took really good care of me.

"He helped me stay out here and supported me the best I can because I was part of the community, and that was after I was only here for about three months. I've never felt that connected with a community just from playing basketball which can be very transactional around the world.

"So being somewhere that they actually care about you and how you're doing, and how you can progress with your life is something I found to be amazing. That's indicative I've everything I've found wherever I've been in Australia and it's turned into my second home where I want to stay."

Building a life down under

Not only has Black found his basketball home in Australia, but it's also where he met partner, Tia, and they are looking forward to now settling together at least for this year and next in Perth.

"She's been a huge help and been around the world with me and that just settles you having someone there with you especially when you're going to new places," Black said.

"I guess wherever I go I am set up in the community because of where I play basketball with my teammates and everything, but we're able to do things away from basketball and it's nice having your partner there to do everything together.

"It's my first time in Perth as well and it's really her first time since she was 14 so we're both exploring this pretty much together for the first time which makes it a lot easier."

Big Friday battle on plenty of fronts

Now looking ahead to this Friday night and it's another big occasion for Black to be part of when the Wolves remain at home at Arena Joondalup to host the East Perth Eagles.

That's an Eagles team that eliminated the Wolfpack in the playoffs at the same venue last year. Throw in former East Perth captain Taylor Young, also Black's housemate, up against his former team for the first time, and there's a lot to look forward to.

Not to mention that Joondalup are 3-0 and that the Eagles have won their last two games powered by Perth Wildcats NBL26 pair Lat Mayen and David Okwera.

"There's obviously Taylor playing against his old team and I only just learned the history of last year when they played back-to-back games with the last game of the season and then going into the playoffs," Black said.

"I'm going to go out and compete just like any other game, but I'm sure there will be an extra edge there for a few of the guys for different reasons, but any time you're in front of a crowd of 1500-people and the whole crowd is wearing Wolves gear, it's always a big game I feel like.

"You want to give your fans a show and something that they're proud to root for so that's what we're going to go out and do, and just play our brand of basketball even though we know that East Perth have a lot of weapons obviously so we know how dangerous they are.

"It will be a good test for us and to see where we really sit in the league."