RICHMOND, Ky. – Former EKU basketball standout Darnell Dialls is now playing professional hoops in Australia. The Lexington, Ky., native is playing for the Goldfields Giants of the State Basketball League (SBL) of Western Australia. Dialls recently agreed to a question and answer session about his life Down Under.

--How did this opportunity in Australia come about?
My former teammate, Michael Haney, sent me a message on the internet and shortly thereafter, my agent sent me an e-mail regarding the same offer. So I jumped on it.

--What are your initial observations of Australian basketball?
They like to run and get up the floor. There aren't very many set plays, mostly just playing ball which I like a lot.

--What town are you in? What is the town like?
I'm in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. It's about 6 hours inland and has a desert-like climate. It's the winter season here, which is nowhere near as cold as ours. It's a small town and I've been told it's one of the gold mining capitals of the world. And they love basketball here!

--Have you seen any kangaroos?
No kangaroo sightings yet.

--What are your long-term plans regarding playing professionally?
I’d like to play for awhile, but finishing school is very important to me as well. At some point, I may take a break from basketball to do that.

Dialls, Haney and the rest of the Goldfields Giants continue their season this weekend against the Cockburn Cougars and Willetton Tigers. For more information on the Giants, please visit their web site at www.goldfieldsgiants.com.