At his lowest point, Mitch Creek wanted to sit in a dark room and cry.

2021 was a rollercoaster year for Creek, who juggled a successful NBL season at the South East Melbourne Phoenix with injury and assault allegations, which were later dropped.

These challenges combined sent the Phoenix forward into a spiral of self-doubt and depression.

“I had to be away from everyone, I had to be at home in bed with the doors and windows shut,” Creek told The Logue Down basketball podcast with Chris Anstey.

Creek received a brief reprieve when he was selected in the Boomers pre-Tokyo Olympic camp in California.

ESCAPING TO THE WILDERNESS

These positives vibes soon turned sour after he missed the final cut for the Olympics, prompting him to escape the world, his problems and feelings and live in a caravan in America for almost four months.

“I tried to pretend that I wasn’t in pain or that I wasn’t hurt and in a really bad place,” he reflects.

“I was hiding in the woods in a caravan in Wisconsin. I didn’t touch a basketball for about two and a half months.

“My family were concerned about me and wanted me to come home, but I just said that I needed time.

“It took me about three and a half months by myself hiding away in the USA and South America before I was ready to come home.”

The allegations that he assaulted a woman in November 2020, including 11 charges that ended up being withdrawn, were at the centre of Creek’s mental anguish.

He tried to remain calm when he was growing increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with having his character questioned.

“To go through what I did, I felt like I was treated as bad a light as you could have painted, and with fair reason until everything ran its course,” he said.

“Even then, I knew who I was as a person, and I had to hold onto that.

“I think that is the only reason I probably survived this whole thing.

“My family also went through it and to know they were also hurting because of something that I had to go through, was tough.”

BOOMERS LET-DOWN

Creek felt blessed to be included in the Boomers’ pre – Tokyo Olympic squad and training camp in California last July.

He had experienced some “pretty horrendous dark times” prior to the call-up, so he was thrilled to be included in the Australian national team.

“I was so thankful to survive and make the Boomers squad,” he said.

“To get over to California for the pre-Olympic camp, I was beyond grateful to Basketball Australia, Goorj, the assistants and all the guys for having me in.

“I felt like that was an amazing opportunity.”

Creek’s optimism dropped when he failed to make the final 12-man roster for Tokyo.

He cites “things in the background out of my control” for his non-selection.

It’s understood that Creek was deemed ineligible for selection under Australian Olympic Committee policy due to his previous charges.

“It wasn’t anything to do with the playing side of things or the team or anything like that, it was above me and it was above everyone,” he said.

“I had my choices in my life that had taken me to that point. I was healthy, fit and part of the team and I thought I trained really well during the week.

“Unfortunately, that is sometimes life, but I had to deal with it and live with it.”

Creek felt so disappointed with not being selected that he didn’t “watch a single minute” of Australia’s Tokyo Olympic campaign.

He even struggled to watch the Boomers’ historic bronze medal celebrations.

“Hearing that the boys had won bronze, I cried my arse off,” he said.

“I cried because I was happy, sad, frustrated and I was really in a bad place afterwards and even after the Olympics had finished just because I wasn’t really a part of it.

“I was so proud to see the bronze, but it was heartbreaking not to be a part of it.”

REDISCOVERING HAPPINESS

Creek is in a better place mentally today, thanks to the backing of family, friends and particularly the Phoenix club, who went to extraordinary lengths to support their star forward.

As a result, his smile is back, so to his silky shooting stroke and his desire to pursue all his passions in life, including motorbike riding and skydiving.

“It has taken a long time, but I now wake up and I feel like getting out of bed,” he said.

“I can go to training and not be in tears the whole way there or be stressed.

“The amount of times I walked out of training before the team had even said, ‘Phoenix’ in the huddle afterwards.

“I was straight out the door and into my car.

“But now I feel like being outside, seeing friends and investing my time in the things I want to, and I think that is why I’m playing pretty good basketball.”

Creek is also determined to prove his worth and make the Boomers team for the 2023 Paris Olympics.

“I’ll be ready, fitter, and stronger and that is what I’ll be aiming for,” he said.

“I want to try and play in an Olympic Games. It has been my dream since I was able to walk, talk and write.

“I’ve written it down since I was a young kid and hopefully one day, I get to have that feeling of pulling on the green and gold with the five Olympic rings on my chest.”

NBA ASPIRATIONS

Creek had brief stints in the NBA with Brooklyn and Minnesota back in 2018/2019, but it was enough to “light a fire” in him to return.

At 29, he believes he still has time to prove he belongs in the world’s best league and add to his five games.

“I feel like I deserve to be there and should be on a team,” he said.

“I feel like I can help organisations win, so I’m just waiting for the right time to get over there.

“I know my team is doing all they can, so we’re hoping for some good news very soon.”

Buoyed by his fresh perspective, Creek has produced an MVP calibre season for the South East Melbourne Phoenix thus far.

He believes his form, and the form of other NBL players, is proof that more Australian players deserve a shot in the NBA.

“Because playing and stepping out there, you realise that the level isn’t that high,” he said.

“It is high, don’t get me wrong, and the top four players on each team are superstars, next level and incredible.

“But from the rest of the roster down, I don’t think many top-level Australian players would have an issue competing with those players on a nightly basis.

“If you do the simple things well and take your opportunities you will go okay.”

SIMMONS SUPPORT

Creek has built a bond with Ben Simmons since the Melbourne-born guard made the decision to withdraw from the Boomers’ squad for the Tokyo Olympics amid his ugly trade standoff with the Philadelphia 76ers.

He sent Simmons a text of support at the time, saying: “I support you 100 per cent and reach out if you ever need to.”

Creek, who recently received a reply from Simmons, has encouraged the Aussie star to surround himself with people who care about him as a person as he looks to rebuild his career with a trade to another NBA team.

“I would probably ask how he is really doing, and I’d keep asking until he gave me a real answer,” Creek said.

“I’d tell him that everyone else can get f@#$ed that isn’t in his circle and regardless of how much noise there is, you’ve got to find a way to block it out.

“You’ve got to find a hobby or a passion that you can do that has nothing to do with basketball.

“You’ve got to find a circle that loves you as a person and not as an athlete.

“When you find that and are around a group of people who couldn’t give a shit whether you earn $1 or $34 million.

“As soon as I started doing that and putting myself first, I understood that life was going to be okay, and I was going to be okay.”