Jason Spurgin and Greg Spurgin are brothers from Toowoomba, Australia, who play on the Bowling Green men’s basketball team, over 9,000 miles from home on the other side of the world.
Jason Spurgin, a 7-foot senior center, describes playing on a Division I basketball team with his brother as a unique experience.
“There’s a couple of guys I’ve known that have played with their brother on the same team, and they’ve always said it’s a fun time,” Spurgin said. “So far, it has been a good time, and not many people get the chance to play with a sibling in sport, professionally or at the collegiate level. So, it’s pretty nice to do it on the biggest stage at the Division I level.”
Meanwhile, Greg Spurgin, a sophomore forward, describes playing basketball at BGSU with his brother as something out of a dream.
“I’d definitely say it’s a pretty surreal experience, getting the opportunity to play at such a high level,” he said. “Like, we played high school basketball together, so just dreaming of even going to college, let alone playing together, it’s pretty surreal.”
Jason Spurgin played under Bowling Green head coach Todd Simon for three seasons at Southern Utah before following Simon to BG.
Meanwhile, Greg Spurgin transferred to Bowling Green after playing last season at Westminster University, a Division II school in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Simon said he had great first impressions of both brothers.
“We recruited Jason first up at Southern Utah and got to know him and his family. Great people, very interesting, dynamic background, a lot of life experience and to say that part of it was very intriguing. Obviously, there was a certain level of self-confidence in him,” Simon said. “Getting to know Greg, once you get to know Jason and the family, you see two very driven individuals, and it’s fun to have the whole family be a part of our family.”
While this is their first season playing collegiate basketball together, the brothers have been playing and training together ever since they picked up the sport.
“I think being so close in age, we’re only 14 months apart in age, and [Greg Spurgin] picked up basketball before I did, but being so close in age, skill level and the understanding of the game, we were able to just work out together, and what’s been hours and hours in the backyard just playing one-on-one with each other,” Jason Spurgin said.
This season, Jason Spurgin has been a key player for BG, averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 50% from the field and 40% on three-pointers.
On top of his performance on the hardwood, since transferring to the Falcons, Jason Spurgin has been crucial in helping establish a new culture with Simon.
“I was actually talking to the coaching staff the other week about how quickly everyone has developed and brought into the system. They said having that extra player of being able to talk to the guys, that’s not just from the coaching perspective, has helped guys speed up their learning process,” Jason Spurgin said. “I enjoy teaching and picking their brains on why they don’t think it’s going to work and saying, ‘Hey, I’ve done it for three years. In my first year doing it, I thought the same way as you, but, you know, if you stick to it, it works.'”
Simon stressed the importance of having Jason Spurgin’s leadership on the team, which he described as invaluable.
“It’s priceless; Jason’s like having another coach out there on the floor, and he’s great in the locker room. He’s an interpreter at times, but he’s about all the right things,” Simon said. “He’s an extremely hard worker; he puts in individual time in the training room, doing the right things in the classrooms and just having that type of leadership is huge when you’re turning around the program.”
Now in his fourth season coaching Jason Spurgin, Simon has had a front-row view of his development as a player.
“He didn’t have a ton of perimeter skill; he was more of an interior player. Now, he’s very skilled for his size and 250 plus pounds. He’s just an incredible growth, an incredible leader and communicator,” Simon said. “So, you’ve seen the incredible leaps in his game and how he handles himself off the court; he really handles himself like a pro now. That part is why we do this; we get to see guys embrace the growth.”
Meanwhile, Greg Spurgin has faced the challenge of moving up to Division I basketball this season, which has been a learning experience.
“My previous school had a very different style of basketball, so just adapting to the new style and trying to pick it up as quick as possible, to, I guess, shorten that playing difference in the two different levels,” Greg Spurgin said. “Yeah, that’s a pretty big goal of mine, just learning as much as possible as quickly as possible.”
Although he has not seen much in-game action this season, appearing in just four contests, Simon says it is a matter of time before Greg Spurgin’s time comes.
“Greg is one of our most improved players since he arrived. He’s changed his body, his skill levels increased, his ability to defend and play a couple of different positions has greatly increased,” Simon said. “His time hasn’t come yet, but we fully anticipate it will, and if needed, he can come in and play for us at any given time because he does all those things right. Very smart, and he’s skilled. His future is very bright here.”
This season, Jason, Greg and the rest of the Falcons seek to silence the preseason doubters.
“Team goals, I think it’s pretty consistent across the board with both the coaches and players; we’ve been doubted by preseason rankings, polls and stuff like that,” Greg Spurgin said. “So, proving those wrong and doing what we know we are capable of is definitely a goal.”
While the Falcons are trying to win as many games as possible, the brothers and the rest of the team would also love to win the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
“As a team, obviously, we want to win as many games as possible. We’ve all set out the goal to win the MAC, make a statement in our first year being here as a team,” Jason Spurgin said. “So, that would be the icing on the top, at the end of the year, winning the conference championship and going to March Madness; that’s been a goal of mine since I came to college basketball.”
