Austria is perhaps best known for the famed classical musicians that hail from the country.
The likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss called the central European nation home, and thus Austria has become a hub for some of the world’s most beautiful symphonies.
What the country isn’t known for, at least on an international scale, is its basketball talent.
In its history, Austria has only produced one NBA player, current Toronto Raptors center Jakob Pöltl, and its teams have never qualified for the FIBA World Cup or Olympic Games.
But with the continuous growth of basketball’s popularity in Europe due to the NBA’s efforts and the success of European talent in the league, more kids than ever are opting to give hoops a try overseas.
Southwest’s Josh Schönbäck was one of those kids. Growing up in Klosterneuburg, a city just outside of the nation’s capital Vienna, Schönbäck was enamored by basketball from a young age.
“My mother wanted me to do some form of activity when I was young, and so I had to choose between soccer or basketball,” Schönbäck explained. “Basketball just looked more fun to me, and so I started it and after a year my mom asked me if I wanted to try playing for a club.”
In Europe, sports work very differently than they do in America.
It’s rare to find athletic teams that are directly associated with schools overseas. Instead, most sports organizations are linked to club programs that work outside the realm of academics.
So, Schönbäck’s schedule as a teenager generally consisted of him waking up and going to practice in the morning, then attending school for 4-5 hours before hitting the court for another practice at night.
Austria’s Ace
He started at the club level when he was in the U10 age group, and Schönbäck excelled thanks to him being one of the tallest kids on the floor.
Around the time he turned 17, Schönbäck began to play professionally in Austria.
Playing at the pro level that early may sound foreign to American citizens, but it’s common for European teenagers to play in such leagues if they are skilled enough, as evidenced by current NBA star Luke Dončić having started his professional career in Spain at age 16.
Playing alongside teammates he had shared the floor with since he was 10, Schönbäck thrived as a pro in his home nation.
He earned a laundry list of accolades for his play on the court, as he was named an Austrian Youth League MVP while leading his team to an overall championship and a 3x3 title during the 2020-21 season.
Schönbäck fondly looks back on that time, as he said that the tight-knit group that had been close to winning championships in years prior was finally able to break through and have a successful year to make it all worth it.
“That was probably my best year of playing in Austria, and it was also my last year, so I wanted to win everything,” Schönbäck said. “We had tried for so many years to win the title, so that’s probably the most beautiful trophy I have just because we finally achieved it with that group.”
The Next Step
Schönbäck’s success caught the eye of other professional teams in Europe, and following his last season with his Austrian club, he received an offer that would immensely alter his future.
Brose Bamberg, a German pro team that competes in the top-tier Bundesliga, knocked on Schönbäck’s door and asked if he wanted to come play for them.
The decision to join the club was an easy one, and it became the moment when Schönbäck knew that basketball could be a major part of his future.
“I moved to Germany and played two years there until I was 19,” Schönbäck said. “I was on four different teams during that time and enjoyed it, but what I had always wanted to do was come to America.”
American Dream
Schönbäck explained that he actually had the U.S. in his sights ever since he was 15, adding that he was set to come to the States as an exchange student before COVID-19 threw a wrench in that plan.
Still, Schönbäck was always intrigued by the aspect of going to college and combining higher-level academics with sports. And of course, any basketball player knows that playing in the United States means they have reached the pinnacle of the sport.
“This is the land of basketball, so I felt like I had to try to get over here,” Schönbäck said.
So after becoming a high-caliber player in Europe, Schönbäck knew that taking the next step in his career would require venturing to basketball’s birthplace.
He initially did not receive any collegiate offers, so he opted to pursue the post-grad academy option. A coach from one of his club teams in Austria was familiar with a training academy in North Carolina and connected him with representatives from there.
He joined Combine Academy in the Tar Heel state, and as a player within the organization last year, Schönbäck’s team qualified for the PG Basketball National Prep Championship Final Four and won multiple tournaments.
The boarding school and performance center trains athletes across a variety of sports and has placed a plethora of players in professional leagues, including the NBA.
“They have a great program and they really help you develop your skills further,” Schönbäck said. “We were pretty good the year I played there too, we went 32-4 and won some tournaments.”
And a question that readers may wonder about is if there was a language barrier for Schönbäck after he had spent his entire life in Europe.
But as he explained, learning English is highly encouraged in Austria, and Schönbäck took classes all the way through high school to ensure that there would be no issues when he came to the U.S.
Becoming a Bear
Having completed his year with Combine Academy at 20-years old, Schönbäck then began to truly pursue the collegiate path.
And while working within the developmental program, Schönbäck had caught the eye of SMCC assistant coach Scott Moses.
Having connections with the Academy’s staff from his days of coaching in the Northeast, Moses saw film of Schönbäck on X/Twitter and contacted a coach about Schönbäck’s availability.
With Schönbäck still being uncommitted, head coach Corey Schmidt and his staff were able to dissect the wing’s game and found that he would be a valuable addition to the program.
“We loved Josh’s versatility and ability to impact the game in multiple ways,” Schmidt explained. “And he’s a high-level shooter, so we thought he would fit perfectly alongside some of the other guys we had already signed.”
On top of his on-court ability, Schmidt added that he was blown away by Schönbäck’s maturity in how he approached the game and his goals.
“He thinks about the game and himself in a very adult way,” Schmidt said. “There are so many athletes that don’t know what they are, but Josh had an understanding of who he was and saw how he could fit into what we do.”
Of course, Schönbäck was already back in Austria with his family during this time, so the majority of communication between his family and the SMCC coaches was through WhatsApp.
After going on a virtual tour of the campus through Zoom, the coaches offered Schönbäck a spot on the roster, and he quickly took it.
“I essentially said ‘yeah, why not? And it’s been a great opportunity,’” Schönbäck explained. “The people are amazing, I love my teammates and I also just wanted to try something new. I had never been to Mississippi, so I thought ‘why not try it out?’”
Schönbäck already had experience playing in America from his days in North Carolina, but he was taking another step up in competing at the junior college level.
The 6-foot-7 wing said that the passion for growth stood out to him the most about Schmidt and the Bear program, and the potential to play at a high level led him to sign with SMCC.
“The biggest thing was just the opportunities I would get here,” Schönbäck said. “I get to play a lot of minutes against really good teams, have a good coaching staff that wants to develop you and have great managers who want to work with you.”
The season is still young, but Schönbäck has already assimilated well into the program and become a prominent contributor. He’s averaging 8.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a versatile perimeter player for the Bears.
Schönbäck has also started in every game this season, but perhaps his most impressive statistics are that he shoots at a sizzling 45.8% clip from the field and an 85.7% mark from the charity stripe.
And on top of all that, he’s an Iron Man for SMCC, playing roughly 34 minutes per game as a guy that rarely comes off the floor because of his ability to make an impact in every facet of the game.
“He’s led us in minutes up to this point of the season, and if you’re leading a winning team in minutes, that shows your value,” Schmidt said.
However, Schönbäck did admit that the pace of play and caliber of athletes have been a major adjustment for him when it comes to playing at the JUCO level thus far.
“Basketball is way faster over here, and it’s better from the physical and athletic standpoints too,” Schönbäck said. “In Europe, we don’t have this many high-jumpers or quick guys.”
He added that the American game relies more on instincts and reading the flow of the game while European players are taught to stick more strictly to fundamentals and set plays.
“European basketball is more about trying to find the best open shots and moving the ball quickly with sets,” Schönbäck said. “The American game is more about being creative and playing with your instincts, because you have to read the game more over here.”
The freshman says that he’s really enjoyed having to adapt to the American style, as he feels that he’s a more balanced player and a much better athlete since he came to play in the U.S.
Schmidt and his staff noted that Schönbäck’s tendency to ask questions has really helped him come along, as that’s always a sign that a player truly cares about getting better.
“He had some bumps earlier in the year, but he’s such a smart player and is starting to figure out how he can make an impact in this environment,” Schmidt explained.
Schmidt added that he’s seen Schönbäck become a leader for his team since the season began, as the freshman has been an even-keeled player that holds the team together in tough situations.
“He is a rock of consistency for our team when we have some other guys that are a little more up and down emotionally,” Schmidt said.
Schönbäck has certainly enjoyed his time within the Southwest program as well. He tabbed the camaraderie and hospitality as reasons why he’s found a home in Summit, and he also says that he’s enjoyed the warmer climate compared to the frigid weather that can define Austria at times.
“I really like the weather and how it stays hot for longer,” Schönbäck said. “And the people are amazing, everybody has been so nice and welcoming.”
Of course, Southwest Mississippi can be a culture shock to some people, much less someone from over 5,000 miles away.
And like many international athletes that come to play in the States, adjusting to the food choices has been a challenge for Schönbäck at times.
He explained that he really enjoyed the Thanksgiving meals in November, but all in all, he does miss the cuisine from his home nation where there is far less processed food. Schönbäck said that Austrian meals are generally sweeter and feature plenty of bread and hearty meats and vegetables, with Wiener Schnitzel and the national dish Tafelspitz being prime examples.
And to fight off the natural homesickness that comes from being so far away, Schönbäck says he has frequent communication with his family and connects with friends through video games.
“With my parents, I’m pretty much in contact with them everyday through text or calling,” Schönbäck said. “And with my friends, I try to stay in touch as much as possible, and I have my laptop so sometimes we’ll play games online.”
With a seven-hour time difference between Mississippi and Austria, Schonabck added that it can be a challenge to set up times to link with people from back home, but he’s generally been able to find a schedule that works for both sides.
His head coach says he’s done a great job at adjusting to life in the area, although Schmidt explained that it took Schönbäck some time to get used to how players crack jokes in the locker room.
According to Schmidt, Schönbäck was confused as to why teammates would make fun of each other and didn’t know how to respond at first, although he’s now been able to fire back with some of his own verbal jabs.
“His accent has definitely been imitated in the locker room many times,” Schmidt said with a laugh.
What lies ahead
The freshman is primarily locked in on dominating MACCC play with a squad that has its sights set on making a deep postseason run, but he also acknowledges that his own future is a focus of this season.
As a strong shooter that has great size to go along with a high basketball IQ, the potential is there for Schönbäck to develop into a highly touted player at this level and beyond.
“My ultimate goal is to become a professional basketball player, whether that be in America or back in Europe,” Schönbäck said. “But I also want to finish my degree here, probably in sports management because I do want to stay within the sports sphere.”
Thus, Schönbäck has his sights set on attending a four-year university once his days at Southwest come to a close, citing that pursuit of a diploma as motivation. He recognizes that basketball won’t be there forever, and he wants to work within sports in some aspect in the future.
Schmidt believes that the sky's the limit when it comes to Schönbäck’s potential, adding that the freshman just needs to continue to shoot at a high level while also improving his lateral speed when guarding.
“I think Josh has the potential to be a Division I player, and that was the goal for him when he came here,” Schmidt said. “His offensive potential is to be a double-digit scorer who adds a couple of assists, and defensively he can guard 1-5 and has been a huge asset overall.”
And as Schmidt pointed out, Schönbäck’s versatility makes him an attractive prospect. On top of that stellar shooting ability, he ranks among the best on the team in rebounds and blocks up to this point of the season.
In the end, Schönbäck hopes to parlay a strong season with the Bears into becoming a sought-after college recruit with a goal of becoming someone like Pöltl who can serve as an inspiration to kids back home.
“Basketball is not the biggest sport in Austria, that’d be skiing or soccer, but a lot of people are trying to get into it now,” Schönbäck explained. “So Jakob [Pöltl] is for sure someone I look up to because he made the jump to the best league in the world. I’ve known coaches in Austria who trained him and they talked about how hard he worked to pursue his dreams.”
Alongside Pöltl, Schönbäck says he watches Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić a lot, as he admires how they’ve translated their footwork and skills from Europe to the NBA.
Like many international players, Schönbäck is thrilled to see basketball growing at an exponential rate in Europe, which was exemplified when seven players from the 2024 NBA Draft hailed from European nations.
Schönbäck is another example of that growth, and as a knockdown shooter, he’s maintaining the tradition of Austrians producing pleasing melodies.
He just creates a different kind of string music.
“It’s always hard to say what would have happened if I chose a different route, but I’m happy with where I’m at,” Schönbäck said. “I would make the same decisions over again if I had the choice, because my parents remind me a lot that not many guys from Austria get to have the experiences I’ve had.”
