Home court: How Bendigo shaped the Daniels family

Basketball is the family business for the Daniels clan. Dad Ricky played collegiate ball in the USA before coming home to become a Bendigo Braves legend, building his career, and his family, in the city.

Older brother Dyson has taken that legacy all the way to the NBA, a former lottery pick now thriving with the Atlanta Hawks. And Dash is next in line, firmly in the conversation for this year's draft as he plies his trade with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Oldest brother Kai plays Australian Rules with Richmond's VFL team.

For Dash, last week's trip to Bendigo for the CODE Sports Blitz felt like anything but a work trip. The Next Star was back on home turf, and no matter how far basketball takes the Daniels brothers, Bendigo is still where it all comes back to.

"Our day started at Lake Weeroona, which was very nostalgic ... that's often how a lot of our days as children started," Kai said, returning home alongside brother Dash recently.

"We used to go there almost every day and ride our bikes and feed the ducks. That's kind of like our whole childhood right there," Dash added.

Kai has fond memories of the area, adding that "every time we come here, it just feels like you're back home."

"That was the best part, you would never coordinate to meet anyone here, and you just get here in the morning, have a walk around the lake, and run into 15 people," he reflected.

The pair also swung by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, the largest stupa in the Western world, sitting quietly on Bendigo's outskirts. Even having grown up in the region, Dash admits it had somehow slipped past him entirely.

"I've lived here for my first 15 years of my life and I've never heard of it. It's pretty crazy that there's new discoveries in Bendigo that you haven't seen before. I definitely recommend it to anyone coming down."

For Kai, it all comes back to the relaxed pace of life back home.

"You come here, the people are nice, everyone knows each other, like they're all moving at their own pace. If you're just trying to have a calm weekend off, Bendigo is the perfect place for that."

It wasn't just a trip down memory lane, either. Dash backed up the homecoming with his performance in game, averaging 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds across two wins for the Phoenix.

The week carried plenty of meaning off the court too, with the Phoenix running a Kmart Game Time community session for local fans at St Francis of the Fields Primary OSHC in Strathfieldsaye, one of several club initiatives that saw all 10 NBL teams give back to Bendigo during Blitz week.

A week to remember in Bendigo, and a reminder that for the Daniels family, there's no place like home.