Patrick Mills wants to be home, sleeping in his own bed. For now that's where his parents sit and flick through scrapbooks of newspaper cuttings of their son's exploits in the US.
Around them on the walls are the posters of Patrick's childhood, including the Michael Jordan images he says inspired him to chase a career in the NBA.
Having a child living on the other side of the world is hard enough for any parent.
But having that child making decisions that will change his life for good and possibly make him an instant millionaire is something else entirely.
For the next month and a half, Benny and Yvonne Mills will have their minds occupied with the simple question will their boy be a first round pick in the 2009 NBA draft?
That answer depends on countless factors, including the willingness of an NBA franchise to bet on a prodigiously talented but still young and still slight point guard.
Mills himself has kept open the option of withdrawing from the draft and returning to college. But as he explained when he nominated for the draft, chances like this have to be pounced on.
''What I've learnt from my family, from my Dad especially, is that once you're given an opportunity, you should make the most of it. That's what I hope to do.''
Benny's big opportunity came when he was younger than Patrick, a 15-year-old living on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.
School there ended at year 10 and if he wanted to continue with years 11 and 12 he'd have to leave his family and head 800km south to Cairns to attend a boarding school. Benny took that opportunity and hasn't looked back since.
It's a life lesson he's passed down to his son and also to the kids who've played in the Shadows basketball team he and Yvonne founded here in Canberra.
''It was going way away from home, but it was an opportunity to improve my education,'' Benny said.
''That's one of the principles with the Shadows club, with players who are indigenous and non-indigenous, along with commitment and respect, to take opportunites.
''I promote to them that you do all these things and there's going to be opportunities that come up and you have to decide whether you want to take that opportunity and make the most of it.''
For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times
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