"She says it's better the knee then a neck injury," says Brandt, with a laugh, when asked if his mother saw the irony.
"I'm sure they would have chucked me in the second row [in rugby] so that's what my parents were afraid of because they didn't want me in there.
"When the scrums collapses your head tends to go straight into the ground so they didn't want that to happen and that was the main reason they said no to rugby," says the 2.08m
professional basketballer who isn't a Wallaby but has realised a childhood dream of pulling on a Boomers singlet.
"I grew up watching the Boomers play so I dreamed of playing for Australia. It was a pretty lofty dream, so I never really thought I would, but now it's just an amazing time and such a great experience.
Brandt made the cut for the Australia national team last year after a season-defining stint for the Wildcats.
Last ANBL season he had a 100 per cent court attendance (33 games), averaging six points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 2016-17. in the three-match grand final, he averaged 10 points a game against the Illawarra Hawks, including 15 points and 11 rebounds in the winning game two in the absence of injured Matt Knight.
That stint catapulted Brandt into the 20-man national squad for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup campaign.
Brandt said after receiving a call from franchise general manager Kevin Wagg he had consulted Kenny and liked the sound of what the Hawks were about.
"He told me how good the club was and how happy the atmosphere was and the culture about it, so he definitely told me to make up my own mind about it from there."
New Zealand isn't unfamiliar territory for the Sydneysider who plays against the New Zealand Breakers in the ANBL and visited Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill during pre-season stints with the Sydney Kings.
Having plied his trade in Lithuania, Brandt is "playing it by ear this time".
"The quality of the [NZ] NBL attracted me and, of course, it keeps me close to Australia for any Boomers commitments."
It negates the need for him to travel from far flung destinations, such as Europe, then having to take another three-hour flight to the east coast of Australia.
"I wanted to go somewhere I could play good quality basketball in the off season," he says.
Brandt is resigned to making a delayed start here considering Perth, as ANBL defending champions, are perched in the top four playoff rungs of the ANBL ladder, below leaders Melbourne United, Adelaide 36ers and above the Breakers.
"The [Gold Coast] Commonwealth Games may potentially interfere as well," he says of the April 4-15 games.
The 2.08m centre rates himself as a pretty good screener, roller and someone adept at paving the way for the guards to have a good look at the rims with a extra passes.
"I'm sure I'll get the balls to the post and then go and do my thing. I'm also a good passer of the ball at the post so if I'm good at attracting a lot of attention to find open shooters."
The Hawks have won only one NBL crown and that was under Australian ANBL mentor Shawn Dennis in 2006.
His time in Lithuania offered a taste of European style of basketball and broadened his horizon.
"I've definitely picked a few new tricks and a few other things along the way. It's a really good standard of play there and if I get another chance I'd absolutely do it again."
The No 5 is keeping his fingers crossed in making the Boomers cut for the Commonwealth Games.
"You can't count your chicks before they're hatched. If I can make it, yeah, it'll be phenomenal to play at the Commonwealth Games, especially the one in Australia."
After month-long trial last year, Brandt made the cut of 12 to travel to Lebanon. The Boomers were undefeated at a tournament to claim gold. On the way they beat the Paul Henare-coached Tall Blacks in the semifinals.
Brandt remained in the undefeated Boomers' equation for the World Cup-qualifying window last November and must fancy the loyalty of selectors in another qualifying window this month.
He had represented Australia in 2014 in a series against China. In 2011, he represented his country at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China.
Brandt is a graduate of Blaxland High School in the Blue Mountains, on the outskirts of Sydney. In 2008, he spent a season playing high school basketball for Lake Forest Academy in Illinois in the United States.
He won a scholarship to Oregon State University, competing in the Pac-12 Conference which includes the likes of UCLA, Arizona and Stanford.
In the five years at Oregon State he was twice named in the Pac-12 All-Academic Team.
In his senior season in 2013-14, he averaged 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 30 starts for the Beavers.
A tear in the ACL of his right knee in November 2012 tested his resolve as he went under the surgeon's knife.
Brandt says it was a pretty serious injury considering he knows of cases where it has curtailed careers.
"I hard to really work hard to get back, not just physically but also mentally, to regain the trust in my knee.
"That took a little bit of time but that's a hurdle I've had to overcome so now it's well and truly in the rearview mirror. I don't even think about it anymore so that's really nice."
Brandt spent the first two years of his professional career with his hometown Sydney Kings in the ANBL. In 2014-15 he won ANBL Rookie of the Year honours.
In his first foray into Lithuania in 2016 season, he helped Neptunas to the finals where they lost to European powerhouses Zalgiris.
Brandt grew up playing basketball in the backyard of their Sydney home.
"When I was in year 6 all my mates played basketball so I started and from there got into it after school and then got into reps," he says, relishing the speed of the game and intensity.
"You know, there's always something happening whether it's offence or defence so there isn't any time in a basketball game where there isn't anything happening so I really love that about it."
As he aged his growth spurts kicked in as natural selection took over to mould his niche.
With age, the intensity and seriousness of the game kept each other in check.
It was his recruitment into the New South Wales Institute of Sport, under the tutelage of Damian Cotter, that Brandt made incremental developments.
