Trevor Jackson
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers men’s basketball team has been one of the most success in recent history in the now-defunct South East Australian Basketball League.
The Pioneers all-but dominated the competition before its collapse and reformation to what is now the NBL1 South league.
The Pioneers were not allowed in the original season, but returned for 2020, when Covid put an end to play before it started.
2021 was also disrupted by the virus, but this year all went ahead unhindered and the Pioneers returned to their best.
The Pioneers finished the season runners-up to a strong Hobart Chargers outfit.
They won 16 of 22 regular-season games, with just the six losses on the journey.
But it was the excitement they brought back to the Icehouse which will be remembered for a long time.
Little of the original lineup from the SEABL successful seasons remained, with captain Tom Daly a notable exclusion for much of the season due to the Covid virus and its long-term effects.
Exciting young players such as Nick Marshall and Michael Harris joined Daly and veteran Erik Burdon, along with Mount Gambier’s own Kane deWit and several other aspiring players.
Another youngster in Tom Kubank began to make his mark, along with import Clevon Brown and fellow American Jordan Rawls.
The full roster proved too difficult for many an opposition side under the tutelage of the experienced Richard Hill.
A fast and exciting brand of basketball built around the pace of the young roster provided plenty of interest for the strong crowds which filled the Icehouse and they were not disappointed.
Harris returned figures of 23.83 points per game, Marshall 21.46 and Kubank 13.64.
Marshall was also strong around the boards, with 8.58 rebounds per game, while in his 18 games, Brown pulled down and average of 7.95.
In the absence of Daly, deWit stepped up at the point to control the play, with the experience of Burdon always on the outside ready for a long shot.
In the end it turned out to be the perfect blend of old and new, experience and youth, which almost went all the way.
