By RUSSELL BENNETT
A WARRIOR’S spirit already burns strong in the hearts of some of Pakenham’s best young basketballers and as part of a Big V side with championship dreams, that spirit will need to shine through under the bright lights of the big stage.
The 19-year-old trio of James Magrath, Sean Armstrong and Hayden Davey has brought the band back together – with the three reuniting this season and continuing an on-court relationship that spans more than a decade.
And their energy and youthful exuberance will be as crucial as ever to the team’s prospects, with a host of established veterans leading the way.
“We all know each other’s likes and dislikes out on the court, and we all flow really well together,” said Armstrong, a versatile 186-centimetre swingman.
“We just need to make sure the crowd is ready for us,” Magrath said.
“I’ll try and throw some lobs to H (Davey)… showtime!”
While Magrath and Armstrong have returned from last year’s Warriors side, Davey has come back to the Pakenham fold after a few seasons away. Armstrong can’t wait for the trio’s first game back together again.
“Just knowing each other’s game, and the family support all three of us will be getting here … it’ll be big,” he said.
Magrath was even more emphatic.
“Our families together … wow. That’ll be loud – very loud.
“I’m just looking forward to a great season with all the new players we have coming in.
“Hopefully, we can go all the way and win the championship.”
But, like their veteran team mates James Topp, Bill Winder and Daniel Stow, they know they’ve got plenty of hard work ahead to reach their championship goal.
“We need to step up our pressure on the defensive end, definitely,” Armstrong said. “Our offense will be fine.”
Magrath, who last season stepped up to fill the breech left by injured floor general Jay Ferriere, admitted the side started to fatigue towards the end of a long year.
“We started to fall apart a bit towards the end the season, but we need to keep it up,” he said.
“Halfway through the season, we didn’t do any trial runs or anything like that and a few of us probably lost a bit of fitness.
“Hopefully, we can keep it up this year.”
Magrath joked that Winder, 31, beat him by 20 minutes in a recent time trial – but, on a serious note, said it was players like the 194-centimetre forward who had set the tone for the Warriors’ young brigade to follow.
“I know I don’t want to be beaten by an old bloke!” Magrath said.
“Hopefully, we all step up our fitness to get to the next level and show the other teams, and our home crowd, what we can do.”
And for the record, Magrath still remembers his first game for the Warriors under-12s alongside Armstrong and Davey.
“We got smashed, but it was great fun,” he said.
“It’s great to grow up and still be together, and to have the older guys like Bill and Stowy back again – still teaching us young guys what to do – hopefully we can still learn a thing or two from them.
“Those guys, Ferriere, and Toppy, all give out great pointers and I’ll be listening to every word they have to say.”
