By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE Pakenham Warriors’ unpredictable season produced one final dramatic twist on Saturday night at the club’s awards gala with coach Ryan Rogers announcing he had coached his last game with the Big V basketball side.
His announcement came after swingman Jim Viray – in his first year with the club – was named its Big V Most Valuable Player and rising star Hayden Davey took out both the Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Jill Appleton from the Pakenham Warriors 1 women’s side was named MVP, while Courtney Dickson from Pakenham Warriors 2 picked up the Most Improved gong.
In a heart-felt speech to those in attendance at the club’s annual awards at the Pakenham Golf Club on Saturday night, Rogers said he and the club were headed in different directions. His decision to walk away, in part, was due to differences of opinion in the future direction of the club, but – more significantly – it was so that he could spend more time with his young family as “a better husband and father”.
He had committed so much time to basketball almost seven days per week that there were days he barely saw his wife and young son.
“Monday nights were the only nights where basketball didn’t feature at all,” said Rogers, who has been involved in coaching in some form for the past 18 years.
His week consisted of Big V, MMBL, and under-18 duties practically anywhere around Melbourne in a huge time commitment.
Rogers said there seemed to be a push from others to ensure that external, non-Pakenham-based players became a thing of the past for the club in favour of a stronger pull of youngsters coming through who could fill out the Big V program, but he added: “It takes a bit of time to get it to that stage. It’s just like the GWS Giants in the AFL – they need mature-age players to surround all these great kids. If the next coach doesn’t have some freedom with bringing in players who’ve played at higher levels of Big V in the past to aid the transition period, while the club continues to see its kids develop, they might see the locals lose interest with the demands of senior basketball and success that will follow in the immediate future”.
Rogers took a two-win team in 2012 to the Big V Division 2 playoffs last year, and while the Warriors narrowly missed out in season 2014, they did have their highest win total in the history of their elite program.
“It’s a bit hollow – a feeling of unfinished business,” Rogers said of his decision to walk away, adding that whoever takes over should see some of the success the club had been building towards.
But there looks set to be somewhat of a transition period in the coming months with some veterans set to call it a day on their representative careers.
Of the local success stories in recent years, Rogers was quick to highlight the rise of teenage Big V guard Matt Darcy and young up-and-comers Casey Wassylko and Zac Milon who Rogers said were “ready-made” to take the step up into Big V if their commitment to basketball continued; and also giving a fresh start to mature players – and consummate professionals – Daniel Stow and captain Bill Winder.
Rogers’ decision to walk away wasn’t taken lightly – he was contracted for 2015 and the Gazette understands there was a two-year option on top of that.
Pakenham and District Basketball Association president Craig Magrath said he was proud of all the award winners at the Warriors’ presentation night, as well as a bumper crop of young female players who could yet make the step up to Big V. He added that while Rogers’ announcement “isn’t ideal for the club”, he understood his need to spend more time with his family.
“Ryan and Catherine (his wife) have both done a great job for us,” he said.
“Ryan has a very good basketball IQ and he was always strong with his opinions.
“His decision was just part of life and we’ll move on as quickly as we can.”
The Warriors are set to announce a director of coaching in the near future, as well as a new coach for the Big V program.
