By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE resurgence of the Pakenham Warriors has continued this week, with marquee man James Topp recommitting to the Big V basketball side’s cause.
The announcement came soon after head coach Ryan Rogers also linked his long-term basketball future with the club, and displays a massive show of faith in a process that both men hope will land them a championship.
Rogers could barely contain his excitement at having his go-to offensive threat back by his side for at least the next 12 months.
“We always wanted to bring him back,” the coach said definitively.
“And he feels we’re only scratching the surface, particularly with his involvement in helping our junior program.
“At 25, he feels as though he can elevate his game to another level.
“Next season and he’ll just be coming into his prime.”
Rogers said Topp was in immaculate physical condition and set the bar for his team-mates in that area.
It’s all high praise for a player who has, remarkably, just completed his first season with the Big V side.
“He was the captain in his first year at the club, which shows how much we value him,” Rogers said.
“He’ll hold that role again next season and it’s a role he’s still emerging in.
“He’ll be a little bit more demanding of his peers next year (for example).”
Rogers described Topp’s biggest strengths as his versatility – for a forward who can both guard and defend multiple positions at an elite level – and his impressive shooting percentages for someone charged with so much of the scoring load.
“He will have a great support cast around him next season and won’t be double-teamed as much as he was this year,” Rogers said, clearly salivating at the prospect.
“He’ll win most of his close one-on-one match-ups and his ball distribution will improve even further.”
The Warriors held tryouts on Monday and had 26 in attendance. Impressively, more than half were new faces.
“We need to add depth because I believe our championship window is right now,” Rogers said.
“It will be nice to get some new faces acquainted to our structure during this MMBL season.
“Our goal is the (Big V Division 2) championship – there’s no hiding from that.
“In terms of reaching the play-offs – we’ve been there and done that.
“There are new goals to reach now.”
Topp was voted by his Warriors peers as the team’s MVP last season – his first in the sport since returning from a stint in Aussie Rules.
He admitted to having been disgruntled and frustrated with the representative basketball system in the past and was relieved to “just get the chance to play ball without the politics”.
“The first 12 months with the team – I see that as a job that’s just started,” Topp said.
“We want to fight for the title now.
“Ryan is ambitious with what he wants to achieve and he’s always spurring us on, which is what we need.”
Topp took his time in making his decision to return for at least another year. He had to be sure.
“I didn’t want to cheat myself,” he said.
“At 25, I want to get into condition to play my best basketball.
“A lot of guys bought in last year and we need to continue that next season.”
Keep an eye on the Gazette in the coming weeks for more Warriors announcements.
