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Season 2 Episode 14: Veteran Moves with Ben Kearins
71 Plays4 months ago
Ben Kearins is considered a veteran of NBL1 East despite only just turning 30 years old. He has had an eventful career which saw him achieve success with his beloved Penrith Panthers, received an NSWIS scholarship and play for the Sydney Kings.
Ben shares his experiences from throughout his career and shares more about his current season back home.
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Transcript
Introduction to Ben Kierans
00:00:01
Speaker
All right, guys, this week's guest is someone who's been part of MBL1E so long that he's even played when it was rebranded as Siebel and Champions League and whatever other iterations our ABA semi-pro conference has been called in the last decade in New South Wales. He's someone who you would consider a veteran. However, it's only turned the big 3-0 today. So it feels like he's been around a lot longer. He's played across on the borders as well of New South Wales, but now he's back home with his beloved, Penrith. It's Ben Kierans. Hello, Ben. Hi, guys. How are you going? Thank you for having me on. Absolutely. It's great to have you on and talk about, um yeah, what looks like a very extensive and layered career that you've had in basketball. And thanks for especially taking time to chat with us today for your birthday. I don't think we've ever had a birthday guest before.
00:01:00
Speaker
Oh, well cool. That's, I'm honored then to be the first person to be having, talking to you guys on their birthday then. So I'm flattered to be that person. It's too bad we don't do the traditional podcast in a studio. We could have gotten you a cape or something, but nonetheless, we're joined in the virtual world.
Early Basketball Journey
00:01:20
Speaker
So Ben, we'll start our conversation today the same way as we do with all of our guests. Tell us about how your basketball journey began. Yeah, but pretty straightforward. actually I actually started fairly young at about five or six Aussie hoops. There you go, I just did my first 10 seconds in. So um so yes, ah so I started my basketball journey about five and six, played the whole juniors local comp till about under 10s, then really joined the rep program at Penrith.
00:01:54
Speaker
played there, didn't actually do too well really early on in terms of 12s and 14s, didn't win a 1-1 game, sorry I shouldn't say didn't win a game, but won one game in 12s and 14s and after that took a big leap in 16s and just knuckered down a bit more and went all the way to grand finals from then on from in 16s and then lucky enough to make the New South Wales state teams, 16s, 18s, and 20s. And then from then on there, was it the New South Wales Institute of Sport, which I'm pretty, pretty I don't know if they don't, I don't think they do it anymore, but um that was a really cool time when they did the N-Swiss
Progression and N-Swiss Program
00:02:31
Speaker
program. And from then on, went to the Kings and then was there for three seasons, I think, three seasons, yeah. One as a train on, and then two the following seasons after. And then, yeah, passed that.
00:02:46
Speaker
So I've played in the Siebel competition two years and then came back home to Waratah and then obviously COVID hit and yeah, went over the hills for two seasons and they're back at Penrith this year. So did you um have any family connection or when you start first started playing, anyone to get you into basketball or is it just kind of where you were taken? It was it was sort of, not taking my old man, my dad, loved basketball. He played cricket as well, but he was a basketball loved it. And as soon as I got into that, there was really no turn of back. I like rugby league as well. That's something I like, but that was basketball was just so far beyond like my love for sport that there was no other, there was no other real sport to do. And I think that love that I had for basketball really got me played like a generous six one.
00:03:40
Speaker
white guy from Mount Druitt, like it's pretty hard to really get to the pro level without love. And I think that's what just my, how much I love basketball was the reason I really got far and still play now and still enjoy playing every second of it.
Passion for Basketball
00:03:53
Speaker
And you mentioned that you're from Penrith, Mount Druitt, but you're wearing a quite significantly different jersey to tonight. Yeah, I'm wearing the Cannery Bankstown Bulldogs NRL jersey. I was brainwashed as a kid by my dad, but it was the best brainwashing I could ever ask for, and probably a bit too tragic of a Bulldogs fan, but now we're good this year, so I've got to wear it, because I haven't been able to wear it for about six or seven years. So now that we're good, um my second it's basically my new uniform that I wear every day.
00:04:27
Speaker
Is it a bit of a point of contention though, with your Penrith teammates, the fact that you go for Canterbury and not the Penrith Panthers? ah Oh, they've got it, they've had it good. Like even last year I had to deal with Mossy at Hills who was a Penrith fan as well. I'm sick of those, every Penrith fan at the moment in terms of the NRL because they just won three in a row, probably could win four in a row this year and we've been at the bottom. So living in Penrith, copping that for three years, four years plus, it's been a nightmare. So now i hope now that we're good, it's not too bad.
Sydney Kings Experience
00:04:59
Speaker
ah So you mentioned that you played a few seasons for the Kings. yeah How did that how did that come about? Where did that stem from? After under 20s I was at the New South Wales Institute of Sport and Swiss and from then on I there was actually a trial I don't know if you guys ever remember that but when Shane Hill was the coach there was a trial for two guard spots and development player sports and at the time I wasn't in look they had some guys I was looking at from from everywhere they took Kyle Armour and Sean Gleason I think that's yeah they took those two boys and from the trial so they brought those guys from all over the country so but then yeah I was there
00:05:46
Speaker
I might not have even been 18 yet and went to the trial and um yeah, they said they really liked me at that time and they wanted me to, they had their DP spots already picked as well. i Jimmy Trustom from the crew, Louis Brandt from Penn at the time as well. And then they said, oh, we really want you to come along even though we just had our spots picked. um and yeah so i did that first year as just a train on and then straight after that they uh i was signed as a dp the very next year and was there for two years and played a handful of games it was really cool so uh yeah it stemmed from that really it went from basically from 20s to
00:06:26
Speaker
the Institute of Sport, there was some chance to go overseas, but not really an interest in my behalf. So I was really happy to, when I got that invite to the camp and then did well enough to at least get a train on. And then, yeah, it just went from there. I was there for multiple years, two and a half after that. So three and a half in total. And for those that might not know, tell us a little bit more about what the InSwiss program looked like back then, because it's not something that's, they don't fund a basketball program anymore and haven't for a long time. But my understanding when it was around, when I was playing was that it really bridged the gap between juniors and seniors and was kind of one of those elite programs as a senior, but I wasn't sure what opportunities could come from it. So what was your experience like for the InSwiss?
00:07:16
Speaker
Oh, I just think it was awesome. It was a exactly right. It was the bridge between juniors and seniors. like Once you finish these state teams in 20s, unless you... But there's a lot more better opportunity with like touring teams going overseas, going to colleges. Obviously, it's a little bit more... i Even in the, what, 10 years from... Myself to now just the opportunities to go overseas and get seen more Go on these AU tours is so much more but at the time it really wasn't you obviously People would come out here same areas. He's been doing it for
00:07:50
Speaker
20 years probably, but a lot of, unless it was schools over in America that were really committed to Aussies, it's very hard to get over there and unless you show tape. So after 18, sorry, after under 20s, even now, this' i'm unless you go to school, there's even this this window where you don't know what to do. You got guys that playing under 20s that might have been a six, seven month layoff before they go to school back in August or whatever it is. and The perfect thing about N-Swiss was ah you just train. You just train. You just work out um every day in the gym, on the court. And that was credit to Damien Carter. He ran the program then. It was fantastic. And a lot of us
00:08:35
Speaker
really did stuff with it after the N-Swiss program. I know a lot of, uh, girls, guys went overseas to college from there, went to the NBL, played in the NBL. Uh, and it was a really, it was just a program that really gave us success in the future, which, uh, for and New South Wales athletes, it's really good. Were you in the N-Swiss program with Jackson Aldrich? No, no. I know like, um, considered a veteran now, but no, he's even older than me. He's a couple of years older than me. So, um, yeah, that's, he's, he's older than me, but I actually, yeah, Jackson was really cool. Like I never met Jackson, but he was like the gold standard of like people coming out and then went to Butler when it was big, a big school. So never knew what actually happened to Jackson, but yeah, he was, uh, the guy that
00:09:24
Speaker
when we had the N-Swiss and when we were at N-Swiss was like, oh, this is what he did. This is how he got to Butler at the time after Gordon Heywood and was a really big school. So yeah, no, I definitely wasn't there when he was there, but yeah, I did enjoy my time there. When I was at uni, we got to watch N-Swiss basketball train. And Jackson Aldridge in an elite group was just miles ahead of even anyone else in that program. That's who I am. I remember no one who went to Butler. So i just wondering if you were part of, part of that group. Nah, a bit too young, bit too young. You're getting old, but you're not that old yet. No, it's like I said before, like even last year when I was dragged into like old veteran guys, just cause I was the second oldest like, yeah,
00:10:09
Speaker
You might be 34, but you're 29. It's like, oh yeah, it's a big get bit of an age difference there. But no,
Time with Aubrey Woodonga Bandits
00:10:14
Speaker
it's all good. Yeah. As long as you've got 20 something still in your age, I think you're pretty good. Oh, not anymore now.
00:10:23
Speaker
The only way is I'll put it from you when you reach your thirties, Ben. I know. I'm just in peak years now. So that's I'm excited for it. Yes, absolutely. That's a good attitude to have, good attitude to have. After your time with the Sydney Kings, I also learnt that you played with the Aubrey Woodonga Bandits and the Canberra Gunners. And you played alongside Daniel Joyce, Ben Allen, and a very young Brenda Bella Beacon himself, Glenn Morrison. Yes, no I played with all those boys so yeah originally i went to Aubrey straight after straight after Sydney and I did come back to Sydney for a preseason after that. um But yeah when I was at Aubrey.
00:11:03
Speaker
went to a very, very good team. Uh, we made the playoffs, uh, in 2016, I think it was, I think it might've said there, but yeah, we were a very good team. I look back and I probably, I don't regret anything because I met my partner down there and everything, love Aubrey families down there now. But just in terms of development might've been a little bit tough because I know a lot of these guards that development players or something, they go to these teams that are not really stacked and so they get their numbers up. They try and show MBL clubs that playing for gigs, they can go to MBL one on New Zealand and put up.
00:11:36
Speaker
20 and 6 and show that they want to be on an NBA roster. Where I went there with the team that the previous year before lost in the championship. So they lost the national championship Sebel Grand Final and I came in the year after and we did really well. I think we got to the we won a playoff game. Ironically last time Aubrey made the playoffs which is really shocking how good of an organization they are and even how much they spend because they've just got such a committed local fan base down there. That's why it's so shocking that a they'll make it this year obviously they're very very good this year and but it's good to see them back in that but yeah eight years ago that was but
00:12:17
Speaker
yeah we had a really good team and in that sense probably didn't allow me to do what these other guards did like other guys do now when they go to play go to lesser teams but they put up their numbers to show the nbl clubs i went to a team that was very stuck we had two imports that were one import was the uh all-star five of seaboard the previous year the other import actually still plays in nbl one central greg mays and it was his first year of his he was a great player to play with and then we had two aussies which were uh clayburn mcmath and deborah george who were nbl guys as well and i think they just got out of the league so they were trying to also get back in the league so
00:12:58
Speaker
And then I was in that spot there to try and get a lock in a spot as well. And then they had some very good locals. So
Challenges with Canberra Gunners
00:13:05
Speaker
ah ah I enjoyed like enjoyed it. I had a solid year there. Just at that time wasn't probably the look back on it. Maybe I should have done the the role of a worser team. and then try and get numbers up, but I was more than happy to play for a better team and go to the playoffs and get some wins. And after that year, then I did try try to do that when I went to Canberra.
00:13:29
Speaker
um Joycey and Benny Allen, um two great guys that I enjoyed playing with. Like Joycey was, I played with him at Sydney and Benny, sorry, Benny was in my train on year. And so it was, Joycey was the following year after and got along with those guys, awesomely. Glennie, Tui, they were great guys as well. It was very hard that year, because I was traveling from Sydney. ah So every Thursday I'd go down, train, stay there, play Saturday. we We might be on the road, so maybe I'll be in Ballarat on a set and Saturday, Sunday morning, then come back to Sydney. So it was it was a very hard time, Canberra, in the sense of just did a lot of travel. And the team,
00:14:20
Speaker
the team we'd struggle, we started well early, like we were playing some close games. And then after after a while when we sort of got eliminated, it was a little bit difficult for me, because just being the non-local guy, traveling from Sydney, they had a great core. And if you look at it now, and they go plan got Glenn, you got two, I think they both were going to school. um But yeah, you look back, any any association is gonna play their juniors over, so i'm someone that they've brought in that's just not an import at the time and yeah it was a little bit hard that back end of the the gunner season but there was a lot of great people was it's it's difficult because I understand what they they did in the sense that you're gonna play your local kids over some
00:15:02
Speaker
guy that's come come up from Penrith to try and play once the season's over. um And then, yeah, the back end of it just didn't get a lot of burn there. and But yeah, I had such a good time, a lot of good people there that I speak so highly of and yeah. ah especially Glenn. Glenn and Tui, I love battling both of those guys now. I don't mind talking smack with Glenn, which is good because he gives it back and Tui's one of the best defenders, if not the best defender in the league. So anytime I play against him, I know it's a challenge, but it's a really, really good challenge. That's why I think when people get tagged with that veteran kind of, well, the the veteran tag, I should say, because
00:15:45
Speaker
people have been playing or at least starting in semi pro leagues since they were quite young even if they were just like the train on or the 11th and 12th on the bench and they just keep playing for that long so you just get used to them being around and you assume oh they must be like 35 and it's just because they've just been playing consistently for a long time
00:16:06
Speaker
I know, I get that from like, I get guys, I speak to Jimmy Trustom throughout the year and he's like, how long you got left? I'm like, man, I'm all right, I don't think of it I got that long, but Jimmy's got some years on me, but I'm like, oh, like stop dragging me into these other guys. Now I'm in the 30 range, it's gonna only get worse. now Now I might even be dragged into it with everyone in the league. Someone 38, 40, yeah, just drag drag Benny into that age group. But nah, it's good, it's all good.
Siebel vs MBL1 System
00:16:34
Speaker
But tell us about how the Siebel competition back then compares to MBL1 now. It was very tough. Like it was good. It was really, it was awesome. I think the MBL1 system now with the five conferences is better in terms of Australian growth. The league was better in Siebel.
00:16:52
Speaker
If that makes sense, I know that I say the NBA one's better structure for basketball in Australia, but the seed was a lot harder. Every team had two imports, every single one. And it wasn't just two imports, it was two imports. Like I said, with that Aubrey team that I was a part of, it was two imports, two guys that just got out of the NBL. Then there was myself and another player that would two guys trying to get me and be able that we're in the NBA DPs. So I was six on a roster and we were
00:17:24
Speaker
ah we didn't win. We didn't, we got to the, I think the semi-finals or the, yeah, I think the semi-finals and yeah, we didn't win. So it was, that's just what the quality of talent was. You had Mount Gambier who was stacked, but that was, that was a very elite competition. However, I think it is better now that it's spread out. I think there's more talent league wide, but yeah, there was just, it was a stack competition at the time. And I think that the biggest difference between Siebel and now is every club had two imports and at least two Aussies that were high level Aussies. I would say does that stem from just the fact that back then Siebel was an elevated league above every other state, whereas now every state is at least on the face of it on equal footing.
00:18:13
Speaker
Yeah, I think so, Lockie. I think that ah think that was that that. That is the case. I also think that there was probably more, I don't know, financially, how much it cost to put teams in, but we were flying everywhere. It made absolutely no logical sense in the world, but Brisbane were in the single competition. So like you had Brisbane, Canberra, and then everything, Aubrey, and then everything south and including ah Mount Gambier, which was in South Australia. So financially you had to spend probably a lot more money. So I guess the point of that is if you're all going to say spend, I don't know, whatever the competency, let's say a hundred thousand and put a team in, why would you waste that hundred thousand putting a team in when you have to then come last? So I think every team spent more because of how expensive
00:18:57
Speaker
it would have been to put a team in the league. So just that logic of, oh, we're going to spend that. Why would we just make a crap team or when we can make a good team? Because we are spending that money. Let's spend a little bit more so that ah our team's good in a competitive competition. Locky, that's why I think it was a more supreme competition because people spent for the league and then they spent for success. Which I guess are a couple of NBA one clubs, especially when it started in East, probably had to have the same argument with themselves or conversation at their clubs like Sure, we want to buy into MBO1 East. And I think similar to how Waratah used to run, you'd have to put in a men's and a women's team. You couldn't just have one or the other. And MBO1 is a lot more expensive than what Waratah was. But there were some clubs, including Crusaders, where we, in the first couple of seasons, were like, are we even going to have enough for a team, let alone have a good team? Yeah, I know. And that's, well, you look at the
00:19:57
Speaker
look at the teams that it is money's a big thing money's a big thing with all of that especially now in this third year how uh third year of nbl1 third year of nbl1 uh how much it's grown and now every team a lot of teams have two imports a lot of teams have at least one import now which that wasn't the case amorta there was a good chance that two or three teams that have an import. And then the there'd be the very rare team that has two. But there's a lot of Aussie talent in this one now, which is getting paid as well. So I think it's good that the NBA One East is doing that, that there's more more and more great players coming in um to the league. more And a lot of teams now have two imports. So I guess that's the sense that
00:20:39
Speaker
they're understanding that same logic. Like if we're putting a team in, why are we just going to cut it short and just be poorer by not spending more money on some extra guys to make our, to invest in the money that we're already spending and putting the team in. When Penrith didn't enter originally, you, you spent time at Hills and it was yourself, Josh and Lockie Charlton originally came over from Penrith and went to Hills. Yeah, yeah, no, funny enough, I got a message originally from Reece that before I even found out that the Penrith were gone at the moment. So I had to clarify that up before I even confirmed anything. He shot me a message saying, hey, I'd like you to come on over. And then I went, oh, okay, cool, just ah let me confirm that
Penrith Panthers' Development
00:21:21
Speaker
we're not in first. And once I confirmed that, it was um all good, but no, yeah. And then,
00:21:27
Speaker
that trials both the boys did awesome killed it and were straight away in the team and um yeah it's it was great time over there two really good years there um went to the playoffs last year which was really cool and um yeah don't know really a bad word to say about them at all so why why was now the right time to come back to penris oh just do like multiple things like it was obviously well they came back in last year and it was um It was a tough year last year. Obviously, I'm not going to sit down and brag that we've won two less games than we did last year. This year, but we're obviously, this year is just a complete different team in terms of we've laid the platform this year, which I think that unfortunately we couldn't do last year. And that's, it is a hard thing for these teams that joined MBO1 East Late.
00:22:17
Speaker
uh well obviously last year Penrith Hornsby Comets and COE joined the competition and obviously COE is going to be stacked forever they'll never be really that bad this is their quote unquote bad year their young year and they're third in the competition or whatever so uh they're going to be fine but yeah the other team like Comets last year they brought in a stack of people and they still missed the eight you know uh Hornsby and Penrith last year I think one into one win and two in respectfully so it was hard when you don't have when you let go of a club because we obviously I think penn at the time couldn't afford it or horns be your comments and
00:22:56
Speaker
When coming back in the competition is hard and you look at this year, comments have got Bualy, Obie, they've really spent some money there in that section, bring back big Johnny. They've invested in that, so that's probably what the big growth there. and Coming back here at Panerith this year, bringing over myself and Josh, it was it was awesome that we did that and we're trying to lay that groundwork now. and The big difference compared to this year in last year is we're not getting, it's hard because we're not winning, but we're not getting smack like we were last year. You know, I remember last year playing Penrith and it was, I felt bad. Like we were both games.
00:23:32
Speaker
30 and 30 in terms of margin of victory. So that hurt obviously doing that, but ah we don't do that this year. Look, we lose we lost on the weekend at Bankstown by five points. It took them 39 minutes and 30 seconds to beat us. It took us 39 minutes and 57 seconds to lose the hills. Like we're playing these close games early in the season. If Josh doesn't do his homey early on, we might get to two or three wins early on. so And it's just those young fellas now getting a base and establishing himself there. but it was cool coming over I know that Hills did some other moves that they wanted to bring in some guys and that was more than happy for them to do that like I've got no wheel towards them they spoke to me like hey we want to bring this guy in in and I saw like the writing on the wall there so I was like look more than happy to and more than happy to move on and yeah Penrith again contacted me last season as soon as the season ended and said hey we'd want you back and
00:24:27
Speaker
Yeah, after that, after speaking to Hills and just discussing what they're going to do for, want to move forward, they did want me back, but it was just in a different role. And I was like, look, I'm more than happy to keep playing and want to keep playing ah frequently. So came over to Penrith and yeah, whilst the results haven't been there, I've been more than happy coming back here and enjoyed, enjoy there's a lot of lows, but there is a lot of highs, but enjoyed every moment coming back home. And how is the future looking for Penrose? Because so I think undefeated at the moment in Youth League Men D2, how's the the player base at the Panthers looking? I think it's really good. That's one thing that coming back, I've just been in terms of super busy, haven't been as around this year, around the local, around the juniors as I'd like to be. Next year will be much more easier after me settled one year, fingers crossed. But yeah, those boys are doing really well.
00:25:19
Speaker
It's good because I think those are the boys that dropped as well. A lot of those boys were in the Div 1 team that unfortunately dropped down to Div 2. So it's good that they're pulling themselves back up out of that.
00:25:32
Speaker
It is hard because fingers crossed that they win that one game. I think that's a, I don't wanna say it's a silly system, but I think that if you get maybe the number one seed and don't lose the game, I think that might, that should maybe get you automatic promotion. in But yeah, they take care of that semifinal game and they win, they'll be they'll be coming up. But there is a lot of good kids in that team. We train with them occasionally and it's good, they aren't they're not scared. They work hard, they go hard. and Yeah, for we have a lot of young kids in our MBL1 team itself, so that's also making the balance between those boys' improvement while if if we can bring up some younger guys from that youth team. so Because, yeah, we have some young guys on our MBL1 team that they're still on learning as well. And they, maybe last year,
00:26:23
Speaker
didn't get the chance to develop like they should. And then this year, it's much better. They're playing competitive games almost every week. I really think there's only been two or three blowouts we've really had this year where we've been just smacked from the get go. But yeah, they're playing much more competitive games this year. And I think that's gonna help us in the long run, fingers crossed. don't don't worry you can call it a silly system coming from Sutherland and watching us lose in the semis of youth league two the last two seasons as a top seed oh see that's that's hard for me i think maybe i know it's they drop maybe they just bring the one team up because you were what's the point of a regular season if you
00:27:03
Speaker
you fight as hard as you can, you get the number one seed and then you on your day, you lose ah you lose a-final, but you were the best team all year. I think it does incentivize the regular season. you know And what what's to say that there's a team that maybe Penrith can't beat or they they lose one game to them and then that team throws a game in the second last round so they can match up Penrith because they but match up well with them. And then in the semi-final, They just lose, they lose, and that's it. Another year in, another year in Div 2. So I think it's centivised the regular season for those boys, because they work very hard. And yeah, fingers crossed they don't have to worry about that. Fingers crossed they just win and win, and hold it up hold up the Div 2 trophy at the end, and all is well for next season. I was going to ask, um you touched on how the Penrith Panthers men's team in MB01 East was quite young for their debut season. And as the season went on,
00:28:00
Speaker
the Fatui-Famoah brothers in particular, Caleb, looked like he was really leading the way, but also someone who I feel like in five years' time we're gonna say, oh, he's a veteran, but isn't he, you know, I think he's only what, like 20 something? I get like early 20s, right? Yeah, oh, super young. I think he's only just what, like technically maybe one year out of youth league, like that of a youth league of age. So yeah, no, those boys did really well like last year. Last year was hard because Like I said, when I don't think clubs understand how hard it is, or maybe the NBA one or whoever runs the system, how hard it is once teams leave a competition or try and come back in a competition because this would be my second time returning to Penrith after they've not been in a competition. And it's just so hard. You're just behind the eight ball the whole time you lose. we had like
00:28:53
Speaker
that last Waratah year before COVID hit, we had a very good, really good call. We had Jasper Entoy from the Kings DP this year. ah We had CJ Moran, who's playing up in Mackay now. um or All were together. We had the time for the Army for Kettie, who's at inner west, but just spent the last previous seasons up at in Queensland, the NBA one North killing it, but they were all here. And once the comp goes, you lose us. And at the time, even last year you lost, Josh Locke and myself, Chris Hills were brewing hills had us on two deals and really if any other way if we could have been back he was this year so it was obviously happy to go back now but I don't think I think clubs need to realize when when you take a team out it's very hard to get people back.
00:29:41
Speaker
And I think we're still still got a bit of that. You know me and Josh have obviously come back, fingers crossed, lock your chart and we'll be back next year. And fingers crossed, obviously better next year, but it's hard when you lose you lose a team and you come back in. And if you don't do it the right way in the first year, it can take longer and longer. And yeah, there was just last year, there was um only one or two senior guys on the team last year. So it was hard for those young fellas. And when you're getting in a bit of a rut, um and can be very hard for them and obviously last year compared to this year obviously nbl once growing every year since that first year when i was at hills to last year to this year every team gets better and better you know every team's um at the bottom last year you got central coast were near the bottom last year
00:30:28
Speaker
look what they did they picked up heath and the imports they're doing they're they're competitive and they're not in the eight you got banks down it was near the bottom last year picked up two imports therefore they're in the eight now manly manly had one import and really just a few Aussie guys, bang, picked up Bragg and then picked up another import and they're right there. So unless you really spend, it's hard to get going from scratch. And I think that's one thing that, yeah, we just keep developing our our guys. I think it'll be good, just just making sure we're committed to that program. You hear stories about even junior players, you know, if the club down the roads in MBL won and their current club's not,
00:31:11
Speaker
You know, that that uncertainty of what the pathway is at their local club, like they could just leave for the club up the road. 100%, 100%. And that's something I think about, I think about if I was in that that age group, when i when I was growing up, we had a very, very good 18s team. We won them back to back, 18s. And we didn't have a war team at the time. We had a very good state league. we I think our state league boys, three peated, they were very good. And then Penrith, which credits them, they said that, oh,
00:31:42
Speaker
We had a very good 18s team, we can't lose them. So they put in for Waratah and it was our first year back in a Waratah. So forever grateful for them. But that was something that if Penrose said, no, we're not going in at Waratah, we've got a very good state league, we win state league, which they could have fairly done that. um Who knows where we could have been, all of us. There was a lot of guys, two of them went to the chute. Louis Brandt was at the Kings with me. um We had Ben Wagenfeld, another really good player. So we really had, a chance to be gone, but again, again you're exactly right, Lockie. If if there's no pathway, people will just go. And I think that's what Penris saw that first year when the three of us went to Hills, Christian Moran went to Inner West, Jasper went to Inner West, Josh Shepard went to Bankstown. like All these dudes got spots. like you They're gonna find spots. We're at a talent group, but um yeah, unfortunately, you're right, Lockie, if there's no pathway to MBL1,
00:32:38
Speaker
because of how good the league's gotten, kids are gonna leave. Yeah, it happened with us at Crew as well. I think we've talked about it in previous episodes, Lockie. We had a good, almost a decade of really good female talent at Central Coast, and we didn't have a Wartar team or a semi-pro team for the Crusaders for eight years, I think, until we scraped it together for Wartar League for two years before it became NBA One. No, I was just going to say, and we're still growing like three years into NBL one after re, you know, restarting a female team five years ago. And we're still only just now getting good. And it's so crucial. Look at everyone that's playing now in the NBL one East, um, who's won competitions over the last, even going back to Waratah, all the teams that have won have just been together for a while. You know, Southern last year, like that team's now spent, obviously the two imports came in.
00:33:38
Speaker
But those guys have been together for a long time. Canberra, those boys have been playing for each other for ages. Maitland didn't win, but Maitland, that core group's been together a long time now. You know, obviously if you spend a ton of like money and invest in a great team like Aubrey, that's another pathway. But all the teams, but going back to Waratah, when Central Coast won, they years together. When Manly won, years together. Norse won, years together. So that's, I think, a huge part that I don't think a lot of people take into account. You look at the latter now, one and two, Canberra and Maitland. And when both times we played them, we were in it in for both games. Yeah, they pushed out and at the end, respectively. But at the end of the day, we were fairly new. And one thing I remember in both those games, we just got out, out
00:34:30
Speaker
like, not IQ, but they just knew everything. They knew, they post cleanup, they'll double. Guess what? Two is going to be the opposite side. You know, we double Will Cranston on a non-ball. Matt Gray will be in the corner. they They just all knew their roles. And I think that's why, I think that's a big thing they're taking into account. The use you spend together, you can bring in imports, but as long as those cores, these Aussies are together, they're going to be a successful team, no matter what. Cause you just know where and when they're going to be there. And Lockie, you brought up a good point a few weeks ago on social media about the MBL1 posting about, uh, you know, the Hornsby women, unprecedented four wins in a row kind of thing. And Lockie's like, hold on. This was a, feat this was a women's program that was very successful in Warrata and won however many back-to-back championships. And it's almost a little bit insulting that the league history and the club history before MBL1 still isn't kind of recognized.
Historical Achievements in Basketball
00:35:28
Speaker
Yeah, that that's tough. That's something that I think that's something that we need to do better as I think NBA one East and NBA in Boston, New South Wales. Like when I was at other clubs games like great Alex Foster, a guy that I play with in UBL every off season. He just played his 50th game against us on the weekend. And that was awesome. I saw Bankstown post that 50, 50 NBL one games for Bankstown. That's awesome. I think we need to do a much better job with that. You know, I seen one of my teammates, Kyle Armour, great guy that I've played with the Kings. He lives over in WA, but they just marked his 300th I think it was 300 or 350. He's old, so I don't know how many games he played, but um he they but they marked it. It was a big occasion for him, and they obviously they counted their league previously, and I think that's something that we need to do as well, because that's only going to make the league more popular, ah more respected, too.
00:36:29
Speaker
uh knowing how many games people played and obviously it should count everyone's <unk> it's the same whilst it's much better competition than what it was in waratar everyone still played those games even back to the aba days with some of those old old old boys but yeah i think that's something you're right Jacinda i think that needs to be recognized a bit more and that history should obviously sort of carry over to an extent. Obviously it's hard to wrap it up because NBL1 has been such a good product so far and you you did your inaugural season and stuff. But in terms of games played and points scored and records and stuff, I think you're right. I think that needs to be recognized a bit more like it is in other states when
00:37:09
Speaker
certain players play their 200, 300, then I think that's something where, yeah, you're right, I think you should be more valued in this league. Yeah, I see it as like, imagine if you told a Liverpool fan that they've won one championship and not 21. Or a Man United fan that they've won nine championships and not 11 or and not 20 because 11 of them came before it became the Premier League. Exactly. and You're exactly right. loging That's just, you know, the central coast boys. Do they value that title less than what an NBA one title? I know they wouldn't at all. Like everyone was there. They want it. They worked their ass off. They played against great competition. So I get, I do get the NBA one stance, like it's our inaugural season, season one, season two, season three, but yeah, I think.
00:37:57
Speaker
Those, those records and games played are such a massive achievement. A lot of people don't do it. Like 50 games or a hundred games, NBL one, whatever it is so hard to do. And I think, yeah, you're right. I think it needs to be appreciable. Yeah. And, uh, NBL one North actually do a really, really good job of that. They're really consistent in the social media teams at the top of the game. Uh, so they're really good at celebrating the, uh, milestones, putting it up on socials. And then it prompts the commentators to mention it on a weekend. So. And I'm guessing they are, they're counting the previous years as well. Yes, definitely. Yeah. But yeah, I was going to ask too, just quickly. So given that like the likes of Caleb, uh, for Tui, for Moa had such a big role last season, both, uh, performance and being a young leader, what was it like returning to that existing core that you touched on, uh, giving examples with other teams?
00:38:52
Speaker
So coming into that existing core, while they were young guys, they had one tough season together. And then you're rejoining something that was already existing and bringing your knowledge and experience. Was it, were there any teething areas, errors, or did they kind of welcome you? No, in terms of the the boys, we have such a great group. And that's something that's when you're bottom of the ladder, it's very, very hard to 99% of the time you're like, man, this has been horrendous year. I can't wait to not play with these guys anymore. I can't wait to just get to the off season. Um, but this has been the opposite. And maybe that is, it maybe that's why we have one year. Maybe we need more fight and more angry.
00:39:32
Speaker
drama in the team. um But it's been such so welcome with those boys. I've listened. ah They've learned. They've developed better habits. um They've gotten the right spots. But they've absolutely there was teething errors. There still is teething errors, doesn't it? This whole season there's teething parts where you know people in and out, people in and out with injuries, sickness away, ah different lineup changes to try and work some things out. The teething's been there all season, and it's just because there's such a gap, like say for myself, Cowie, and then you got the younger boys, like the both the twins, Brody, Young Zeke, there's such a little age gap there. We've never played together.
00:40:18
Speaker
You know, Zeke's from Lithgo. He's never played with the twins. You know, Brody and the twins may have those three played together, um but there's such a gap between everyone that We've never played together. There's no ever, oh yeah, we played local comp, this and that. So yeah, this is definitely, there's definitely teething parts, getting to know the boys also personally, you know, who can, who can take a spray or who can't take a spray. You know, that's, and they they're big things too, but
00:40:50
Speaker
No, it's in terms of teething. Yes, we've had obviously trying to work and play together and running a system which I really like from Jared that he's incorporated this year. um Just more games we need to play under that system and get the right units together. But other than that, personality wise, they're great boys. and practices, every both practices we go to every week, they aren't angry, they aren't disappointed. Obviously we are disappointed, sorry, they are disappointing in terms of results, but it's such a great group that fingers crossed in the future that the results start coming because they deserve it, those boys. The final question that we like to ask all of our guests as well, because we bookend our two favourite questions, who is Ben Kieran's off the court?
Life Beyond Basketball
00:41:40
Speaker
Basketball fanatic, sports fanatic? Yeah, love ah love anything sport related. Dan, that's a deep question in terms of who who am I, but yeah, I just, I really enjoy everything. I enjoy my sports, um learning anything. I coach, getting into the coaching side of things of basketball now. I'm at St. Ella, which is in North Sydney, which is a bit far, but it's a great school, great boys. and I work with Julian Kazoo there and we have a really good program out there, so also doing stuff like that. um Yeah, you name it, and NRL, NBA, everything, all all that stuff. Just basketball really all year long. Got a beautiful partner at home, got family and friends that I love spending time with. and
00:42:24
Speaker
Yeah, it sounds very dull and boring, and I wish it was crazy, more exciting questions, i but yeah, sports, family, partner, and yeah, that's me. And which NBA team will you do you follow? I didn't need this question asked. ah that That was the one question I didn't know. And that's one thing about being someone that loves sports is I love sports. I always pick a team. I really can't get along the pick one player sort of thing because I just couldn't do that ever. i dont mean you bro I love my individual players and stuff like that. But yeah, I am a Detroit Pistons fan through and through, unfortunately. So it's pretty brutal at this at this moment of time. So hopefully I do what the Bulldogs did this year and get good really quickly because I can't really take much more Detroit Pistons hate anymore. So you you haven't seen the recent free agency news.
00:43:17
Speaker
Which one which or lack of for the piston? Yeah, pretty much. we just stuff I've seen a lot of it. It's a lot of cool stuff that's happening. I know Paul George is going to be a 76er, I think, imminently, or maybe it's even done now while I'm doing the podcast. It is. court According to Woge. Woge resources. Oh, there you go. Well, we have the most money Detroit, but yeah, I don't want to, I guess it's, uh, we don't want to spend too much money because we've got a lot of young kids. I think that are pretty good. So fingers crossed. They, it's like Penrith just got to just develop the right young kids and develop us guys, older guys there to make sure that we're ready to make, make sure we're better in the future. But just as we were saying before that we can't ignore the past of NBL 1 East that was Warrata.
00:44:07
Speaker
The Trot piston still has a pretty cool history. Oh, of course. Yeah. People were going to sleep in giant just into wait till, wait till we win, wait till we win again. People will start. There'll be more jerseys and everything in the shops, but it's, it's very dark and cloudy at the moment, but the sun will come through it eventually. How did you get like, get into the pistons? Like why the piston? So remember it like yesterday. I remember it because a lot of people asked me that question because why on earth would you go for the Pistons? But I remember I was in a in a room with my dad watching basketball and ah the Pistons were playing in the Nets in a conference finals and I didn't know that the Pistons were about three minutes away from being eliminated. ah They were getting swept.
00:44:50
Speaker
um But all of a sudden I saw this, the coolest looking dude I've ever seen in my life in Ben Wallace. And it was the they the cornrows, he had like the sweat bands on his arms. And then I remember seeing him like, man, that guy's cool. And then they popped up his stats on the bottom and said, Ben. And I was like, oh my God, this is match made in heaven. So went from then on there, got dad got me a jersey straight away. and I think a year later, we won. We won, which was really cool. And we lost a year after and we had a lot of success growing up. And then as soon as I hit basically high school, year eight in 2008, it just went downhill real quick and really haven't had any good moments since then. So I should have maybe cherished those those years when I was an early, early teenager because yeah, it's been a long time. See, I'm 30 now, so feeling old. My pistons are making me feel old out of everything.
00:45:41
Speaker
I think the Pistons are laggiest to your life, to be honest. You're saying I look old lucky. I was going to say I was a young, I was even a stupid young. food this your Your words aren't mine. You mentioned off air as well that you used to dabble in a bit of podcasting too back in the day. Yeah. Yeah. I used to have my MBA podcast and It was awesome, just didn't have time, didn't have time anymore. I know, especially playing, got into coaching and stuff like that. um And then, yeah, just the time was gone just into it, but I did love it. Maybe that's something once used down the track when I stopped playing and have the time again, because I love it, because it is a passion. I did like it. um It was growing too, but it was just at the time, just obviously you two know better than anyone how hard it is to keep doing this. and
00:46:34
Speaker
Yeah, at the time it just, I didn't have the time. And I was just running a one man thing and yeah, it was difficult at the time. Yeah, it can be pretty can be pretty tricky and time consuming. And like you said, I don't think a lot of people realize, yeah, how much actually goes into it. Trying to pull up your player profile. It's a favorite movie, Dark Knight, Sporting Hero, Russell Westbrook. Favorite food, barbecue octopus. That's a very niche. Oh, it is by far my favorite food, barbecue, Oscar. It is the best. It's, I used to have my pop, so my pop used to, when we used to go down the coast for holidays, every other, every second school holidays, and yeah, Mac is down the coast, he used to call it, and we used to have bacon, eggs, and he used to have barbecue octopus, so it was the best down there. So that's what made me love it. Oh, that's cool. So it's got like a good memory in touch to your favorite food. 100%, 100%.
00:47:30
Speaker
And it says that you speak Spanish now. It's hard to tell in some of those profiles how many secret talents are real and how many are spit shops. Yeah, si, yo habla espaรฑol. Can you speak Spanish? Not fluently. the the The only problem um speaking Spanish is just all the Spanish people I talk to, it's just so quick. ah just Reading, writing writing and talking, fine. Listening is just like I'm zooming in, just watching the lips, trying to, because just every every time I listen or so or
00:48:06
Speaker
have people talk to me. ah My Spanish is slow, like I definitely can speak it, but it's very slow and pronounced, like it probably, someone normally speaks, but I just can't believe how fast they speak just in terms of listening in. So my listening needs to get better. Yeah, it is is super quick. And sometimes when you attempt to learn another language and realize, oh, they're speaking really quickly, then I kind of reflect on myself and think, well, Australians actually speak really quickly as well. Oh, and our slang can't be helpful for anyone. Like any any foreigner that comes over here and then has to deal with us, whatever we abbreviate and slang. Oh, it must be just a nightmare for them. We got sotter on our team, ah Japanese import on our team. And I have to i say stuff to him and go, oh, I gotta say that again because I've just Aussie'd the hell out of what I've just said. So I need to say it slower and and say it not in the Aussie azzie slang to make sure he's all good.
00:49:04
Speaker
As long as um your teammate knows the difference between nah, yeah, and yeah, nah, he's okay. Not yet. No, I can't confidently say he does, but eventually, yeah, we'll get that sorted. Well, Ben, it's been an absolute delight to have you as a guest on eScott game. Thank you for being so forthcoming with your story, especially with basketball, and um especially giving us some insight into your role and what's the Penrith Panthers are going to be looking like in the men's program. for the next couple years, fingers crossed. It sounds like it's some building on something really promising there actually. So we're pretty excited to track how this team goes and hopefully they'll be able to keep that core. The next round being rounds 13 or 14, you've got Comets and Norths. So best of luck for that big double header, but thankfully you'll be at home. Well, that's about the the best thing, it's at home.
00:50:01
Speaker
Not exactly like we're playing two of the hottest teams in the league right now. Thank God. they Awesome. So and now we're going to fight. We will fight as hard as and we can. And I'm exactly right. We ain't going out there to lose. We haven't done that all year. So that's one thing we're going to try and give it to them. And then in a Western, that last game of the season, Mike. like Jared and the coach have been saying, we're just trying to F up someone's season. So um that's exactly what we're trying to do. and And how tight it is, which is crazy, how tight this race is in the NBI1 East men's competition in terms of that seven eight seven to about 10 or 11. It's ah yeah it is going to be a tight end to the season. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Like the three-way tie loss. I think we're going to have something similar on our hands.
00:50:49
Speaker
yeah Yes, I was part of that last year. It was very nerve-wracking. Yeah, you were. You were actually with Hills. That's right. You were in that three-way fire. But yes, thank you so much for being such a fantastic guest on eScott Game and best of luck for the last two rounds. And yeah, all the best with Penrith. No, thank you guys. I just want to thank you guys too. I think you you guys need to get your flowers as well. I think you guys do a fantastic job with this and um It's not, it is appreciated. I know a lot of the guys in the league, listen, you guys are growing the league. Uh, you guys are very valuable to the league whilst it, like you said, it is difficult. I know how difficult it is to do podcasting and there'd be times for you guys trying to organize guests and organize times. And it's very difficult and you guys, but, uh, just in terms of the league and the player in this, they want to say thank you to you guys because yeah.
00:51:41
Speaker
The league is growing every year. It has from the first year, second year to this third year. And I can imagine selling any better next year. And you guys are a part of that. And I think you guys deserve a pat in the back for that because you guys talking to guests, you guys, you're getting people out there getting friends, listening to this, you'll get my family, friends listening to this, like you guys are doing a really good job. So I just want to say thank you on my the the league that you guys are doing a really good job