Success within reach of Buccs as Evans returns to coach

BEING involved in last year's stirring run reignited Ray Evans' passion to coach and he is hoping to take the Geraldton Buccaneers one or two steps further in the 2017 SBL season.

Coming off a disappointing elimination in the quarter finals at the hands of the Goldfields Giants 12 months earlier, the Buccs stormed into the playoffs in 2016 on the back of Jackson Hussey, Matthew Adekponya and imports Maurice Barrow and Carter Cook with the continued leadership from Mat Wundenberg and Aaron Ralph.

They pulled off stunning comeback over the Rockingham Flames on the road on a Sunday in the quarter finals after a power failure delayed the scheduled Saturday night fixture.

Hussey was unstoppable that afternoon before the Buccaneers got the job done the next Saturday night on their home floor.

While they lost to the eventual champion Cockburn Cougars in two games in the semi finals, both were competitive showings and the Buccs had every reason to end the season thinking they were right around the mark as a genuine contender.

Aaron Trahair had done a terrific job in his first year as coach too, but once he stood aside suddenly Evans found himself seriously wondering if he wanted to step up again after enjoying the season assisting Trahair.

In the end, he made the call to return to the coaching role and isn’t afraid to aim for that elusive championship that he also had to earn the hard way as a player.

After missing the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, the Buccs have had four straight years of being a threat. Evans knows that time is ticking for the likes of Wundenberg and Ralph to get that title they have been craving for so long.

"I know what it's like from my playing days when we played for a long time before we finally won that championship in 2000. To finally do it, we had a great team that year to get us over the line with guys like Greg Brown, Jeff Bevington and Daniel McGlynn, and Dan Hunt was still here," Evans said.

"It's just such a great feeling that I know what it's like so I know how much Mat and Ralphy want to feel that. They have been such great servants and you just don't know how long they have left. To be able to go out this year and throw everything at it, and if that ultimate success came along I'm sure it will be very special especially for those two guys."

There wasn’t any great reason for Evans to look to change too much in terms of the personnel in Geraldton for this season, but the departure of Adekponya did leave a hole given how well he performed in his first season in the SBL.

If he had stayed, Cook might have still been the right fit for the Buccaneers but Evans felt that without Adekponya, the need was there to add a little more athleticism to that role as import in support of Barrow.

Dwayne Benjamin is the man that has arrived for 2017 to join the Buccs and even though the season hasn’t started yet, Evans couldn’t be happier with how he is shaping up.

"Carter Cook has been at the club for four years and I recruited him when I was coaching, and he's been a great guy but unfortunately we had to try and change at that position a little bit," he said.

"We felt from last year we needed someone a bit more dynamic and athletic in that three and four spot. We have put in Dwayne Benjamin and so far he has fitted in well. He's a great guy and definitely is a team first type player, but he is very talented and we expect big things from him."

Barrow had a terrific first season in the SBL in 2016 but with an import there is always every chance for them to go to another level in their second year.

They know the league better, they know their teammates and system better, they understand the style of play and the opposition. Evans is confident Barrow can be a real MVP contender in 2017.

"Once I got appointed coach my first job was to try and get Mo back. His stint in Europe didn’t work out great and he wasn’t loving it over there, so we got in contact and he was willing to come back straight away. That's why he got here in December and that's very pleasing for us," he said.

"He is an awesome guy and he does a bit of everything. He's a good defender and this year we can expect even more from him. Being his second year, he knows the league and what the players are like, and he also knows his strengths and weaknesses that he's worked hard on. I expect him to be a top player, if not the top player in the league this year."

The Buccs' season got a real boost last year when Hussey arrived and in his 13 games, he was simply dynamic including his stunning game-winning 39-point haul in the come from behind Game 1 quarter-final win in Rockingham.

Since that he has worked out with the Sydney Kings and then received a short-term deal and made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats ending up with a championship ring. He now comes back to Geraldton ready to show that he is capable of going to the next level.

"Jackson doesn’t get too fussed about things, he has a good head on his shoulders. He did initially try out with the Sydney Kings where he did well and he did everything he could, but just missed out on a spot there," Evans said.

"Then he came home and the Wildcats came calling, and he got that opportunity and I think that came about from how he performed for us in our pre-season game last year against the Wildcats. They were impressed by him so he ended up getting a chance and he got an NBL ring from it."

Evans is looking forward to the season getting underway after a tough pre-season. The Buccs open with a road double-header starting against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on Saturday and then against the Lakeside Lightning on Sunday.

"We've been training pretty hard since early December and the boys have been working hard," he said.

"Mo got here just before Christmas as well and our new import got here a couple of weeks ago so all the guys have settled. After training hard for a few months now, the guys just can't wait to get out there and go against the opposition to see how we stack up."

Evans had thought that his time as a head coach with the Buccaneers was over and he was happy settling into a role either as an assistant coach or supporter.

However, once Trahair left at the end of last season and the club was struggling to find the ideal replacement, he put his hand up.

He was willing to do so after enjoying being closely involved again in 2016 and because he'd love to help the Buccs win their first championship since 2000.

"If our club was going through a total rebuild and focusing just on blooding the young kids, then I might have thought someone else would be better for the job long-term but with the playing group so strong at the moment I do feel like there's a bit of unfinished business," Evans said.

"I really feel like we have a team that can challenge the top teams and obviously we'll need a lot to go right, but I feel we have a good balanced team that can go a long way. I honestly thought I was done as a head coach and I had done my time, and was happy to step aside and support the boys from afar.

"But with the way it turned out with Aaron Trahair relocating back to Perth, the Buccs advertised for the job and I didn’t apply because I was quite happy to be an assistant or just watching. But they ended up approaching me and I was happy to put up my hand.

"Being involved last year as an assistant did get the fire burning a little bit again and I got the passion back, and once he moved on it made it easier for me to step in and try to continue on the work he did last year and Mark Heron the couple of years before that."

Photo by Vikki Hile




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