BASKETBALL
Chris Pearce was just 49 when he passed away suddenly last month playing the game he loved.
Chris was enjoying a game of basketball with his Moe teammates in the over-35 competition when he collapsed on court.
He left behind wife Jacki and children Cassie and Josh and a band of beloved teammates.
Chris played for the Latrobe Valley Lakers before moving to Melbourne where he played for Knox and Kilsyth in the Victorian State League competitions, with a pair of SEABL championships for Knox in 1994 and 1996.
He enjoyed a glittering career which also included stints with Victoria and Victoria Country throughout the 1980s and played in a gold-medal winning side in the under-20 competition.
Chris put in a career-best performance of 42 points in 1995 during a game in Hobart and averaged 14 points per game throughout his SEABL career.
He also toured America with a representative side before returning to Moe to play with the veteran’s side where he was a constant for the last 14 years.
The Moe Basketball Association played a tribute game last week in recognition of Chris’ contribution to basketball in the region.
Teammate and friend Brent Burslem was alongside Chris for every one of his 14 years at Moe and brought the team out of retirement for last week’s memorial game.
“When Chris passed away on the court, it was the second semi final and we actually decided it was enough for us and we quit,” Burslem said.
“But we said ‘we don’t want that to be our last game of basketball, we’ve got to play one more’.”
The team, which was together for 30 years, reformed for the memorial match with past players and Chris’ son Josh and played against a combined side of association players.
“Chris was an absolute gentleman, a really nice guy and he was a great basketballer,” Burslem said.
“We’d go out for a beer after every game and he was always saying ‘don’t stress, take it easy.’
“Chris coached juniors and every time he walked into the stadium there were people talking to him … our game would be starting and he’d still be talking to the kids … he was very loved.”
