By LIAM DURKIN
THOSE living within close proximity to the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium could have been forgiven for thinking another earthquake had struck the region the night before Australia Day.
With the National Basketball League making its way to Traralgon for an in-season game between South East Melbourne Phoenix and Cairns Taipains, locals came out in force and full voice to show their support for the Phoenix, who it seems have quickly been adopted as Gippsland’s team.
If there was ever any doubt an elite basketball match in Latrobe City would generate enough interest, it was surely quashed at the mere sight of cars lining roads leading into the stadium.
Vehicles went right around Catterick Crescent and stretched as far back as Kosciuszko St. While this has been a familiar sight for all the wrong reasons in recent times, it was refreshing to see so many cars in this instance.
Even those with no or limited interest in basketball would have been staggered at how loud the stadium was.
Spectators raucously hollered whenever the Taipans took a free throw, and applauded wildly any time the Phoenix nailed a three pointer.
Chants of ‘defence’ were followed by two claps, or in some cases, two stomps of the feet which reverberated with such force they had sections of the retractable grand stands shaking.
At times the noise was literally deafening – so much so players and officials reportedly could not hear each other. Spectators at least could hardly hear the court announcer.
A graphic on the electronic scoreboard telling the crowd to ‘make some noise’ became redundant – they didn’t need any further encouragement.
Without diving into hyperbole, it is plausible the Taipans, who ended up losing the match 87 to 77, would have felt as if they were trapped underwater inside a cage with hundreds of sharks circling to see their demise.
Phoenix staff pulled out all the stops to make sure the night was as fun for those attending as possible.
Cheerleaders danced during time outs, while smoke machines went off whenever the home team shot a three pointer.
The Phoenix mascot entertained, at one point running onto the court and alongside the congregation while running away from a makeshift security guard to the cult classic song ‘Surfin Bird’.
T-shirts were also catapulted into the stands, and a well behaved crowd ensured there was no Maude Flanders style endings.
With all this going on, it was easy to get distracted from the actual game of basketball going on. A back-and-forth opening term saw scores locked at 19 apiece for the Round 8 clash.
The true nature of the contest opened up thereafter, as the Phoenix took advantage of their less conditioned opponents.
Having not played in over a month due to COVID complications, the Taipans understandably deteriorated after quarter time. Phoenix capitalised on a number of turnovers in the second, and shot a commanding 30 points to 18.
With a 49-37 half-time deficit, the Taipans did their best to eat away at the margin and got it back to six in the third.
Although the Phoenix was outscored 15 to 19 in this quarter, treys to Cam Gliddon and co-captain Mitch Creek ensured the men in green keep the game under control and the scoreboard out of reach for the Taipans.
The Phoenix played the game out in the last, scoring 23 points to 21 on their way to a 10 point victory. Phoenix forward Brandon Ashley saved the best for last, icing the match with a dunk at the foyer end of the court.
Creek was superb for the winners, shooting 26 points, with eight rebounds and seven steals – a new Phoenix record.
Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said the team may well have found an extra gear thanks to the parochial support of locals.
“You could not hear a thing out there in the gym tonight, they were loud as all heck. (I’m) really taken aback by the people of Traralgon and what they were able to do for us in the game tonight and I thought that they carried our energy levels and helped us continue to put pressure on the opposition with the energy they provided us,” he said.
“I’m glad we put on a pretty good show for them tonight, too.”
Phoenix chief executive officer Tommy Greer said the organisation was overwhelmed by what transpired in Traralgon.
“We were excited to put this game on, and have had wonderful support from Latrobe City Council and state government,” he said.
“To see it come to fruition last night with a great crowd was fantastic.
“The noise and atmosphere was amazing, our players drew off their energy and it created what I’m sure was a real cauldron feel for Cairns.”
The success of the game paid off in more ways than one for Latrobe City Council, who hardly had to dip into the piggy bank to make it happen, providing $50,000 in cash and $5000 in-kind support.
Latrobe City Mayor Kellie O’Callaghan said the atmosphere inside the stadium was a sight to behold.
“I said to one of my colleagues when I arrived ‘the energy in this building is like nothing I have seen’,” she said.
“The excitement from kids, from families – the noise that was generated – there was a wonderful post from the Phoenix, they posted ‘you’re loud Traralgon!’ That probably summed up what everyone was feeling, I think there was a real desire from the community to be able to get out and celebrate these events and get involved and engaged in it.”
Cr O’Callaghan believed the flow-on effect from the match would be seen in the months to come.
“The number of kids in that stadium was significant, the number of families that turned out to be able to participate, they got right into the spirit of the whole event, it wasn’t just ‘I’m turning up to watch a game’,” she said.
“Everyone was there in their club gear, everyone was there with a really clear intent and a purpose, the number of kids and families we’ve caught up with subsequent to the game who are just even more excited about their connection to the South East Melbourne Phoenix now is really lovely and I think it gives them something to look forward to – gives our kids something to aspire to.”
While it is unconfirmed whether or not there will be another NBL match here soon, it seems the Phoenix may well have followed the tried-and-true philosophy seen in the circus of ‘always leave town making the audience want more’.
“We plan for this to be an ongoing partnership, we want to keep working with the Phoenix around the opportunities we might have, that might be welcoming them back for more games, but I like to think that will develop into something that is also about them being engaged with our community and being able to use us as a great base in terms of what they are looking to do into the future,” Cr O’Callaghan said.
“Given the warm reception they’ve received and how loud we were on the night I think they know that we love the team, we love the sport and we love the opportunity to get out and get involved.”
For organisers, to have nearly 3000 people turn up for a game of basketball on a Tuesday night would have surely only served to reinforce the message ‘build it and they will come’.
With the match broadcast to a worldwide audience on ESPN, one can only imagine how many sets of eyes the spectacle was witnessed on.
To the basketball loving public of Gippsland, this wasn’t just an NBL game – it was a celebration.
You should have seen it: Close to 3000 people crammed the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium as the National Basketball League came to Traralgon.
