Interview with Gold Coast Adam Darragh
You are in mid 30’s and haven’t playing QBL in several seasons, how do you approach offseason from a physical and mental standpoint?
Haha yes I'm in my mid 30's and I was over the moon to be asked to play again this season and it's an absolute privilege to be asked to play for someone who I respect as much as Pero. I've always maintained a good level of physical fitness so preseason was not a problem, my biggest concern was that I was still good enough to play at this standard....and so far so good.
What are your impressions so far of having Pero Cameron as your coach?
Pero is a very patient and intelligent coach and knows and understands the game very well. I have so much respect for what he achieved as a player so it's a privilege to play for him. It's not my first time playing under Pero however, as he coached me during the 2014 Gold Coast ISL season also. Pero has also assembled a fantastic assistant coaching group who have vast Basketball experience in Steve Weiland and former NBL player Brendan LeGassick, two men that I also have a lot of respect for. They compliment each other's styles really well!
On leading the team as a senior player and the balance between youth and senior players?
One of the main reasons that I came back to play was to help guide and mentor our younger players. I was lucky enough to play with and behind some of the countries best guards in my time and I had some great mentors and I really want to use this opportunity to help develop the younger generation and make sure that Gold Coast Basketball is in good hands when my time is done. This year we definitely have some savvy vets running around with Dwayne Vale, Scotty McGregor and Thalo Green but these guys are seriously turning back the clock and it's a lot of fun to be out there with them! Hopefully we'll always be the smartest team on the floor.
On the game vs. Gladstone, how did it go from a team and individual prespective?
The Gladstone game was a hard fought battle as they have a very talented team and I'm sure we all know how it finished 😜 I was lucky enough to get the ball in the final seconds with a chance to win it and I'm glad the shot went down. Thalo Green and Christian Salecich were instrumental in keeping us in the game and Once again Our boys did a great job to give us a shot at the win (just as we did in the previous game against Ipswich) and I'm glad we were able to pull out a great team win for our home crowd. It was also a bit of a proud moment for me for another reason as I was Jake and Tyler Allen's high school coach so it was a great moment for me to see kids who I've coached come through to play so well at the QBL level. They're a pair of fantastic young men from a great family and I'm sure they will continue their rise to greatness.
On this week’s game vs. SC Phoenix, what do the rollers have to do go get win?
Sunshine Coast are another solid team with a lot of great young talent across the board. We played them in the preseason and it was a good close game. They have great guards with the Meehl boys and Jorden Page who are always looking to attack and a good balance of inside depth with their imports and local boys. I'm really looking forward to the challenge of going up against the SC boys this weekend as I think we match up really well....if we are to get the W we have to stick to our system and use our experience. They love to get out and run and gun and we will need to slow down their transition game and find their lethal shooters early. I think we are slightly stronger on the inside and if we can top the rebound count and get to the free throw line more than them then I think we will give ourselves a great chance to get another home win.
On Gold Coast chances for the playoffs?
As for our chances to get to the playoffs, I can't remember the last time I played when we didn't make the playoffs 😜 I'm quietly confident that we'll be there at the business end of the season.
