Creek Celebrates 300 NBL Games

Mitch Creek started his NBL career in 2010 at the Adelaide 36ers; he spent most of the first five years coming off the bench.

As he prepared to play his 300th game, he reflected on how far he had come in his career. From his NBA stints to his return to the Phoenix as the team's marquee player.

Countless hours spent working on his craft in his early career now see Creek as arguably the best local player in the NBL.

Creek grew up in Horsham before leaving at 16 when he received a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport. 

"The whole time, I just remember having fun. No matter what we did or where we were, there was always a way to have fun," Creek said, growing up in the country town.

(Creek plays his 300th NBL game on Sunday.)

After his time at AIS, he joined the NBL in 2010 with the Adelaide 36ers.

"It's kind of special in a way (playing 300 games) because obviously, I don't play for the milestones, I don't play for the accolades or anything, you play to win and to try and build something special. I look at where I started, and people often have this misconception that where I am now is where I always was, but I barely played for the first four or five years in Adelaide of my career there. I was coming off the bench as their fourth or fifth rotation guy. I was one of the worst players on the roster, then I slowly built my way into it," Creek told SEN Thursday morning.

Creek played NBA summer league in 2018 for the Dallas Mavericks before signing on to play with the Brooklyn Nets G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

That season he received two ten-day contracts at Brooklyn and then one at Minnesota before signing for the Timberwolves for the remainder of the season.

"When the NBA call finally came, 'hey, you have a 10-day, hey, you have another 10-day, hey, there is another 10-day from another team, hey, you are getting signed'; I didn't realise I was that good to make it, until I got a call, and then all the emotions come out. That's where the hard work pays off, but at the same time, a relentless belief in myself and you need all these tools to get to that level. You cannot describe how hard and lonely it is over there," he said.

"But to be picked up, the reward factor from that, far out I can do this, I am good enough. Running around with your idols that's where it hits home and how rewarding it is. Maybe I am not there right now, but it is okay; someone else's turn to be great and to experience what I did, and no one can take that feeling away from me, no matter what happens in my life.

(Creek played four game for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA in 2018.)

Creek was the first player signed by the Phoenix before the start of the team's inaugural season.

"I think when you walk into any organisation, you're not sure what to expect. I know I had conversations with Tommy (Greer), Simon (Mitchell) and Romie (Chaudhari) about the expectations we had and the pillars you want to form and shape this club around. Over the tenure, it is almost four years, but you see incremental growth every year, and it will not always be leaps and bounds. Still, it is something that consistency in improvement is what you want," Creek commented about being at the club since the beginning.

Since he walked into the club, Creek has embodied what the Phoenix are about, community and giving back. He's routinely the last player on the floor signing autographs, a Phoenix fan favourite; he is enormously generous with his time at games or community appearances.

His leadership has also grown throughout his time with the club; he feels those leadership skills were honed back at home in Horsham.

"One of the principals read out my report. I wasn't phenomenal at school, I wasn't the most attentive, and I was very easily distracted; I was a bit rough around the edges and still am in many ways. But at the same time, some of the things and characteristics that stood out was my ability to be a leader. I could communicate and speak my mind freely and had a good work ethic. So, I think that is where it naturally started in school, at home, in Horsham," he said.

"It's pretty cool it comes full circle, and it helps you now as a professional because I think people are starting to realise you can't just be a great shooter, a great defender, a great passer, or a great point guard. You need to help people; you need to be a leader; you need to build a community presence. You need to have a bit of a figure because you are marketable not as a winning player but also from a club and franchise perspective; you are trying to sell tickets, memberships, and sponsors. I think that's where it comes full circle," he said.

(He will always be the last person on court after every home game as he signs, takes photos and talks to fans - win or lose.)

Head Coach Simon Mitchell was full of praise for the player he has built his roster around each year.

"Creeky has been the pillar of this team since day one. Our first player signing and the player we have built this team around, the player that leads us from the front. He has developed into arguably the best local player in the NBL through grit and the determination to be the best," Mitchell said.

"Whilst his 300 games have been spectacular, I still feel the best is yet to come for Mitch."

Creek was humble when speaking about hitting 300 games in the NBL; it's more than what you do on court; it's the impact you make, the impression you make on people.

"300 games…after the 100 games at the Phoenix, you go, 100 games, that's cool. It's nice because you hit a milestone, but it's another game. I think it is an opportunity for me to be a platform for people to look at and say he hasn't done everything right, he hasn't always been successful in everything he has tried, not every endeavour has been a success, not every success has been positive. I just want people to understand that I am just like everyone else, you may not like me, and that's fine. I am not everyone's cup of tea, people don't like the energy and enthusiasm and the talk, but that's a part of me.

"But you don't know who I am off-court; you don't know what I want to do on my day offs, the conversations I have with my family and friends, what I sacrifice and what I want to give to the people, the fans, the community. You lose a game; the first thing I think about it, I let the fans down. I got to double down and make sure the fans appreciate what I'm doing as a player and a person because you are just another person. There's no pedestal, nothing; it's just, hey, let's get some photos, sign some autographs, sit here and talk, and have a conversation with the same person I have a conversation with every week after a game. But it's doing that 300 times, not once because we won, not twice because we had two good victories, it's not resharing a post one time because you looked good in that highlight. It's celebrating other people's success and letting other people enjoy who you are and what you can sometimes bring," Creek said.

(Creek was signed to Phoenix as their marquee player and have been with the club since.)

Creek plays his 300 at this Sunday's game against the Hawks alongside co-captain Kyle Adnam, who plays his 200th NBL game.

CLICK HERE to secure your seat for the special game.

Kadek Thatcher for Phoenix Media (24/11/22)