Familiarity to be a Phoenix Weapon

The last 12 NBL championships have been shared between just three clubs.

The (not-so) secret to their success? Player retention and team familiarity, according to Phoenix guard Cam Gliddon.

With the re-signings of Ryan Broekhoff, Kyle Adnam and Izayah Le’afa, coupled with the returning Mitch Creek, Cam Gliddon, Reuben Te Rangi and Dane Pineau, South East Melbourne are emulating that formula heading into NBL22.

The team’s core of local stars launched the franchise to within a quarter of a Grand Final appearance last season and are soon to begin pre-season in preparation to take one step further.

“I think the improvement is going to come from spending another year together,” Gliddon told Yarra Valley FM.

(The Phoenix are a tight-knit team)

“We had an amazing run last year for a second-year team and if you look at the team, we had four guys who started and played significant minutes who weren’t on the team the year before. Even bench players were new guys.

“It’s really hard to win a championship if you don’t retain players and instead try to build from scratch every year, so now that we’ve re-signed a lot of guys and had others staying on multiple-year contracts, the familiarity with each other going forward will be a step up.

“We’ll start off our pre-season in a much higher place and with more comradery on the court than we did last year. I think with the familiarity going forward and the addition of a few imports, we’re in good stead straight away and it’s up to us to perform on the court.”

Gliddon also touched on the team’s finals run, believing the invaluable experience will set the group up for future success.

“You need notches under your belt to go out and do that (win finals),” he said.

“It’s very rare that a team comes out of nowhere and wins. The past ten years have been Perth and New Zealand and then Melbourne United because they’re the teams who have guys that stick around for multiple years.

“I think this year we have a head start having guys back. We’re going to be starting off at a much better place than we did last year.”

A healthy Gliddon is another factor in the Phoenix’s favour for the upcoming season, having undergone successful hip surgery last month.

(Gliddon ranked top-five for three-pointers and top-two for steals in the NBL last season)

The sharpshooter and underrated defender hopes to form an elite perimeter threat alongside teammate Ryan Broekhoff, who also played through unfortunate injuries last season.

“I’m doing fine. I’m walking around and doing a lot of bike, core and rehab at home,” Gliddon said.

“The other guys are doing as much as they can at this early stage. We’ve only got five or six guys in town at the moment and they’re all doing as much as they can to try get into shape early.

“I’m pretty happy with where the club’s at, but we’ve still got two or three more roster spots to sign. I’m looking forward to seeing what the coaches and front office can pull off.”

The veteran also sent his best wishes to former teammate Keifer Sykes, who’s earned an opportunity to make the Indiana Pacers’ NBA squad.

“He played great basketball for us and great basketball in The Basketball Tournament that won him a million dollars which I’m sure everyone saw on the internet. He’s also played some great ball in the Summer League for the Pacers.

“He’s a great guy, great competitor, and really fun to watch and be around. I’m hoping for the best for him because he’s worked really hard.”

Listen to Cam's full chat HERE.

PHOENIX NBL22 MEMBERSHIPS

Sam Bunn for Phoenix Media (25/08/2021)