First Ever Phoenix Member

South East Melbourne Phoenix will be highlighting  the amazing Phoenix members at this Thursday’s game against Sydney Kings in their Member Appreciation Game.

To show how much appreciation Phoenix have for their fans, we contacted the first ever member of South East Melbourne Phoenix, Sebastian Giacone.

Sebastian and his family have been founding members from the beginning so here is a Q&A with the first Phoenix member.  

How does it feel to know you were the first member of South East Melbourne Phoenix?

Personally, I feel very proud and privileged to be the first member of S.E. Melbourne Phoenix and I know my wife Karen and kids; Jordy & Ruby also love it as founding members. A big thank you to Candace for signing us up and providing all the ongoing support she always gives. 

(Sebastian Giacone with his two kids Jordy and Ruby and wife Karen.)

Why did you become a Phoenix member?

We became Phoenix members after many years of being Melbourne United members as we wanted to be part of a new community foundation of basketball closer to our roots out in the South East… and when we found out that Kyle Adnam was coming across to SEMP that just cemented the deal! 

What do you love about being a Phoenix member?

We love being Phoenix members as we really feel we’re part of something new, something special, something local… we love our seats and love this team! We bleed green!

What is your favourite moment or highlight of the Phoenix?

I love watching every game, especially when we’re up against Melbourne United and we win! I get tingles down my spine and so excited watching every single game, but my favourite moment would have to be when Mitch Creek recently dunked over Dellavedova, OMG, how good was that dunk!?! I have that photo as my desktop wallpaper. 

(The first ever Phoenix member with his family.)

What is your favourite moment/highlight as a Phoenix member?

Favourite moment/highlight as a Phoenix member would have to be back pre-Covid days when we could meet and greet with the players post-match and have a quick chat and have our merchandise signed by them. It hasn’t happened in a while but I’m sure we’ll get to do more pre- and post-match events soon. Also getting a call from Cam Gliddon recently was really cool. 

Who is your favourite past and present Phoenix player?

My favourite past player would have to be Keifer Sykes but both a past and present player/s would have to be a combination of both Mitch Creek and Kyle Adnam. They are both founding players of our team, the face of our club and they are both outstanding basketballers! Hope they never leave!

Did you get any of your family members or friends signed up as Phoenix members? 

Yes, we’ve reached out to many more family and friends this season and a few more are looking at signing up to next season, fingers crossed. We’ve also made some lifelong friends along the way; like the Groenewegen family that we sit next to at each game, and we have a blast together (our basketball fambam).

(Making lifelong friends with other Phoenix fans.)

How would you convince fans of Phoenix to sign-up to be a Phoenix member?

I would convince fans of Phoenix to sign-up by saying; you obviously like basketball, you’re a fan of Phoenix, memberships are all reasonably priced and SEMP stand for the proud, hardworking community representing the South East… so GO ON, Stand Up, Be Proud and join the Phoenix bird that has been reborn from fire, rise with us and let’s soar all the way to a finals win together!!

Kadek Thatcher for Phoenix Media (8/2/22)