Flights, Family, Friends: Phoenix Preparing in the Apple Isle

Shooting guard Cam Gliddon and his Phoenix teammates were enjoying a regular Thursday afternoon last week when they were told they’d be temporarily relocating to Hobart early the next morning. 

They had an afternoon to pack their bags and prepare for the unknown as the wild NBL21 season approaches.

For any player, coach or staff, such news can be initially challenging to get their head around. For fathers with a young family like Cam Gliddon, it adds another layer of planning.

Gliddon, wife Sarah, and daughter Penny were presented with the decision to leave as one or separate without a firm idea of when they’d be able to reconnect.

The family, just like a number of other families across Australia at a range of sporting clubs, made the call to attack the challenge together.

“We didn’t have too long but it was enough time to get everything sorted. Everyone made it okay and everything is going well,” Gliddon said. “For me, it was kind of like do I bring Sarah and Penny or do I leave them there.

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“In the end, it was just the worry if Melbourne did kick off again and we wouldn’t be able to get back, then the unknown of how long I’d be away from them. Sarah was keen to come and just play it like that.

“We’ll just wait and see if we can get back…the next decision will be if Sarah comes on the road to our games or does she fly back to Melbourne or to my family’s place in Perth to get away from it all.”

The New Zealand Breakers, who had relocated to Melbourne last month, were also forced to make the move to Hobart and are staying in the same hotel as the Phoenix.

Gliddon says it’s made for an interesting dynamic with a bunch of guys having pre-existing relationships with their new hotel mates.

PHOENIX MEMBERSHIPS

“It’s a bit of a different experience,” he said. “We have different eating rooms and meeting rooms – we’re in the same hotel but have our own setups.

“(Former Phoenix) Dan Trist is at the Breakers so some of our boys are pretty tight with him and talk to him; I’m pretty tight with Weeksy (Jarrad Weeks), we have a bit of banter; we also have a few Kiwi’s on our team, so they’re mates with the Kiwi’s on their team.

“We grab coffees here and there and that’s about the extent of it. There’s a bit of banter going on but not too much.”

The entire Phoenix squad have now been together for two weeks since the arrival of imports Keifer Sykes and Ben Moore.

(Gliddon in pre-season action against Brisbane)

With team chemistry and bonding such a vital aspect of success in the NBL, the Tasmanian venture could be a blessing in disguise for the newly arrived talents.

Gliddon says the team are focussed on handling the unique circumstances of the year better than their opponents to hold a competitive edge.

“We want to be the team that handles whatever comes at us the best,” Gliddon said. “It’s so unpredictable right now, so we’re ready for anything.

“It could be days at a time or weeks at a time on the road. It could be this or that, so we’re just making sure we’re prepared for anything, accepting it, moving forward and not using excuses.

“Simon (Mitchell) is pretty big on that – if we’re going through something, the other team is obviously going through something as well and it’s the team who puts that aside and focusses on the task at hand that’s going to be successful. That’s our mantra at the moment.”

The team will continue to train in Hobart until further notice.

Sam Bunn for Phoenix Media (04/01/2021)