Sobey staying to finish "something special"

The South East Melbourne Phoenix have not only brought out the best in Nathan Sobey. They have also given him something he has long chased, a genuine belief that a championship is within reach, along with the bonus of being back close to home.

Sobey’s closest brush with NBL success came with the Adelaide 36ers, and when the Phoenix opened last season 0-5, it appeared he had stepped into another challenging situation. A coaching change followed soon after, similar to what he had just experienced in Brisbane.

Instead, it proved a blessing in disguise. Josh King’s arrival and the style he introduced in South East Melbourne have allowed Sobey to flourish, to the point where his NBL26 campaign may be the best of his 327-game career.

The Phoenix are already locked into the finals and still a chance to finish top two with one regular season game remaining. Sobey has re-signed for at least NBL27, with an option for NBL28.

"It’s obviously great for me and my family, and I'm stoked to stay around and be in my home state first and foremost, but also what we're building with the group we've got and the coaching staff who are doing a great job, it's just fun to be part of," Sobey said.

"I'm really looking forward to what we can accomplish over the next couple of years, because having played under Josh for nearly two years now, I understand the system, my role and what's kinda asked of me, and each individual within our group, and knowing the structure of that.

"I also am just super happy to be around a great bunch of people, we've got a great locker room which translates into great basketball as well."

After growing up in Warrnambool, Sobey left for college and has since built a career that has taken him across Cairns, Adelaide and Brisbane. His journey has also included off seasons in NBL1 North, along with stints in France, Greece and Puerto Rico.

Now, the opportunity to settle back in Victoria and be close to home again played a major role in his decision to re-sign.

"I think it's huge and being around family that I've lived away from for a very long time now," Sobey said.

"And my immediate family my wife and kids have too, so to have close relations around them now to lean on and get some help from is huge.

"It's great to be around family after being away for so long."

Sobey also has no doubt his best chance to break through comes by staying at South East Melbourne, especially with the group fully buying into the style coach King wants him, and the team, to play.

"We've got a great group and a great core as well and I think we've got something special that we can keep continuing to build on," Sobey said.

"You come so close like we did last year, and that's what you work for, is obviously devastating, but you also come out with the right mindset to push to get better this year and that's we've done to try and get to the next step.

"But right now we're just focused on what's ahead and we've got a big game coming up on Thursday (Throwdown v Melbourne United) before we focus on playoffs too much and we'll try to solidify where we're going to finish in this playoff race and we just want to start playing our best basketball on both ends of the floor."