FORMER Griffith Demons basketballer Mike Kelly admits a few war stories will likely be dusted off when he catches up with old friends at a coaching seminar at West End Stadium this weekend.
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Kelly, an assistant coach with the Townsville Crocodiles, played for the Demons as their US import in 1990 before going on to have a successful career in the NBL.
The 1996 grand final MVP said he couldn’t wait to reacquaint himself with his former Griffith teammates.
“It was a long time ago that I was there. We were all a little bit younger back then, but it’ll be great coming back,” he said.
“Not only will I see some old friends and teammates, but I get to see some kids and people that are involved in basketball in the area.”
Joining Kelly at the seminar is Sydney Kings assistant Robbie McKinlay and former Australian women’s under 17 coach Peter Lonergan.
The three men will share their expertise with coaches from Griffith, Narrandera, Leeton and other areas, as well as work with junior representative teams.
Kelly said he and his fellow coaches wanted to help any way they could.
“With Peter coming back and Robbie from the Kings coming over, I think it’s a good chance for people to get a different perspective basketball-wise,” he said.
“It’s all about helping people get better.”
While that process of improvement takes time, Kelly said it could be achieved through communication and interaction.
“Coaches need to talk to other coaches and players need to be exposed to basketball at different levels to learn,” he said.
“We all need to interact with other coaches, and this is a great opportunity.
“Peter has national experience. He’s running a big program in Sydney and has been at youth level at different places around Australia, so it’ll be interesting to see things from his perspective out there.
“I’ve been at college level in America, as well as in the NBL with Robbie here in Australia
“Coaches steal from coaches. We all just take from each other, and this is another opportunity for us to share and get better.”