First of all to the ‘Wolfpack Community’, Happy New Years and I hope everyone had a joyful festive season...I’m definitely sure the ‘Set Up Crew’ had a great celebration!

Christmas overseas is always a mixed experience, being away from your loved ones is always tough but I have been fortunate to experience many new things. This year was experiencing Washington D.C, being able to tour around the Nation’s capital was really something and having a white Christmas, and the last one of those to.

For any new comers to the ‘Wolfpack’ my name is Greg Hire. I played my representative basketball with the Wanneroo Wolves and progressed through the ranks and was lucky enough to play SBL at a very young age. Under the guidance of then Coach – Scott Hood, I was able to receive the SBL Rookie of the Year Award. After that successful year, I attended Miles Community College where I was a two-year Region IX player. After this little stint, I received a scholarship to play at Augusta State University under the tutelage of Dip Metress. In my Junior year at College, we were able to progress to the Final Four of the Division II National Championships, winning along the way the Peach Belt Conference & Tournament and the Southeast Regional. We compiled a 30-5 record, the most winningest record in Augusta State History. Along that Journey, I was able to visit the Boston Celtics practice facility, and see all their championship banners and visit the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. One of my team mates Garet Siler was also invited to participate with the Atlanta Hawks Summer Team, where he was the last cut, and now is playing his trade in China playing for the Shanghai Sharks; owned by Yao Ming.

And this year, the team hasn’t missed a beat. It is my Senior Year, and we are off to quite a start. We are 10-0 and off to the best start in Augusta State History. We are currently 3rd in the Nation and trying to be the first team in school history to win a National Championship.  It is a sweet return for all the hard work that we have put in during the pre season. I can remember all the times I woke up at 5:30am to run to near exhaustion, the countless hours I’ve spent in the gym shooting 500 shots on the gun, or all the times I’ve stayed behind to lend a helping hand to the freshmen since in the long run it’s going to make us better. I’ve always been a passionate player, always showing emotion, and I love my role in the team. I’m not the superstar in the team but when I situation arises I step up. I always want to work the hardest; I’m the first one to the gym and the last one to leave...personally I think intensity in practice is vital to a team’s success.

I’ve been very fortunate to have been coached by so many great people, both here and back at the Wolves. Under the guidance of Brad Kidner, he taught me the toughness and leadership it took to be at the next level, I was very privileged to play under Coach Kidner for a season, and any player that is selected to be in his team shall just be like a sponge and soak everything in. Coach John Brennan and Coach Richard Kvesich were the first coaches to give me a break. I was a little skinny kid, and I used to flop all the time and most of my time was spent on the floor, though I still remember such victories against Perry Lakes as vividly as ever.

To me I am not the most athletic person in the world, so my hard work makes up for that. I use my smarts on the court and my gritty play to get the best out of myself and my team. Whether it is on or off the court, I’m always trying to get better. Obviously being in a system built for success is a great help, but you can never do enough work on your own. It isn’t hard to shoot more baskets after practice, or to do some pushups at home (I still can’t do a proper pushup haha) or to run an extra sprint after practice, because in the long run that’s going to help. I was lucky enough to represent my state at the National Championships at the Under 18 and Under 20 level, though I wasn’t lucky enough to win a medal. To this day I reflect on that and that was motivation when I was competing to make an SBL squad. My coach over here always says be a good team mate, no matter what! It doesn’t help to be negative, but it does help if you’re the first person to offer a hand to a team mate who just took a charge. Games can be decided by a few plays, but it’s the simplest things that can determine an outcome of a game, whether you set a good screen on an opponent, if you block out or if you’re the first person to dive on a loose ball, all these small things can make a difference to the outcome of the game. I have always been proud to be able to say that I never give up plays, and I think that’s a reason for some of my success.

I have also been very fortunate to meet so many great people in the Wolves organization and they have always been so supportive of me and my endeavours. Kerry Matthews showed me guidance when I was a young child, and the hours of discussion I’ve had I will always remember. The greatest thing I love about the game of basketball is the friendships you make. No matter what, win or lose, at the end of the day you make friends for life. The culture and atmosphere around an SBL squad is indescribable, I remember as a spectator seeing Sean Stone and Reece O’Sullivan play and thinking they were the bee’s knees. Coming into the SBL squad when I wasn’t even 18 years old was a scary experience but straight from the get go it was extremely fun. When you have guys like Damo, Tony and Uppy leading your team you can’t go wrong. I’m sure those boys thought I was a bit of a bugger since I did get up to some mischief, but under their guidance they have definitely shaped the way I go around with my business.

And that is why I’m happy to announce that I will be making my return to the Wolfpack in 2010. This is my Senior Year of College Basketball and there are some very exciting times but I cannot wait for the opportunity to lead the Wolves for this year and onwards. The opportunity to play alongside a great cast of boys is very satisfying and after I heard that Tony and Dougy were coming back for another year, it gave me a huge relief as those boys are irreplaceable. So to squash any rumours flying around, I am definitely going to make my return to the SBL...for a full season and they will be in the Wolves colours.

I hope everyone is well, and if anyone wants to contact me please do so on ghire@aug.edu. I’m happy to talk about anything, if any players want any drills or advice, please go ahead and contact me. If any Junior Clubs are having a fundraiser please let me know and I will try and do my best to send something back. Here are a few links from this following link that people may enjoy.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/12/31/nca_561471.shtml