Matt Parsons, first year Head Coach of the Australian Central East Perth Eagles stands on the base line, white board in one hand, marker in the other. Practice doesn’t start for another 20 minutes and no players have arrived yet. However, in Parsons mind they are on the court. A hand off here, keep moving, another hand off, a screen and a flash to the high post. With good decision making and well executed passes and movement it gives options for a score every time. The team will go through the offence tonight and Parsons will tweak it to perfection before they unleash it on their opponents Saturday night.

Parsons began his association with basketball at a young age, playing in the WABL junior competition for the now defunct Swan City Mustangs. He played all his juniors there and made the SBL team before the sad demise of the club.

After the Mustangs folded, Parsons moved to Victoria to play for the Bendigo Braves. Whilst there Parsons, playing side by side with current Wildcat captain and Australian representative Shawn Redhage, won both a SEABL Championship and a National Championship. Parsons says of his time at Bendigo, “It was an awesome experience; the atmosphere and the culture were something I hadn’t experienced in WA."

Parsons was not only a player for the Bendigo Braves, but he took the head coach role for their division two team, his first foray into coaching. “I was very lucky to play under former NBL great Wayne Larkin. He is a great mentor and a coaching inspiration for me. He taught me a lot about how to manage players on and off the court and how to prepare mentally to get the best out of the team and yourself when the game gets tough”.

After his time at Bendigo, Parsons returned home and chose to resume his SBL career with the East Perth Eagles. “In my first year Adam Caporn was the head coach and after him Damien Chalk. Last year I decided to retire from playing and took the role of assistant coach to Damien and was all set to continue the role of assistant coach this year."

"But with Damien’s sudden departure it gave me the opportunity to step up in a big way. I’m absolutely loving the challenge and the club have been very supportive of me and I really appreciate that. They understand I have a vision for this team and have backed me to establish a new style here at East Perth."

“It was a slow start to the season as everyone adjusted to new game plans and new roles but we are starting to play the style of basketball I envisioned when I took over as coach. The players and coaching staff are now comfortable with their roles and how they can contribute to achieving our goal of making the finals this year. I have great support from my assistant coaches and team managers. They take care of the little things that need to be done which allows me to give the team the best preparation I can, I wouldn’t be able to do it without them and I’m very grateful of their unwavering support and assistance."

"When I took this role I knew that preparation was the key and I had to give the team as much information as possible to mentally prepare for the challenges each week. We’ve been working really hard at practice and have learnt to trust each other on the court and as a result we’ve given ourselves the best chance to be in games at the end."

"We’ve got a great bunch of guys on the team that get along and enjoying being on the court with each other. The team have developed a trust in each other which is vital for success. The leadership group has been great in establishing standards amongst the team. We practise and play with the same intensity and everyone takes ownership of their roles and in making sure everyone is looked after on and off the court."

"Hopefully some of the guys on this team can go on to the NBL and contribute in that league as I know they have the talent. Ideally I’d like to keep this team together for as long as possible though, as I really believe that we have started to build a team that can win the championship for East Perth in the next two to three years. That’s a goal we all share and are determined to achieve it."

Article by Leigh Dalton
Photo by Mick Cronin 

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