EAST Perth captain Drew Williamson has achieved plenty throughout his NBL and State league career but leading the Eagles to a historic first SBL championship means as much to him anything he has done.

Williamson played 190 NBL games starting with the Townsville Crocodiles and Sydney Spirit before three years with the Perth Wildcats where he played in 98 consecutive games until the end of the 2011/12 season including being a key component of the 2010 championship-winning team.

That came on the back of being a star New South Wales junior and playing college basketball at Metro State and Fordham Universities while also having successful SEABL stints, but at 30 years of age, captaining the Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles to a historic first SBL championship means a tremendous amount.

Williamson first joined the Eagles during the 2011 SBL season while still in the NBL with the Wildcats and the club had such an immediate impact on him that he has decided to continue to play there post his professional career, and now he is a championship-winning captain.

Having tasted the ultimate success at NBL level with the Wildcats, Williamson had the big-game experience to help the Eagles and he delivered in the grand final, but more than that he actually rates winning the SBL title with East Perth up there with career highlights.

"I gave a speech before the game about the butterflies of grand final week and the feeling I had after the game was exactly the same as winning an NBL championship," Williamson said.

"You play for grand finals no matter the level and after having the disappointment of being runner-up two years ago, that played on me the whole season and in grand final week.

"I said to the boys that our best would be good enough if we leave everything out on the floor, and the result will do its own thing. And that's what happened."

Williamson initially joined the Eagles just out of convenience while still in the NBL, but the club immediately grew on him and now means so much to him that he couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else.

Whether that means he will play on again in 2015 is something he hasn't decided yet, but the community feel at East Perth will forever have a place in his heart.

"When I was first looking for an SBL team it came down to finding a club that was close to home, and East Perth was kind enough to give me an opportunity," he said.

"The reason why people like myself, Tommy and other guys who can go to other clubs or leagues and get more money, choose to stay is because of the community nature of this team. From the juniors to the SBL, everyone picks each other up and gets behind everyone.

"We had kids who were eight years of age at the grand final supporting us and they are East Perth juniors, and that's what the community feel of the club is all about.

"I was weighing up whether I would play on halfway through this season when I had a fair few injuries so I was thinking about hanging up the boots. But now with nights like the grand final, weeks like this and seasons like this, it's hard to not get out of bed and be excited to keep playing for East Perth."

Without question, a major reason behind the Eagles' winning the grand final over the minor premier Geraldton Buccaneers in front of a sold out crowd at the WA Basketball Centre on Saturday night was the seasoned, experienced heads in their team.

Not only was there Williamson, but in his ninth SBL grand final Joe-Alan Tupaea was simply outstanding at both ends of their floor to end up named MVP while Tom Jervis, Kyle Armour, Nikola Donlagic and Austin Kisselev all stepped up when asked as well.

Even 250-game veteran John Taylor came on to enjoy the last 39 seconds as he claimed his first championship.

Williamson has no doubt that experience in the group played a big part in the win, but so did calling upon the pain of having lost the 2012 grand final and in the 2013 semi finals.

"It's really good because we know what it feels like to be on the other end to get so close yet at the end of the season you walk away with not the result you want. But this year it was our time," Williamson said.

"It was an up and down year for sure, but at the end of the season we were where we needed to be. All credit to Geraldton for being the benchmark all year, but we knew that if we gave ourselves to be here in the grand finale that was all we needed.

"The most important thing was that the whole team just showed up on the night. It does help having steady heads like Tommy and Joe who have won championships before and played in big games, but coach Forde did a fantastic job of keeping us focused the whole week.

"Then on the night, we went into the game knowing there was no tomorrow, but we did enough and we did our things during the game and in the end it got the right result for us."

Williamson might be now a seasoned veteran, an NBL championship winner and an SBL championship-winning captain, but even he still finds himself inspired by someone like Tupaea.

"His steady head is what sets him apart. He plays the same in a grand final as he does in the first week of the season," he said.

"Having a guy like him on the team for the younger guys and the older guys even, I look up to Joe and he has now been in nine grand finals.

"On his ninth he gets the MVP as well so that shows that from his first year in the league to now, he has put in 100 per cent every time and has got the rewards for that."

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin