THE Geraldton Buccaneers have extra incentive to keep their hot form going at home this Saturday night with captain Mat Wundenberg becoming just the fifth player in club history to play 300 SBL matches.

Fresh off Joondalup Wolves captain Seb Salinas celebrating his 300th game milestone with a win on Thursday night, Wunbenberg will also reach the magical mark on Saturday night on his home floor.

Wundenberg will lead the Buccs into battle against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Active West Stadium in his 300th appearance for the club since making his SBL debut in 2004.

By reaching the milestone, Wundenberg now only sits behind Geraldton basketball legends Greg Brown (423), Ray Evans (412), Jason Bunter (411) and Dan Hunt (382) on the games played list.

Wundenberg did grow up in the area supporting the Buccaneers, but he never seriously played basketball until he was 18 years of age. He ended up impressing sufficiently through a couple of pre-season campaigns to end up making his first SBL appearance in 2004.

Ever since he has become one of the most productive work horses in the SBL and again already this season he is averaging a near double-double as part of a Buccs team that is on fire coming off last year's grand final appearance, and minor premiership.

After losing the opening game of the season in a thriller to the South West Slammers, the Buccaneers have now won their last four games against the Mandurah Magic, Perry Lakes Hawks, Perth Redbacks and Lakeside Lightning.

The 300-game milestone is a chance for Wundenberg to reflect on how far he has come over the last 12 years, but what he is craving is that elusive SBL championship with the Buccaneers' lone title coming in 2000.

"I definitely never thought in a million years I would play 300 games for the Geraldton Buccaneers. I remember sitting up in the crowd watching them and I never thought I would be able to run out there," Wundenberg told the Geraldton Guardian.

"I just really want to get this championship. I definitely want to win a championship before it's all done and dusted."

When Wundenberg started his career, he did so in the company of some all-time great players and he will always cherish those memories, and with the players who still keep in touch and support both him and the club.

"I've never really been a shooter. I was playing behind two import centres back then and the likes of Andrew Horstman, Jason Bunter and Darren Winterbine were still playing," Wundenberg said.

"Greg (Brown) is one of the first people to text me congratulating me and the boys after games. I was lucky enough to play with Greg and Dan (Hunt) at the end of their careers.

"To sit in a locker room with Dan Hunt and hear what he had to say, it gave me goose bumps and it still gives me goose bumps talking about it now."

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin