Central Districts set for first state league basketball finals appearance since 1992
JORDAN Centenera was not born when Central Districts last made the finals - now he is getting ready to break the Lions' play-off drought.
JORDAN Centenera was not even born when Central Districts Basketball Club last made the men's state league finals.
Nor has he reached the playoffs with the Lions at any level.
This season, Centenera, 20, is playing his part in the team's resurgence.
The point guard will suit up in Centrals' first finals game since 1992 against North Adelaide at Starplex tomorrow night.
"It's massive," Centenera says.
"It seemed like back then (in the 1990s and 2000s) the culture at the club was that it was OK to lose.
"Now it's changed completely."
Centenera has played for the Lions since under-12s, save for a season at Sturt in 2010 and 12 months with the youth team of Germany's Artland Dragons in 2011/12.
Yet his only finals stint until now was with the Sabres.
"It's always felt like I've never accomplished anything as a team with Centrals and I've almost felt guilty I've never made the finals."
Centenera says the club believed it could end its finals drought this year before the season tipped off.
He says the decision to re-sign star import Kyle Miller and bring Chris Clausen back into the fold from the US boosted players' confidence.
"The last couple of years we've always had a few injuries or not the right sort of guys in the team," he says.
"This year from the start it looked like a great team on paper and it looked like if we got it together we'd be good to go.
"At the start of the season we wanted to earn the respect of other teams.
"Now we all think no team would really want to play us in the finals."
Central Districts plays North Adelaide in the CABL elimination final at Starplex, Alexander Ave, Evanston Park, tomorrow at 8.15pm.