Mount Gambier Pioneers women’s coach Matt Sutton ready for battle against ex-club Forestville in prelim
He’s a two-time champion with Forestville but this weekend Matt Sutton will coach Mount Gambier’s women’s team against the Eagles for a place in the grand final.
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He’s a two-time champion with Forestville but this weekend Matt Sutton will aim to break the Eagles’ hearts – in the SA women’s Premier League basketball competition.
Sutton is coaching Mount Gambier’s women’s team which will take on Forestville in a preliminary final at Wayville this Saturday.
The 35-year-old played juniors and seniors at the Eagles.
He then crossed over to Mount Gambier and lined up with the Pioneers’ men’s team in the South Eastern Australian Basketball League from 2010-2017.
Sutton still has a soft spot for Forestville but is enjoying the banter with old mates at the Eagles in the lead up to the women’s prelim.
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“My whole basketball journey plays a part in all my methods and strategies, so a bit comes from my development as a player at Forestville,” says Sutton, who also played 50 NBL games with the Adelaide 36ers.
“We’ve played each other a couple of times (this season) now and all those feelings are gone.
“When I watch the men’s games, the feelings come back.
“But when you’re coaching the girls, you just focus on the job and the past is a bit irrelevant.
“Yeah, there’s been a fair bit (of banter). There’s also some of my closest friends that have switched and now they are Pioneers fans.”
Sutton won senior premierships with Forestville in what was then known as the Central Australian Basketball League in 2003 and 2006.
After switching to the Pioneers, he guided them to SEABL titles in 2014 and 2015 but hung up his jersey two years later.
He took up the coaching role this year after the SEABL disbanded and the Pioneers’ men’s team was granted entry into the SA Premier League, as long as it could field a women’s side.
The Pioneers last had a women’s team in 1989 but it only lasted one season because of financial constraints.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” Sutton says.
“When we went into (the season) we were just hoping to be competitive and prove that we belonged.
“But halfway through the year, the goals changed – and we are still striving for that goal now.
“One of the things I always say to the girls is I just want good eggs.
“We’ve ended up with a bunch of good eggs that really care for each other and are happy to go that extra mile on the court for each other.
“They are very focused on this week but regardless of what happens I’m proud of them.”
Mount Gambier is unsure if it will field teams in the Premier League or the NBL1 after Basketball Australia stopped them from joining New Zealand’s national league.
But president Tom Kosch said the club was committed to fielding a men’s and women’s team no matter what competition it plays in next year.
The winner of the Forestville v Mount Gambier women’s prelim will take on Sturt in the grand final at Basketball SA Stadium on August 17.
Forestville and Norwood battle in a men’s preliminary final after the women’s at Wayville this Saturday.
The winner takes on Mount Gambier in the title decider.