NBL1 North: Coach Joel Khalu lifts lid as Meteors close in on another championship

With Mackay’s men’s NBL1 team on the cusp of hoisting another championship trophy, the time has come to reflect on the influence of the man who got them there.

Mackay Meteors NBL1 North coach Joel Khalu credits his side’s off-season recruitment and work at training for their resurgence which has seen them book a spot in the grand finals. Picture: Highflyer Images.

With Mackay’s men’s NBL1 team on the cusp from hoisting another championship trophy, the time has come to reflect on the influence of the man who got them there.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more influential figure in the local basketball scene than head coach Joel Khalu, and he revealed that the process to reaching this point dates back to well before the season even began.

“The team that we put together recruitment-wise… it was always with the vision to be playing in a grand final series,” Khalu said.

“I know every team starts out that way, but we really went out head-hunting some guys that were going to impact winning at this level.

“Getting Isaac White to return after his season last year was huge, and so getting him back playing for us was our top priority.

“From there ‘Toddy’ Blanchfield was the next one, and with him being a Mackay local who has played at a very high level, he was next on our list.”

Securing those two signatures has proven to be a masterstroke, with both players having been in MVP conversations throughout the season.

Their influence was never more apparent than in their semi-final win over Southern Districts, when the duo combined for 60 out of the team’s 100 points to lift them to victory.

However, Khalu said he places a great amount of importance on the depth that this Mackay side has as compared to last year, saying it was a key area that ultimately brought them undone.

“When Isaac went down before that quarter-final last year, that was brutal for us, everyone knew our entire offensive structure was built around him being the main focal point,” he said.

Mackay Meteors NBL1 player Isaac White in action. Picture: Highflyer Images.

“We’d been built a certain way and then when players went down it was hard for us at that time to make the adjustments we needed to.

“And when we did our review of that season one of the things we really identified was our lack of overall depth, so that was a key focus heading into this season.

“We’ve brought in guys like an Emmett Naar who is an experienced player at the point guard position and a veteran floor general, he was a big piece to our puzzle.

“But it has also come down to a lot of internal development, the stuff that you don’t see on a Friday or Saturday under lights but that happens from Monday through to Thursday.”

And the training quality and intensity itself has been another significant area of note from Kahlu’s perspective.

“I definitely think the intensity levels that we’ve brought to training each and every week has been some of the best I’ve seen as a head coach here,” he said.

“It’s a credit to all the guys on our roster, and you know we’ve got 14 guys on our list and only 12 get to suit up on game day, so it’s a battle to even be one of those guys who gets to suit up for the game.”

Kahlu is certainly knowledgeable of what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the competition, having led the Meteors to the championship in 2021.

Mackay Meteors NBL1 player Todd Blanchfield in action. Picture: Highflyer Images.

“I see a lot of similarities between this side and that team, particularly on the defensive end of the floor,” he said.

“Our foundation has always been our strength as a defensive team, and when you look back at the 2021 season we were the best team in the competition in defensive rating.

“My focal point as a coach has always been on being a defensive-oriented team and making sure we do what we need to do on that side of the ball.

“The big difference between this year and past seasons is probably that we have a bit more offensive talent than what we’ve had previously.

“It has been very helpful at that end of the floor building scoreboard pressure and making other teams have to guard us.”

With Kahlu taking on an assistant coaching job with NBL team Illawarra Hawks at the completion of this season, he is set to relinquish his role as general manager and could well end up stepping away from coaching at the Meteors as well.

He said that the coaching decision is yet to be finalised, but right now he wants to ensure he leaves Mackay with a lasting memory in the form of another trophy if it does turn out to be his last as head coach.

“You always want to go out on a high, and a title this season would be the icing on the cake for what has been a great experience for me with Mackay,” he said.

“It’s my second time around at the club, having been there from 2011 to 2016 and then coming back for this stint back in 2020.

“But it’s not so much about me and my departure as it is about the people that are here… it’s an unbelievable basketball community and the people here just really get behind their team.

“They’re passionate about the success of this team and this program, and so it’s about doing it for them and leaving a legacy they can build on.”