‘We want to put Toowoomba back on the map’: Mountaineers determined to break 30-year title drought

After two heartbreaking finals exits in the last two years, the Toowoomba Mountaineers are fitter and stronger than ever as they look to end a drought which has lasted more than three decades.

Toowoomba Mountaineers coach Sean Connelly. Picture: Kevin Farmer

After two years of falling agonisingly short in finals, the time is now for the Toowoomba Mountaineers QSL men’s team as they prepare to end a title drought which has lasted more than 30 years.

The last time the Mountaineers won a title, legends like Pop Dickerson, John Rillie, David Blades and Danny Morseau were all tearing it up on the floor for Toowoomba.

Now, with stars like Adam Gehrig, Sam Geu, Mitch Davis, Jake Davis and Sam Wall, Mountaineers coach Sean Connelly is confident his squad has what it takes to deliver the long-awaited title to the Garden City.

Adam Gehrig in action for the Toowoomba Mountaineers. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“It has been a long pre-season so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

“The team’s building, I believe we are better than last year and we got a lot to prove.

“We want to win a championship so the guys are fired up and we are playing USC, who have knocked us out the last two years in a row in the semi-finals.”

Connelly hopes this year’s side will help put Toowoomba basketball back on the map.

“Wining championships, they are hard to come by, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it or how many times you haven’t done it, to win one is special,” he said.

“So for Toowoomba and the people that have come before me, they have tried their damned hardest to win this thing.

“The people that aren’t on the court or aren’t coaching or aren’t around the program, that everybody sees, the people behind the scenes, it would mean so much more to them and that for me is what its about.

“For Toowoomba, they have been battling so hard, they have been around for 50 plus years and have two championships in that time so it is hard to come by.

“For us it is a sense of pride, we want to put Toowoomba back on the map in basketball, they were great in the 90s and we want to relive that.

“That’s why I came here to help them build and try and get on top of what they want to achieve and get everything back to NBL1 and be on that level.”

After narrowly missing out on a grand final berth the last two years, there has been one area which has been of focus for Connelly to help the team make that next step.

“Defence, defence, defence,” he said.

“We have never had an issue scoring, but there has been times where we let a few easy buckets happen and a couple of lapses in defence can turn a game like that.

“That’s the beauty of our sport, is that the last two seconds of a game can change the result.

“Not many sports can do that.”

While the Mountaineers will be tipping off this Saturday night, there are still a couple of additions who won’t be in action in the first couple of rounds of competition who are set to provide a major boost.

“We are still adding players, we have an import coming in, Jordan Perez, we are just waiting on his visa to be approved,” Connelly said.

“So we will be playing without him for the first couple of rounds and Jake Davis is still injured so there is no timeline on his return at this stage.”

Perez is set to bring the Mountaineers offence to life with and will be a key player to watch in the back-court this season.

“He’s a point guard, he’s Hawaiian-Filipino and he just graduated from college in Hawaii,” Connelly said.

“He’s pocket-sized you could say, 6’1, maybe six foot and he has got a lot of experience.

“He has played in systems similar to ours so he will fit in seamlessly.

“He did come out during the pre-season, he came out on a holiday visa and did a workout and trained with us which is where we made the decision to have him.

“Unfortunately we want him to be able to work for us while he’s here and do some stuff so he’s had to go back and apply for a working holiday visa so it is just taking some time for that to get approved so he come back.”

2024 Toowoomba Basketball League all-star five members Noah Silcox-Smith, Sam Wall, Sam Geu, Mitch Davis and Adam Gehrig.

Connelly also intends on turning to the likes of Sam Wall, Mitch Davis and reigning QSL MVP Adam Gehrig this season in the quest for a title.

“There’s been some improvement across the board, this has always been a long term plan,” he said.

“One of the notable ones that has been improving over the last two years in particular is Sam Wall.

“He’ll be a starting guard for us, especially with Jordan not here and he’ll be the offset guard to Jordan when Jordan gets here.

“He got MVP in the TBL (Toowoomba Basketball League) just recently which is a huge step up for him.

“He’s been working on his game to improve his turnover ratio, he’s making better decisions, starting to shoot the ball and I think he’ll be a very key part for us.

“The other one is Mitch Davis, he’s one of our stretch bigs, he’s a rim protector he has really come along way and was also in the TBL all-star five.

“His defence is pivotal to the way we want to play, he’s mobile, he’s starting to shoot the mid-range jumpers which is really good for us.

“He has always been great defensively but it’s about giving him the split between offensive and defensive production out of him.

“I’ve found from the back end of last year and then through the TBL, he’s now got the confidence to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot and not be scared to shoot the ball.

“I think he’ll be a bit of a game-changer this year, then obviously Adam Gehrig the reigning QSL MVP, he’s solid as ever and we’ll be relying on his experience this year.”

The Mountaineers’ opening men’s game of the season against the USC Ripcity tips-off at 7pm on Saturday night at the Clive Berghofer Arena.