O’Leary still keen to keep focus on Stingrays

CORIO Bay Stingrays coach Tim O’Leary says he would understand if he’s replaced as the senior men’s coach next season.

It’s been a tough campaign for O’Leary in his first at the helm, having won just four games from 20 matches with the season to end on Sunday following this weekend’s double header. But it’s also been a rough year off the court for O’Leary and his family.

“With my wife having cancer, and we didn’t know she was going to have cancer, this year’s just spread some different light on what life means to me and my family,” O’Leary said.

“I certainly won’t be committing as heavily next year into basketball, but really I want to put my focus into Stingrays, because they’re a youngish club and they need all the support they can get.

“That’s where I’m committed to.”

O’Leary has had his plate full this season, coaching the State Champ men’s as well as the Youth League and under-20 men’s sides at the Stingrays.

He also coaches the Basketball Geelong Division 1 men and Division 1 women at Pivot City, as well as Geelong College’s firsts.

But O’Leary said he wanted to remain coach of the senior men’s Stingrays team.

“At this stage I’d like to. There have been a few complications with the draws and clashes,” he said.

“I would hope they’d want me to stay, but if they don’t I understand why – I’d just go back and coach Youth League.

“I feel that’s where we’re going to breed the next group of State Champ men.

“I’ve been at Pivot City for 49 years – that’s the club dearest to my heart – but I need to step away from there for at least the summer season.”

Import Cam Baker, who returned to America halfway through the season to be at the bedside of his dying uncle, won’t return next season, but O’Leary hoped Jordan Latham would remain on the 2018 roster.

“We’ve found out Cam Baker is going back to college to finish his degree, which is great for him,” he said.

“Big V give their top imports for the year and Cam Baker was No.5 after only 11 games, so people realise he was a gem of a find for us.”

But O’Leary said it was time for his side to turn its focus to blooding youth, taking a leaf out of the Eltham Wildcats’ book.

“I think if we can focus on what we offer our juniors, once my group of Youth League men turn 24, I would imagine five or six of them playing State Champ men and performing well,” he said.

“Our Youth League guys are in the preliminary final so if we win that we go to the grand final again, so we’ve got a really good solid program.

“If we can perform in that league with no imports or one import instead of two, I think it would be great for our basketball community.”