Legend still has plenty in the tank

PLENTY of life is still left in Peter Crawford’s legs, with the Townsville basketball legend locked in to go around again with the Heat this season.

The former Boomer admits he faced an uphill battle to get back to fitness, as the COVID-19 shutdown led to a rare period in which he “did nothing”.

But in hindsight it was the break the 41-year-old said he needed to ensure he could take to the NBL1 North this year.

His retention takes him into a remarkable 23rd year on the professional scene.

With a host of young guns such as Luca Yates and Richard Peachey making the jump to senior basketball — the latter of which Crawford coached last week to national under-20s glory — the veteran’s leadership will be crucial in making the transition as seamless as possible.

With captain Keegan Tudehope also on deck to play his 200th game tonight against Mackay, the emerging crop have two figures who know what it takes to build a championship force.

However Crawford said it may take a bit of time to work back to full flight.

“I did nothing (last year), it’s the first time I’ve ever done that in my life, I’ve always been playing and working out,” Crawford said.

“I just eased back into it. I knew it was going to be pretty difficult to get back in shape but I had a bit of time off over Christmas, jumped on the Nike app and away we went.

“It definitely did help, I felt like last year would’ve been a struggle — everything rolls in on top of each other — so having that break there were a few things that felt like they healed up pretty well.

“I felt like I was tracking all right, I twisted my ankle a little bit about a month ago and then I’ve just been concentrating on coaching for the last two weeks.

“It’s dropped off a little bit, but I felt like I was tracking all right — it should take a couple of games but should be fine.”

A fast start will be key to Townsville’s title aspirations, as a side that will rely largely on local talent as opposed to recruits and NBL players returning in June.

For Crawford, this presents the perfect chance for Australia’s next generation to make their mark on the big stage.

The Heat’s emerging stars will get their first taste of elite level basketball against the Meteors — an outfit featuring former Townsville star Chris Cedar.

With imports unable to take part due to the pandemic’s travel restrictions, and the NBL continuing, Crawford said the foundation had been laid for the youngsters around him to gel quickly and discover the gear needed to thrive.

“A lot of teams are relying on the NBL talent and imports coming through, whereas the Townsville guys a lot have been playing together since under 14s,” he said.

“They know what each other can bring, but their skillsets have changed a little bit as they’ve developed and matured and become more athletic and knowledgeable.

“The NBL guys are going to be under the pump, they’re just finishing a season where they’ve been training and playing for almost nine months … they’re going to be banged up and sore and have to roll straight into a season.”