Phoenix locks in star Creek on deal, as coach recommits
of the NBL’s biggest free agents is off the market after Mitch Creek made good on his commitment to South East Melbourne Phoenix – and his coach will be back, too.
Creek, 30, has been locked away on a three-year deal, while Simon Mitchell has been handed an extra 12 months by the Phoenix, coach and player signing on together in a show of solidarity they hope will be the genesis of an NBL title run.
Last year Mitchell guided the Phoenix to the precipice of the NBL grand final but endured questions about his future after his team missed this year’s top four, despite an 11-5 start.
But Creek knows how close his team was to playing off for a championship and believes the coach is the man to lead the club to the promised land.
“I made it clear if I was going to be playing in the NBL it wouldn’t be anywhere else as long as we could find a mutual respect between myself and the club and they have always done that from day one,” he said.
“Once I heard Simon was committing, I was jumping back on board straight away.
“I know who he is, so I support him and stand by him and his ability to coach, and make us a championship team.
“There’s a lot of people who were really hard on him. I’ve been in that situation as well and, understandably, I put a lot of support and a lot of trust in him.”
Mitchell said he was aware of the noise about his future after the Phoenix could not maintain its early season dominance and lost all but four of its last 11 games, following leader Ryan Broekhoff’s shoulder injury.
“We’ve had a bad season, so there will always be a little bit of ‘need a new coach’,” he said. “We’re (he and the club) comfortable with a one-year deal. It’s more like an extension at the end of the season.
“I think the way that they’re looking at it is, ‘OK, we think you’ll do well, we think you’re going to be a good team next season, let’s do the one and we can re-up at the end of it’.”
Meanwhile, Melbourne United has agreed a one-year deal with veteran Brad Newley.