Flying back to the nest Foundation member returns with renewed love for the game
AFTER a four-year absence from the game he grew up playing, Marcus HolmquistPollock decided there was no longer anything stopping him from returning to the North Gold Coast Seahawks nest.
A foundation member of the Seahawks’ first junior season in 2006 after separating from the Gold Coast Basketball Association, HolmquistPollock this year returns to continue his incredible history with the club. “I started playing for the Seahawks when I was five-years-old and then went to play college basketball in the United States for a year and then got home and decided to have a break,” he said.
“The only reason I’m back is because of our coach Adam Tyrus. He was my coach when I was younger and he’s been trying to get me back for years now and I guess I ran out of excuses so I’m back.”
Holmquist-Pollock’s QBL debut preparation left much to be desired after the former schoolboy’s representative arrived back in Australia from the United States just hours before his first game against the Sunshine Coast Phoenix. “I wasn’t fresh,” he said. “I got back the morning before our first game.
“I actually felt okay though and managed to cope with it (jet lag) quite well during the game.”
After carving out an impressive junior career, Holmquist-Pollock’s homecoming coincides with his desire to make the Seahawks a feared QBL opposition.
“I want to bring a lot of intensity and help turn our team into a team the opposition hates playing,” he said.
“When I was in America, I learnt the difference between liking and loving basketball so after that time away, I’ve come to love the game again and it’s not a chore to train or play.
Tonight in what will mark Holmquist-Pollock’s third QBL game, the Seahawks face the winless Toowoomba Mountaineers at home.
“We’ve been fine tuning the things we haven’t been doing for the past two games and really focusing on executing them,” he said.