Mike returns
The Warragul Warriors have announced that Mike Santo will be returning to the CBL side, named the head coach once again for the 2020/21 CBL season.
Santo said that it wasn’t a completely cut and dry decision, but ultimately, he couldn’t walk away from what he described as an incredibly talented young line up.
“I did have to think about it a little, with coaching football and basketball it meant coaching for 12 months of the year, but ultimately, it’s a good young team with plenty of talent and I just couldn’t walk away after last year’s win especially,” he said.
The 42-year-old said that as long as his body continued to hold up, he hopes to continue to contribute to the team on the court as well.
“I always thought that if I could still hold my own and be one of the better players on the court, I’ll continue to play, so at the moment I’m more leaning to playing as well,” he said.
Beginning his association with the Warriors in 1993/94 as a young guard, Santo has proceeded to win 10 titles with the Warragul CBL and Big V sides and hopes the team that will be coming back this season can push towards being the top side in the Gippsland CBL once again.
“It looks like most, if not everyone, will be fronting up this season and I hope we can add a few pieces too,” he said.
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“We can’t recruit or buy players, the rules are really strict, but I feel like we have a good enough side not to do that anyway,” he said.
Santo also confirmed the return of league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Jarryd Moss, who will be donning the Warriors jersey once again in 2020 after his stellar return to the side last season.
“Jarryd said as long as I’m coaching in Warragul he’ll be playing, which is fantastic, he’s a huge presence for us on and off the court, his leadership and his ability to hold everyone accountable is great for our young side,” he said.
Corey Smith also will be joining Santo on the bench as an assistant coach, helping to continue to take the young team from strength to strength.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic shutting down all sporting codes in the local region, Santo said he was optimistic that the season should start on schedule in October.
“I’m hoping football may start in the next month or two, so if that happens, we should be fine to play in October, even if it’s without crowds, we’ve done that before in some places so it won’t phase us, we play for the love of the game,” he said.
With young stars dotted throughout the side, Santo said he expects them to continue to develop into some of the top basketball players in the region.
“Murray Myers for example, played his best game ever in last season’s grand final, so I’m expecting players like him to continue to grow and develop their game this year with more experience,” he said.
The Warriors will kick off their CBL season in October, with the fixture to be released at a later date.