McLean’s comeback for the ages
NBL veteran Troy McLean was preparing to be the Saints’ assistant coach in 2021. Then after six years away and at 41, he made an unlikely return. reports. Troy McLean rolling back the years
TBrendon Egan
roy McLean initially thought the Wellington Saints were joking with him.
After last playing in New Zealand’s National Basketball League in 2014, Kiwi hoops stalwart McLean believed his days in the elite ranks were over.
At 41, he was preparing to work alongside new Saints coach Zico Coronel as the team’s assistant – a role he held in 2019 when the side went 20-0 on the way to an 11th title.
Then, the stars aligned for an unlikely playing reunion.
The Saints mean the world to McLean. A born-and-bred Wellingtonian, he debuted for the team in 1996 against the Hutt Valley Lakers as a 17-year-old Rongotai College schoolboy.
He holds the record for games played for the club (269) and has spent 16 seasons with them, winning three championships in 2003, 2010, and 2011. McLean has played the fourth most games in NBL history (320), also spending two seasons with the Manawatu¯ Jets (2013-14) and another in 2006 with the defunct Harbour Heat.
Injuries and a shortage of toplevel depth in New Zealand basketball with the Australian NBL operating at the same time helped pave the way for a Saints’ return.
‘‘Troy said what could I do to help and he certainly asked that question from a coaching perspective,’’ Coronel says. ‘‘I answered with one word, which was ‘play’. He thought I was joking, but I wasn’t, so then that got him thinking.’’
Even after stepping away from the NBL, 1.93m shooting guard McLean continued to stay in shape. He regularly scrimmaged against young basketballers in Wellington, played premier club ball for the Youknow team, and worked on his strength and conditioning with good friend Gavin Cross.
He still thought Coronel was pulling his leg.
‘‘Jokingly Zico and Rob Hartley, who’s helping out with the coaching space this year, said ‘you should lace em up and see how you go’, so I took that as a joke at first.
‘‘[They said] ‘if you can get in game shape, we think you can contribute’. I said, ‘I’ll give it a month’ and that was January. And here we are now.
‘‘It’s a little bit of a joke that thankfully didn’t turn into a bigger joke.’’ McLean wasn’t promised anything and had to prove he warranted a roster spot in preseason.
As the Saints departed for Blenheim on the ferry for a preseason tournament against the Nelson Giants and Canterbury Rams, Coronel made it clear four wings, including McLean, were competing for three spots.
He impressed on day one, but locked down his place the next day
2002
against the Rams. ‘‘He was sensational. He blew the game open. He really was a big factor why we dominated them.’’
The Saints are injecting McLean off the bench, averaging about 12 minutes per game, using him as a spark plug in the important moments.
A renowned three-point shooter, he has landed 611 from deep at 38 per cent during his 19-year NBL career – an excellent percentage over such a long period of time.
Opposition sides roll their eyes when they see the ball in his hands on the three point line.
McLean’s leadership and vast experience is a major asset on a youthful Saints squad.
The majority of the side were born after his Saints’ debut in 1996. He coached power forward Taane Samuel (born in 1999) when he worked as Scots College director of basketball between 2015-16 and is now his team-mate.
Samuel’s father Kemara was even on the same high school team as McLean at Rongotai College.
‘‘It just shows if we stick with it that’s what we can do,’’ Samuel says.
‘‘His IQ is unprecedented. You can’t really compare it to anyone else on the team because he’s played for so many years, he’s such a big time veteran in the New Zealand basketball scene.’’
Samuel credited McLean’s coaching impact at high school for developing him into the player he is today.
McLean’s two daughters, Portia, 14, and Harper, seven, were a crucial factor why he contemplated returning to the Saints. Portia was too young to understand the sport when he was
Troy McLean
winding down his career, while Harper was born after he retired. Seeing them in the crowd at TSB Bank Arena for home games was always special.
‘‘Portia, my eldest, she’s got a bit of banter and cheekiness about her. She’s always quick to point out you would have got that if you were younger and things like that. She loves it. She was very proud when the announcement came out [about McLean returning].’’
Being able to show his daughters what could be achieved with hard work and dedication was a powerful reason for stepping back on court. Even in pre-season, McLean tried to put up 500-1000 shots a day at training.
‘‘It’s a nice legacy, especially for my girls too. Teaching them you can do anything you put your mind to, no matter what your age – whether you’re young or old. That was another element of the process and mindset I had.’’
With teams relying heavily on outside shooting these days and accurate three point bombers being a valuable commodity, Coronel believes McLean’s game is perfectly suited. The Saints have the best three point percentage in the league, converting 39 per cent of their attempts this season.
McLean hasn’t skipped a beat, hitting nine of 15 from three point range at a scorching 60 per cent.
2010
‘‘As long as I can remember Troy has been a great three-point shooter,’’ says Coronel, who coached the Hawke’s Bay Hawks to the final against the Saints in 2019.
‘‘If you coached against him, you feared him having any separation, and if you’re on the same team you probably never felt more comfortable than when [former team-mate] Lindsay Tait kicked the ball to an open Troy McLean.
‘‘You felt very confident you were about to have three points added to the scoreboard.’’
McLean, who runs a small sports coaching business with a few friends, called Mov.e (he specialises in basketball), indicated it would probably be a one-off cameo season with the Saints.
He would love nothing better than to capture a fourth title with the team that carries such a special place in his heart.
Despite their pleasing 7-1 start, McLean says the Saints weren’t getting ahead of themselves and there was a long way to go in the competition.
‘‘I’m very much not looking beyond this season. I’d love for us to have a successful season, which for this club it means a championship. We’re building towards that game by game, day by day, practice by practice, so I don’t really want to look past tomorrow or today.
‘‘It’s not necessarily survival mode, but I do use that word sometimes. I’m just surviving. It is brutal man. These kids on our team, they are literally in comparison to me, kids.’’
A perfect blend of youth and a grizzled veteran, the Saints hope will lead them to a 12th championship banner.*McLean and the Saints play the Jets at TSB Bank Arena tomorrow (5pm tip-off).
‘‘These kids on our team, they are literally in comparison to me, kids.’’