By Justin Schwarze
Pakenham Warriors import signing Steve Coffey is no stranger to the competition landscape – or even the club itself for that matter.
His journey as a basketball player began in his time at Kutztown University, a Division 2 school in Pennsylvania, United States.
From there, he’s had playing and coaching opportunities in Palestine, Morocco, Jordan, France, Israel, Vietnam and finally Australia.
He joined RMIT’s Big V program in 2019, which at the time was a brand new entity.
RMIT started out in Division 2, the lowest grade of Big V basketball, where they competed straight away and looked to earn promotion.
After two years, he gained promotion to Division 1 as the Redbacks won the championship in 2021.
However, his list of accomplishments didn’t end there.
While at RMIT, he was named to the All-Star Five in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
He also won the Golden Hands Award in back-to-back years, being 2023 and 2024.
But by far the biggest achievement in his time was winning the 2024 Big V Division 1 Championship, where he grabbed Grand Final MVP honours along the way.
From joining the program as a brand new club, to seeing it through to the top flight of Big V basketball in just five years was a remarkable feat.
“When I got to RMIT I had seen a new club,” Coffey said.
“We won Division 2 in 2021 and Division 1 last year; it’s just about getting the right pieces into place and buying into it.
“We had a bunch of guys at RMIT that the goal was to win above everything, personal stats and accolades didn’t matter.
“They were there for one reason and it worked out, you got to trust the process.”
His presence wasn’t felt just on the court; he played a major role at the club in his stint.
This included being the club’s Director of Basketball Development and coaching the Youth Men’s team when it was introduced in 2024.
Now, after guiding and overseeing RMIT into the top grade of Big V basketball over those five years, he joins Pakenham, where he hopes to have a similar impact.
“It was a three year journey in Division One (with RMIT), very successful, and I think here’s the same thing with guys who have been here for a couple of years who want to taste that championship,” Coffey stated.
“Having won Division 2 and Division 1, State Champ is all that’s left and that’s the goal, I want to as a senior player win a championship.
“The goal is always a championship. I won one last year; it makes you hungry to win another one.”
Coffey is going to continue to be involved off the court, coaching the Under-20 Boys Victorian Junior Basketball League team and mentoring other players around the club.
His presence as a leader was a huge reason why the club was attracted to him as a signing and wanted to bring him on board for 2025.
“I want to get involved as much as I can,” Coffey said.
“At RMIT, coaching the youth league team was something that I was really big on doing, I really love being able to pass on the love of the game to younger people.
“I love being able to mentor young people, just teaching what I’ve been taught and help them in their journey.
“I want these players to win games, and I have kids on that team that have ambitions, I want to help every single one of them reach their goals to succeed, whether that’s on the court, off the court.”
As for on court…he is no stranger to the Pakenham Warriors.
Some people around the club have never forgotten Coffey after he torched the Warriors in the Division 1 semi-final in 2023.
Coffey played all 40 minutes in that matchup, finishing with 37 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals.
RMIT walked away with a 13-point victory.
He lit it up from all over the court, shooting 13/25 from the floor and connected on nine of his 15 shots from beyond the arc.
“I’ve been able to compete against them (Pakenham) on multiple occasions across the years including in the semi-finals two years ago,” Coffey reminisced.
“I’ve had a couple of people come up to me about that game because that was a good game from me personally at RMIT.”
For the upcoming campaign, Coffey will bring his masterful combination of elite outside shooting and play making to the Warriors.
A consistent 20 point-per-game scorer, he is a tricky player to guard with his quick change of pace and ability to hit a shot from anywhere on the court.
He shot over 40 percent from three last season and, when he gets hot, there isn’t much defenders can do to stop him.
However, he thinks his passing and tendency to get his teammates good shots is his biggest asset.
“My passing is something I take pride in, it’s being someone that really tries to get guys involved,” Coffey said.
“Seeing guys get hot, make shots, highlights and dunks and things like that to me is a lot better than anything else.”
Despite racking up a multitude of awards in his time in the Big V, he’s not focused on individual accolades or stats.
He remains fixated on being part of a successful team and bringing a presence of leadership.
“For me, the goal is winning,” Coffey stated.
“I don’t focus on personal stats; I just come with a work ethic and have trust in my teammates and coaches.
“I bring a lot of leadership and being older as a veteran; I’ve been around the game a lot longer.
“I think the experience of winning multiple championships across different countries with different coaches, different play styles, I think that I adapt pretty easily.
“I want to be a team that other teams are scared to play against, because we compete hard every night.
“We’re going to have a team that’s going to give everything they’ve got; we’re not going to be reliant on one guy to do everything.
“Everybody’s got a piece to the puzzle and I think when everyone put their two cents in it’s going to be special.”
Coffey is a determined player, and after all his success at RMIT, he is going to make sure the same energy is brought to Cardinia Life this season.
Whether he’s scoring, getting his teammates involved or bringing guidance and leadership, he is going to bring it every night while wearing the Warriors jersey.
“I give everything I got, no matter what I’m doing,” Coffey said.
“When I’m on the court I’ll always give 120 percent, along with the competitiveness, intensity, the love of the game.
“I want to be someone that people want to play with, and I just want to be someone that kids enjoy looking up to.
“I’m just a guy that loves basketball and works hard and I just give it everything I got.”
With the Big V Championship season not tipping off until late March, Coffey has his sights set on setting the tone for the upcoming season.
Pakenham will kick its season off with a double-header, first hosting McKinnon then visiting Hume City.
“It’s going to take some time but I’m very excited for the possibilities of what we can put together,” Coffey said.
“We’ve got a good group of guys, we’ve got some coming back from last year along with new pieces, and I think it should be a fun year.
“If we do our best to prepare then we will be a team that’s hard to play against.”
Until then, there is one date he couldn’t help but notice in the schedule.
“Sunday 27 April, 2pm, their place,” Coffey knew immediately when asked of his first matchup with his former club.
“I’ve had that one circled in the calendar since the schedule came out.”
