By RUSSELL BENNETT
HE might well be an old timer of the current Pakenham Warriors basketball crop, but the evergreen Bill Winder refuses to be slowed down just yet.
He clocked the fastest time in last pre-season’s post-Christmas time-trial – beating some more than a decade his junior.
Almost 12 months on, there’s no point questioning the 30-year-old’s hunger – he’s still got that in spades.
Now, on the eve of a new season, there’s only one thing the 194-centimetre forward is hunting for: a championship.
“I think we all just need to make those small improvements to our game – I know there are things that I need to work on to help us win the championship,” he said after a team scrimmage on Sunday afternoon.
“That’s the clear goal for us this year after coming up short last season.”
Winder and his team mates have already heeded the words of head coach Ryan Rogers, with official pre-season yet to even start.
They know they’ll only go as far as their improved offensive execution and commitment to team defence takes them.
“Offensive execution is huge for us,” Winder said.
“We need to get that right now because when it gets into the season, and then the playoffs, we have to be switched on.
“(But) defence is huge too – being able to guard opposition players both one-on-one and as a team.
“When the season starts it’s all good to be up-tempo and score from fast-breaks and that sort of thing, but in the playoffs things slow right down and there are crucial moments where you need to get something going, or get key stops, in the half-court.”
Winder is about to enter his fifth Big V season with the Warriors, but he’s been with the club for well over a decade.
He’s looking forward to lining up alongside new front court partner-in-crime Chris Jones, who Winder describes as “the sort of guy we’ve never had a lot of”.
“We haven’t had the extra height that we can go to in different roles, and that’s the sort of thing he provides,” Winder said.
“He’s versatile – he can score inside, but he’s also quick enough to get out on the break and do a bit on defence.
“We’ve missed that extra size – even just that one player can make a difference – so I think that’s going to be the turning point; given that we’ve also picked up a guy like Jamie Stow who also has size and some fairly quick moves.
Rogers is thrilled to have Winder back for another season – as both a key player, and a mentor to the Warriors’ younger brigade.
“He’s obviously a significant part of what we’re trying to do and he really cherished what we were able to do off the court last year, which was fantastic from a coach’s point of view – seeing someone who valued the continued growth of the junior program,” he said.
