By RUSSELL BENNETT
AT THE time Jay Ferriere joined the Pakenham Warriors Big V basketball side in 2012, he was the biggest signing in team history.
Then 28, the Narre Warren local had spent four years leading the NCAA Division 3 side Manhattanville College after previous stints at Ringwood and Sherbrooke in Big V competition.
Coach Ryan Rogers couldn’t contain his excitement at luring the point guard to Pakenham.
“He’ll have a major impact,” he said.
“When I was involved in championship level he was just an 18 or 19-year-old kid but even at that stage at Ringwood he was on the horizon of good things.”
As per usual, Rogers’ basketball instincts were bang on the money.
Despite persistent hamstring trouble, Ferriere averaged 10.2 points, six rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game over 13 contests. He took out the Golden Hands award at the Big V awards gala as the player with the best assists and steals to turnover ratio, and was also nominated for Defensive Player of the Year.
Still, last season was one of frustration for the super-talented guard.
“I’ve spent a lot of the off-season so far just trying to get healthy, which has been fun,” he said sarcastically.
“Luck will have to play its part (next season) but I’ve spent a lot of the off-season strengthening my core and hips, trying to get rid of all those nagging injuries as well.”
Now about to turn 30, Ferriere has his sights set on leading the Warriors to Division 2 glory. It’s a shared goal among the playing group and no-one is backing away from it.
“I want to focus on being more assertive,” he said of his main individual goal.
“There were times last year when, as Ryan has said, I was willing to just divert to other guys and let them play it out.
“It’ll be more about leadership this season though.
“After college I had done the leadership thing and I think I was just burnt out and over that kind of role.
“Toppy (James Topp) is a great leader – he takes control of a team almost better than anyone I’ve ever seen – but this year I’ll try and step up and act 30.”
Ferriere says his hamstring is now “completely fine” after a season in which his physiotherapists were unable to get on top of the injury.
“They kind of mismanaged it,” he said.
“After three or four weeks they thought it was good to go but as soon as I came back it just went again and that caused another week or two out.
“But it’s great now though – it’s always great after a month or two off.”
It’s now all about the positives on the verge of the new season – and the Warriors have plenty of them on their side.
“Guys like Jim (Viray) and James – Stowy’s brother – are real workhorses and as a guard that’s what you want because you know they’re going to get the rebounds and you don’t need to worry about crashing the boards so much – meaning you can leak out and it gives you a lot more room to play freely,” Ferriere said.
“Last year we really struggled in the height department and Jeff Reid and I were relied on to go in and crash and that really kills any fast-break opportunities you might have. But this … this will be a good year.
“Ryan always recruits good guys – there are never any ego problems. It’s always just going to be about basketball IQ stuff that we’re trying to sort out and that comes as you play together.”
And as for the inevitable question – yes. He is looking forward to the potential of linking up with boom recruit Chris Jones for a few jaw-dropping alley-oops.
It’s just not as easy as it looks.
“People always think that if you have a guard who can pass and a guy who can jump it should be pretty easy,” Ferriere laughed.
“But it’s about being on the same page and even just having plays where it’s set up so that there’s help coming. You don’t want to put him in the position where someone is going to take out his legs!”
Keep an eye on the Gazette in the new year for more on the Warriors’ stacked 2014 playing roster.
