The lack of support for the Shepparton basketball community is so apparent that rival players, teams and associations are taking notice and feel the need to help.
If you were lucky enough to attend either of the Shepparton Gators’ finals games on the way to the title last season or any of their regular season games against the RMIT Redbacks, you know who Steve Coffey is.
Maybe you don’t recognise his name, but you know what he looks like.
The guy is a freak, a wizard with the basketball.
RMIT’s Philadelphia import and frontman has the ball on a string and can score from everywhere with a bag deeper than the Mariana Trench and eyes in the back of his head.
The Gators were undefeated at the Shepparton Sports Stadium all season, but Coffey did his utmost to change that whenever he had the chance.
He was maybe the only player who managed to take the air out of the stadium and shush the (otherwise loud) Shepparton crowd with his shot-making ability.
And he’s all class.
Following their defeat to Shepparton in the Big V division one grand final, Coffey and the rest of the RMIT squad were full of praise for the Shepparton fans and the Gators squad.
Now, he has spoken out in support of Shepparton’s basketball community once more.
“They have the best crowd in Big V, maybe anywhere I’ve seen,” Coffey said.
“I’ve played professionally in Europe, obviously back home in America, and Shepparton has maybe the best crowd I’ve played in front of.”
Coffey said the sixth-man effect was real and that he remembered how the Shepparton crowd would stomp and make a lot of noise every time an opposition player stepped up to take a free throw.
He recalled how RMIT’s free throw percentage plummeted against Shepparton and that the only thing he could credit that too was the impact of Shepparton’s crowd.
“It makes a real difference,” Coffey said.
“All it takes is just a few buckets in a row, and the place is rocking; we might only be down by five or six points, but it feels like 30.
“You feel like you have a mountain to climb because the energy is so high and they (Shepparton) have so much momentum, and even when you’re up, a few points in a row from them, and it feels like they’re breathing down your neck, so you just never feel comfortable.
“As a player, you love to play in those environments, it’s what we play for, and Shepparton (Gators) are very lucky to have that every time they play.”
Steve Coffey Big V division one 2023 season stats
Season averages:
21 points per game (6th)
9 rebounds per game (6th)
8 assists per game (1st)
3 steals per game (1st)
Vs the Shepparton Gators:
Round 15, July 8
18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Finals week 2, August 5
14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
Grand final, August 19
24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals
Coffey said since arriving in Australia in 2019, he’d seen the rise of basketball in Australia from junior grades all the way up to the Boomers.
As the leader of RMIT on and off the court, his focus is on the youth.
He said he loved training the kids and that it was disappointing that some young ballers had their potential capped because of a lack of courts and investment in facilities.
“I mean, in America, there’s courts everywhere,” Coffey said.
“No kid at any level has trouble training and getting shots up because basketball has been big for much longer.
“Basketball, in terms of the kids playing it, is moving and growing so quickly (in Australia), but from what I’ve seen, the courts aren’t keeping up, and the facilities aren’t growing at the same pace.”
Coffey said he was aware Shepparton had many fans sent away at the Big V grand final in August 2023 and that he could only imagine what the atmosphere would be like if the Shepparton Sports Stadium had more seats.
He also pointed out that it worked both ways, and that RMIT was only allowed to have 100 travelling fans, and that if the stadium had more capacity, the Redbacks would’ve also had more supporters at the game.
Coffey said that while the lack of courts was a problem across Australia, Shepparton in particular was lagging behind.
He said Shepparton had the best team in the division and the most fans, but probably had the worst and definitely the oldest stadium.
“I want basketball everywhere to grow, and I want rival teams and towns to get as big as possible; it’s good for all of us,” Coffey said.
“More and more kids are getting involved; why would you want to put a cap on that?
“Shepparton are setting the standards, and that crowd are leading the charge for what a fan base should be, and they deserve better.
“I hope you guys (Shepparton’s basketball community) get as big as possible, get a better stadium and continue to grow.
“I’m excited to see where it all goes.”
Show your support for our campaign by signing our petition at www.change.org/p/upgrade-the-shepparton-sports-stadium
Stand For Our Stadium: The story so far
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