Lightning looking to strike blow for Stewart
Wanneroo Wolves women’s coach and captain, Vlad Alva, left, and captain Whitney Perret, Kalamunda Eastern Suns captain and coach, Ajay Jones and coach Craig Mansfield, Wanneroo men’s co-captains Damian Matacz and Seb Salinas, and Lakeside’s captain Jarrad Prue, with retiring coach Andy Stewart, can’t wait for their deciders. Picture: Nic Ellis/WA News
Andy Stewart will pull down the curtain on one of the great State Basketball League coaching careers when the final buzzer sounds to end the men's grand final between Lakeside and Wanneroo at the WA Basketball Centre tomorrow night.
Stewart is the only coach the Lightning have had since their inception in 2000 and boasts a remarkable record.
He has coached 400 games at a 72 per cent winning record, including 58 play-off games at 66 per cent.
Tomorrow's grand final will be Stewart's seventh in 14 seasons as coach and he will be aiming for a fourth championship.
The four-times winner of the SBL coach of the year award announced his decision to step down earlier this year and said he had mixed emotions about leaving the program he played a key role in starting.
"It's sad to leave, especially because it's something that I pioneered," Stewart said.
"I've been the only head coach until this year, so it's the end of an era for this club."
Wanneroo veteran Damian Matacz has also confirmed the grand final will be his SBL swan song.
And there could be more changes afoot at the Wolves, with several players believed to be considering retirement.
Matacz played in the NBL with Perth and Singapore, won an SBL title with Wanneroo in 2011 and was named league MVP last year.
Another championship would be the perfect way to round out his career.
Lakeside and Wanneroo have met twice this season, with the Lightning winning both contests.
The first was a 55-point blow-out at Lakeside, while the return game at Joondalup last month was just a three-point affair.
The Lightning will start warm favourites in the season decider, having occupied first place on the ladder for much of the season and dropping just three games all year.
In tonight's women's grand final, Wanneroo's Sue Williams will equal Cockburn and WAIS great Troy Clarke's record for the most SBL games played when she takes to the court for the 512th time, against Kalamunda. It will be the seventh grand final appearance of Williams' 22-year career and she will be aiming for a fifth championship, having previously won four with Willetton.
Kalamunda finished the regular season in fifth place with a 12-10 record but have taken all before them in the quarterfinal and semifinal series.
