For many years Basketball Mount Gambier and the Mount gambier Lakers have been very fortunate to have such a great and influential person in Dan Stratford volunteering time to improving the quality of Basketball right here in Mount Gambier, when you have a person of such great influence, such passion for the game of basketball and such a rock within your sporting community you don’t always realise how lucky you are to have them. With Dan relocating for work to Adelaide it will be clear how much of a positive influence Dan has been on our Basketball Community here at Basketball Mount Gambier and how much he will be missed.

Relocating with Dan will be wife Kim and current Lakers Juniors Bella and Lewis, an amazing family full of basketball talent and sporting IQ. Both Bella and Lewis were part of Dan’s coaching success in 2018 winning the U18 Girls Country Champs with Bella and the U16 Boys Country Champs with Lewis.

We caught up with Dan to discuss where it all began, who have been great influences on him and what the future holds in the basketball world:

Give us a recap of your Lakers involvement:

I started playing Lakers when I was 9 in the under 12’s. We had a pretty handy group that went through together and were lucky enough to win a few state champs and even a Victorian state champs.

I got into coaching once I returned back to Mt Gambier after university. I loved working with kids (why I’m a teacher I guess!) and have been coaching at Lakers level for about the past 7 or 8 years.

Who do remember as being influential coaches when you were a junior?

Major influences for me as a junior were Barrie Holmes (great man), his love of basketball was infectious, his teams were fun to play on and he was great junior coach. Barrie Hammer had a great basketball brain and taught me a lot about how to lead a team and how to be a point guard, but perhaps the biggest influence for me was my dad. He was a great role model for me, he was always coaching us or team managing, he would always talk me through games and point out areas for improvement. I loved that he was always there.

Any influential or important teammates along the way?

We had a great group of guys and we are all still friends today. We all played Lakers together and went to school together so really developed a great relationship on and off the court. I was lucky to play with my brother a lot and loved every game from junior Lakers to Pioneers I really enjoyed the times we spent together. Ben Anderson and Dave Bowden were a couple of Lakers team mates that were great guys and super players.

What were your Lakers highlights as a player?

A couple of State championships and Victorian Country championships were great.

I still remember the good times we had at the caravan parks or rolling the sleeping bags out in dorm room. The fun off the court was just as good as the basketball.

What got you into coaching?

I love seeing improvement in athletes. As a PE teacher this is my job, help people improve their skills, knowledge and understanding of situations. I love looking back at the start of the season and seeing how far these young athletes have come. That’s why I coach. Maybe in some small way I can say I helped that athlete improve.

Highlights as a Lakers coach?

2018 is going to be a big highlight - 2 STATE championships in one year!!!

The u18 girls team holds a special place in my heart. I have coached them for 4 of the past 5 years and seen them grow into the awesome young ladies they are. And great athletes not only in basketball (but netball, football, cricket, athletics, and everything else) in the past 4 seasons these young ladies have played off in all country championship games winning 3 titles with a winning record of 122-1. That’s insane that they are that good and that consistent. Love these girls.

The other highlight has been the improvement of the u16 boys in the past 2 years. Working with Matt Berkefeld and Nick Thomas these boys have made significant improvements over these 2 years and seeing how they have developed has been extremely satisfying. To go from making quarter finals at state champs to winning div 2 and making the div 1 final in our first year, and then winning the championship in the second year shows amazing progress in 2 years. A lot of future Pioneers talent in this group.

Future coaching goals/dreams?

Right now, I’m happy working with the SA country u16 Boys program. Being named head coach late in the process was unexpected, but a challenge that I’m looking forward to.

I have a had few offers since moving to Adelaide but need to find my feet before committing to anything. One thing is for sure I need to stay involved as I love coaching and would go crazy without it.

People you would like to thanks:

Beth Serle has been an amazing influence in my life. She coached me on Friday nights as a 5-year-old, that wouldn’t listen. But she has been there for all of my career highlights as a player and as a coach. She is an amazing woman.

My junior coaches I mentioned before in Barrie Holmes, Barrie Hammer, my dad and other coaches that helped develop my love of basketball and basketball understanding and knowledge.

I would really like to thank my wife. She is the rock that holds our family together and without her support I wouldn’t be able to juggle the family responsibilities with my passion and love for coaching. She supports my desire to help the talented young athletes in the south east and allows me to invest the time across the many squads and teams I work with.

Any other thoughts or comments:

I wish Mt Gambier all the best in the future growth and look forward to following the teams across the town team circuit. Even though we won’t be playing/coaching for Mt Gambier we will always hold blue and gold close to our hearts.

Here at Basketball Mount Gambier we would like to thank Dan for all of his hard work and sacrifice, he has developed coaches as well as players and has set a standard of development and success that all members of our Lakers club should aspire to.

Thank you Dan and we wish you and your family all the best!