Magic mentor still has soft spot for Buccs

Aaron Trahair loves playing the Buccaneers in Geraldton more than any other team in any other place.

And the man who coached the Buccs for one season is here again tomorrow night.

Trahair, 43, now steers the ship at the Mandurah Magic, who play the Buccs. With a season win-loss record of 2-7, the Magic leaving Activewest Stadium with a win appears out of the question.

However, Trahair — who moved from the Eastern States to WA in the 90s to join the Perth Wildcats and played more than 400 NBL/SBL games for various clubs — knows he and his side won’t leave empty-handed.

“The Geraldton road trip is the best there is,” Trahair said.

“It’s a great experience of fun and learning, the crowd’s good and so is the atmosphere. And you come up against a bloody good team who put you to the test.

“Our boys will learn much and it’s why we are bringing some young fellas. They will play in the D-League and then sit on the bench. It will be a good experience for them.

“We will arrive around lunchtime on Saturday and have a throw around for 45 minutes and stretch the legs then a rest up before the game.”

And though he is a foe, Trahair, from a well-known footballing family in Bendigo, Victoria, is a basketball friend of the Geraldton club. He is hoping the Buccs can break through at the business end of the year.

Trahair, who coached the Buccs earlier this decade and would have stayed (“provided they wanted me”) but for having a young family in Perth, would like the Buccs to win the league title.

“People there deserve it, the likes of Mat (Wundenberg) and Ralphy (Aaron Ralph) and some others,” he said.

“The Buccs have been so close for so long. The year I coached we lost in the semis to Cockburn, who went on to win it.

“The same has happened for a while now and the Buccs deserve to finally win the big dance.”