BEN Ettridge has had a dream return as coach of the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro Joondalup City Wolves leading them to a minor premiership as he now looks for his second championship in Saturday night's men's SBL grand final against the South West Slammers at Bendat Basketball Centre.

Ettridge coached the Wolfpack to the 2011 SBL championship, their first since 1993, and even though he had planned on remaining coach for the foreseeable future, his full-time job in charge of the Australian Rollers took him away the last two years.

He has returned in 2015 and the result has been the Wolves finishing the season with a 23-3 record and into the grand final now for the third time in the last five years in the search for his second title, and the Wolfpack men's third in the history of the SBL.

However, awaiting Joondalup at Bendat Basketball Centre on Saturday night is a Slammers team now in outstanding form to have come from third position to make the grand final, and looking for their own fairytale story by winning the championship to farewell playing-coach Ty Harrelson.

"They are a big challenge. They've sat in that top three all season and you don’t read too much into a few of the results at the back end when Ty's been away, and Clive went down with a knee injury," Ettridge said.

"Credit to them, their kids have been able to step up on the big stage and guys like Jordan Hickert have been able to step it up, and play big. We definitely have our hands full with them. Brian Voelkel is just the walking triple-double, he just goes out and get it done.

"He competes hard and reminds me of Greg Hire with the way he goes about it. They are similar to us with great role players, a couple of guys who can deliver on the big stage and we're looking forward to it."

While the Wolves were the dominant team of the regular season finishing three games clear on top of the standings, they were pushed to the limit in the quarter finals needing three games to overcome the Perry Lakes Hawks.

Following that tough series, Ettridge was then glad to overcome the Rockingham Flames in two games in the semi finals even though it was far from easy.

"The Flames were tough and Mark Utley is one of my former teammates, and a good friend, and we probably know the ins and outs of each other's team better than anyone because we do talk so much, so that was a bit of a different one," he said.

"Cooper Land and Taylor Land are tough in any situation, and I'm just really proud of our guys coming out of the Perry Lakes series and getting it done in two."

Without question the great strength of the Wolves team this season has been the enormous depth with the likes of Trian Iliadis, Seb Salinas, Rob Huntington, Damian Matacz, Louis Timms, Ben Ironmonger, Joel Questel, Sean Easther and Jordan Wellsteed.

However, Ettridge credits big man import Kevin Davis as being the one piece that has pulled it all together and he believes he deserves the league's MVP award as a result.

"When you go and recruit an import we wanted someone to complement our group. Going back to 2011, John Vaudreuil was that sort of player and then so was Jordan Wild, and this year for us Kevin Davis has just been phenomenal," Ettridge said.

"We thought we were getting a rebounder and shot blocker, and we actually got a guy who in my opinion is probably the MVP of the league. I know guys like Ray Turner and Tre Nichols have put up big numbers, but for what he does for us, he's put a team on his shoulders in some games and he's done that as the fourth or fifth option in offence.

"We don’t have any other set we run for him other than an alley-oop, but he just outworks and outruns everyone else. When guys like that can come in and fit your group it's excellent. Then there's our depth. Ben Ironmonger, Sean Easther, Daman Matacz, Joel Questel and Louis Timms, those guys are just a joy to coach."

Given it was for his career and coaching at SBL level isn’t a full-time job, Ettridge understood why life had to take him to Sydney the last two years, but he always knew he was leaving the Wolfpack in good hands and now he is glad to be back in charge and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

"For me I set my sights on being at the club for the next 10 or 20 years before I had to move to Sydney in 2012, so it was comforting I was able to hand the reins to a good friend Craig Friday who had been with me for a lot of big games and big things," he said.

"He did an amazing job with the group and in 2013 they made a grand final, and probably could have been there again in 2014 if injury didn’t ravage them in the back end of the season.

"Because of Craig's work, it was quite easy to step back into the role this year and I love the Joondalup basketball club, and people like Van and Mary Kailis are who I aspire to be like, and I would love to be remembered as fondly as they will be in 30 years' time."

Now as Saturday night and the grand final for 2015 approaches, Ettridge is certainly feeling the excitement starting to build as all the hard work that has gone into this point goes on the line with a championship at stake.

"I love basketball and to be honest the Wolfpack is my hobby. Some guys go fishing or do other things, I go and find other basketball to be involved in," Ettridge said.

"This excites me the weekly grind of getting a team ready and having 12 guys ready to go, and it's always exciting to go out and represent Joondalup during the season and now especially in a grand final. There's a big prize on offer at the end of Saturday and hopefully it's us standing on the dais at the end of the game."

Article by Chris Pike