STEVE Black never thought he would be coaching the Willetton Tigers in 2016 but it now has provided him a chance to try and do something he couldn’t as a player at the club that means so much to him and his family.

Black was enjoying being an assistant coach to his father Alan at the Tigers where the family has such a rich history with it being where Steve began his junior playing career.

He went on to have an outstanding playing career winning NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats in 2000 and Brisbane Bullets in 2007 before his career was cut short by a back injury playing under his father with the Cairns Taipans after almost 300 games at the top level.

Basketball was in his blood, though, and he began his coaching career in the Queensland Basketball League with the South West Metro Pirates before life brought him back to Perth and he took up a role as assistant coach to his dad where it all began at the Willetton Tigers.

While somewhere down the line Steve might have looked at taking over from his dad, it was never the plan in 2016 but it turned into a necessity when Alan took up a post at the Malaysian Institute of Sport.

Steve had no hesitation in saying yes when asked.

"It just happened. There were a number of circumstances that came together for that and for me it was just wanting to get back involved at the club," Black said.

"I was back in Perth and wanted to be around the guys and be a part of something that I love doing, and I didn’t think anymore into it than that initially.

"Now that it has happened it's come about so quickly that at the end of the year I'll reflect a little on what's actually happened, but it has been just one of those things that circumstances all led to it coming about."

Funches proving ideal final piece for Tigers 

It's hard to argue with the results either with Black leading the Tigers to an 18-8 record at the end of the regular season to finish in third position ahead of a quarter-final battle with the Stirling Senators – led by another WA basketball great, coach Mike Ellis and star Cody Ellis.

With a strong coaching staff around him and a playing squad led by point guard Kyle Armour, wings Damien Scott and Jay Bowie, and big men Charles Funches, Josh Johnson and Nic Cody, Black is delighted with the group he has taken charge of as well heading into the playoffs.

"It's been great. I'm very fortunate that we've got a lot of very supportive people around and having people like Mark Heron and Adam Nener to help me out who extremely well-respected guys," he said.

"Their knowledge has made my transition that much easier because I lean on them heavily and the guys have been fantastic in that regard.

"They didn’t sign up to play for me but they've really embraced what we've been trying to do and clearly me and my dad are cut from the same cloth. There's no difference in philosophies so it has been made easier from the support I've got from everyone around."

The Willetton Tigers have one of the richest and proudest histories in WA basketball and there's no question the role the Black family have played in that, and continue to.

Steve still has the memories as a child of getting his first taste of basketball at Willetton Basketball Stadium and because of those recollections, and what the place means to him and his family, he was excited to initially return with his father and now to be head coach in his own right.

"I started playing under-10s here and every time I moved this has been the one constant for me to come back to. I enjoyed my two seasons at Willetton maybe as much as any other time I had playing basketball," he said.

"The guys are purely here because they love each other and they love the game, and that was something that really drew me into enjoying the experience so much when I played and now that I'm coaching nothing's changed.

"The players make the place, they are so supportive of each other and they just want to have fun and be successful as a group. When you've got those kind of people around then everything else is easy."

Because of that history and what the Tigers mean to the whole Black family being able to win a championship is something that would mean everything to Steve.

There's still a lot of work that needs to be done for that to eventuate in 2016 and he's certainly not looking any further than at the Senators in the upcoming quarter-final battle, but after missing out on winning a title with the Tigers a player it's something that has always burned away at him.

As a result, winning one as a coach now would be the next best thing and it would mean the world to him.

"It would be particularly special because I failed as a player to win one here," Black said.

"That was something that meant a lot to me when I left that I wasn’t able to get that done so it would be a little cathartic I guess. It would be something that would really fulfil that sense of accomplishment that I failed to achieve in my first attempt."

Because he wasn’t the head coach coming into 2016 and it's been such a whirlwind to take over the role mid-season, Black isn’t sure what the future holds in terms of continuing on further than this season with the Tigers.

Given his successful playing career and already impressive time as coach, though, it wouldn’t surprise to see him move into the NBL ranks before long but he sees no reason at the moment why he wouldn’t be coaching Willetton again in 2017.

"I honestly haven't thought about coaching on but I have really enjoyed this year," Black said.

"It probably is something that I would like to keep doing but I literally haven't even given it a thought."

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin