THE 2016 season has been one where just about anything that could have gone wrong has for the Mandurah Magic but coach Jason Kyle is remaining positive with light at the end of the tunnel in 2017.

While already thinking of 2017 the Magic Men's SBL coach is looking forward to having star, experienced big man Taylor Mullenax back from injury while also being able to surround him with a fully fit group and with two imports now the he's a naturalised Australian.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of 2017 for Kyle and the Magic is to look forward to playing at the redeveloped Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

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That has only added to the challenges of 2016 with the Magic having to play their home games at Rockingham's Mike Barnett Sports Complex which is a venue they don’t get to train at.

On top of that, Mullenax, Jarrad Jackson, Tom Remmerswaal and Daniel Munday are all among the players to have had injury-interrupted seasons in one way or another.

The result is that Mandurah has managed just five wins from 20 matches to date to be out of playoff contention having also narrowly missed out in 2015.

Kyle and his Magic team are remaining positive and making sure wins like two weeks ago on the buzzer thanks to a Trevor Setty against the Lakeside Lightning are enjoyed. And while the coach wants to see them finish the season strongly, he can't wait for what 2017 should hold.

"There's always some light at the end of the tunnel of course and there's plenty to look forward to. We will have one of the best stadiums in the league next year and Taylor is qualified as an Australian so that's a positive thing when we get him back," Kyle said.

"He deserves that and he's been a great, loyal guy to the club. There's definitely a lot of things to look forward to but we still have a lot of basketball to finish this year and hopefully the boys can work hard and finish well, then we all look forward to next year."

While the season has been a tough one for the Magic with just the five wins, they have largely been able to compete hard and make themselves difficult to beat for the opposition.

"I think in general most nights we've been pretty competitive. There's only been a couple of times we've been blown out," Kyle said.

"I think the guys have hung pretty tough considering our run with losing Taylor so early in the season, JJ has missed a number of games, Tom Remmerswaal has missed a number of games, Ben Smith has missed a number of games and so on.

"Daniel Munday came back to play two games and missed another month. It's been really disjointed from that point of view and that doesn’t help with team chemistry, but there are no excuses at the end of the day. We still put a team out on the court and we've played some good basketball, but we let ourselves down with some simple things at times."

The Magic now finish the season with five of their last six games at 'home' in Rockingham starting with a double-header this weekend on Friday against the East Perth Eagles and then Saturday against the Joondalup Wolves.

It's then the last road trip for the year against the Kalamunda Eastern Suns before Mandurah finishes against the Cockburn Cougars, South West Slammers and Stirling Senators.

Kyle is looking to finish the season on as high a note as possible.

"It's been frustrating this year and it's been tough in a lot of ways, but it's all about accepting the challenge and adversity and making the best of it. You just have to keep fighting. There's never a time to throw in the towel and we will keep fighting as a group, and hopefully we get some bodies back and can keep going," he said.

"We have some winnable games ahead of us and we have some tough games too. It's been a tough year obviously with not having a home court and not even getting to train at home but there is a lot to look forward to next year.

"We always knew it was going to be tough but it's better to play in Rockingham than be on the road all the time. We look forward to the challenge and we're not ready to throw in the towel, and we still have a lot to play for as a team and individually."

Import swingman Trevor Setty has had a fascinating first season in the SBL with the Magic and is the team's leading scorer at 23.9 points a game to go with 9.7 rebounds while shooting 41.3 per cent from the field and 32.0 per cent from downtown.

His season was undoubtedly highlighted by his stunning buzzer-beating three from way beyond the arc against the Lightning and Kyle has been impressed with what he brings.

"He is a really unique player and it's not often you see a 6'8 guy who can really play one to four," Kyle said.

"He is really well balanced and doesn’t have a true three-point shot, but if he's in rhythm and gets going he can certainly knock it down. He is a nice kid and he has a lot to offer a league like this."

Kyle is now in his third season coaching the Magic Men having previously coached Mandurah's Women.

The New Zealand basketball great had a few years off in between to concentrate on his family, but living in Mandurah for a decade now has him feeling right at home despite being a long way from where he made his name as a player in the NZ NBL with the Canterbury Rams.

"I retired and wasn’t really sure what to do and my wife dragged me over here, and like a lot of Kiwis we have enjoyed it and stayed. I coached the Magic girls there for a few years and we had some success," Kyle said.

"Then I had a few years off to focus on my kids and now I'm back into the coaching. I love the challenge and I really believe we can be a lot better than we are so that's the most frustrating thing. You just have to keep flying the flag and fighting hard."

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Sebpix Photography