Ryan Blanchett's energy has always been infectious and the Geraldton Buccaneers championship winning big man will reach his 200th NBL1 West milestone on Saturday night, but his focus is on a bounce back victory.
Blanchett did grow up playing at the Eastern Suns and even made his SBL debut in 2015 as an 18-year-old and was straight back to Kalamunda following his short stay with Florida National University.
It didn’t take long for Blanchett to become a key part of that front court with the Suns given everything he brought as a good shooter for his size, a terrific athlete, someone who would always provide hustle and energy, and really just give his all every second he was out there.
However, by the end of 2021 and of the 143 games Blanchett had played at the Eastern Suns, only two had been playoffs and it was team success he was craving.
He bit the bullet and made the move to Geraldton and couldn’t be happier having been part of the Buccs team that made the Grand Final in 2022, won the championship in 2023 and now is sitting at 7-1 to start 2024.
However, that shock loss at home last Saturday night to the East Perth Eagles is now what he's focused on bouncing back from this Saturday at Active West Stadium up against the Perry Lakes Hawks even on his milestone night.
Getting to 200-game milestone
While Blanchett still shakes his head when he looks at teammates Mat Wundenberg and Aaron Ralph who have now played 507 and 442 games respectively, he is rightfully proud to reach his own 200-game milestone.
Even though Blanchett did envision his career panning out at the Eastern Suns given that's where he played before and after his college stint, it was success he was craving and Geraldton now well and truly feels like home under the coaching of Dayle Joseph.
"I am proud to get to a number like this. It's funny playing with Mat and Aaron and they have played more than double the amount I have, and I don’t know how they have done it because I feel like I've been playing forever and am just getting to 200," Blanchett said.
"It is great, though, and I've been very lucky along the way to play with a lot of great players over the years, and under a lot of good coaches.
"I'm always looking forward and with the Suns we weren’t that successful, but our last couple of years here have been fantastic with what we've been able to achieve as a group.
"Some of the boys have just been amazing so I'm constantly looking forward to the next game and that's just the nature of how I am, but I'm proud of the milestone for sure."
Looking forward to milestone night
While Blanchett doesn’t necessarily want much attention on himself for his 200-game milestone this Saturday night, he is looking forward to the occasion and ultimately knows it will only be a night to remember if the Buccs are able to bounce back and beat the Hawks.
"I am looking forward to it and especially for it being at home because being a teacher in the community, a lot of the parents and kids sort of know who I am," he said.
"A lot of kids have been coming up to me at school to say congratulations this week so that's nice and it's more about the game for me. It's another game and it's all about the bigger, and we need to bounce back and get the win.
"There might be a few things said before the game and it's good to be recognised, but at the end of the day we're still playing to beat Perry Lakes and that's what the focus will be. It will be good to celebrate with people at the same time though."
Back to school a championship hero
Even though his students at school are hard to impress, similar to fellow teacher and championship teammate Liam Hunt, Blanchett loved the feeling of going back to work last year after winning the championship.
He got to show off his ring, but more than anything it just highlighted to him what a unique and special connection the Buccaneers have with the entire Geraldton community.
"It was a bit of a blur the couple of days after we won the championship actually, they were quite interesting," Blanchett said.
"But the kids at school are really good and they all came up and wanted to see my ring which I wore to school that first day back. They all had a look but it takes a lot to impress the kids, so they saw it and said it was pretty cool, but then 20 minutes they had moved on back to their own little world.
"But the school was actually really good in allowing me to take a couple of days off with that Friday before and the Monday after, and it goes to show there are a lot of good people in this community who recognise what you're doing and what you're trying to do. It makes it all the better."
Decision to move to Geraldton
By the end of 2021 and having played the first 143 games of his career with the Eastern Suns, Blanchett was looking for a fresh start with his basketball.
Having already started his teaching career, he was confident he could find work wherever he went, so it was a basketball decision he was making and he couldn’t think of anything better than joining the Buccaneers.
He was open to relocating to Geraldton, but in terms of basketball to be part of a club who were perennial contenders and had such a great history and culture, he couldn’t have thought of anywhere better to go.
"I was already a teacher in Perth and had been for a couple of years by that stage, but I think just where the Suns were coming out of Covid and we really struggled through that period," he said.
"Basketball was still a big part of my life so I think the more was probably more basketball orientated because really, you can teach anywhere in the world as long as you have the credentials.
"So it was a basketball first decision and I knew what the Buccaneers were all about from playing against them so it wasn’t a hard move to make. I wouldn’t say my love of the game was lacking those last couple of years at Suns, but I knew for sure that it was time for a change.
"Some of the people I talked to there during my last year and what they indicated things would be like, I just thought it was time to go and it ended up being the best decision I ever made from a basketball perspective. I'm really happy with it."
Winning to make up for pain of 2022
Blanchett is now in his third season at the Buccaneers and has never finished short of playing in the Grand Final so far, and right now is part of a team sitting at 7-1 in 2024.
Those Grand Finals couldn’t have been more contrasting either where the Buccs were on top most of the way in 2022 before the Rockingham Flames ran over the top of them leaving Blanchett and his teammates left to stew over what might have been.
Then last year, it was the Buccaneers who needed to fight back from being down to the Joondalup Wolves and with Johny Narkle and Liam Hunt leading the charge, the Buccs wouldn’t be denied and Blanchett felt relieved more than anything afterwards.
"I spent a lot of time reflecting and I don’t really know that I can put my finger on it exactly, but I think maybe it was just a sense of relief," Blanchett said.
"I honestly thought we were a better team in 2022 when we lost it and it was definitely the most successful year I'd had, so it's all about how you deal with that.
"Then last year, there was that sense of relief when we won and it was just about getting that reward for the two years of hard work you'd put in to get there. It was just an amazing feeling and incredible to watch Johny do what he did and come out of his shell.
"Last year wasn’t one of my better years from an individual perspective, but I got to pretty much stand by and watch the other guys who were on a roll take us there, and then chip in where I could. To get to that after two years of work up to that point was a massive relief more than anything."
Incredible Geraldton environment
Playing in Geraldton either having the support behind you as a Buccaneers player or having that hostile crowd against you as an opposition team is unlike just about anything not only in NBL1 West but right across the country in the NBL1.
The raucous environment with just about every game a sellout replicates more closely what home teams in the NBL experience unlike the usual 50-50 environments of support you experience for games in Perth.
On the back of that, Geraldton has a remarkable home record with last Saturday's loss to the East Perth Eagles their first home defeat since July 2022 and ending a 19-game winning streak at Active West Stadium.
Blanchett has now played 28 home games since joining the Buccs and 26 of those have been wins, but even he doesn’t know if he's used to the unique atmosphere created.
"It's probably as close to either playing in a Grand Final or being at a Lynx game or a Wildcats game," Blanchett said.
"Even just the history here and the structure itself, I've seen footage of back in the 90s when Dan Hunt and Ray Evans, and the Brown boys were running around and people were sitting up on the beams to watch on the sides of the court.
"It's really special here because you have the old floorboards and the history of the stands, and everyone in the community comes out. It's actually great to see what a new player thinks of it and it's taken Nik DeSantis by surprise a bit.
"A lot of teams back in South Australia play at rec centres so he feels like he's playing in one of the best environments at this level across Australia with the atmosphere we have, and people we bring in.
"It gets bloody loud and I don’t know even if I'm used to it and I've been here three years now, but Ralphy, Mat and Liam obviously are. It can be hard to stay focused when it gets very loud, but we try our best."
Making a home in Geraldton
Whie Blanchett won't say things changing isn't possible, what he's found in Geraldton as a place to live and work as part of the community with his fiancé, and the basketball home he's made with the Buccs and he can't see him wanting to go anywhere else.
Looking longer term and the reality is that Mat Wundenberg and Aaron Ralph can't play forever as remarkable as they are for the Buccs, so Blanchett is more than open to the possibility of sticking around long-term to be that veteran presence.
"I could see myself staying here and I've definitely thought about it. Me and my fiancé have bought a house here so we have thought that longer term we could see ourselves here," Blanchett said.
"Looking forward, the club is going to go through some sort of a change at some point with who's on the team and might need some guys hanging in there with an established identity who can take over a little bit once the legends move on.
"I'll never be a person who says you'll be somewhere forever because opportunities may present elsewhere and things can change, but Geraldton is a coastal town where you get to live by the beach, the cafes are great and the sense of community is fantastic.
"You get that country feel while still being a decent sized city and I love it here, and can't see myself moving anytime soon."