First Nations Round about much more than just the players

First Nations Round in the NBL1 doesn’t just provide the chance to celebrate those on the court, but it extends much further than that and all you have to do is open your ears and you'll hear the dulcet tones of Travis Young and Kearyn Cox in the NBL1 West.

One of the great developments in the SBL becoming the NBL1 West over the past three years is the live stream of each and every match, and not just for the chance it gives for anybody anywhere in the world to be able to watch a match.

It is also giving great opportunities to locals to get the behind the microphones to get to do what they love and that's commentate on basketball games, and continue their heavy involvement for the game.

For someone like Young, it's an extension of a lifetime involvement in basketball where his passion, knowledge and love of the game is evident whether he's involved in coaching, development, hosting radio shows, sharing his great insights or now calling games especially for his beloved Rockingham Flames.

It also provides an opportunity for those looking to forge a career in the media and the experience to jump behind the microphone to call live basketball games is something you can't replicate, and that's where Cox is thriving especially by embracing his connection at the East Perth Eagles.

Travis Young

For Travis Young, his love of basketball started when he was a kid and it's only continued to grow ever since. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone with greater passion for the sport, greater knowledge and he might not like hearing this, who is more universally liked and respected. 

When he takes time to reflect on what basketball means to him, it all comes back to the relationships he's built along the way.

"My basketball background goes back to being a somewhat clueless but eager six year old running around Court 3 at Vic Park Rec Centre on Saturday mornings coached by future Wildcat Paul Pochintesta's old man," Young said.

"Move forward nearly four decades and that same passion I had back then still drives what I do whether it be coaching WABL on a Sunday or with a headset on commentating NBL1. 

"Through my professional work over the years and moving around the state, I've been lucky enough to be involved with a few clubs and to make a lot of relationships around the League. 

"Regardless of the club you go for or your cultural background, those relationships are one of the main reasons which make nbl1 and basketball in general just the best sport to be involved in."

First Nations Round is an occasion that means a great deal for Young as well and it brings back a lifetime of memories at the same time which only makes him more grateful to see how it's now being celebrated and acknowledged during NAIDOC Week.

"I'm a proud Noongar man and basketball has always been a constant in my family," he said.

"Whether it was some of my earliest memories of the sport of watching my mum and aunties running around in bloomers back in the day as we tried to sneak onto the court every chance we got for a shot.

"Or watching my older cousins play Saturday afternoons at Perry Lakes after spending all morning at Vic Park, or just sharing that common love for the greatest sport in the world, basketball plays a huge role in my family and our culture."

It's no surprise to find out that Young takes a selfless approach to his commentary just like any other involvement he's had coaching especially with junior and state representative teams.

Clearly he gets more out of helping others reach their potential as anybody and that includes someone like fellow NBL1 commentator Kearyn Cox.

"I look at it not from a personal perspective of me directly giving back to the sport as a proud Aboriginal man, but more just continuing to carry the torch from those who have come before me who paved the way for the likes of Kearyn," Young said. 

"I want to help share our culture in ways which haven't been done previously. Adding our personality and love for the game through being able to commentate games each week is such a privilege and something which is definitely not lost on me that's for sure."

Young was behind the microphone on Friday night at Mike Barnett Sports Complex to open First Nations Round in the NBL1 West to call a pair of wins for the Rockingham Flames against the Perry Lakes Hawks.

It's a night like that with the NAIDOC Week celebrations in full swing that mean that Young gets the chance to fully take stock of how proud he is to be Noongar man.

"Finally, First Nations round to me is a massive chance to share thousands of years of our culture with the entire nbl1 community in a celebrated way through the design of some amazing uniforms by local Indigenous artists, but also by getting local elders in for welcome to country and smoking ceremonies etc," Young said. 

"Having our culture front and centre for an entire round to me pays homage to a lot of those indigenous players, coaches and volunteers from back in the day who through their drive and skills, allowed the opportunity for people like me to now be involved on an entirely different level within the sport - and hopefully I can do the same for any young Indigenous basketball fans coming through that think they may want to get involved in the broadcasting / media side of the sport moving forward too."

Kearyn Cox

For someone like Kearyn Cox who is forging his own career in the media on a number of fronts in Western Australia, getting the chance to have NAIDOC Week celebrated with First Nations Round in the NBL1 West means the world to him.

"I am a proud Aboriginal man with connections to Nyoongar and Yamatji country in Western Australia," Cox said.

"It means the world to me seeing Indigenous Round represented in the NBL1 competition across the country. 

"I have been working with East Perth eagles as their colour commentator as well as play by play commentary for the league and it has been a really active season doing every game I can get my voice on. To be calling and representing my mob fills me with so much pride."

For Cox to be able to be combining his love of basketball by commentating games to continue his involvement in the league and at the East Perth Eagles along with the other media roles he has including with NITV, it fills him with tremendous joy and pride.

"As a commentator and journalist with NITV I love what I am doing at the moment," Cox said.

"I started my journey off in basketball as a coach straight out of school. I have done pretty much every side of basketball as a coach, player, referee and now commentator. 

"I absolutely love the game of basketball and I really started my basketball journey later than most midway through high school."