Gilday excited to return six years later with Perry Lakes

Nici Gilday's first stint playing overseas post-college went so awry she didn’t know if there would be a second, but her stint at Mandurah Magic in 2017 jump started her professional career and she couldn’t be happier to be back with Perry Lakes Hawks.

After growing up in San Jose, California and then having a successful college career at Santa Clara University, Gilday was a dynamic combo guard and had high hopes of a successful professional playing career overseas.

However, her first stint in Romania didn’t go to plan, or last long, and she soon found herself back home and over the next 12 months wasn’t sure if that basketball plan was going to come to fruition.

That's when then coach of Mandurah Randy Miegel came calling and she had a terrific experience playing in the then SBL with the Magic as part of a team in 2017 that made it all the way to the Grand Final, and went ever so close to that ever elusive championship.

In the six years since, Gilday has plied her trade all over the world from Sweden to Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Saint Louis, Greece, Spain and most recently Latvia, but she's always wanted to come back to Western Australia and coach Craig Mansfield's call was right at a good time.

Coming back to play/live in WA

Gilday has made her return a seasoned pro opposed to the wide-eyed exciting guard desperate to make her mark back in 2017, ironically with Mandurah eventually losing that Grand Final to the team she's now part of at Perry Lakes.

The 30-year-old is excited to be back playing in the now NBL1 West and is looking forward to what this Perry Lakes team will be capable of.

"I'm so happy to be back. It's really great and I loved my time here the last time, even though it was six years ago now," Gilday said.

"I've been wanting to come back for a while and I was supposed to come back at one point and then COVID hit, and things got a bit crazy. 

"But it just worked out that I wanted to keep playing through the summer and was itching to get back here, and I've been keeping up with the league and have been seeing how well it's been doing since the rebranding as NBL1. 

"I think it's evolving and certainly it's getting more exposure now, and I'm happy to be back. It's nice to see some friendly faces again and some people I haven’t seen for a while too so on a personal note as well as the basketball, it's nice."

Why come to Perry Lakes

When coach Mansfield put in the call to get a gauge of Gilday's interest on joining Perry Lakes this season, it didn’t take her long to think about it for a whole host of reasons.

Firstly, she'd always wanted to return to the league where her career began to take off but playing under Mansfield excited her as did getting to call Morgan Ballantyne a teammate again too.

Then sharing a team with the likes of Ash Isenbarger, Emma Clarke, Maddy Dennis, Mia Satie and company meant she knew they had a chance to be successful.

"It was definitely a multi-faceted decision. Craig was a big piece of that and I had played against him the last time that I was here, and respect his style and his experience," she said.

"He's won a championship and he knows what it takes, and we've had a good dialogue over the years. I was definitely keen to play for him and my good friend Morgan was also on the team after we were teammates in Mandurah. 

"So I had her perspective too from what her experience has been like at Perry Lakes and it's awesome to get to play with her again. Then also just looking at the roster and seeing the different pieces that were there, I felt like it was a good fit for me to come into. 

"We have a lot of talent and I'm excited for sure to see how we go throughout the season. They've made me feel welcome already and at home so I couldn’t be happier with the decision."

Playing Magic for the first time

Gilday has only played three games with the Hawks so far this season and it didn’t take long for that first match up with Mandurah to eventuate this past Saturday night.

While the result didn’t go Perry Lakes' way and the absence of Clarke and Isenbarger didn’t help their cause against the undefeated Magic, it was a meaningful moment for Gilday to remind her how crucial that 2017 season with Mandurah was in her career.

"It was a real full circle moment for me. It was definitely nice to see the girls after not seeing them for so long and everything, but just from my own personal basketball journey, a lot has happened in those six years," Gilday said.

"Basically that was pretty much like my rookie season after I'd been back home for a year so I took that moment on Saturday night thinking that six years ago when I was playing the first time, I was just happy to have an opportunity to play and be on the court. 

"I never would have really thought that I'd get the opportunity to still be playing all these years later in all these different countries. I just felt blessed for the journey I've been on and that was a moment it hit home for me."

It's remarkable to think that when Gilday played with the Magic, Casey Mihovilovich and Rachel Halleen were leaders on that team of 2017 and they still are to this day.

The Magic are still chasing that elusive first championship and while Gilday is somewhat surprised they haven't quite got there after she helped get them so close six years ago, she also knows just how tough titles are to win.

"I really think a lot of those girls have put in a lot of years and they deserve to get that championship, and I hope they do get to have that moment at some point for sure," she said.

"They have that experience in this league but it just kind of goes to show how difficult it really is to win a championship. Even if you've played a long time, a lot of pieces have to fall in to place and experience is one of them. 

"But you've got to have a bit of luck too and you need everybody to stay healthy throughout the season, and there's a lot of moving parts. More than anything, it just shows that it's really difficult to win a championship."

What the six years have been like in between stints

Gilday can't help but now reflect on the situation she was in six years ago when playing with Mandurah in what was her first stint overseas in almost a year after things didn’t go too well in Romania in her first attempt internationally after college.

She's learned a lot in the six years since and by living in so many different countries along the way, she's certainly experienced a lot.

"It just feels like a real blessing. I think that the way my journey has gone where I was fresh out of college, and went overseas the first time to Romania and that was a difficult season," she said.

"I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into and it didn’t end up working out there. I came home and worked for a year, and was still itching to play and looking for an opportunity. 

"That's what playing with Mandurah was that first time and I've never really forgotten what time that time was like when I didn’t have the opportunity to play, and wanted to. 

"I keep that in my mind year after year, but I feel like I've grown immensely as a player and a person over the last six years just by getting exposed to so many countries and ways of life. It really teaches you a lot and puts things in perspective."

In terms of her basketball, Gilday has developed plenty over the past six years too and she feels upon return to the league in 2023 that she is now a much better all-round player with more strings to her bow.

"Then from a basketball perspective, my game has grown and changed. I've played all different types of styles and every country has their own basketball and sport culture, and playing and coaching style," Gilday said.

"I've had different responsibilities and different roles from being the starter, main scorer, main option to the sixth man and coming in off the bench as a role player to really developing more of my point guard game as opposed to just being a scoring guard. I've just had so much experience that's really helped me grow on and off the court."

Life as a pro living/playing overseas

Really from the moment Gilday arrived in Mandurah for the 2017 season, she has spent the majority of the time living away from California aside from a few months back home mid-2019. 

But she's realistic to know that life as a professional basketballer has a shelf life and that she wants to make the most of the experiences while she still can before settling back home when her playing days are done.

"I really enjoy it and it's definitely hard at times, and I miss my family for sure but they are extremely supportive," she said. 

"We're in constant communication and it helps having the ability to pick up the phone and call at any moment but of course that's not the same as being in person and you do miss the moments, and holidays and things like that. 

"But at the end of the day there's only so many years I can do this for and this is the time I can take advantage of having the ability of not just being in one place. I get to travel and move around while playing basketball so I really enjoy it. 

"I try to just have an open mind because every place is different and has its own pros and cons from a lifestyle perspective. That's just kind of part of the experience and I try to keep my sense of humour about everything so I can enjoy it. You can take yourself too seriously or else it can get a bit hectic sometimes."

Living in Perth compared with Mandurah

Even coming back to WA and it's a new experience for Gilday to be living in Perth opposed to Mandurah in her previous stint.

"I think both areas are great and I really like where I'm living now, but I enjoyed being down in Mandurah. I was practically on the canals when I was living there which was gorgeous," Gilday said.

"I'm still kinda getting to explore this area a bit, but I've really enjoyed it and there's a lot of fun restaurants and things around here that I've been trying to explore. 

"Just in general this area is really lovely and it is similar in a lot of ways to California where I grew up. It's not as much as a culture shock compared to some of the other places that I've lived so it's nice."