History beckons Salinas ahead of game 500

The remarkable career of Seb Salinas will see him become just the second man in SBL/NBL1 West history to reach 500 games when he runs out with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns this Saturday night.

Salinas will join Troy Clarke (512) as the only men to reach 500 games and it's been quite the incredible and inspirational ride for Salinas right from when he began his career at the then Stirling Senators as a teenager in 2003.

He would go on to play the first 154 games of his career with the Senators, but it was once he arrived at the Joondalup Wolves, then Wanneroo, in 2010 where his legacy truly began to be built.

Salinas would go on to play 317 games with the Wolves and win two championships, become a title winning captain and help his team to seven Grand Finals and he was at the forefront of it all.

Life always has twists and Salinas is now in his second season at the Eastern Suns and this Saturday night he will reach the 500-game mark at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

Along the way, Salinas has scored 6027 points over 499 games while hitting 2269 field goals, 878 three-pointers and 602 free-throws to go with collecting 2388 rebounds, 1402 assists, 545 steals and 90 blocks.

He has done it all while being the most humble and respected player in the league, a standout leader and while building a family with wife Tara and their three children Mackenzie, Emmersyn and Parker.

Reaction to reaching 500 games

When hit with the reality that he's about to become a 500-game player and could very well be the games record holder if he plays every game this season with the Eastern Suns, or if they reach finals, the overriding feeling Salinas has is appreciation.

"The first thought is that I'm old, but a lot of things go through my mind," Salinas said.

"It's surreal and I know it sounds a bit selfish, but there's a fair bit of pride in getting this far and I'm real thankful for all the people that have supported me to get here. You don't play 500 games on your own, you have plenty of coaches, teammates, family and friends that help you get to that point.

"I don't want to make it about me, I want to make it about the people who have helped get me here. There will be a lot of thank yous and a lot of appreciations for a lot of people who have helped me get here."

The fact that Salinas is now about to become the second man in history to play 500 games since the competition started in 1989, and the likelihood that he could very well be the last person to achieve the feat makes it quite the special occasion.

While not quite in reflection mode with a game to prepare for against the Mandurah Magic on Saturday night, once it is over and he's a 500-game player, he will sit back and look back on what he's done.

"It probably hasn’t really sunk in that I'm only the second man to do it and while you're still playing, you are just worried about your next opponent and how well your team is playing," he said.

"So the games played thing isn’t too much of a focus, but I think after Saturday's game and all the dust is settled and I'm sitting around with my mates and family, and having a few drinks and reminiscing, I think it will start to sink in how cool it is. 

"There's been a lot of talented guys and legends who have played in this league, and to have played with and against so many for so long, it makes me feel like such a lucky person."

Looking forward to sharing milestone

The best part of reaching a milestone and especially one as special as 500 games which Salinas will reach on Saturday night is the people he will get to share it with from family to friends and old teammates and coaches.

"It would be a massive list of who I'd like to share it with from guys like Carmie Olowoyo who was the one who had a lot of belief in me when I first started," he said. 

"From the guys I played with through the successful years at the Wolves, I'm lucky enough to still have Robbie and Maxy as teammates now, but I'm looking forward to seeing Damo (Damian Matacz), Trian (Iliadis) and it's hard because I know a lot of guys have their own things going on now and might not be able to get there as well. 

"Hopefully a few of them can get along, though, along with my parents and my wife and kids, my brother and a lot of close friends who have supported me. The list is just too big to try and single too many people out to be honest."

Celebrating the milestone with family

Above everything else, what continues to drive on Salinas to continue to play in the NBL1 West is to share the experience with his and wife Tara's three children, Mackenzie, Emmersyn and Parker.

To be able to share it with his young family on Saturday night will mean the world to him.

"A couple of years ago I said to myself that I'm now playing for my kids. I want them to see dad do the things that he can do even if they're not quite as good as he used to be able to do them," Salinas said.

"It's one of those things where I'm doing it for them in regards to why I'm playing. My eldest daughter is playing at the moment and she loves it, my middle one I'm sure she'll come around and our youngest, he wasn’t there for my 400th yet but Parker loves having the ball in his hands already. 

"I make a lot of sacrifices in terms of things I miss with my family with trainings and games to keep playing, but thank god for a wife that is so understanding to let me do that. But the kids love pulling on a jersey with Daddy and my number on the back. For them to be back on Saturday night will be really cool."

Captain of a remarkably successful Wolves team

What Salinas was such a big part of at the Wolves upon his arrival in 2010 was remarkable. They won championships in 2011 and 2015, and reached Grand Finals in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

It was an incredible period to be part of and by the time Salinas left Joondalup at the end of 2021, he had played 317 games at the club over the previous 11 years and there's so much about it that he looks back on with such pride.

"I'm super proud not because I was the captain, but just because of the guys around me and what we were able to do," Salinas said. 

"Obviously I was the guy who said the pre-game speech and who got grumpy at people at training, but it was so good to see the guys behind me supporting me and turning into leaders themselves.

"It's evident now with Robbie becoming captain at the Suns this year and he's become a great leader in his own right, and I'd like to think I have had some form of influence on that. 

"Etto has always said that everyone has the capacity to be a good leader and I was fortunate to have such a good group of guys around me to help in that aspect as well."

After winning the 2015 championship with Salinas as captain, he led the Wolves to the next four Grand Finals. It can't be underestimated what an effort it was to play in five consecutive championship deciders, and to bounce back three times from losing to get back there.

"I'm a big believer of learning from mistakes or getting better through adversity, and losing Grand Finals, it is what it is but I feel like it makes you more hungry and wanting to get that success again even more," he said. 

"I feel like that the better leaders you've got and that core group we had at the Wolves with Etto as our coach, we put in so much effort to try and get back to that success. 

"Yes, we fell short but at the same time I think a lot of other guys would love the chance to just make one Grand Final and get to that point. It's been an awesome job with that group that we share."

Bond with former Wolves/Suns coach

Sharing championships together is special and especially for a captain and coach like Ettridge and Salinas were able to do at the Wolves. 

But perhaps going through losing Grand Finals together makes that bond even closer because of the heartache you feel, and the determination and hunger, and commitment, you have to show to bounce back and keep giving yourselves the chance. 

The fact that they got to five straight Grand Finals together as captain and coach means that Salinas will have a lifelong bond with Ettridge. He's looking forward to coaching with him with the State Schoolboys moving forward.

"That bond with Etto will always be pretty special. I probably never really took basketball too seriously until he came along and he opened my eyes up to what a good leader is, and that sort of led me into those leadership roles and captaincy position at the Wolves," Salinas said.

"We had some really good seasons there together obviously, but above all that it's just such a good mate and always will be. 

"I'm looking forward to also working with him in some coaching aspects outside the NBL1 arena as well. He's always someone I can call and get advice from, and basketball stuff aside, he has been an especially good sounding board the last couple of years."

Still being teammates with Huntington/Maxwell

When the Wolves made the decision to move forward without Salinas, Huntington and Maxwell in their plans, if the trio was going to play on in the league, they were always going to do it together.

The moment Ettridge was then appointed head coach at the Eastern Suns for 2022 made it an obvious choice for the four of them to reconnect. Salinas couldn’t be happier to be sharing the journey with his long-time teammates.

"They're not just teammates, they are good mates in life. We come as a package deal now and we love still being able to play together, and even sharing those car rides to training and games out to Kalamunda," Salinas said. 

"We probably have spent more time the last couple of years together more than even because of that and we talk about each other's days, and I'm seeing them go from to just being married and now being dads, and trying to give them advice and listening to their war stories at home.

"It's really cool and to get a lot close with those guys over the last couple of years has been really awesome, and after basketball we'll be friends for life no doubt."

Similar to starting at Wolves to now at Suns

If you go back to 2010 when Salinas made the move from the Senators to joining the Wolves, it was a Joondalup club, then still called Wanneroo, starved of success with a lone championship in 1993.

They hadn't reached an SBL Grand Final since but by 2011 with Salinas locked in as a key player and ultimately long-time captain and with Ettridge the head coach with Luke Brennan his right hand man, they became the powerhouse of the league.

You can see similarities to what Salinas has walked into at the Suns and he hopes they can follow a similar path to end up with some success too for the first time.

"It seems like these guys have been around for a long time but guys like Carl (Aylett) and Cooper (Lowe) have only just played over 100 games, and it takes time to build something and develop that culture and system to lead to success," Salinas said.

"It's not going to happen over night and you do need to build a core group so hopefully with our experience, and my experience coming in to give some insight and bringing in the talent that we have, hopefully it starts to lead to success. 

"We've had a good start but a mixed start to the season, but that just comes with experience and hopefully we see some more consistency as the season goes on."

Having Aaron Trahair as a head coach now

Despite having been playing in the league since 2003 and having done everything from being a championship captain to scoring 6027 points and making 2269 field goals and 878 three-pointers, Salinas is still having new experiences in 2023.

That includes having former 422-game NBL veteran and ex-Geraldton and Mandurah coach Aaron Trahair now in charge of his Eastern Suns as of this season.

"Aaron's a cracker. If you want a good dim sim recipe, then ask Aaron Trahair, but he just brings a different sort of coaching style after having had Ben for a long time," he said. 

"To change up to Aaron has been good and he is sort of laidback in his approach and he gives the team a lot of responsibility which I like. But his basketball IQ is like no other. 

"He's super smart and the trust that he's put in us is really good along with the other coaching staff. I think they've put a good program in place that can hopefully lead us to some success."

Is this milestone a good chance to reflect

A lot of players while still playing always say that they will reflect on what they've achieved when they are retired, but at the same time, not many people get to reach the 500-game mark that Salinas is about to.

When he does look back on his career, he can see three distinct parts from when he was just happy to be there early on with the Senators to the peak of his personal and team success at the Wolves, and now as that veteran leader setting the example for the next generation.

"I feel like my career has been broken up into sections. When I first started playing, I was more worried about what was happening after the game than preparing for the game itself," Salinas said.

"I got through that phase where I was sort of just playing for the sake of playing before that back end of the time at the Senators and then when I moved to the Wolves I really starting taking it seriously. 

"I got my body into the best shape I'd ever been in, I put the extra work in and that sort of led to the success at the Wolves personally by playing the best basketball I ever played, and then the team success we had. I felt that was the second part. 

"Now the third part has been the experienced leader around the group that I am now where I help the young guys, and help the guys through the things they need to get through and playing my role as well. 

"I'm not out here to score 30 points or take a lot of shots, I'm here to do what I need to do whether it's play defence on the other team's best player, setting screens or whatever. 

"I feel like if I can play my role and set the example for others that's where I'm at. Looking back, when you say it's 20 years of playing it's pretty crazy and it's more than half my life but I look back at it with a lot of fond memories."