MY Q&A With Damian Martin

Q & A with Damian Martin

With playoffs just around the corner, and having such a big responsibility in the team are you feeling nervous at all or just really excited?

At the moment I’m just really excited but I’m sure the closer the game gets, I’m sure there will be some nerves. But now I’m really excited to be a part of post season play.


How did it feel when you received the call from Bevo asking you to come over to Perth?


I was over the moon, after being disappointed that there was going to be no Sydney team and knowing if I was to continue to play I’d have to move. Once I got to Perth and realised how beautiful it was, it became a bit of a no brainer.


You have been coached by Rob Beveridge many times in your basketball career, what makes him such a great coach?


I just like how passionate he is! He has been very loyal to me since I was a junior and gave me a good opportunity with NSWIS and the AIS with the Junior Australian Team (Emus). I’ve had him as my coach for a long time now and we have had some success so it only seems right to stay with him.


What is Perth life like compared to Gloucester in country NSW?


(Laughs) It’s a bit bigger, it’s pretty laid back like Gloucester which I love but it’s also on the beach so it’s nice to be able to go surfing whenever I want.


You have had to guard one of the most exciting point guards to come to this country in Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams, if you are to meet in the NBL Final how will you go about defending him?


Corey’s one of those guys that can probably score 20 points if he really wants too but it’s just a matter of making sure that if he is going to score them that he is shooting it at a low percentage. I’ve got to try and stick with him, stay in front of him and make him shoot the jump shot, otherwise if he gets to the rack you got to be right next to him and have good help side defence the whole time.


Yourself and Brad Robbins have become a two-headed defensive monster this season, what is it like going head to head at training?


It gets pretty full on; there are no easy days at practice because we are always matching up on each other. I think he is the best defensive guard in the league so it’s always a pain in the arse to go against him every day.


Your first opponent in the NBL Final Series is the Gold Coast Blaze which will put you up against an in form Adam Gibson. How do you go about guarding Gibbo?


He is just a solid all round player. I think you got to try and get up and into him but he is a guy who can penetrate. You also have to respect his three point shots as well. I will just be treating him like any other guard in the league but he does have that all round game so I just got to make sure he doesn’t get any open looks at the basket.


What is the feeling in the camp heading into Game 1 against the Gold Coast Blaze?


It’s just excitement right now just a couple of days out. We started scouting Gold Coast but you know we have played them four times this season so the game is more about what we do and how we execute as opposed to what they’re going to run because we are all aware of it. We are just putting the final marks on our execution. It’s all about getting ready more mentally than physically.


How are you going to prepare yourself for the finals?


You’d like to think that every game has the same routine but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t getting extra shots up or watching more video. It’s just an exciting time of the year so everyone’s doing the extra bits to make sure that they’re not going to be the reason that let the team down. Everyone’s excited to do their best and help the team get a win.


What will you be doing on game day to get yourself ready? Do you have any superstitions that you do every game day?


I have a massive bowl of pasta about three hours before tipoff otherwise I spend the rest of the day sleeping so it’s a pretty boring day for me.


Is your family coming over to watch you play in the finals?


I got a brother and his girlfriend living in the Gold Coast so he was over the moon when he saw that we were playing them. He’ll get to watch a game but I’ve been told that if we either go to the third game or make the Grand Final that my dad will be coming over along with my little brother. So that’s exciting that they will be able to come to Challenge Stadium for a semi final or the Final.


Playing at ‘The Jungle’, it is a very hostile environment to play in, what do you think makes them one of the toughest crowds to play against?


The fact that it’s an intimate stadium, it sits 4400 and it sells out every week. Lachy Reed the court announcer is just unbelievable at getting everyone riled up, standing on their feet and getting into the players. We have a pretty smart crowd as well so they know who to boo and who to go after. To see 4,400 standing on their feet, heckling you for the whole game it’s just fantastic. Well for the opposition not so much, but it is for us.


Are the Wildcats the team to beat in the NBL Finals?


I hope so. We are going in with a lot of confidence and I’m glad we are playing the Gold Coast because they’re the only team that has beat us three times so if we are to win the whole thing then it would be nice to knock the Gold Coast out. Then no one can have the bragging rights except us. We are very confident and I think we have done everything we possibly can to put ourselves in a position to win it.