Whittlesea Pacers captain Jason Dirkx knew the time was right to hang up the basketball shoes.
Having played for 17 seasons across the past 21 years, Dirkx has played a major role in everything Pacers in that time.
On Saturday night, in the Pacers semi final loss, Dirkx played his final Big V match in front of friends and family.
“It definitely seemed like it was time,” he said. “I’ve said it for the past few years.
“The body is a bit older and a bit sorer and it doesn’t bounce back like it used to.
“The last couple of years it hasn’t felt like it has this year.
“I can spend a bit more time with my family and concentrate on school and sport.”
Dirkx’s career will be remembered in two parts.
The first was when he was part of the side that broke through to claim the division 1 championship and move into state championship.
“The 2013 championship is the best highlight,” he said. “We worked so hard to win one and it was seven years in the making.
“It was under a coach we’d had for a long time in Ross Moll. We then went up to state champ and we were able to go up to that level and have some good years.”
An ACL injury put a halt on Dirkx career.
Had the following season off and in the end had three years off before coming back to have another crack.
It’s something that he has never regretted.
“I had three years off with my kids being young and came back and enjoyed it and managed to get another five years out of it,” he said.
“Even after the first training session… Some of the guys I played with in the championship, Brendan Hughes and Ash Bryar were there.
“I missed that quite a bit. Five years later it’s OK to finish up and get some time back.”
After Covid-19, he has been a key member of the Pacers squad that has rebuilt and got them back to having some success.
They just fell short of the division 2 championship in 2023, but still earned promotion.
He said that year was special.
“We were runner up and then up into division 1 and made finals two years in a row,” he said.
“Across the three years we didn’t get a championship, but I see it as being so successful. We’ve headed in the right direction and brought the club back to where it is now.”
Dirkx said there were some pretty special teams he had been part of and some good friendships and teammates.
He said having his kids watch him play was also a pretty special moment. It’s been his wife Jess that has continued to push for him to keep playing so they can share all the moments together.
“My wife Jess convinced me to play on this year and Des [Radoslovic] and the coaches said you’re playing then.
“She has seen the majority of my games over 15 years. It’s so nice seeing her in the crowd.
“Whittlesea has been a great club and I’ve felt right at home. I would love to see them [the kids] running around for the Pacers for another 20 years “
While he’s stepping away for now, Dirkx, who coaches his children, hasn’t ruled out stepping into senior coaching down the track.
