After playing in his second championship in four years with Ringwood, Luke Egan was quite content to finish his basketball career on a high.
At 40 years of age and with more than 250 Big V games under his belt across several different clubs, he thought his basketball days were over.
But then he received a message from a Big V coach asking him to play on.
And it wasn’t just any old coach.
“Lanard Copeland messaged me on Facebook and pumped up my tyres, telling me I still had a lot to offer,” Egan recalled last week.
“The fact it was Lanard, an NBL (National Basketball League) legend, and someone I hold in high regard telling me to play on. I had to consider it.”
Egan did more than consider it and his retirement from the Big V competition lasted less than a preseason when he joined Hume City Broncos/Broadmeadows Basketball for a third time.
On Saturday night, Egan stepped onto the court for his 300th Big V match.
Fittingly, it came against Ringwood, the side with which he had tasted so much success.
“I retired in 2014 as I felt my form and productivity were waning,” he said.
“Lanard got hold of me and dragged me out of retirement and I have him to thank for getting to 300 games.
“I also wouldn’t have got here without Ringwood coach Ken Harrington. I wasn’t getting love at Eltham and Ken gave me another opportunity at the age of 36.
“I played in two championships with them [but] never predicted I’d play my 300th game against them.”
Egan started playing basketball at 11 and played with Coburg until under-20s. He then joined what was then known as the Broadmeadows senior men team in 1993.
He played one season there before heading to America for four years of college.
A stint in the SEABL was followed by a brief flirtation with the NBL.
“I signed with Brisbane Bullets for 1999-00 season,” Egan said. “I never really got a crack at it. I was angry about it for a while, as I thought I should have been playing in the NBL.
“I got over it … I felt like I had something to prove though.”
While he didn’t get the basketball career he wanted, Egan says it was also a bit of a blessing as it allowed him to get some education qualifications along the way.
On court, he continued to plug away in the SEABL and Big V competitions, including playing for the Broncos in 2005.
Ironically, he played only one season there before being told by the coach he was too old.
While most players Egan’s age would be happy to slowly fade into the background, injuries to teammates have seen him thrust back into a starting role in recent weeks.
That has seen his points, assists and rebounds per game increase, including recording his first career triple double in that period.
But Egan is the first to praise his teammates for their efforts in the absence of the three injured starters.
While the injuries could derail the Broncos’ finals chances, it also made Egan consider his future.
“Driving home from Corio three or four weeks ago after all these major injuries, I thought I was done.” he said.
“I didn’t want to go through an injury like they have gone through. But I’m passionate and love the game and wear my heart on my sleeve. Now I want to go around again.
“My wife, Carleigh, is happy for me to keep playing … it gets me out of the house.
“My son, Jack, is now five, so hopefully he’ll take some memories away of me playing.”
