Hayes back on bench & court
The RetireInvest Ballarat Miners today announced that Eric Hayes would join the coaching staff as an assistant coach.
Hayes initially refused the position, but after a break from basketball and discussions with his family, has agreed to fill the role as assistant to new head coach, Shane Mathison.
Ballarat Basketball Club President Luke Dunne also indicated that the Club would register Eric Hayes as a player.
“With one of our key players yet to arrive, Shane asked Eric to fill in at training recently, and it was clear that he has lost nothing and still has plenty to add.”
Subsequent discussions between Hayes and his family have resulted in Hayes’ change of heart, which has been strongly supported by both the Ballarat Basketball Club and Ballarat Basketball Association.
“We said when he retired that the door would already be open to him when it was right for him. The fact that this is what we would have chosen for him makes it easy to give our full support.”
Hayes said he was looking forward to his new role.
“This will be different for me. My primary role will be to sit next to Shane and be an extra pair of eyes and ears. But if he sees a role for me to play on the court, I’ll be ready for that too”.
Hayes retired amid much fanfare last July, but does not dwell on the change of heart.
“At the time, retiring was the right decision for me. But some things have changed, and after some time away, I’m feeling good about being involved again.”
Most important, he says, is that he has the support of his family. “If they had said no, then I would have said no, but they really want me to do it, and that made the decision easier.”
Mathison says that there is nothing but positives to come from Hayes returning to the team.
“To have a guy who is as experienced, as respected and as talented as Eric is a real boost for us as a group, and having him next to me on game day will give me extra confidence.”
“The fact that he can also give the other guys a real workout at training, and that he can step onto the court if needed, gives us that extra depth and dimension”.
Hayes has already attended a number of training sessions and likes what he has seen.
“The guys have a work ethic, discipline and attitude that I have experienced when teams I have played in have been successful. But a lot of them are still learning, and I hope that I can offer something to them.”
Hayes is expected to join the Miners this weekend as they play a pre-season tournament at Bendigo, before the Club’s Family Day on Sunday 17 February 2008 at the WIN Minerdome
