Broekhoff Labels Co-Captain Trio as Success

The South East Melbourne Phoenix entered the NBL23 season with an almost unprecedented trio of co-captains.

Sharpshooting wing Ryan Broekhoff joined previous co-captains Mitch Creek and Kyle Adnam in leading the team and discussed how the triumvirate juggled the different responsiblities of leadership.

“It was a huge honour to be put into the leadership role, captain with Creeky and Kyle,” Broekhoff said.

“We all have our different strengths and weaknesses as leaders. Creeky is obviously very good at motivating, and he brings an intensity that few can match.

“Kyle and I are more working behind the scenes, putting our arms around guys, talking individually,” he said.

Creek and Adnam had co-captained the team together in NBL21 and NBL22, and Broekhoff was only added into the mix this past season despite joining the club mid-way through NBL21.

Broekhoff said throughout the season he found a passion for mentoring the younger players and helping them develop their professional skills.

“We’re able to cover all the personalities within our group, how to motivate each person individually. With our experience, being able to talk to teammates, explain things, bring the young guys along, being able to help that next group of young talented guys coming through is becoming more of a passion and a focus of mine,” he said.

Broekhoff's season - much like a number of his South East Melbourne teammates' - was curtailed by injury. 

After missing the latter half of NBL22 he managed just 20 games for the entire season and was obviously lacking game fitness in his side's Play-In Qualifier loss to Perth.

He says those injuries didn't allow him to gain any sort of consistency over the campaign.

“Personally, very up and down. Obviously injuries played a role in that. Not having any preseason due to an injury, to a couple throughout,” Broekhoff said.

“It unfortunately didn’t allow me to get into a good rhythm and build that chemistry on the court with my teammates.”