Joyce Pays Tribute to Long Time Assistant Eric Lowe

Two-time NBL Coach of the Year, Brendan Joyce, has paid tribute to his long-time assistant and friend, Eric Lowe, who passed away earlier this month, aged 69.

Lowe began his basketball career as a player with Geelong, once scoring 50 points in an epic performance in the Victorian Country open age Men’s Grand Final. 

He was recruited to Ballarat the very next year, which started the lifelong relationship with the city, excepting a three-year tenure in Sale, as both a player and coach.

Lowe served as a founding member of the Ballarat Miners, working alongside NBL legends Brian Goorjian and Al Westover.

Lowe was the Miners’ head coach in 1993 and then in 1994 teamed up with Joyce to coach in Ballarat and later the Wollongong Hawks. The pair won two championships in Ballarat and then the 2001 NBL title with the Hawks.

A lifelong servant of basketball, Lowe would then continue his work as a development coach with Basketball Ballarat in his later years.

In an emotional tribute to Lowe, Joyce explained how his love of basketball ran deep and how he always endeavoured to help the next generation of players coming through the system.

“It was devastating news. I spent 15 years with him. We started out at Ballarat together in the CBA and won a couple of championships, then we went to the NBL … I took him with me,” Joyce said.

“The beautiful thing with Eric was he loved coaching. At Ballarat he coached junior teams, he coached Vic Country teams. He loved coaching.

“So even though he was coaching the elite level, he still volunteered to do all that because he loved the development of kids. We're not talking about hundreds we're talking about thousands of kids that he coached and assisted with development.

“When we went to Wollongong, it was a country town, and it still is. One of the things we talked about was throwing ourselves in the community. It's not a normal NBL team in a big city, you've got to become a part of the community.

“We really entrenched ourselves in the community. Eric did so much, not only for the NBL team, but for the community in junior basketball in Illawarra.

“I really pushed for him the last couple of years to be a life member and I hope that happens, it should happen with what he committed to Illawarra Basketball, not only with the Hawks, but what he put into the association.

“He was a servant of the game, and it should be recognised. It is so important people like him are recognised for what he has done in his life.

“Unbelievable contribution to Basketball Victoria. Unbelievable contribution to Basketball New South Wales. Dedicated his life to the game. These are the guys that should get awards.”

When Joyce joined Ballarat as coach in 1994, the club asked him to keep Lowe as an assistant, a concept the former wasn’t sold on at first.

“I was really hesitant because you just wonder how a person would react in having to step aside and then a younger guy coming in, but they told me he's a quality person. We knew each other but hadn't worked together,” Joyce said.

However, after only a short time working together, Joyce quickly realised the quality of person Lowe was and decided he was someone he wanted to keep around for as long as he was on the sidelines.

“I met with him (Lowe) and after the meeting, I thought, what a terrific, terrific guy. He's got history, he's got knowledge of the team, he’s got knowledge of the club,” Joyce said.

“He was a great player. He was 6’7, could shoot the lights out and he understood the game. I had an assistant coach that knew exactly what players felt because he was a player.

“I kept him, and history tells, we finished on top, we made the playoffs, but we didn't win.

“He came up to me after we got knocked out and he goes, ‘you didn't do any better than me’. I didn't really want to hear that after we got knocked out, but I knew he's trying to make me feel good in his own way.

“People that knew him know he would say things ... he's very direct and honest and that's what I grew to love about him.”

After his stint in Ballarat, Joyce was approached by several NBL teams and then signed with the Hawks.

When he got to Wollongong, Joyce made it clear Lowe needed to come with him.

“It was a no-brainer. I said to Illawarra when I got the job, this guy has got to come,” Joyce said.

Lowe’s direct approach to the game sometimes rubbed players the wrong way, but it was always for the betterment of the team, which enabled his players to grow an immense love and respect for the assistant coach.

“He was hard working, he had great knowledge, he was passionate, he was loyal,” Joyce said.

“He was so direct, where he would upset players, if someone was selfish, sometimes he would tell the player direct. Some of the players didn’t like that, but that's just him.

“Behind closed doors, we would have disagreements, but as an assistant coach he would make sure that no one ever saw that. A lot of players thought that he was just doing something I had asked, but that's not the case.

“He knew what it was all about. He'd been through the mill, he'd been through the ups and downs. He knew how important the loyalty was and the importance of us sticking together.”

Joyce and Lowe shared a championship together, the Hawks’ historic 2001 Grand Final triumph over the Townsville Crocodiles.

Lowe was battling health issues during the finals, so much so he was advised not to travel to game two in Perth, against the Wildcats in the Qualifying Finals.

However, showcasing his commitment and dedication to the game, Lowe surprised the team on the morning of the game.

“After the first game, he's doing some video, I get a call to say he's had a heart problem, heart issue, he won't be able to go (to game two),” Joyce said.

“We're all upset about that. I'm thinking, we've been together so long. I told him mate, you got to stay home.

“Anyway, after a day, we travelled the day before the game, the morning of the shootaround, I couldn't believe it, he walked through the door. I go, 'what the hell are you doing here mate?'.

“He goes, 'I'm not missing this. After all we've been through, we're going to win the championship this year. I'm not missing this. Against doctor's orders, he's got on a plane'.”

After a career devoted to Illawarra Basketball, Lowe went back home to Ballarat and eventually got back involved in the sport.

Lowe re-joined Basketball Ballarat in 2007 as development officer, a position he called at the time a "labour of love".

Joyce revealed how Lowe’s contribution went beyond just the basketball element, as he helped grow relationships with the parents of the kids he was teaching, while also teaching them how to become better people, not just basketballers.

“He goes back to Ballarat, and he takes on the development role for a couple of years, goes back to it and puts time in your kids again and helps Ballarat rebuild the program,” Joyce said.

“He built a great relationship with parents to the kids he coached. They respected him because he was very good at that age group. He knew what he was doing, he knew how to develop players and he really disciplined a lot of kids and pulled them in the right direction.”

Joyce is currently coaching in Taiwan with Kaohsiung Aquas. Before one of the team’s recent games, he gave an emotional pre-game talk to his team about Lowe and the impact he had made on the sport.

The speech helped inspire Kaohsiung to victory, a win which held a special significance for Joyce.

“I talked to them about, we don't do this forever. You just never know what's going to happen and what's in front of you,” Joyce said.

“This is what brings it to you when people close to you pass and that you have to make the most of every moment.”

The entire NBL community sends its condolences to Eric Lowe’s family and friends during this extremely difficult period.

The funeral for Eric will be held on Wednesday November 30 at 2pm AEDT at the Ballarat Minerdome, fittingly where so many memories and relationships were formed.  It will also be live streamed - click here for the stream.