Currently an assistant with the Wollongong Hawks, Mike Kelly always played pro ball with intentions of becoming a head coach. He spoke with Craig Huxtable recently to discuss his basketball philosophies, his career and the importance of a winning culture.

My first opportunity out here was in Division Two State League, out in Griffith. I started at basically the very bottom of competitive basketball out here. Although the basketball wasn’t so good the people out there in Griffith were fantastic and I got a feel for Australia I guess – not the city Australia but the country Australia. I knew I wanted to move up as far as I could.

I got a chance to play at a SEABL level and I played in that league with North East Melbourne and the Nudawading Spectres. Once again I got to meet some great people right through from coaching kids to playing with some very good players that developed into NBL guys, and during that time I got to train with both the North Melbourne Giants and the Magic.

Playing against the NBL guys I was able to measure my game against them and when the opportunity came Brian Goorjian picked me up to play for the Magic for the ’96 season.

From there on it was pretty much all NBL. Although that first season I was sure would be my last. I was only signed on a one-year deal and for the remainder of my career that’s how it played out. At the end of each season another opportunity would arrive and I loved Australia so I was happy to take my chances.

The Championship in the ’96 season was probably the standout highlight of my career. We just had a special team and a great organisation right throughout and Goorjian was great to play for.

Career coaching
I don’t think any transition (to a head coaching role) is going to be seamless and I’ve seen that throughout the past with all of the best coaches I’ve ever had – everyone has their ups and downs.

I stick to the basics of basketball and the things that have always worked for every successful team I’ve been part of. Although basketball can be complex, it is a simple game overall. I think if you do the right things over and over again and you have the right people around you and good players, you’re going to be successful.

Creating a winning culture

The first thing you have to have is confidence in yourself.

I would love to have players that have that confidence. Obviously you have to have the skill and if you have both of those things, through doing the things you do game in, game out and every training session and doing them as good as you can – you’ll come out with a good result.

When I was trying to guard a guy like Andrew (Gaze) or a guy like Ricky Grace – you know those guys are going to score some of the time, and make you look silly some of the time. Probably the hardest thing to do is not to change your approach. Obviously you play to their individual strengths but it’s important to stick to your basics and your own game plan. Over the years of association with winning teams the things we’ve always tried to is keep those constants, constant.

Do the things you do well again and again. And stick to those. Don’t throw them out the window when things get a little tough.