October 16, 2024 • 32 mins
Jason Cadee joins Pete Hooley to discuss his journey in the NBL from a scary car accident early days, to 300+ games later as he’s about to clock over 400 games in the NBL.
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S1 (00:03):
It's one of those things, too, when you kind of
go through and you get to this stage, you think
about everyone that's had a piece of your career over
the times. It's not just the people that you're with now.
There's a lot of people that have had a piece
of it who probably also maybe sit there and feel
equally as proud for me, running out there for 400
as I did for my first. I mean, Mike Wells
rolled in in three weeks, and he told me that
there's three players he's been around that have been head coaches,
(00:23):
and I forget the first one, but the second one
was Mike Conley and the third one was me.
S2 (00:28):
It was a letter that you wrote when you were
young and it just said, I want to be an
NBL player.
S1 (00:31):
It is pretty cool to be able to say that
I'm here now.
S2 (00:36):
Welcome back to another episode of The Huddle. And these
are a little bit more special when it comes with
a milestone attached. And that's exactly what we have this weekend.
400 games coming up for Jason Cadee. And Jace joins
me now. Does it seem a little weird to hear that?
You would have heard it all week, Jace, but it's
now officially going to become a reality.
S1 (00:56):
Yeah, it's I guess it's one of those things I
spent a lot of my career we're spending it worrying
about other people and not myself. Um, so when the
attention gets turned to me, I'm not one that loves
milestone games, but, um, yeah, I think some of the
people around me who have played, who have become really
good friends with, have kind of preached to me how
(01:16):
big a deal it is. So I, I take that
with a lot of respect from them and even some teammates.
But I'm also mindful of I'd rather it be about
someone else.
S2 (01:24):
Some of those teammates will get into, because we'll unpack
what has been an incredible 399 game career up until
this point, but guys like Adam Gibson, Chris Golding just
had his 450th. It was Todd Blanchfield's milestone last year.
These guys that you've seen and competed with and against
for so long, do you have extra conversations with them
this week? Do they reach out or do you really
(01:45):
try and not make it too much of a big deal?
S1 (01:48):
Uh, I try and avoid it. Um, I try and
avoid it. But obviously I've seen Chris on Sunday and
said congratulations to him. Um, it's one of those things.
And you've I've obviously played against you too. U2. But
you see, over the years, people come in, people go out,
people stay. And so as I kind of get to
this stage now, and it kind of hit me when
(02:08):
Tommy Abercrombie left last year, there's only a certain few
guys that have been there since I started now, and
Chris is obviously one of them. Blanche is another, I think,
Jesse Wagstaff, and that might be it. So when it
when it kind of I was trying to think about it,
but when you kind of think about it like that, um,
it kind of sets in that I've been around a
long time. And then also Anthony Petrie, who I played with,
(02:31):
who's obviously one of my best mates. Um, he's our
second eldest daughter who's trying to get on a trip
over here for Sunday. And she said, dad, I've been
there since the start and she was four when I started.
She's now almost 18. So, um, yeah, it kind of
puts things, uh, really, really in plain sight of how
long it's been.
S2 (02:50):
What kind of emotions do you think will come over
you on the weekend, and is it something that you
will start to hit you the closer we get? Or
is it more once the game builds up, the warm ups,
the family and the crowd. Peachtree. Stuff like that. Or
is it more of when the lights come on? It'll
be a moment that when the game ends, maybe you
look back and think about it.
S1 (03:09):
Yeah, I'm not sure, to be honest. Um, obviously you
go through and you have certain milestones in your career.
I guess talking about it when you get things like
these and you start talking around, talking about it, or
you hear from players you've played with, that for me, um,
hits a little harder than probably just the game itself. Um,
(03:29):
but but I'd say having kids now, um, as you
also know, kids changes everything. And so having having my
kids at the game and even they've been out in
the court with me the last couple and Louis especially,
he's at the age where he kind of gets it.
And so I just think, um, having them there will
mean a lot. And and it's one of those things too,
(03:51):
when you kind of go through and you get to
this stage, you think about everyone that's had a piece
of your career over the time. It's not just the
people that you're with now. It's my under 12 coach.
It's my high school coach. Growing up, like, there's a
lot of people that have had a piece of it
who probably also maybe sit there and feel equally as
proud for me, running out there for 400 as they
did for my first. So that's kind of a cool
(04:11):
thing to think that there's a lot of people that
feel attached to your career as well.
S2 (04:16):
The becoming a father in the kids, one will touch
on a little bit more throughout the chat, but I
could only envision and my daughter's two and doesn't understand
the difference between Bluey and Peppa Pig. So there's a
lot of things there. But as you said, Louie a
little bit older and gets the understanding that would likely
make the magnitude of it for you a little bit
more special, because maybe not understanding what exactly the 400
(04:37):
means in terms of NBL history. But as you said,
players come and go and it's very few who can
knock up 400 games in a career like you've had
yourself as well.
S1 (04:46):
Yeah, yeah. Him him being a part of it when
I was young. So I guess the thing is I
grew up around basketball, like when I was a little
bit older than him. Dad started the Razorbacks, was the CEO,
so I was running around in basketball environments from from
his age and younger. And I just think back to
how great my childhood was, being in stadiums with friends
(05:09):
and running around and basketball going on, and it's been
my life since I was that that old. And so
for him, just to see him in that environment and,
and hopefully he just remembers it at one stage I
actually played in front of people. Um, for me, that
carries a lot of weight. And I just it's more
because I think growing up in the basketball environment is
(05:29):
a great place to grow up in. Like obviously speaking
to you, and I've known you a while now, but
just like some of the people you meet through basketball
in your journey. Um, we've all had similar different, but
we've all been in that environment and I just, I
believe it's a great environment to grow up in. And
so for me to see him in that, um, it
just it's something I always wanted to have kids while
I was still playing, and hopefully they could remember just
(05:51):
so they could be around the boys. And like, he
walks in the change room. He has no idea that
Montrezl Harrell is giving him high five or you know
what I mean? Like there's things like that that he
doesn't know, but at one stage he might be like,
I remember that guy. And so for me, that's what
you start creating memories. It's almost it's more about him
enjoying those games and Scarlett and all of that then
than it is me.
S2 (06:12):
So put that on the other side of it. When
you were running around with looking at the West Sydney
Razorbacks and then a floor wiper at some point, what
do you think the emotions will be for your parents
and your old man sitting there knowing that that was you?
You talk about what you're seeing with Louis, but that
was them seeing you run around and enjoy it all
way back.
S1 (06:29):
Well, that often says that he I went from being
his son to he's become my father now. Everyone says, oh,
you're Jason Cody's dad. And he says, no, hang on,
that's my son. Um, but no, I think for them
it would be pretty cool. Um, dad never gives away much, obviously.
And mum's a little more, a little more talkative to
certain situations. But I think for me, um, knowing what
(06:52):
they did with their basketball careers and their lives and
what they've achieved in basketball, like I Like, I think
they're both Hall of Famers in New South Wales, and
dad's been in Opals and a boomers coach and played
and and so I think I've kind of to follow
in their footsteps in a way but kind of walk
my own path. Um, I feel like they'd sit there
and feel pretty chuffed that I've been able to do that.
(07:14):
Obviously it got off to a shaky start. There was
a time where maybe I didn't even wasn't even going
to play one game. And so, um, to kind of
probably watch me grow and I think now see me
with the family and things, I think they probably sit
there being pretty happy, and they're at the stage where
they're just happy as long as the grandkids are around.
So that's always cool.
S2 (07:31):
It is always good. And it's it's fascinating that you
bring up the incident that was nearly ended, not just
your basketball career before it started, but your life. That
at the time was a significant news story. And we
always went back to how incredible it was that you
managed to get away from that situation with that car
accident is knowing all that and what happened, make it
(07:53):
even more special what you've achieved.
S1 (07:55):
Yeah. Um, I was a bit naive to it when
it happened. I treated it like it was just an
everyday thing, even though I basically should have died. Um,
but the fact that I sit here now and I've.
Other than basically that time I had off after it,
since that day I've played my first game, I've missed,
I think I've missed six games. And that was through
(08:17):
one broken finger, three with a concussion, and two were
a DMP last year, which we don't need to get into,
but um, like to, just to, to be able to
do that and basically play. I think I played almost
300 games straight at one stage. Um, all those little things,
considering there was a time where I basically had to
learn how to walk and run again. Um, two months
(08:41):
before the season, pre-season was about to start, so I
just it means more now. Um, once again, go back
to kids. The thought that I almost miss moments like that, uh,
hits home really hard. Um, and now, I guess, to
sit here and say, I'm going to play 400 games
in a in a league that I grew up loving
being a part of as a kid, wanting to play in,
(09:02):
it was all I wanted to do. Um, maybe it'll
really set in later. I don't know, but it is
pretty cool to be able to say that I'm here now.
S2 (09:10):
We won't mention the miss game for a broken finger,
because Damien Martin likes to jump on and listen to
these things and broken fingers, and he normally he'd do
anything to get through one of those.
S1 (09:20):
No, I've played through a lot. The broken finger was
more that I couldn't move my it was on my right.
It was on my left hand. I would have been
sweet because my right hand and I couldn't dribble. But
they can at least know that I was supposed to
miss four weeks and I missed one seven days.
S2 (09:34):
So at least.
S1 (09:36):
That.
S2 (09:37):
I was reading an article earlier from I think it
was 2014, and you were telling somebody about growing up
in either your mom gave it to you. It was
a letter that you wrote when you were young and
it just said, I want to be an NBA player.
S1 (09:49):
They were cleaning the house up, um, and going through
different things. And I found it not it not too
long ago again. It was about four years ago. I
found it again, but it was like a year two
diary where at school we had to write things of
like classic learning to handwriting. And I was going through
this laughing at all the silly stuff, however old I was.
(10:09):
Then year two kid was saying and then one page
just said, When I'm older, I'm going to be an
NBL player. I want to play in the NBL, and
I guess you forget those little things that you kind
of think about when you're younger. So to read that
and think about at that age, what I would have
had to have been 7 or 8, um, to write
that and then be able to live that out. Um, yeah,
(10:33):
it's a pretty I'm going to keep saying cool, but
it is a pretty cool feeling to know that kind
of that kid wrote that. And now me as an
adult has been doing it well.
S2 (10:43):
And as I've said a few times, there's there's very
few who can notch up a milestone like 400 with
the success that you've had. Personally, when you look back
on the last 399 games, what are you proud to
have learned. Let's start as a basketball player. Professional athlete.
When you look back at it all, is there any
kind of, I guess, lesson out of being a pro
basketball in Australia that if you had your time again,
(11:05):
you might have done things a little different?
S1 (11:07):
Um, I guess you're always I guess the thing is,
you never it never stops. Like you don't I don't
get to now and be like, okay. Yep. I've done
all I need to do. And I just keep like,
you never stop. As an athlete, especially in basketball, you
just always want to get more and keep going. And
sometimes I forget I'm now 33, not 21. And and
so for me, I guess I was really fortunate growing
(11:31):
up in a basketball family, that I knew the understanding
of trying to learn off other people. So there's some
things I could have done differently in terms of I
probably could have been a bit more selfish at times
and worried about myself rather than others, but it's just
not the person I am. And so I look back
to that group I started with on the Gold Coast,
with Joey Wright as the head coach, and I had
guys like, uh, James Harvey, who I was with the
(11:54):
Razorbacks when I was younger and I idolized, um, Mark
Worthington joined that team. Steve Hall, who was one of
the first players for the Razorbacks. So I was about seven, like,
and then gibbo, um, peach. All these guys filter into that. Like,
I was so fortunate. Bubbles Gooding, all those guys, like,
I learnt so much in those years that like, I
can just it's more what I can hand down to
(12:15):
other people now. Like just the things I've seen, the
people I've watched, um, over my career. That's probably the
biggest thing I've got out of it is how much
I've learnt watching others, hearing people talk about stuff. Um,
your Damien Martin's watching Damo, talking to Damo, how he
thinks about stuff defensively, how he used to go about it,
like all those guys. I've just like, it's the one
(12:37):
thing that's always come natural to me and that's basketball
and talking basketball and understanding it. And I feel like
all those things I've learnt off multiple people over the
years has just been stuff that I've been able to
hold on to. And whether Louis or Scarlet or Jude
want to listen to me talk about basketball or not,
I'm dad, but I feel like at least I've got
a pretty good understanding of what it can look like.
S2 (12:57):
And the other side of everything that you learn on
the floor throughout the 399 games is everything you deal
with off the floor as a professional athlete, both pre
and post. Becoming a father. When you look back at
it now, because as you said, basketball doesn't stop and
you've had a lot of success in the off season
as well, becomes not just a 12 month a year thing,
but it becomes almost ten years straight. The mental strength
(13:20):
and capacity it takes to be at your best every
single year. How have you managed to do it at
such a high level for so long?
S1 (13:27):
I've definitely gone through it at times. Um. No doubt. Um,
it's one of those things that I, I started to
learn a few years ago that it's just you can't
bottle everything up, and I try to do that. I
was always one, like, speaking about injuries, like I've played
through some sicknesses and injuries that I know for a
fact other people wouldn't have played through because I've seen
him sit out. Um, and so some of those things
(13:48):
that I played through, but I always said to myself
that if I can play five minutes to help someone else,
then it was worth pushing through whatever I was dealing with.
And so I guess just over the years and kind
of how I grew up and once again, kind of
those guys that I was around early years, that was
just what it was. You just if you can help
the group, you find a way to help, whether it
be one minute, 1520, no matter what you're going through. And, um,
(14:13):
I kind of had that instilled in me from for
a long time in my career, and that's what I
was just always like, no matter what happens, I'll be
there on whatever night the game night is, and if
I can play one minute and help, then hopefully I
can help for one minute. And so for me, it
was just one of those things of it's a roller coaster.
You learn a lot of it. Um, and mentally probably
(14:33):
in the last, what, 5 to 6 years, it's probably
become more of a thing, the mental side of it,
where it wasn't really there at the start of my career,
it was just like, you either get through it or don't.
But I've learned that it's okay to talk to people.
It's okay to sometimes feel not great. And the one
thing the accident taught me was that I had really
good people around me when I was when I was
that age. I had a great friendship group. I had
(14:55):
great family friends, um, because I relied on them. There
was times where my mates were shown up to my
house every day just to come hang out, because I
really couldn't move off the couch. And I learned very
early on that the people you surround yourself with can
take you a long way. And so I've always been really,
really big on I'm a people person, and I make
sure I put the right people around me and my
(15:17):
friendship group or mates, whoever it may be. I think
it goes a long way to, especially in this, this
journey of being an athlete when there's so much spotlight
on people and you can have a good game, a
bad game, and you'll be hearing different things. But I've
kind of always known who my circle was, where I
needed the truth from.
S2 (15:34):
The last one on the car accident, with how big
it became in the news cycle and continued for so long.
Have you had moments recently or since then when you
decided to maybe not look at any of the footage
from everything that happened? Or is it something that every
now and then you pull out and you're like, wow,
like this is something that could have really been catastrophic.
But what I've built back up from then, and it's
(15:55):
a different gentle reminder than just your memory.
S1 (15:59):
Early years. I try to avoid it a little bit. Um,
and then it got to about, um, my time in
Sydney when that thing happened where I hadn't ever met
the lady who jumped in the car either. Um, and
then I was in Sydney, and that kind of got
blown up way bigger than I thought it would. It
was just me telling the story. And then we ended
up finding her and being able to just meet her
(16:20):
and greet her and put a face to the name
was one of the things that, um, I'll forever remember
from just a story in the basketball community that ends
up getting spread amongst media, and all of a sudden,
this person who'd been like a almost ghost to me, she.
I just remember that day. But I have no idea
what she looked like. I just remember her name and
and so I'd always avoided it. But when I got
to Sydney and that happened, it was a moment for
(16:41):
me where I was like, it wasn't closure, but it
was just a moment of like, it put all the
pieces together as well. Um, but it's something that I've
just it's kind of it's a part of my life.
Once you get far removed from it, it's hard to.
I guess you still remember certain details or certain things
from it, but it's not as clear as it once was. Um,
but it's something that I've just also learned to accept,
(17:03):
and it's why I'm so comfortable talking about it, because
it just was a big part of my life. And
I still remember at the time, like people messaging me,
like being like, this is like something you see in movies.
It's not something that happens to someone, you know, and,
and that kind of stuff. And it was so true
at the time, like it was just such a blur.
But it really happened.
S2 (17:22):
And again, that around that time was the the first
taste of the NBL after that. And you mentioned the
Gold Coast Blaze. And I'll tell you what, there's no
better memory lane to go down than looking at some
old Gold Coast Blaze footage, because there's a lot of
fun times up there. What are some of the great
memories from your time at Gold Coast? You were you
were young. It was a long time ago. But, uh,
it would have been a lot of fun.
S1 (17:43):
Yeah. People say I didn't go to college, but that
was the Gold Coast.
S2 (17:46):
Um.
S1 (17:47):
Nah, it was it was awesome. It was actually, if
you look at the choice I made at the time,
I kind of was basically Sydney, Adelaide or Gold Coast.
Marty Clarke, who I had a lot of respect for
and still do, was going to Adelaide. Um, Sydney was
where I was from, but I just the people they
had on the Gold Coast, I didn't know Joey from
a bar of soap. I think he watched me work
(18:08):
out one time when we were there for a Christmas holidays,
and Shane Hill got me in to do an interview
with him after their training session. And then that's how
that relationship started. Um, but I just, I made the
decision based off. I'd heard great things about Joey, and
I loved the personnel they had there that I knew
I could learn from and be around. And, um, I
loved it. Like, I've still got so many close friends there.
(18:29):
It just happened to be that I work out in
Brisbane and kind of around the Gold Coast anyway. And, um,
the basketball community there has grown so much in my
15 years where now it's like a completely different world
to what it was back then. But I loved every
bit of it, and I learned so much and there
was a lot of fun had on and off the court, Um,
(18:49):
with the personnel we had. We had a great group
of guys, that's for sure.
S2 (18:53):
One of the highlights that I keep trying to get
a proper footage of. I don't know whether you were
in the IRA Clark dunk.
S1 (18:59):
I remember that I was when I was injured, though,
the one where you dunked in Cairns.
S2 (19:02):
And it was one of the biggest dunks of all time.
And every time we see big dunks and we can't
get the proper footage of it. But he was athletic
as they come.
S1 (19:10):
He was. I remember the first time he came in,
so that was when I was coming back from my injury.
And um, this is where me and peach really became
really close. He tore his Achilles, so I would just
go to Peach's house way more than he probably was
looking for. I was there three, four times a week.
I was basically like their third kid at the time. Um,
and so we would watch games. And so I remember
us watching that game and he almost stood up and
(19:32):
he did it because. But and there's still a blurry
vision somewhere. But that dunk was huge. And then the
first time I met R.A., he walked in and shook
my hand and I swear his hand went to about there.
I just remember being like, oh my gosh. But he was. Yeah, see,
I sometimes you forget IRA was legit. He was good.
He was big. Like you think about guys like Pepe
(19:53):
and stuff like that. Like Errol was like a six, six, nine,
same size. Could shoot it. Good athlete. And he was
a bit older at that stage too.
S2 (20:02):
No, he was fun to watch. Some way somehow will
get a high definition footage of it. But the Gold
Coast memories as a whole, when they folded, what was
going through your mind at the time? Because obviously now
there's talk of them coming back and we'd all love
to see it and hope it's sooner rather than later.
But when that all did fold, and what transpired for
you after that.
S1 (20:21):
It was kind of just, um, there was some legal
stuff going on that I knew about. Obviously with a,
with a prior coach. And so I knew there was
a bit going on, the Tomlinson family who owned it.
I'd also heard a bit like they were under a
bit of pressure, only being a family that owned it,
but they were great people. And so once again, kind
of young, naive. I was actually me and Joe Tertzakian,
(20:42):
who's now Illawarra, me, him and another friend. We were
over in, uh, we were over in the States. We
went to went to Vegas, Cabo and stuff like that.
So we actually found out about it whilst we were away. Um,
it was kind of one of those things like you'd
started talks about, am I coming back, am I not?
What does it look like? And then all of a
sudden it's like, no, they're done. And so it was like,
(21:03):
hang on a second. We're like, at that age. Wait,
I'm supposed to get paid next week? What happens to that?
So all those things start to take place. I'm over
living a life that I was not couldn't afford. Um, but.
So we just kind of go through that. But at
the time to, as I said, Marty really wanted me
to come to Adelaide at the time. So one of
the first people that rang me was Marty Clarke saying, Jason,
(21:25):
I know you said no to me two years ago,
but it hasn't changed. I want you to come to Adelaide.
And so, um, the amount of love and what he
did for me growing up, it was kind of a
no brainer for me at that time. I don't even
remember entertaining much else. There was a couple of others,
but I remember just thinking, Adelaide, Marty, perfect.
S2 (21:42):
And your first time in Adelaide, the first stint there,
you obviously got close to that elusive championship and got
close to the feeling. But what the connection you built
with Adelaide and everybody had this not assumption, but everyone
thought that there might be a chance that at some
point in your career you would end up back there.
And as I talk to you now as an Adelaide
30 Sixer, it is that kind of full circle moment
(22:03):
as you head towards this milestone, isn't it?
S1 (22:05):
Yeah. I loved my time there. And you were around.
You were back from college around then, but it was
the same thing. And and people sometimes give Marty a
bit of a hard I kind of wish, um, for
Marty's sake, that my year that I got here was
his second year. Because that year, um, peach comes in,
gibbo comes in. So us three from the Gold Coast
(22:25):
come in. And that first year we struggled, but we
lost like, like I think ten games by under seven
points or something. Like we were close. We just couldn't
get over the line and we just lacked a bit
of a killer. And the year after, Joey brings in
Gary Irving and we got the guy, you know what
I mean? And and we go close to winning it.
But I loved my time here. I loved, Of that
(22:47):
group we had with Shan, Daniel Johnson, Stevie Wade, creaky
jibo like, we had some really great guys and some
really good basketball players. And we just even that first
year when we struggled, the connection we had and I
guess being in Adelaide, everyone lived five, ten minutes from
each other. It was really a great place and that's
why when I come back here, it didn't feel like a, um,
(23:09):
like a strange place to be in. Um, a lot
of things have changed a bit, but it's still very similar,
and there are a lot of the same people you
see around. And so, as you know, being from here,
once you kind of here and you and you have
those connections, it really is a great, enjoyable place to
be in. And we also know that that kind of
year we got rolling for me was the start of
Adelaide really finding some, some just following where people were
(23:33):
back like that grand final. We ran out in game
two against Perth. I felt like people were hanging from
the roof at Adelaide Arena. It was nuts and I
feel like from that point on it just generated and
has just kept getting better and better.
S2 (23:46):
We see that when you step onto the floor and
we talk about how important that veteran leadership is, what
you bring, and you can still break open a game
the way that we've known for 399 games. How's the
body feeling? How's the mental side of it all? Because
it just seems like you've got plenty left in the tank.
S1 (24:01):
Still no. Pretty good, to be honest. Um, sometimes I
try and tell myself I'm a bit older, but I don't.
There's days for sure. There's days you get older and you.
Just like today, let the young fellas go for it. But, um.
But no, I'm only 33. That's the thing. I think
some people probably hit this and they're a little bit older.
I'm only 33. Um, I still feel really good. I
(24:21):
don't I don't really miss days. Like, I train every day,
try to play every game. Um, so for me, I
still feel really good. There's definitely days where you are
a bit older than some of the 18, 19, 21
year olds running around, but there's also ways which you
can still have an effect on practice without being on
the floor the full time or just getting in and out.
So I've just started to learn. Sometimes it's about being
(24:42):
work smarter, not harder. Um, But body still feels good.
And mentally I just. Yeah. This year, especially under Mike,
I've really enjoyed his leadership and kind of having a role.
I feel like I haven't had a distinct role for
a period of time.
S2 (24:59):
We will touch on the Sixers this season because it's
a whole lot of fun. I was there last Friday
against the Sydney Kings. You talk about the support from
the club, the fans and everything. It is a fun
place to be at right now. And you talk about
having a role in Mike Wells. There's there's a lot
of positivity that's flowing out of the Adelaide 30 Sixers,
and it seems to just be again taking over the
(25:19):
city like the time when you were here last time.
S1 (25:22):
Yeah, it's got a bit of that feel to it.
Um it's just a bigger bigger than it was then.
Like it's it's been enhanced as I said. But I
just even that game on Friday and our home games
really show it that playing at the entertainment centre just
has a vibrant, bright feel and you just the crowd.
It's a bit of a different crowd to what it
(25:43):
was when I was here. First it's different. I feel
I feel like there's more families and it's a different feel. But.
But the want. You can just feel the want for
something special to happen from from outside and, and the
group as well has that feeling. Um, we have a
long way to go. We've got a great we've got
a lot of personalities in a different mix of things.
But if we can keep slowly figuring that out as
(26:04):
we go through this season, I just believe we can
get to a place where we can really be tough
to beat. But as, as as, you know, there's a
lot that goes into that. But there is a feeling
for me and just I get it at home games
when I sit there, especially when games start and you
kind of sit there and let it all soak in.
And I always love just watching the start of games
before when, when the guys walk out and you just
(26:25):
kind of get that feel for the for the, the
game and the crowd, and Adelaide's got a bit of
that buzz about it now and it's definitely something you
can sense and feel just sitting there.
S2 (26:35):
Yeah, the entertainment centre was great and it was your
first in because I obviously around the Clipsal Powerhouse days when,
as you were leaving and me growing up, you used
to get chocolate milks and iced coffees, and they stopped
doing that a couple years after that. But I don't
know whether they give anything out after the games we
need to get, but that was the iconic times of Adelaide.
S1 (26:52):
I remember well, yeah, we had that fridge stocked and
it gets stocked every Tuesday and used to be chocolate milks,
iced coffees, whatever you wanted. It was, uh, yeah, that
fridge no longer exists. It was there. It was here
all that time ago. But I don't know, maybe someone
took it.
S2 (27:06):
Maybe I'll, uh. Maybe I'll make a call and we'll
get it back. Uh, I do want to hit you
with a couple of little fast questions here before. Before
we wrap this up, because I don't want to give
you time to think. You are a phenomenal storyteller. And
you've learned so much throughout your time. So whatever the
first names that kind of pop to your head or
the first reasons. But over 399 games, who's been your
toughest opponent?
S1 (27:30):
I used to always say Casper Ware, just because he
he was elite at both ends. Um, so I always
said Casper was tough. I mean, you could throw a
host of names, but you said quick answers. Casper comes
to mind really quickly.
S2 (27:43):
No good answer. I can also attest to that. Uh,
that was the biggest pain of going in practice, especially.
And then when he changed clubs. What about the, uh,
the best teammate basketball wise?
S1 (27:53):
No. See, this is loaded.
S2 (27:56):
There's too many.
S1 (27:57):
Um, I go back, uh, Adam Gibson and Anthony Petrie
for sure. Um, from everything basketball wise, they used to
cover multiple people. Like they were those guys that could
make do your job whilst they're doing their job. Um,
Brad Newley was big for me my whole career, but
getting to play with Brad in Sydney was really cool
for me. And then I always there's a whole heap
(28:19):
of others, so I'm going to miss a heap of
people that I could say. But Kev Lish is one
that stands out. Kev was like Casper, like you could
say Kev to just every day was like a grind
with Kev. I did make him kick a ball once,
and I'm so happy that he did that as the
first time I seen him show an emotion. And then
he apologized to me later because that's the kind of
guy he is. But Kev Lish was, man, When you
(28:43):
speak around people who could get it done on both
ends of the floor and make big shots. And yeah,
he's got to be up there with one of those
guys in all of the NBA for a team of
just guys who can really get you done.
S2 (28:55):
Oh, I love I love the one. I think that
around that time we need to also as a league
continue to to hype those guys up. I'm the Kirk
Penney era is around that time as well. Um, especially
what's your favorite NBL highlight over the last 399 games?
S1 (29:11):
Oh, there's been I obviously haven't won a championship. It's
the one place I haven't yet.
S2 (29:16):
Not yet, not yet.
S1 (29:18):
There's still time, but I I'd honestly just I can
never pick one. Like obviously the grand final series in
Adelaide when it was just the league was starting to
get pick up some some momentum again. But I've had
such great experiences wherever I've played, like the Gold Coast,
Adelaide to Sydney, to Brisbane to back to Adelaide, like
every there's been some crap in between, believe me. But
(29:40):
but even through those times, just some of the of
the personnel or some of the things that have gone
on in that time. I've had such a great journey
and it's why I wouldn't change anything for the world. Like,
believe me, I wish I was in some situations where
it was just like roll in train and that was
all you had to worry about and we were winning.
I wish I was, but but I also wouldn't change
it because I feel like it's made me such a
(30:00):
better person. And if I carry on in basketball, which
it'd probably be hard not to over time. I just
feel like I'll be so much better for the journey
I've been on.
S2 (30:09):
Is there is there some sort of coaching plan in
the future or something around basketball, you think?
S1 (30:14):
Yeah, I've started to see it more in the last
few years. I mean, Mike Wells rolled in in three weeks,
and he told me that there's three players he's been
around that have been head coaches, and I forget the
first one, but the second one was Mike Conley and
the third one was me.
S2 (30:26):
So that's that's a pretty good list.
S1 (30:28):
I know he picked me pretty quick. Um, yeah, it's
hard to say. It's not part of my DNA a
little bit. Um, I just feel like I understand the
game really well, and I'm one of those people that
can really actually speak it and help others. Um, some
know it really well, but can't speak it. Some can
speak it, but they don't really know it. I feel
like I find that blend. I'd have to find out
(30:50):
how well I got given a spray. That's not really
in my nature, but I'm sure I could find a way.
S2 (30:55):
I'm going to. I'm putting you on the spot here
for your last one, Jace. And again, when this. Normally
people grab these little clips and it'll go on socials.
They asked JJ Redick this before he became the Lakers coach.
So you can answer this for me. But you're trying
to win a championship this year with you got to
give me five players. You can be the sixth man
if you want, but I want five guys who are
going to win a championship. If your teammates throughout your
(31:17):
career at their prime weight.
S1 (31:21):
So you want five. So I've got to pick a
starting five.
S2 (31:24):
In their prime. Who would win a championship?
S1 (31:28):
Um, I pick Adam Gibson, Kev Lish. Geez, I played
with some good players.
S2 (31:37):
The first two of them.
S1 (31:40):
Ah, I would pick Julian kazoo as the five.
S2 (31:45):
Wow. Yes.
S1 (31:48):
I would pick. I'm gonna have to look after my
boy here. I have I'll pick peach at the four
and Josh Childress at the three.
S2 (31:57):
Look at that. That's, uh, you went with, uh, four
locals there, too, and you played with some very good imports.
I appreciate.
S1 (32:03):
It's hard. There's a lot of guys. There's a lot
of people in my head that I could have thrown
in there, even people I play with now. But I
think that five defensively and offensively would be hard to stop.
S2 (32:12):
No, I think so too. And then, uh, you can
throw in there in six. Man, it would have been
too easy for you to pick four. So I had
to give you the pick five. Jason, uh, thank you
so much for your time, man. Again, congratulations. It's going
to be an incredible milestone on Sunday. And, uh, 399
games and plenty left in the tank. So we appreciate
your time.
S1 (32:28):
Thanks. Always appreciate.
S2 (32:29):
It. Thank you, everybody, for listening. Jace will play his
400th game on Sunday, so make sure you jump in
and show some support for one of the NBA greats.
It's one of those things, too, when you kind of
go through and you get to this stage, you think
about everyone that's had a piece of your career over
the times. It's not just the people that you're with now.
There's a lot of people that have had a piece
of it who probably also maybe sit there and feel
equally as proud for me, running out there for 400
as I did for my first. I mean, Mike Wells
rolled in in three weeks, and he told me that
there's three players he's been around that have been head coaches,
(00:23):
and I forget the first one, but the second one
was Mike Conley and the third one was me.
S2 (00:28):
It was a letter that you wrote when you were
young and it just said, I want to be an
NBL player.
S1 (00:31):
It is pretty cool to be able to say that
I'm here now.
S2 (00:36):
Welcome back to another episode of The Huddle. And these
are a little bit more special when it comes with
a milestone attached. And that's exactly what we have this weekend.
400 games coming up for Jason Cadee. And Jace joins
me now. Does it seem a little weird to hear that?
You would have heard it all week, Jace, but it's
now officially going to become a reality.
S1 (00:56):
Yeah, it's I guess it's one of those things I
spent a lot of my career we're spending it worrying
about other people and not myself. Um, so when the
attention gets turned to me, I'm not one that loves
milestone games, but, um, yeah, I think some of the
people around me who have played, who have become really
good friends with, have kind of preached to me how
(01:16):
big a deal it is. So I, I take that
with a lot of respect from them and even some teammates.
But I'm also mindful of I'd rather it be about
someone else.
S2 (01:24):
Some of those teammates will get into, because we'll unpack
what has been an incredible 399 game career up until
this point, but guys like Adam Gibson, Chris Golding just
had his 450th. It was Todd Blanchfield's milestone last year.
These guys that you've seen and competed with and against
for so long, do you have extra conversations with them
this week? Do they reach out or do you really
(01:45):
try and not make it too much of a big deal?
S1 (01:48):
Uh, I try and avoid it. Um, I try and
avoid it. But obviously I've seen Chris on Sunday and
said congratulations to him. Um, it's one of those things.
And you've I've obviously played against you too. U2. But
you see, over the years, people come in, people go out,
people stay. And so as I kind of get to
this stage now, and it kind of hit me when
(02:08):
Tommy Abercrombie left last year, there's only a certain few
guys that have been there since I started now, and
Chris is obviously one of them. Blanche is another, I think,
Jesse Wagstaff, and that might be it. So when it
when it kind of I was trying to think about it,
but when you kind of think about it like that, um,
it kind of sets in that I've been around a
long time. And then also Anthony Petrie, who I played with,
(02:31):
who's obviously one of my best mates. Um, he's our
second eldest daughter who's trying to get on a trip
over here for Sunday. And she said, dad, I've been
there since the start and she was four when I started.
She's now almost 18. So, um, yeah, it kind of
puts things, uh, really, really in plain sight of how
long it's been.
S2 (02:50):
What kind of emotions do you think will come over
you on the weekend, and is it something that you
will start to hit you the closer we get? Or
is it more once the game builds up, the warm ups,
the family and the crowd. Peachtree. Stuff like that. Or
is it more of when the lights come on? It'll
be a moment that when the game ends, maybe you
look back and think about it.
S1 (03:09):
Yeah, I'm not sure, to be honest. Um, obviously you
go through and you have certain milestones in your career.
I guess talking about it when you get things like
these and you start talking around, talking about it, or
you hear from players you've played with, that for me, um,
hits a little harder than probably just the game itself. Um,
(03:29):
but but I'd say having kids now, um, as you
also know, kids changes everything. And so having having my
kids at the game and even they've been out in
the court with me the last couple and Louis especially,
he's at the age where he kind of gets it.
And so I just think, um, having them there will
mean a lot. And and it's one of those things too,
(03:51):
when you kind of go through and you get to
this stage, you think about everyone that's had a piece
of your career over the time. It's not just the
people that you're with now. It's my under 12 coach.
It's my high school coach. Growing up, like, there's a
lot of people that have had a piece of it
who probably also maybe sit there and feel equally as
proud for me, running out there for 400 as they
did for my first. So that's kind of a cool
(04:11):
thing to think that there's a lot of people that
feel attached to your career as well.
S2 (04:16):
The becoming a father in the kids, one will touch
on a little bit more throughout the chat, but I
could only envision and my daughter's two and doesn't understand
the difference between Bluey and Peppa Pig. So there's a
lot of things there. But as you said, Louie a
little bit older and gets the understanding that would likely
make the magnitude of it for you a little bit
more special, because maybe not understanding what exactly the 400
(04:37):
means in terms of NBL history. But as you said,
players come and go and it's very few who can
knock up 400 games in a career like you've had
yourself as well.
S1 (04:46):
Yeah, yeah. Him him being a part of it when
I was young. So I guess the thing is I
grew up around basketball, like when I was a little
bit older than him. Dad started the Razorbacks, was the CEO,
so I was running around in basketball environments from from
his age and younger. And I just think back to
how great my childhood was, being in stadiums with friends
(05:09):
and running around and basketball going on, and it's been
my life since I was that that old. And so
for him, just to see him in that environment and,
and hopefully he just remembers it at one stage I
actually played in front of people. Um, for me, that
carries a lot of weight. And I just it's more
because I think growing up in the basketball environment is
(05:29):
a great place to grow up in. Like obviously speaking
to you, and I've known you a while now, but
just like some of the people you meet through basketball
in your journey. Um, we've all had similar different, but
we've all been in that environment and I just, I
believe it's a great environment to grow up in. And
so for me to see him in that, um, it
just it's something I always wanted to have kids while
I was still playing, and hopefully they could remember just
(05:51):
so they could be around the boys. And like, he
walks in the change room. He has no idea that
Montrezl Harrell is giving him high five or you know
what I mean? Like there's things like that that he
doesn't know, but at one stage he might be like,
I remember that guy. And so for me, that's what
you start creating memories. It's almost it's more about him
enjoying those games and Scarlett and all of that then
than it is me.
S2 (06:12):
So put that on the other side of it. When
you were running around with looking at the West Sydney
Razorbacks and then a floor wiper at some point, what
do you think the emotions will be for your parents
and your old man sitting there knowing that that was you?
You talk about what you're seeing with Louis, but that
was them seeing you run around and enjoy it all
way back.
S1 (06:29):
Well, that often says that he I went from being
his son to he's become my father now. Everyone says, oh,
you're Jason Cody's dad. And he says, no, hang on,
that's my son. Um, but no, I think for them
it would be pretty cool. Um, dad never gives away much, obviously.
And mum's a little more, a little more talkative to
certain situations. But I think for me, um, knowing what
(06:52):
they did with their basketball careers and their lives and
what they've achieved in basketball, like I Like, I think
they're both Hall of Famers in New South Wales, and
dad's been in Opals and a boomers coach and played
and and so I think I've kind of to follow
in their footsteps in a way but kind of walk
my own path. Um, I feel like they'd sit there
and feel pretty chuffed that I've been able to do that.
(07:14):
Obviously it got off to a shaky start. There was
a time where maybe I didn't even wasn't even going
to play one game. And so, um, to kind of
probably watch me grow and I think now see me
with the family and things, I think they probably sit
there being pretty happy, and they're at the stage where
they're just happy as long as the grandkids are around.
So that's always cool.
S2 (07:31):
It is always good. And it's it's fascinating that you
bring up the incident that was nearly ended, not just
your basketball career before it started, but your life. That
at the time was a significant news story. And we
always went back to how incredible it was that you
managed to get away from that situation with that car
accident is knowing all that and what happened, make it
(07:53):
even more special what you've achieved.
S1 (07:55):
Yeah. Um, I was a bit naive to it when
it happened. I treated it like it was just an
everyday thing, even though I basically should have died. Um,
but the fact that I sit here now and I've.
Other than basically that time I had off after it,
since that day I've played my first game, I've missed,
I think I've missed six games. And that was through
(08:17):
one broken finger, three with a concussion, and two were
a DMP last year, which we don't need to get into,
but um, like to, just to, to be able to
do that and basically play. I think I played almost
300 games straight at one stage. Um, all those little things,
considering there was a time where I basically had to
learn how to walk and run again. Um, two months
(08:41):
before the season, pre-season was about to start, so I
just it means more now. Um, once again, go back
to kids. The thought that I almost miss moments like that, uh,
hits home really hard. Um, and now, I guess, to
sit here and say, I'm going to play 400 games
in a in a league that I grew up loving
being a part of as a kid, wanting to play in,
(09:02):
it was all I wanted to do. Um, maybe it'll
really set in later. I don't know, but it is
pretty cool to be able to say that I'm here now.
S2 (09:10):
We won't mention the miss game for a broken finger,
because Damien Martin likes to jump on and listen to
these things and broken fingers, and he normally he'd do
anything to get through one of those.
S1 (09:20):
No, I've played through a lot. The broken finger was
more that I couldn't move my it was on my right.
It was on my left hand. I would have been
sweet because my right hand and I couldn't dribble. But
they can at least know that I was supposed to
miss four weeks and I missed one seven days.
S2 (09:34):
So at least.
S1 (09:36):
That.
S2 (09:37):
I was reading an article earlier from I think it
was 2014, and you were telling somebody about growing up
in either your mom gave it to you. It was
a letter that you wrote when you were young and
it just said, I want to be an NBA player.
S1 (09:49):
They were cleaning the house up, um, and going through
different things. And I found it not it not too
long ago again. It was about four years ago. I
found it again, but it was like a year two
diary where at school we had to write things of
like classic learning to handwriting. And I was going through
this laughing at all the silly stuff, however old I was.
(10:09):
Then year two kid was saying and then one page
just said, When I'm older, I'm going to be an
NBL player. I want to play in the NBL, and
I guess you forget those little things that you kind
of think about when you're younger. So to read that
and think about at that age, what I would have
had to have been 7 or 8, um, to write
that and then be able to live that out. Um, yeah,
(10:33):
it's a pretty I'm going to keep saying cool, but
it is a pretty cool feeling to know that kind
of that kid wrote that. And now me as an
adult has been doing it well.
S2 (10:43):
And as I've said a few times, there's there's very
few who can notch up a milestone like 400 with
the success that you've had. Personally, when you look back
on the last 399 games, what are you proud to
have learned. Let's start as a basketball player. Professional athlete.
When you look back at it all, is there any
kind of, I guess, lesson out of being a pro
basketball in Australia that if you had your time again,
(11:05):
you might have done things a little different?
S1 (11:07):
Um, I guess you're always I guess the thing is,
you never it never stops. Like you don't I don't
get to now and be like, okay. Yep. I've done
all I need to do. And I just keep like,
you never stop. As an athlete, especially in basketball, you
just always want to get more and keep going. And
sometimes I forget I'm now 33, not 21. And and
so for me, I guess I was really fortunate growing
(11:31):
up in a basketball family, that I knew the understanding
of trying to learn off other people. So there's some
things I could have done differently in terms of I
probably could have been a bit more selfish at times
and worried about myself rather than others, but it's just
not the person I am. And so I look back
to that group I started with on the Gold Coast,
with Joey Wright as the head coach, and I had
guys like, uh, James Harvey, who I was with the
(11:54):
Razorbacks when I was younger and I idolized, um, Mark
Worthington joined that team. Steve Hall, who was one of
the first players for the Razorbacks. So I was about seven, like,
and then gibbo, um, peach. All these guys filter into that. Like,
I was so fortunate. Bubbles Gooding, all those guys, like,
I learnt so much in those years that like, I
can just it's more what I can hand down to
(12:15):
other people now. Like just the things I've seen, the
people I've watched, um, over my career. That's probably the
biggest thing I've got out of it is how much
I've learnt watching others, hearing people talk about stuff. Um,
your Damien Martin's watching Damo, talking to Damo, how he
thinks about stuff defensively, how he used to go about it,
like all those guys. I've just like, it's the one
(12:37):
thing that's always come natural to me and that's basketball
and talking basketball and understanding it. And I feel like
all those things I've learnt off multiple people over the
years has just been stuff that I've been able to
hold on to. And whether Louis or Scarlet or Jude
want to listen to me talk about basketball or not,
I'm dad, but I feel like at least I've got
a pretty good understanding of what it can look like.
S2 (12:57):
And the other side of everything that you learn on
the floor throughout the 399 games is everything you deal
with off the floor as a professional athlete, both pre
and post. Becoming a father. When you look back at
it now, because as you said, basketball doesn't stop and
you've had a lot of success in the off season
as well, becomes not just a 12 month a year thing,
but it becomes almost ten years straight. The mental strength
(13:20):
and capacity it takes to be at your best every
single year. How have you managed to do it at
such a high level for so long?
S1 (13:27):
I've definitely gone through it at times. Um. No doubt. Um,
it's one of those things that I, I started to
learn a few years ago that it's just you can't
bottle everything up, and I try to do that. I
was always one, like, speaking about injuries, like I've played
through some sicknesses and injuries that I know for a
fact other people wouldn't have played through because I've seen
him sit out. Um, and so some of those things
(13:48):
that I played through, but I always said to myself
that if I can play five minutes to help someone else,
then it was worth pushing through whatever I was dealing with.
And so I guess just over the years and kind
of how I grew up and once again, kind of
those guys that I was around early years, that was
just what it was. You just if you can help
the group, you find a way to help, whether it
be one minute, 1520, no matter what you're going through. And, um,
(14:13):
I kind of had that instilled in me from for
a long time in my career, and that's what I
was just always like, no matter what happens, I'll be
there on whatever night the game night is, and if
I can play one minute and help, then hopefully I
can help for one minute. And so for me, it
was just one of those things of it's a roller coaster.
You learn a lot of it. Um, and mentally probably
(14:33):
in the last, what, 5 to 6 years, it's probably
become more of a thing, the mental side of it,
where it wasn't really there at the start of my career,
it was just like, you either get through it or don't.
But I've learned that it's okay to talk to people.
It's okay to sometimes feel not great. And the one
thing the accident taught me was that I had really
good people around me when I was when I was
that age. I had a great friendship group. I had
(14:55):
great family friends, um, because I relied on them. There
was times where my mates were shown up to my
house every day just to come hang out, because I
really couldn't move off the couch. And I learned very
early on that the people you surround yourself with can
take you a long way. And so I've always been really,
really big on I'm a people person, and I make
sure I put the right people around me and my
(15:17):
friendship group or mates, whoever it may be. I think
it goes a long way to, especially in this, this
journey of being an athlete when there's so much spotlight
on people and you can have a good game, a
bad game, and you'll be hearing different things. But I've
kind of always known who my circle was, where I
needed the truth from.
S2 (15:34):
The last one on the car accident, with how big
it became in the news cycle and continued for so long.
Have you had moments recently or since then when you
decided to maybe not look at any of the footage
from everything that happened? Or is it something that every
now and then you pull out and you're like, wow,
like this is something that could have really been catastrophic.
But what I've built back up from then, and it's
(15:55):
a different gentle reminder than just your memory.
S1 (15:59):
Early years. I try to avoid it a little bit. Um,
and then it got to about, um, my time in
Sydney when that thing happened where I hadn't ever met
the lady who jumped in the car either. Um, and
then I was in Sydney, and that kind of got
blown up way bigger than I thought it would. It
was just me telling the story. And then we ended
up finding her and being able to just meet her
(16:20):
and greet her and put a face to the name
was one of the things that, um, I'll forever remember
from just a story in the basketball community that ends
up getting spread amongst media, and all of a sudden,
this person who'd been like a almost ghost to me, she.
I just remember that day. But I have no idea
what she looked like. I just remember her name and
and so I'd always avoided it. But when I got
to Sydney and that happened, it was a moment for
(16:41):
me where I was like, it wasn't closure, but it
was just a moment of like, it put all the
pieces together as well. Um, but it's something that I've
just it's kind of it's a part of my life.
Once you get far removed from it, it's hard to.
I guess you still remember certain details or certain things
from it, but it's not as clear as it once was. Um,
but it's something that I've just also learned to accept,
(17:03):
and it's why I'm so comfortable talking about it, because
it just was a big part of my life. And
I still remember at the time, like people messaging me,
like being like, this is like something you see in movies.
It's not something that happens to someone, you know, and,
and that kind of stuff. And it was so true
at the time, like it was just such a blur.
But it really happened.
S2 (17:22):
And again, that around that time was the the first
taste of the NBL after that. And you mentioned the
Gold Coast Blaze. And I'll tell you what, there's no
better memory lane to go down than looking at some
old Gold Coast Blaze footage, because there's a lot of
fun times up there. What are some of the great
memories from your time at Gold Coast? You were you
were young. It was a long time ago. But, uh,
it would have been a lot of fun.
S1 (17:43):
Yeah. People say I didn't go to college, but that
was the Gold Coast.
S2 (17:46):
Um.
S1 (17:47):
Nah, it was it was awesome. It was actually, if
you look at the choice I made at the time,
I kind of was basically Sydney, Adelaide or Gold Coast.
Marty Clarke, who I had a lot of respect for
and still do, was going to Adelaide. Um, Sydney was
where I was from, but I just the people they
had on the Gold Coast, I didn't know Joey from
a bar of soap. I think he watched me work
(18:08):
out one time when we were there for a Christmas holidays,
and Shane Hill got me in to do an interview
with him after their training session. And then that's how
that relationship started. Um, but I just, I made the
decision based off. I'd heard great things about Joey, and
I loved the personnel they had there that I knew
I could learn from and be around. And, um, I
loved it. Like, I've still got so many close friends there.
(18:29):
It just happened to be that I work out in
Brisbane and kind of around the Gold Coast anyway. And, um,
the basketball community there has grown so much in my
15 years where now it's like a completely different world
to what it was back then. But I loved every
bit of it, and I learned so much and there
was a lot of fun had on and off the court, Um,
(18:49):
with the personnel we had. We had a great group
of guys, that's for sure.
S2 (18:53):
One of the highlights that I keep trying to get
a proper footage of. I don't know whether you were
in the IRA Clark dunk.
S1 (18:59):
I remember that I was when I was injured, though,
the one where you dunked in Cairns.
S2 (19:02):
And it was one of the biggest dunks of all time.
And every time we see big dunks and we can't
get the proper footage of it. But he was athletic
as they come.
S1 (19:10):
He was. I remember the first time he came in,
so that was when I was coming back from my injury.
And um, this is where me and peach really became
really close. He tore his Achilles, so I would just
go to Peach's house way more than he probably was
looking for. I was there three, four times a week.
I was basically like their third kid at the time. Um,
and so we would watch games. And so I remember
us watching that game and he almost stood up and
(19:32):
he did it because. But and there's still a blurry
vision somewhere. But that dunk was huge. And then the
first time I met R.A., he walked in and shook
my hand and I swear his hand went to about there.
I just remember being like, oh my gosh. But he was. Yeah, see,
I sometimes you forget IRA was legit. He was good.
He was big. Like you think about guys like Pepe
(19:53):
and stuff like that. Like Errol was like a six, six, nine,
same size. Could shoot it. Good athlete. And he was
a bit older at that stage too.
S2 (20:02):
No, he was fun to watch. Some way somehow will
get a high definition footage of it. But the Gold
Coast memories as a whole, when they folded, what was
going through your mind at the time? Because obviously now
there's talk of them coming back and we'd all love
to see it and hope it's sooner rather than later.
But when that all did fold, and what transpired for
you after that.
S1 (20:21):
It was kind of just, um, there was some legal
stuff going on that I knew about. Obviously with a,
with a prior coach. And so I knew there was
a bit going on, the Tomlinson family who owned it.
I'd also heard a bit like they were under a
bit of pressure, only being a family that owned it,
but they were great people. And so once again, kind
of young, naive. I was actually me and Joe Tertzakian,
(20:42):
who's now Illawarra, me, him and another friend. We were
over in, uh, we were over in the States. We
went to went to Vegas, Cabo and stuff like that.
So we actually found out about it whilst we were away. Um,
it was kind of one of those things like you'd
started talks about, am I coming back, am I not?
What does it look like? And then all of a
sudden it's like, no, they're done. And so it was like,
(21:03):
hang on a second. We're like, at that age. Wait,
I'm supposed to get paid next week? What happens to that?
So all those things start to take place. I'm over
living a life that I was not couldn't afford. Um, but.
So we just kind of go through that. But at
the time to, as I said, Marty really wanted me
to come to Adelaide at the time. So one of
the first people that rang me was Marty Clarke saying, Jason,
(21:25):
I know you said no to me two years ago,
but it hasn't changed. I want you to come to Adelaide.
And so, um, the amount of love and what he
did for me growing up, it was kind of a
no brainer for me at that time. I don't even
remember entertaining much else. There was a couple of others,
but I remember just thinking, Adelaide, Marty, perfect.
S2 (21:42):
And your first time in Adelaide, the first stint there,
you obviously got close to that elusive championship and got
close to the feeling. But what the connection you built
with Adelaide and everybody had this not assumption, but everyone
thought that there might be a chance that at some
point in your career you would end up back there.
And as I talk to you now as an Adelaide
30 Sixer, it is that kind of full circle moment
(22:03):
as you head towards this milestone, isn't it?
S1 (22:05):
Yeah. I loved my time there. And you were around.
You were back from college around then, but it was
the same thing. And and people sometimes give Marty a
bit of a hard I kind of wish, um, for
Marty's sake, that my year that I got here was
his second year. Because that year, um, peach comes in,
gibbo comes in. So us three from the Gold Coast
(22:25):
come in. And that first year we struggled, but we
lost like, like I think ten games by under seven
points or something. Like we were close. We just couldn't
get over the line and we just lacked a bit
of a killer. And the year after, Joey brings in
Gary Irving and we got the guy, you know what
I mean? And and we go close to winning it.
But I loved my time here. I loved, Of that
(22:47):
group we had with Shan, Daniel Johnson, Stevie Wade, creaky
jibo like, we had some really great guys and some
really good basketball players. And we just even that first
year when we struggled, the connection we had and I
guess being in Adelaide, everyone lived five, ten minutes from
each other. It was really a great place and that's
why when I come back here, it didn't feel like a, um,
(23:09):
like a strange place to be in. Um, a lot
of things have changed a bit, but it's still very similar,
and there are a lot of the same people you
see around. And so, as you know, being from here,
once you kind of here and you and you have
those connections, it really is a great, enjoyable place to
be in. And we also know that that kind of
year we got rolling for me was the start of
Adelaide really finding some, some just following where people were
(23:33):
back like that grand final. We ran out in game
two against Perth. I felt like people were hanging from
the roof at Adelaide Arena. It was nuts and I
feel like from that point on it just generated and
has just kept getting better and better.
S2 (23:46):
We see that when you step onto the floor and
we talk about how important that veteran leadership is, what
you bring, and you can still break open a game
the way that we've known for 399 games. How's the
body feeling? How's the mental side of it all? Because
it just seems like you've got plenty left in the tank.
S1 (24:01):
Still no. Pretty good, to be honest. Um, sometimes I
try and tell myself I'm a bit older, but I don't.
There's days for sure. There's days you get older and you.
Just like today, let the young fellas go for it. But, um.
But no, I'm only 33. That's the thing. I think
some people probably hit this and they're a little bit older.
I'm only 33. Um, I still feel really good. I
(24:21):
don't I don't really miss days. Like, I train every day,
try to play every game. Um, so for me, I
still feel really good. There's definitely days where you are
a bit older than some of the 18, 19, 21
year olds running around, but there's also ways which you
can still have an effect on practice without being on
the floor the full time or just getting in and out.
So I've just started to learn. Sometimes it's about being
(24:42):
work smarter, not harder. Um, But body still feels good.
And mentally I just. Yeah. This year, especially under Mike,
I've really enjoyed his leadership and kind of having a role.
I feel like I haven't had a distinct role for
a period of time.
S2 (24:59):
We will touch on the Sixers this season because it's
a whole lot of fun. I was there last Friday
against the Sydney Kings. You talk about the support from
the club, the fans and everything. It is a fun
place to be at right now. And you talk about
having a role in Mike Wells. There's there's a lot
of positivity that's flowing out of the Adelaide 30 Sixers,
and it seems to just be again taking over the
(25:19):
city like the time when you were here last time.
S1 (25:22):
Yeah, it's got a bit of that feel to it.
Um it's just a bigger bigger than it was then.
Like it's it's been enhanced as I said. But I
just even that game on Friday and our home games
really show it that playing at the entertainment centre just
has a vibrant, bright feel and you just the crowd.
It's a bit of a different crowd to what it
(25:43):
was when I was here. First it's different. I feel
I feel like there's more families and it's a different feel. But.
But the want. You can just feel the want for
something special to happen from from outside and, and the
group as well has that feeling. Um, we have a
long way to go. We've got a great we've got
a lot of personalities in a different mix of things.
But if we can keep slowly figuring that out as
(26:04):
we go through this season, I just believe we can
get to a place where we can really be tough
to beat. But as, as as, you know, there's a
lot that goes into that. But there is a feeling
for me and just I get it at home games
when I sit there, especially when games start and you
kind of sit there and let it all soak in.
And I always love just watching the start of games
before when, when the guys walk out and you just
(26:25):
kind of get that feel for the for the, the
game and the crowd, and Adelaide's got a bit of
that buzz about it now and it's definitely something you
can sense and feel just sitting there.
S2 (26:35):
Yeah, the entertainment centre was great and it was your
first in because I obviously around the Clipsal Powerhouse days when,
as you were leaving and me growing up, you used
to get chocolate milks and iced coffees, and they stopped
doing that a couple years after that. But I don't
know whether they give anything out after the games we
need to get, but that was the iconic times of Adelaide.
S1 (26:52):
I remember well, yeah, we had that fridge stocked and
it gets stocked every Tuesday and used to be chocolate milks,
iced coffees, whatever you wanted. It was, uh, yeah, that
fridge no longer exists. It was there. It was here
all that time ago. But I don't know, maybe someone
took it.
S2 (27:06):
Maybe I'll, uh. Maybe I'll make a call and we'll
get it back. Uh, I do want to hit you
with a couple of little fast questions here before. Before
we wrap this up, because I don't want to give
you time to think. You are a phenomenal storyteller. And
you've learned so much throughout your time. So whatever the
first names that kind of pop to your head or
the first reasons. But over 399 games, who's been your
toughest opponent?
S1 (27:30):
I used to always say Casper Ware, just because he
he was elite at both ends. Um, so I always
said Casper was tough. I mean, you could throw a
host of names, but you said quick answers. Casper comes
to mind really quickly.
S2 (27:43):
No good answer. I can also attest to that. Uh,
that was the biggest pain of going in practice, especially.
And then when he changed clubs. What about the, uh,
the best teammate basketball wise?
S1 (27:53):
No. See, this is loaded.
S2 (27:56):
There's too many.
S1 (27:57):
Um, I go back, uh, Adam Gibson and Anthony Petrie
for sure. Um, from everything basketball wise, they used to
cover multiple people. Like they were those guys that could
make do your job whilst they're doing their job. Um,
Brad Newley was big for me my whole career, but
getting to play with Brad in Sydney was really cool
for me. And then I always there's a whole heap
(28:19):
of others, so I'm going to miss a heap of
people that I could say. But Kev Lish is one
that stands out. Kev was like Casper, like you could
say Kev to just every day was like a grind
with Kev. I did make him kick a ball once,
and I'm so happy that he did that as the
first time I seen him show an emotion. And then
he apologized to me later because that's the kind of
guy he is. But Kev Lish was, man, When you
(28:43):
speak around people who could get it done on both
ends of the floor and make big shots. And yeah,
he's got to be up there with one of those
guys in all of the NBA for a team of
just guys who can really get you done.
S2 (28:55):
Oh, I love I love the one. I think that
around that time we need to also as a league
continue to to hype those guys up. I'm the Kirk
Penney era is around that time as well. Um, especially
what's your favorite NBL highlight over the last 399 games?
S1 (29:11):
Oh, there's been I obviously haven't won a championship. It's
the one place I haven't yet.
S2 (29:16):
Not yet, not yet.
S1 (29:18):
There's still time, but I I'd honestly just I can
never pick one. Like obviously the grand final series in
Adelaide when it was just the league was starting to
get pick up some some momentum again. But I've had
such great experiences wherever I've played, like the Gold Coast,
Adelaide to Sydney, to Brisbane to back to Adelaide, like
every there's been some crap in between, believe me. But
(29:40):
but even through those times, just some of the of
the personnel or some of the things that have gone
on in that time. I've had such a great journey
and it's why I wouldn't change anything for the world. Like,
believe me, I wish I was in some situations where
it was just like roll in train and that was
all you had to worry about and we were winning.
I wish I was, but but I also wouldn't change
it because I feel like it's made me such a
(30:00):
better person. And if I carry on in basketball, which
it'd probably be hard not to over time. I just
feel like I'll be so much better for the journey
I've been on.
S2 (30:09):
Is there is there some sort of coaching plan in
the future or something around basketball, you think?
S1 (30:14):
Yeah, I've started to see it more in the last
few years. I mean, Mike Wells rolled in in three weeks,
and he told me that there's three players he's been
around that have been head coaches, and I forget the
first one, but the second one was Mike Conley and
the third one was me.
S2 (30:26):
So that's that's a pretty good list.
S1 (30:28):
I know he picked me pretty quick. Um, yeah, it's
hard to say. It's not part of my DNA a
little bit. Um, I just feel like I understand the
game really well, and I'm one of those people that
can really actually speak it and help others. Um, some
know it really well, but can't speak it. Some can
speak it, but they don't really know it. I feel
like I find that blend. I'd have to find out
(30:50):
how well I got given a spray. That's not really
in my nature, but I'm sure I could find a way.
S2 (30:55):
I'm going to. I'm putting you on the spot here
for your last one, Jace. And again, when this. Normally
people grab these little clips and it'll go on socials.
They asked JJ Redick this before he became the Lakers coach.
So you can answer this for me. But you're trying
to win a championship this year with you got to
give me five players. You can be the sixth man
if you want, but I want five guys who are
going to win a championship. If your teammates throughout your
(31:17):
career at their prime weight.
S1 (31:21):
So you want five. So I've got to pick a
starting five.
S2 (31:24):
In their prime. Who would win a championship?
S1 (31:28):
Um, I pick Adam Gibson, Kev Lish. Geez, I played
with some good players.
S2 (31:37):
The first two of them.
S1 (31:40):
Ah, I would pick Julian kazoo as the five.
S2 (31:45):
Wow. Yes.
S1 (31:48):
I would pick. I'm gonna have to look after my
boy here. I have I'll pick peach at the four
and Josh Childress at the three.
S2 (31:57):
Look at that. That's, uh, you went with, uh, four
locals there, too, and you played with some very good imports.
I appreciate.
S1 (32:03):
It's hard. There's a lot of guys. There's a lot
of people in my head that I could have thrown
in there, even people I play with now. But I
think that five defensively and offensively would be hard to stop.
S2 (32:12):
No, I think so too. And then, uh, you can
throw in there in six. Man, it would have been
too easy for you to pick four. So I had
to give you the pick five. Jason, uh, thank you
so much for your time, man. Again, congratulations. It's going
to be an incredible milestone on Sunday. And, uh, 399
games and plenty left in the tank. So we appreciate
your time.
S1 (32:28):
Thanks. Always appreciate.
S2 (32:29):
It. Thank you, everybody, for listening. Jace will play his
400th game on Sunday, so make sure you jump in
and show some support for one of the NBA greats.
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