The Rise and Fall of the West Sydney Razorbacks with Mark Watkins

Former Razorbacks coach Mark Watkins joins the podcast to reflect on the team's journey from expansion squad to Grand Final contenders before financial struggles led to their downfall.

A key figure from the club’s inception in 1998, Watkins shares insights on recruiting NBL stars like Simon Dwight and John Rillie, the Razorbacks' 2002 and 2004 Grand Final runs, and the challenges of coaching on a budget.

He also discusses the departures of key players, the franchise’s collapse, and the lessons he’s carried into his coaching career today.

Topics include:

• Building the Kilsyth Basketball program and the differences between coaching men and women (2:00)
• The early days of the Razorbacks – How the team was built from scratch (10:30)
• The first NBL season and how the club improved in Year Two (17:30, 29:00)
• Losing and gaining Sam MacKinnon in the same season (35:00)
• The 2002 Grand Final run against Adelaide (43:00)
• Moving on from foundation stars Derek Rucker and Bruce Bolden (57:00)
• Another shot at a title in 2004 and the Grand Final series against Sydney (102:00)
• Watkins takes over as head coach in 2004 – the challenges of replacing Gordie McLeod (105:00)
• Financial struggles begin to cripple the club – The impact on recruiting and roster decisions (108:00)
• Steve Markovic refuses to play and leaves for Europe (113:30)
• Building a team on a budget while trying to stay competitive (1:19:00)
• Watkins is axed mid-season in 2006 and replaced by Cal Bruton (123:00)
• The final season for the Razorbacks and the franchise’s eventual collapse (127:00)
• Lessons learned from the Razorbacks that Watkins now applies to Kilsyth Basketball (1: