Title threat: Waverley Falcons guard Sedale Threatt Jr believes his side has enough firepower to win another Big V state championship men's title this season. Picture: Gary Sissons
- Waverley Falcons men's team fixture 2013
IF nothing else, Waverley Falcons guard Sedale Threatt Jr wants to make it clear his side is ready to mount a new challenge for the Big V state championship men's basketball title this season.
The Falcons won championships in 2010 and 2011 but fell short last season.
With new coach Andrew Sherwell and some exciting additions in Karl Beston (Eltham) along with Matt Bongetti and Chris Arkell (Diamond Valley), Threatt said the Falcons would once again challenge for the title.
"I think the team is looking really, really good. We have new players in, a new coach as well and we have won both our preseason games," he said.
"The new players we have brought in have some skill packages we missed last year. They can all shoot from behind the [three-point] arc, so it opens the key up more for guys like Ivan Platenik and me.
"Last season teams were packing the paint on us. Now we can keep those defences honest."
The core of the past Falcons side — Threatt, Platenik, Tom Boyle, Simon Blennerhassett and Marc Goodwin — have all returned and with a greater focus on defence and team chemistry.
Threatt said he couldn't wait to get out on court for the new season.
"We brought in some high-profile guys last year and we had some chemistry problems.
"This season we still have the core of our side there while the new guys have put new life into the team.
"But for this group, if we don't win it then the season is not a success for us."
While Threatt retains his American accent, he has lived the past eight years in Australia and is a permanent resident.
He hopes to take his citizenship test in the near future and complete his move, although with a wife and children based in Melbourne, he has considered himself an Aussie for several years.
"I came out here a year after my dad [former NBA player Sedale Threatt] moved here, " Threatt Jr said.
"I had just finished university and was just coming out here for a holiday and to check it all out.
"But I have been playing and living here ever since.
"I have a wife and two kids here, so I'm not going anywhere."
Some people would question if players like Threatt, who have won multiple championships, would still have the fire to win the Big V title.
Threatt said there was no doubt his side wanted to add to its trophy collection.
"We want to win; it's something you either have or you don't.
"There is no sitting in the middle. Most of the guys in this team are extremely competitive. We've got that fire, especially with some of the things said by other teams."
Off the court, Threatt is part of the Australian Basketball College Academy, which helps young players find places in the US college basketball system.
The group also runs clinics and other basketball programs.