McKay wanted to be a Sixer for life

In a special three-part series, we sat down with Hall of Fame member Mike McKay to chat about basketball, life and his love for the Adelaide 36ers.

PART THREE: ONE CLUB REGRET

Adelaide 36ers Hall of Fame inductee Mike McKay said he would have loved to be a one club player and a 36er for life.

But after 10 years at the 36ers at the end of 1995, McKay was released and had to move his career to the Brisbane Bullets.

“I always said to my wife Lysa I wanted to be a one club player,” McKay said.

“So when things didn’t work out, people may have thought I was just going to retire.

“I wasn’t ready, I knew I had something to offer.

“The day after the news broke, I spoke to KG and Cornesy on the radio and I had Brisbane ring me, and I was signed the following day."

McKay played 290 of his 448 NBL games for the 36ers and he did say rival NBL clubs did try to recruit him before his move to the Bullets in 1996.

“We had some meetings with Brisbane before (1996) as well and I had some meetings with North Melbourne and I had some quite serious discussions early on with the Westside Saints,” McKay said.

“But then I thought, Adelaide is home, Adelaide always had treated me well and I always enjoyed playing here and being a 36er.

“So I think knocking those offers back, I wanted to be a one club player.

“But when I was released, the realisation I wasn’t going to be a one club player like Andrew Gaze, Brett Maher and Mark Davis, it just didn’t pan out that way.

READ PART TWO: FEELING INVINCIBLE HERE

McKay said his first visit back to the Powerhouse as Brisbane Bullet was tough.

“I was just coming back from blowing my knee out and it was one of my first games coming back,” McKay said.

“Pudd (Mark Davis), came straight up to me and said: ‘you’re not going to get anything’, and I was like ‘c’mon mate’ and he said ‘nup, I know what you’re like’, I’m going to lock you down.

“It was always tough playing against your old club and your old teammates.”

Along with the Bullets, McKay also had stints at Canberra Cannons and Wollongong Hawks, but just two years after he left Adelaide, the 36ers were holding up the championship trophy.

“You look at the success the club had and you’re not part of it after you’ve been such a big part of it from the start, it would have been nice, but it didn’t happen,” McKay said.

“I was watching it and applauding the guys that I kept in contact with.”

McKay did admit he was nearly a 36er again in the 1999/2000 season.

READ PART ONE: SPECIAL HONOUR HERE

“When I was released from Wollongong in 1999, we came back home and I spoke to Phil (Smyth), Steve (Breheny) and Scotty (Ninnis) at the time and asked if I could just come out and train,” Mckay said.

“I was thinking of going to play in Europe, so I was training with the guys for the whole pre-season.

“Europe didn’t happen, so I kept on training, and I thought ‘maybe this might happen’, but Phil had his roster set.

“It would have been a bit of fairytale coming back after a few years.”

WHY THE NO.10?
Originally I was no.5, I wanted no.10 but Carl Luke had it and when wasn’t in the group I said I wanted the no.10.

And then I stayed ever since, but there is no real reason I wanted the no.10, maybe my house number was no.10.

But I did wear no.5 at the Olympics because someone called Gaze had no.10.

 

BEST TEAMMATE
I  have had so many great teammates. Who can say they have learnt and played with Al Green, Leroy Loggins, the great Ken Richardson, beaten up by Brad Dalton, Peter Ali, Ray Wood, it was a fair initiation.

Then you throw in Mark Davis, Bill Jones, Dwayne Nelson, it’s a really tough one.

Phil Smyth when he played for us, a young Brett Maher who came in and tried to steal my minutes.

But I think someone who I really enjoyed playing with, I wasn’t the main reason why he came here but I played my part and we are still great mates today, and that’s Robert Rose.

 

TOUGHEST OPPONENT
I would have to say as an Australian it’s Andrew Gaze, he just kept on moving.

If you slept for just a micro minute, he would be scoring the ball on you, even if it was just a shuffle cut.

But actually, my teammates were the toughest, because some of our training sessions were really hard, especially in 1986.

I could be guarding Al (Green), then Darryl (Pearce), next could be (Peter) Ali, then Davis, I got beaten up.

We pushed each other every single day.

 

BEST 36ERS MOMENT
A majority of my time with the club was very enjoyable, I loved almost every minute.

I loved the guys, loved the club, but nothing will go past that 1986 title, just how close it was to a perfect season.