Haywood's roller coaster chapter with Thunder coming to an end

 Story by Emily Clooney   The Advocate

Nick Haywood reflects on his three seasons at helm of the Thunder

It would be easy to say that the 2021 was the season that got away for the North West Thunder but Nick Haywood is not one to look in the past, and he is certainly not one who wonders 'what if'.  After three seasons in charge of the Coastal NBL1 South team, Haywood has decided to embark on his next chapter - moving to Vietnam with his family to teach.  "[It] was the year that we had a bunch of really good leaders and we were pretty much local, and we were making a lot of noise in the whole country, " Haywood said of the shortened season where they were top-of-the-table.  I do [sometimes think about what we could have done], but I'm also a big believer of no what ifs.   I've preached that to these guys and my own kids, there is no point saying what if, you just have to give it everything you've got and it will take care of itself." 

While Haywood was content with his decision to move, saying goodbye to the Thunder players and support staff had stirred up some emotions.  "Dealing with these guys over the last couple of weeks has been a bit emotional, to be honest, because it is such a huge part of my life," he said.  "Hanging out with Sam [Armstrong] has been good. He and I have played together for so long and I was his assistant, and now it's vice-versa. We've been in each other's pockets for lots of years.  It has been tough but also great to reflect on some stuff."
In Haywood's time as coach, the Thunder have "flirted with being good" and have had patches of brilliance but have struggled to string consistent games together.  Despite their on-court inconsistencies, there has been reason to celebrate with six home-grown players taking their talents to the international stage. 
Haywood was proud that the program had help to launch the likes of Taran Armstrong and Kye Savage, however, felt that he had somewhat let the club down.  "The kids going away, that was something that I was always really proud of to play a small part in that. And that is something that I reflect on positively," he said.  "I can't just be happy that they have futures when our team hasn't been successful because Ben [Woolley], Joe [Chilcott] and Paul Campbell have been in the mix for so long but we still haven't made play-offs.  I do feel like I haven't achieved really; we end up with seven or eight wins this year and it isn't really that good. I'm not shying away from that - there's some stuff that happened this season and it was quite hard because we didn't get the culture bit right."
Haywood ranked current imports Sekou Sylla and Viont'e Daniels as some of his favourite international recruits to work with, while there was one Coaster that stood out among the rest.  "I love working with Paul Campbell; he and I have become good friends though this time," he said.  "Regardless of how hard I am on him, we're always mates afterwards. 
While this particular chapter with the Thunder was closed, Haywood was eager to keep his options open in the future.  "I think it is good for the club and I think the club needs someone new right now," he said.  "I'm not sure when or how [my coaching future] looks but I think I will coach basketball again. Maybe with the Vietnamese national team, who knows.  I would definitely like to have a crack at Thunder again."
Haywood thanked chairman James Leslie for his support over the past two seasons, and his coaching staff including assistant Armstrong, physio Cade Triffitt, and manager Angela Savage.  Eager to watch the program succeed in its next iteration, Haywood promised that he would be court side when success comes for the Thunder.  "Whoever coaches, I'm sure they will recruit well and I suppose I want to see it being a winning program because I feel that the kids will always have a pathway," he said.  "That was my goal and like I said, I failed at that but I think the club has great potential. The organisation is great, the people around it are great and we get the best crowds in the southern conference.  So I think we deserve to make play-offs and have a home final here, and I'll fly home to watch it and cheer the boys on."