Inspired return means everything to Buccs' Liam Hunt

He is already a Geraldton Buccaneers championship winning hero for what he did in 2019, but for so many reasons getting back to the Grand Final in 2022 means so much more to Liam Hunt less than two years after being told he could never play basketball again.

Hunt got to begin living out his dream of following his father Dan's footsteps by playing with the Buccs back in 2018 on the back of attending college at High Point University, and by 2019 he cemented his own legacy with the Geraldton club.

Dan played 382 games with the Buccaneers and was a key part of their inaugural championship in 2000 before Liam then stepped up to help lead the charge to the club's second title in 2019 where he was named Grand Final MVP.

He was on top of the world with professional prospects and getting to play at the club he dreamt of playing for growing up and to carry on his family's legacy. Then tragedy struck in 2020 with a devastating leg injury suffered in a West Coast Classic game in Rockingham.

The result was damage to his lower leg and right knee that more closely resembled something a car crash victim would suffer than a basketball player, and months later Hunt was told that at 26 years of age his basketball career was over.

That was tough to deal with, but if there is any trait the entire Hunt family has always shown it's that dogged fighting attitude to never give up and he was going to leave no stone unturned to make it back.

He was given a glimmer of hope last year that despite the multiple surgeries and the potential that he might never even be able to run again that it might not all be lost to return to the court.

Once he had been given that glimmer and he had his passion for basketball reignited, well it would have been quite the brave soul to bet against Hunt making a return.

And what a comeback it has been in 2022. He will never be the same physically on that right leg and it's quite the arduous process he has to go through just to tape it up to keep his foot in place on game night, but it's all been more than worth it.

Hunt was there to make his return to start the 2022 NBL1 West season on the road to the South West Slammers and then the next day he offered a glimpse of what he can still do with 14 points and four rebounds against the Mandurah Magic.

He has gone on to play all but one game this season for the Buccaneers and his minutes on the floor and numbers might not be quite where they were in 2019, but who cares. 

His inspiration by making it back is enormous and the passion and heart he plays with is enormous, and he gives his absolute all out on the court. 

That was again evident on Sunday as the Buccs went on to beat the Joondalup Wolves in the preliminary final to qualify for this Saturday night's Grand Final against the Rockingham Flames. 

When Hunt took a charge late in the game, he let out all that pent up energy to celebrate down the floor with the Geraldton faithful. It was in that moment where he felt the pure joy to know that everything he's gone through to get back has well and truly been worth it.

"To put it into a word, it had to be just joy. It was as simple as that, it was just a joyful moment just to be able to hear the crowd react that way to me and the team," Hunt said.

"To react the way they did when we were up by 25 points and to still be that passionate and that into the game, and that appreciative of what we do as a team on the defensive end and the offensive end, and for them to appreciate it in that moment. 

"I can still remember when Mathiang and Cam kicked it to each other a few times, and Cam ended up hitting a three and it reminded me of a bit of Ray Evans and Greg Brown. It was just amazing and I think everybody in the building really appreciated that moment and it was awesome knowing we made it to another Grand Final. 

"We know how tough it is to win one and we've only had two in the last 30 years so we understand how special an opportunity this is especially for myself, Mat, Ralphy, Carter and the guys who have been around for a while. We really appreciate this opportunity and joy would be the word to sum up how I was feeling in that moment."

Geraldton hadn’t won a championship since 2000 when Hunt was part of the team in 2019 that ended the drought. He delivered 24 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks on Grand Final night against Joondalup to claim the Grand Final MVP.

For so many reasons, that was a remarkable night for Hunt, the Buccs as a whole and for his family, but he can't sugar coat it. For everything he has been through over the last two years, to get back to the Grand Final this Saturday night trumps anything he's been part of previously.

Hunt was forced to accept the fact that he would never play again while in his mid-20s. But to now be playing such a key role on a team heading into another Grand Final, Hunt just can't hide what it means to him.

"I'd like to shake around give you a political answer, but this does mean that much more just to be there and to have that moment again," Hunt said. 

"Just to have that moment and to get to experience the nerves before the games, and all the joy that it's bringing to people is what has kept me going to a point where I can play this game again, and help out the boys as much as I can. 

"Even if it's just for 10 minutes, I feel like I can do a lot in the game and to help motivate the boys and bring them together. I feel like that's what we've done and we've fed off each other's energy. I'm not going to lie, it does mean a lot to me to get back there. 

"If we have the upper hand when the zeros pop up, I'll be shattered and on the ground crying. It would give that whole journey a big exclamation point, but at the same point it's going to be a cracking game and that's what everyone deserves to see. 

"It's a sell out already and that's just wild to me and I can't wait to be part of it. I'd like to bandy around and say it doesn’t matter a lot more to me, but it really does mean a bloody ton. I know it means a lot to Rockingham too, though, and that's why it is shaping up to be an absolute classic."

Coming off that championship year in 2019, Hunt's basketball career was reaching its pinnacle. He was committed to return to the Buccs in 2020 before COVID took over the world, but he was right in line to receive professional offers around the world too just like younger brother Jesse.

That horror injury during the West Coast Classic changed everything, though, and it's still not easy for Hunt to reflect back on the initial months dealing with the pain and surgeries, and then the news that there was no way he'd ever get back on the basketball court.

"It's a long journey to get back to here, it really has been, and it's one I would never wish on my worst enemy. It's taken a lot of support to get to where I am and mentally was probably the hardest challenge," he said. 

"In December 2020 I was told I could never play again and it crushed me, it really did. I just had these two days where I was just so upset that I was 26 and that was it. It had me thinking of other guys who had to retire early and how bad I felt for them and I thought about Jeremy Morgan who passed away at 27 and his dream was to play for the Buccs. 

"That led me to think how lucky I was to even be alive. There was a point where I could have died in that same accident if I punctured an artery and my leg could have come off, and I suffocated. It was just such a weird feeling to go from never being able to play again to still being able to work hard, and having everybody pushing me to keep going. 

"Everyone believed in me and I got into coaching, and fell in love with a group of 12 amazing athletes that we won with at Country Week. I got that feeling that I could do it again and everybody kept motivating me, and everything I was doing was motivational. That's been my last two years."

However, Hunt was not about to give up on his dream of returning if there was even a glimmer of a possibility and no matter what it meant in terms of the player and athlete he would be compared with what he was before the injury.

Once there was that glimmer, Hunt did all he could to find a way to make it back and he received plenty of help and support along the way, and everything he's experienced now in 2022 upon his return has made it all worthwhile.

"I went down to Perth and saw a highly recommended physio, Peter D’Alessandro, and just flat out asked him if he thought I could play again," Hunt said. 

"He told me to give it three to six months and then give it a go and after that I just couldn’t stop crying I was that happy. To have dad in the room with me when I heard that was just amazing and then it got to the point when I could play. When it got to that point, everyone was just nervous to be honest for me and that included myself. 

"We played against Bunbury and I only played about five minutes, but boy I was nervous, and then the next day I played damn near 30. That's how this season has gone where I've played as much as the team has needed me, but over the last few months I've got this major confidence back to feel like I can actually play again. 

"Instead of nerves, it's just exciting to be playing and that's been my journey over the last couple of years. There has been a lot of support and a lot of ups and downs, but you have to take those wins when you get them and if we win this weekend, that's the big one."

He might prefer if they don't read this just so their heads can still fit through the locker room doors on Saturday night at Bendat Basketball Centre, but another big factor in Hunt's motivation to make it back was to keep playing alongside Mat Wundenberg and Aaron Ralph.

The trio were part of the championship team in 2019 at the Buccs and Hunt can't hide the admiration and love he has for two Geraldton legends.

It's been tough for him to not be able to play alongside 410-gamer Ralph as he recovers from a knee reconstruction in 2022 but looks forward to his return in 2023 and couldn’t ask for a better leader and captain than Wundenberg who continues to lead in strong fashion 473 matches into his career.

"I've been really lucky to have a good personal relationship with those guys as well. To be quite frank, if they weren’t around at the club I don’t know if I would have wanted to come back as bad as I did," Hunt said. 

"They were a huge reason behind my motivation and I've never really told them that, I don’t want them to get a big head, but they were a big reason why I kept getting it out even when there were some real tough days. 

"They are a big reason for why I kept pushing and to see Ralphy go down with his ACL last year was so hard because it's been hard missing this whole season with him. We play really well together but to see him get this motivation to come back and he's looking in great shape right now, and he's played a huge role for us this year just part of the coaching staff. 

"Then you just can't say a bad word about Mat. He's just a tremendous leader, he loves the town, he loves the club and he won't say one thing about himself, he's all about the team and the club. 

"Everything is about us and he's just the perfect guy that you want leading the club. I'm so glad he's still our captain and that he is still playing. He looks as fit as he ever has too, he looks as fit as a fiddle and that's a credit to him. 

"I know the day will come where they won't be there and that will be a tough day, but they've already cemented their legacy with one championship so they will be remembered at the Buccs forever no matter what happens on Saturday night."

Above everything else, though, it's being able to represent the city of Geraldton out on the basketball court in the NBL1 West competition that is the ultimate inspiration for Hunt.

Having spent a lot of his childhood growing up in the town, watching his dad become a legend and his mother Helen be such a big part of the club off the court, playing for the Buccs was something he dreamed of whether he was in Geraldton or California.

To then see what the championship of 2019 meant to the whole town is something he will never forget, but there's something even more special about what he and the team are experiencing in 2022.

"Just being part of a town of 30,000 and seeing everybody embrace us over a silly little game is just incredible. Just to bring such joy and pride to the town has just been amazing and everyone I talk to is super thrilled for us," he said. 

"It's a real thrill for us and it's just amazing the support we receive. I am teaching at Champion Bay Senior High School here in Geraldton and 50 of my students were at the game on Sunday with their parents. 

"Just having the support of a public school in a tough town just shows how amazing it is and making it again to a Grand Final is special, and for some reason this one feels even more amazing. The group is really pumped and confident at the moment with how we're playing, and hopefully we can keep playing the way we are which is tough, gritty basketball."

While the entire journey for Hunt and the Buccaneers to get to the Grand Final has been remarkable, he's under no illusion at the challenge that awaits on Saturday night at Bendat Basketball Centre.

The Buccs take on a Rockingham Flames team featuring the MVP Devondrick Walker, multiple NBL championship winners Tom Jervis and Greg Hire, the supremely talented Marshall Nelson and then the experience of Ryan Godfrey, and talents of Justin Beard, Travis Durnin and Callum Beard.

Hunt is fully aware of how tough they will be to beat, but he wouldn’t want it any other way.

"It's a big challenge and it can't be underestimated that it's still just about a five-hour trip from Gero to Perth," Hunt said. 

"I'm pretty sure we'll be coming down on Friday like we did back in 2019 so we can get there, relax and have some dinner, and have a Shootaround at Perry Lakes on the Saturday morning. Bringing that form to Perth is interesting because the form we are playing with right now is just a dog attitude where we're not taking any crap. 

"Every time someone is physical with us we're not backing down and it's just amazing, we go about nine deep who are playing the game really well and it's more about who will make that big play when it matters. 

"Who will be the one that's ready to go from the jump and ready to go for the entire game whether it's 40 minutes or even 60. This game is just going to be a classic, you can just feel it. 

"Rockingham and Gero are two dero towns and two towns that might not have the best reputations, but we're both proud of where we are from and we're both playing really good, hard basketball. It's just going to be an absolute classic, I've got no doubt about it, and that's how it should be. It should be Rocko versus Gero and it's just going to be a wicked game."