Weingarten to embrace long-awaited return down under

Featured image: Mark Filpo (@codexdesignstudio)

Steve Weingarten started his career after college in the SBL and returns to the NBL1 West arriving with his wife and their two young children determined to make the most of it and to do what he can to help the East Perth Eagles win.

Coming off his college career at La Salle University, Weingarten started his post-college career with the Goldfields Giants in 2013 and he starred across that nine-game stint and always wanted to come back to Australia, and especially Western Australia, again.

However, life has taken him plenty of other places since including playing back home in the G League and internationally including in China, but he also went and played a whole new sport for a while too with some American football.

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Then once back on the basketball floor, returning to Australia was his ultimate goal. After a couple of near misses including one by Covid, he is now back and again after a false start before the season started and prior to wife Lauren giving birth to their second child, they've now made it.

It might now be called the NBL1 West, but Weingarten is returning to the same competition he first played out of college and aged 37, he never knows when his last stop might be.

So to be back playing where it all started for him as a professional means it's somewhat of a homecoming as he joins the Eagles for the rest of this NBL1 West season.

"I played my first year in Australia and then played in the G League, played in China and played professional football, but I just still have it in me to play," Weingarten said.

"I still have that desire in me after these years that have gone by that is really strong, and the one thing I love when you're on a team that plays together that has each other's back, there's just nothing like that.

"I just enjoy that and I enjoy competing, and you don't get to play forever so I just really appreciate the opportunity to do so here with this team.

"I don’t know how many years I have left or whatever so I just appreciate this chance and want to make the most of it, and do whatever I can to help my team win."

Whirlwind trip to make debut

Last week was quite the whirlwind for Weingarten with he along with wife Lauren and their two young children leaving the United States on Thursday, arriving in Perth on Friday afternoon and then heading to Arena Joondalup just a couple of hours later.

Suddenly he was out on a court he had never played on before with the Joondalup Basketball Stadium the Wolves played at back in 2013 having since been demolished.

He got on the court for 1:22 too and even scored under the basket and was just thankful to be back out there in a country he's spent 13 years waiting to get back to.

"It was a very long flight and it was over 30 hours with the route we took, and we got here in the afternoon and the game was that night, but to be honest I was just so eager to play and I knew I could sleep after the game," Weingarten said.

"I know a lot of guys talk about jet lag and stuff, but I was just ready to go and was glad that we got the win. It was great to get on the floor for a minute or two and I didn’t know a single, I didn’t know any set but Carl decided to put me in and it was good to be out there."

Doing it with a newborn son

While naturally Weingarten and his wife were nervous about how their two young children would handle the flight out to Australia, especially a six-week old son, they needn't have worried.

As it turns out he slept the whole 30 hours and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter was just fine, but it was the two adults who had the tougher time.

"I think it was easier for him and my daughter than it was for my wife and I," Weingarten said.

"To be honest we were very surprised with how little legroom there was on their international flights and when I flew overseas to play before I think I got a little bit better seating situation.

"We were looking at each during the flight and couldn’t believe how tight those airlines have gotten in their seating and it wasn’t that much fun when you're 6'8 so it was tough, but I'm glad we got it done, that we're here and won't have to do it again for a while."

How coming to Eagles happened

Having just turned 37 years of age and with his and wife Lauren's second child on the way, when a chance opened up for Weingarten to return to Western Australia and play with the Eagles he couldn’t hold back how keen he was.

The family of three wanted to get out to Perth where Lauren was happy and willing to give birth to their now newborn son in Perth. But they missed the cut off for when she was allowed to fly which delayed the process.

So rather than settling before the NBL1 West season started, Weingarten and family had to wait until the now four of them were all able to make the long flight.

He couldn't be happier that it's all panned out and they are here now.

"Me and Carl had some conversations and I told him that I just want to do anything it takes to help the team win," Weingarten said.

"I'm fine with any role that I would have at this point in my career especially and I just wanted to be on a team that cares about winning.

"So he offered me the contract maybe six or eight weeks ago but the problem was we got caught up on our visa situation because my wife had to take some special test to be approved to come into Australia while pregnant.

"So that caused some delays and she ended up passing the no-fly date which was 36 weeks and we had moved out of our apartment, and we'd put everything into storage because we thought we were going to Australia.

"Then it was very disappointing we missed that cut off and luckily enough I had some family about 45 minutes who had a house we could stay in for a little while so we did that.

"Then as soon as I felt like the baby doing well and my wife was doing well, and everybody was settled, I told Carl about it and we made it happen again, and here I am."

Wanting to come back after first stint

After finishing his college career at La Salle University, the first stop playing professionally for Weingarten was in the then SBL competition with the Giants in 2013.

He had a standout nine-game stint with Goldfields too with 26.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 50 per cent field goal shooting, and it's always been something he wanted to replicate.

There have been some close calls since with Weingarten to return to Australia and now it's finally happened with the Eagles after a fascinating ride in the 13 years in between.

Basketball wise, Weingarten has played throughout the G League and overseas further including in China. He also had a stint playing American football in between, but coming back to Australia play once more was always something he was desperate to tick off.

"That was my first season after college and I loved my team there, and I still am great friends with a lot of my teammates from that season and I still talk to them to this day," Weingarten said.

"I always wanted to come back to Australia and play because that first year was really good for me and it allowed me to be the main option on a team, and that set me up well for playing in the G League after that.

"I always wanted to come back and it was very unfortunate when Covid happened because I had got back into basketball after playing professional football, and had played in China in 2019 and everything looked really good and I had a situation lined up to play for another NBL1 team in Australia.

"Then Covid hit and obviously stopped that and that was very frustrating, but I always had it in my mind to go back and the place I most wanted to go back to was Perth. I'd seen Perth when I played in Kal and it's just an amazing place so I wanted to spend a lot more time there.

"There was another opportunity that kinda fell through the cracks a little bit later down the line with another team as well, but I'm very glad to be here and appreciative of the opportunity that Carl's given me to come to play for the team."

Chance to return to Kalgoorlie

A lot changes at a basketball club in 13 years but Weingarten has never forgotten the positive experience he had playing in Kalgoorlie for the Giants back in 2013.

There might be no players left from that team and only a handful of people he might recognise still involved, but he is still looking forward to a return there when the Eagles hit the road for the June 27 match up.

Even then, it won't even be a return to his old home floor with Weingarten getting the chance to check out the new stadium in Kalgoorlie too.

"I am looking forward to going back there because I had nothing but good times there before," Weingarten said.

"I don’t think there anyone left and there's certainly no players, I don’t know if there's anyone in the organisation left from when I was there, but I have some friends still out there.

"They might come to the game and it will be good to see them and I look forward to seeing that new stadium they have out there now too."