Mindset change on the cards as Giants slip further out of finals contention

Goldfields Giants’ men’s head coach Alastair Ishigami-Sims has challenged his players to remain professionally engaged across the remaining three games of the NBL1 West’s qualifying series after back-to-back road defeats last weekend effectively ended the squad’s play-offs hopes.

After the Giants lost to Lakeside Lightning and Eastern Suns, Ishigami-Sims lamented the 89-85 and 85-74 scorelines after he had viewed both as winnable games.

Instead, the Giants’ season record slipped to 5-13 that left them three games outside the top eight and put a dampener on former captain Jerome Reid’s 250th game milestone weekend.

“It’s disappointing the results went against us and now it’s about finding reasons to stay motivated, enjoying these last three games and that being professional is really at the forefront of everyone’s minds,” Ishigami-Sims said.

“We have a job to do, that includes two home games — and we really want to protect home-court (advantage), bring a good product to the local crowd, and show what we can still do, and what we can still make of the season.”

Ishigami-Sims conceded that the group had under-achieved in 2026.

“Early on, I think we struggled with personnel issues, with guys in and out of the line-up, and some injuries,” he said.

“And we had the (import) situation with Danny (Pippen) and Matt (MacLellan) that was frustrating to deal with throughout the season.

“‘Those were the main factors, along with Josh (Duach) coming in late from his season in Europe.

“As a whole, we definitely feel like we’ve under-achieved — there’s been various reasons why.

“But that’s not to take anything away from who we are, and where we should be.

“We felt like we should have won both games last weekend, and we didn’t put our best foot forward.”

Ishigami-Sims lauded Reid as just the fifth Giants player to reach the coveted 250-game milestone.

“It was special to be involved in that because he’s been a long-time servant of the club who came from Esperance as a young kid, and really paved the way for a lot of juniors in the area,” Ishigami-Sims said.

“It’s been remarkable service and I know a lot of the guys in the group, including myself, look up to him in that respect.

“And it’s hasn’t just been his durability — mentally he’s been consistent, and someone who has committed himself to the program for so many years now, and that’s testament to his character.”

Reid was talent-spotted on the south coast as an 18-year-old by former Giants player Dan O’Connor, prompting him to move to Kalgoorlie-Boulder for what he dubbed his “three-year plan”.

He was introduced to the sport by his father, who “played most of his life and taught me everything I knew about basketball”.

Reid debuted with the Giants in 2015, captained the team for five years, and his record includes 128 games in the old SBL before the team was elevated to the NBL1.

Men’s ladder:

Flames (15-3); Buccaneers (14-3); Wolves (14-5); Cougars (12-5); Suns (12-7); Tigers (11-7); Hawks (8-9); Eagles (8-10); Lightning (8-11); Redbacks (6-11); Magic (6-12); Giants (5-13); Senators (5-13); Slammers (2-17).