Sue’s team effort

Andrew Mathieson
AMERICAN Bobby Locke rolled into town little more than 24 hours before putting on a show for the Geelong basketball faithful.
Standing five-foot nothing – actually, 173 centimetres – and still jetlagged, the new Supercat scored an NBL record 50 points on debut and a memorable slam dunk the likes of which the humble Arena had never seen.
Sue Wright was hooked, right there from then on.
“I started to go to the games when Bobby Locke was first involved,” she admits.
“It was when he did that massive dunk.
“He flew so high – it was phenomenal.”
The dunk unleashed a passion Sue had not felt since she dribbled up and down Albert Park courts when legendary Australian coach Lindsay Gaze had taken charge of Melbourne Tigers.
They were the days when the Tigers’ coach would scour airports for tall teachers flying in from the US who looked like they might play basketball, Sue recalls.
Since then the Supercats’ most loyal disciple has never missed a home game, dating back to 1990.
Sue always sits down in the same spot: right on half-court, back halfway but in view of the coaching staff.
“I do the statistics just for the team because the official stats don’t get done in time for (coach) Mark Leader to use at half-time,” Sue mentions, “so (assistant coach) Alan McKee always trots up and grabs the stats.”
It’s on the road where Sue stands out most among the myriad of anonymous away faces.
Until last year, the schoolteacher would pack up early most Fridays and head off to the bush.
Bendigo one week, Albury the next, Mt Gambier another.
“I’ve been to virtually all away games since 1996,” Sue says.
“We used to have busloads of supporters go to some away games – now it’s mainly carloads.”
Sue tells of a time when players’ wives and girlfriends would travel up with them on a Christian College school bus, which principal Darryl Riddle drove up and back in a day.
They used to call themselves the Red Army and their arrival would fill the box-size stadiums.
“The opposition teams hated us coming up,” Sue scoffs.
“Sometimes, depending on where it was, there could be 300 of us at an away game.
“We would make more noise than the opposition supporters.”
Sue remains the lifeblood of the club long after many players have come and gone.
She constantly cooked for them, even housed some of them.
Lots of the past imports still call her mum.
“When Clyde (Jordan) rings nowadays, he’s just like another kid to me,” Sue smiles.
“They’re all just part of the family.
“My kids grew up with them being around.”
Sometimes helping out has stretched the boundaries.
Geelong’s Jordan, the American who also dazzled on the court, was once quick to call Sue at work in a panic.
He refused to return home after a mouse crawled over his foot while he was watching TV.
“He jumped up onto the seat, waited until it disappeared, grabbed a blanket, a knife and just bolted,” Sue recalls in fits of laughter.
Another call came from import Rodney Walker late one night when the hot water went out because he didn’t know to light the gas.
Sure enough, Sue saved the day.
The Connewarre woman now keeps her activities closer to home court, coordinating volunteer record vendors, ticket collectors, ushers and floor wipers on game nights.
Her role extends to hours making merchandising badges and collecting newspaper clippings for the club’s yearbook.
“I really don’t have the time do anything more, though,” she laments.