'He was very proud': Bailey Keech following in father's footsteps

Bailey, at just 18 years old, is one of the brightest young stars of the Thunderbolts' new senior team.

To those who know the Keech family, this is no surprise. Bailey's father, Chris, was a long-time player for the Thunderbolts, and passed his passion on to his son early in life.

"I was always around the sport of basketball since Dad played a fair bit," Bailey said.

"I've been playing rep basketball for Tamworth since I was around 12, and I've always had a love for the sport."

The youngster has taken after his father in more ways than just the sport in which they participate. Like Chris, Bailey is a point guard, and the pair often talk about tactics and the technical side of the game.

"He gives me some old tips and tricks from the old school days," Bailey said.

"We definitely talk about it and what he used to do that helped him. He said we've both got similar styles of play. I don't remember watching him play, because I was too young ... but he's told me some stuff that helps, and it's gotten me here today."

But the piece of advice that has stuck most in Bailey's mind is one of the simplest his father has given.

"He always got up me for only using my left hand," he said.

"All I remember is 'Always use two hands, practice with your other hand'."

Basketball is a fundamental part of the relationship between Bailey and his father, and so it was a "very proud" moment for Chris to see his son walk on to the court at the Tamworth Sports Dome as part of the Thunderbolts' first senior team since 2019.

"It happened after a long break because of COVID. It was meant to happen much sooner, but it finally happened," Bailey said.

And since the season began, Bailey has shone. After his superb display on Saturday night, in which he scored 21 points against the Springwood Scorchers, he is the leading point-scorer for the Thunderbolts with 94 from seven games.

Having finished Year 12 last year, Bailey is currently working for Blue Dog Fences. He is content with his present situation, as it allows him the freedom to focus on his basketball.

The dream is to play professionally, and Bailey believes that now is the best time to pursue that goal, while he is young and unencumbered by study or family.

"One of the goals at the moment is trying to push myself as far as I can at basketball," he said.

"Hopefully this season I'll give that a push, and see what I can really do against higher competition. This year is kind of a gap year, I wasn't a fan of school too much. So at the moment it's just basketball and hopefully I can do as much as I can with that."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: