Buccs head coach Dayle Joseph wins third straight coach of the year at NBL1 West awards

Geraldton Buccaneers head coach Dayle Joseph has taken out his third straight coach of the year award at the NBL1 West awards night.

Joseph led the Buccs to their most impressive finish over the third year stretch with a 20-2 record, taking out the minor premiership.

It is the third straight season the Buccs finished in the top two on the NBL1 West ladder, finishing second last year with a 17-5 record and first in 2022 with a 19-3 record.

This regular season came as one of the more challenging for Joseph and the squad in recent years, dealing with injuries all season.

The biggest blow came early when emerging star and grand final MVP Johny Narkle was sidelined for 12 games after their win against Lakeside Lightning.

Import Josh Braun also dealt with injuries and young star Bob Griechen was in and out of the line-up throughout the year.

Despite the adversities, Joseph and the Buccaneers ended 2024 with their best record since the 2001 season when they finished second on the ladder with a win/loss record of 24-2.

Along with Joseph taking the top gong award, other Buccaneers were recognised in the league’s night of nights.

Buccs faithful and team physiotherapist Brendon Jones was named as the league’s volunteer of the year.

Jones has been the Buccs’ physio for 25 years and his service was recognised as one of the league’s top contributors.

Interstate recruit Nik DeSantis capped off a nice first year with the Buccaneers by being named to the NBL1 West all second team.

DeSantis carried a large portion of the scoring load in Narkle’s absence, finishing with 19.9 points, 5.5 assists and four rebounds per game, while shooting 53 per cent from the field.

Narkle has emerged as not only one of the league’s best scorers but also lockdown on the other end, being named into the league’s all-defensive team.

Meanwhile Griechen was one of the five emerging players named in the all-youth team.