Bowen breaks down ‘the essence of winning culture’

10 Rounds into the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season, our form could not be much better than it has been.

13 wins is the most we have ever collected through the first 15 contests, and Kyle Bowen believes there’s no reason why this hot form has to end.

The Perth-born forward has been a stalwart of our lineup since returning to the league in NBL24, making 88 straight appearances, 60 of which have been victories, equal-most alongside his teammate Tanner Krebs.

Looking at why Bowen has been able to help drive success since coming to the club, he broke down the importance of depth, and how the coaching staff has worked to best weaponise our bench unit.

“I think Dean does a really good job of empowering our bench,” Bowen explained.

“The team has an expectation that there shouldn’t be any dip when we sub into the game. The bench’s role and responsibility is to elevate our energy, physicality and overall performance, and I think we take that responsibility and thrive.'

“You’ve seen Tanner’s impact and growth this season and how much relief he gives Chris. You can go through the entire bench and say the same thing, Fab inside the paint, Dash and Tommy with the guards.

“Our depth is the strength of our squad. We’ve seen deep teams have success at the pointy end of the season and we’re hoping to be a team that can call on anybody to contribute across a 40 minute game.”

While a lot of teams may have great depth of sheer basketball talent on their rosters, Bowen said the difference comes when the playing group celebrates each other in all moments of the game.

“I think that's the essence of winning culture,” he elaborated.

“Not only are we celebrating the little things that aren't necessarily like the big highlight plays, but it's also every single guy who's celebrating. It's the starters that are sitting on the bench for that time and celebrating any of us making an impactful play.

“Everyone is genuinely celebrating and it's like an authentic energy that carries out and I think that's so demoralising when you're playing against, hearing the bench celebrating turnovers or a big charge or a little play like that.”

That sort of admiration and respect for each other can however only be built through putting each other through the ringer behind the scenes.

While fans and pundits have been able to see the fruits of our labour across these first 10 Rounds of the season, some of the most intense battles have taken place on the practice floor at Hoop City, Cheltenham, where the Navy, Blue and Gold squads battle for supremacy every day.

It is the intensity of these sessions that has battle-hardened our lineup for the NBL26 season, and Bowen hopes it can lead to post-season success.

“Ultimately, the regular season encompasses not only the games, but every practice. 

“We’re trying to emulate the competitiveness and level of competition that we see in the playoffs, and you can only get that if everyone on the floor is striving for that standard. 

“We have a luxury that not only is our Navy squad full of elite talent and competitors, but it goes all the way through to our Blue and Gold squad. 

“I want to highlight the unseen work and competitiveness of this group. Our DPs and Training Players do a great job of challenging us to be better every day.”

While our first three games following the FIBA Window Break will come on the road, fans can still tune in to each and every contest live on ESPN.

Following this, we will be back at John Cain Arena for a massive home game against the Sydney Kings on Sunday 24 December from 2:30pm.

Tickets are on sale now.

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