Tomorrow night will be all about Erik Burdon as he makes history when the Mount Gambier Pioneers play their final home game of the 2022 NBL1 South season.
When the Ballarat Miners arrive at the Icehouse all the applause will be saved for Burdon, who will break the all-time club games record currently held by legend Jason Joynes with 267.
It will be a special occasion as the three-point star known as “Eze” ventures into unknown territory.
Being the professional he is renowned for, Burdon said he did not expect any extra emotions to creep in on the big night.
“I wont change too much because I am pretty stuck into my routines,” he said.
“I am more focused on the team’s results than the record, which is something I really cherish and appreciate, but more when I step back from playing.
“All the extra celebrations the club will do will be cool, but I will mainly focus on trying to win a game and then enjoy it afterwards.
“It will be cool to see all the people who have supported us over the years and celebrate with them after.”
Burdon started his Pioneers journey back in 2011 fresh from the NBL world where he played 51 games as a shooting guard for Adelaide and Perth.
But he has felt the most at home with the Pioneers, where he was awarded with life membership in 2018.
He has now settled into life in the Blue Lake city being a prominent hairdresser and said it had been a lot of fun representing the club through a decade which has contained everything from championships to COVID-19.
“It has been an amazing ride with a lot of highs and good moments through those 260-odd games,” he said.
“The championships obviously stick out being in a successful pattern of the time which was really special.”
Over the previous 267 games Burdon has been forced to adapt from being the “main guy” at his previous club to settling into a role locking down in defence and shooting from long range or being a reserve in a “higher-calibre” team.
Burdon said he had not given much thought on how long he would continue, with all of his focus currently on helping the Pioneers to a fifth title together.
“I have not made any decisions on the playing future and will decide after the season,” he said.
“That goal of winning the championship will be extremely tough.
“I love it down here, having grown up as a city boy living here was a huge change and just fell in love with the community.
“The club has been amazing supporting me in every way possible.”
Although both the Pioneers men and women are some of the few teams that have already sealed their finals fate, there is still a lot to play for this weekend with a coveted home final up for grabs.
There will be no rest after tomorrow night’s contest against Ballarat with a road trip to meet the Waverley Falcons awaiting on Sunday.
The Castec Rural Pioneers men currently sit second, but are level with wins with both Kilsyth and Sandringham, so cannot afford to drop the ball, which will not be simple without captain Tom Daly, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The OneFortyOne Pioneers women cannot make the top two, but will be hoping to enter finals with some winning momentum and sure up their top four place.
