Outlaws hit 400

Oatlanders Outlaws basketballers Mick Klose, above, and Jessica Ferguson, right, have both reached their 400-game milestones this season. 25435 Pictures: Stewart Chambers

By Marc McGowan
ONE is a point guard and the other is a forward, but Oatlanders Outlaws Mick Klose and Jessica Ferguson will forever be linked after reaching their 400-game milestones in the same season.
Klose, 15, clocked up his 400th last month, while Ferguson, 17, managed the feat two weeks ago.
The Narre Warren basketballers became only the second and third players in the club’s history – behind former Oatlander Nathan Taylor – to reach the mark.
“I’ve won 10 or so premierships, but this is way over the top of my other achievements – nothing compares,” Klose said.
“I’m hoping to get to 600. I reckon that’d be wicked because if I make it to 500 I’d be the first one at the club to do it.”
But while Klose’s team did the right thing and won the match for him, he was disappointed in his own output.
“I didn’t play that well – I was a bit nervous,” he said.
“They had a big banner for me playing 400 games and it was on the sidelines to show that number 24 was playing his 400th game.”
The previous biggest highlight of Klose’s burgeoning career was scoring 20 points, including the game winner just before the buzzer, in the Oatlanders’ last premiership.
The Year 9 Eumemmerring College student’s next goal is to represent his state and he hopes to do so within two years.
And Klose, who has played for junior representative side the Dandenong Rangers for the past four years, has no doubt as to where he needs to improve.
“My dribbling is my main strength and my speed, but I can’t shoot to save myself,” he said modestly.
“Domestic basketball is just a bit of fun and it’s awesome playing against kids you can show up.
“When I go to Dandenong it’s all serious and it’s a lot tougher competition.”
Ferguson also admitted to heaping the pressure on herself to perform well in her milestone match.
“I played all right, actually. I was pretty proud of it and we won as well,” she said.
“The best thing about basketball is the people, being able to play with friends and the exercise.”
Ferguson will not be able to push on to 500 games as this is her last season in juniors, but has already started playing at senior level for the Oatlanders.
“I play on Tuesday nights for a women’s team and it’s good,” she said.
“The girls are rougher, but I handle it all right.”
Ferguson has just completed her VCE at Eumemmerring College’s Hallam campus and plans on continuing her involvement in child care.