Wildcats Association Series | Aaron Ducas, Geraldton Buccaneers

The Geraldton Buccaneers are more than a basketball club to those who call Geraldton home.

Having been involved with the club since its inception, Aaron Ducas has seen first-hand how much the Buccaneers mean to the town, from the people who have built it to the impact it continues to have across the Geraldton community.

“When you play for the Buccs, you play for the community.”

The Buccaneers fan-base appears in numbers every home game and there's no denying they’ve helped the Buccs close out many games over the years. The support for the blue & gold leaks into everyday life in Gero and the team is embraced by the entire town.

“We regularly get 1,000 people to come to a game, but it's not just that, it's when you walk downtown on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, you get stopped in the street saying, oh, why did you do this, how did you do this?”

“Everyone's involved, everyone's bought into being a Buccaneer, and that's just a whole team, community thing.”

After nearly two decades of coaching, Aaron’s had a range of experiences with countless athletes and coaches. Consistently soaking in all that he can from the people he’s crossed paths with, especially the lessons he’s had while helping guide his son, NBA Champion Alex Ducas, through his basketball journey.

“I've been involved for so long with so many kids and so many good coaches prior, and even during my state time as well, and then following Alex around to America and through Canberra and the Centre of Excellence, meeting so many coaches and listening to them, I'm able to now give that advice, that information across to these guys and just try and help little
things at a time.”

Aaron has become renowned for his work developing junior players and specifically their shooting ability. Despite his reputation, he's the first to remind his players that there is no secret formula in the process.

“I tell them all, I'm not Harry Potter, I can't wave the magic wand and turn you into a magic shooter, but if we try and do a few things here, we can hopefully be a better shooter afterwards.”

It's a philosophy built on patience, consistency and hard work. Aaron’s seen firsthand the results of these principles through his son Alex's development, who is now the 9th Australian player in history to be crowned an NBA Champion.

“Alex & I worked solid hard for three, four months, and then all of a sudden he was able to succeed in these state tournaments, which then got him selected into Canberra, and I go back to all the kids and everything and tell them basically, it's not a one-day process.”

Years later, he’s seen that same commitment pay dividends, as the players he beganworking with as juniors are now representing Geraldton in the NBL1, D-League & WA State Performance Programs.

“Seeing those kids that are doing those extra things, starting to knock on doors of the state teams, and the NBL1 guys, half all the guys now that are playing NBL1 for Gero or even playing in the D-League, I've been working with them since they were 12, 13 years old, so hopefully you get to see that end product coming through.”

His success has never been measured solely by the heights his players reach. It’s the
relationships he has built over decades of coaching which remain the most rewarding part of
the journey.

“It’s the relationship I've built, and for the guys to be able to come and talk to me on a regular basis about issues they're having, whether it be game issues, other issues, family issues… it's the relationships you build.”

It's those relationships, built through trust, guidance and countless hours, that have defined Aaron Ducas' legacy with the Geraldton Buccaneers.

While he's helped develop talented hoopers, his greatest contribution has been his positive impact on the entire Geraldton
community, something that reflects exactly what it means to be a Buccaneer.