This Friday evening the Flames will celebrate a monutmental occasion when Travis Moore suits up for his 300th SBL game with the special fact being he has played every one of those for Rockingham.

Now in his 15th season for the club, the 30 year old veteran still holds a place within the competitions elite and with the Flames looking to make that elusive step to claim an SBL title it is no secret that the ball will go through 'Trav's' hands if they are to make it deep into the playoffs.

Crunching the Numbers (299 SBL Career Games)
3519 points at an average of 11.8 per game
2017 rebounds at an average of 6.7 per game
473 assists at an average of 1..6 per game
414 blocks at an average of 1.4 per game

Heading into his milestone game this week Trav took some time to reflect on the past.

Q – The Moore surname is synonymous with Rockingham basketball how does it feel to be the first Men's player to play 300 games for the Flames?

It makes me feel old when I look back at the 15 years that I have been playing for the club. From being the young kid of the group to now being the one that those kids hopefully look up too. Playing for the Flames has obviously been a big part of my life and I've made a lot of great friends out of it.

Q – Are there any differences between the Flames today and in the formative years when you first started playing in the SBL program?

To tell you the truth their is not a great deal of difference, except that the Australian players in the league are alot more competitive and the league is not as dominated by the imports as it once was. It is obviously still a semi professional league so the majority of players don't make any money from playing - they play for the love of the game and for the social aspect of the game which hasn't really changed.

Q – Tell us a little about your NCAA college experience?

I played for the University of North Dakota an NJCAA Division 1 College. I was fortunate to be apart of the team's most successful season, we won our Division and State title and actually had the opportunity to play in the National tournament in Kansas. It was an awesome experience living in a different country from a young age and playing in front of large crowds. Even though North Dakota is bloody freezing most of the time.

Q – How does the current Flames line-up rate with teams of the past?

I think last year's team was probably the most talented team that Flames have ever produced and it still hurts to think about getting knocked out in the first round. This year the loss of Adam Caporn and Aaron Trahair will hurt us in terms of the loss of their experience and leadership but I think we have a number of players who will step up their game this year such as Aaron Colley, Jarryd Griffin and Ryan Jeffrey. So I think we will just have to wait and see at this stage.

Q – Why do you wear #52?

It was the number given to me when I first played High School basketball in the States. They number the jersey in relation to size so 4 is the smallest and 54 is the largest. I guess I just liked the number and kept it from that point on.

Q – What are some of your most memorable moments wearing the Flames colours?

Taking Bunbury to three games in the Semi finals - we have made the semi's twice but I think that was our best chance of making the Grand Final. My most memorable game would actually have to be a game we lost in double overtime in front of a full house where Geraldton hit a 3 with 0.6 seconds left on the clock. I still think it was after the buzzer but it was an amazing game. 

Q – Who are some of your teammates across the years that made you go wow?

We have had some amazing athletes play for us over the years, guys like Willie Sublett and Stephan Shackles made some awesome moves and dunks. But I'm more impressed by the guys that do the team thing and make the hustle plays and we've had alot of those type of players over the years with people like Todd Bucktin and Peter Moore. 

Aaron Colley makes me say wow alot when he opens his mouth - but not in a good way :) 

Q – Had you considered retiring if you had played your 300th game last season?

I had considered retiring last year but it didn't have anything to do with the amount of games I'd played. I decided that I had probably played one the my best seasons in the league so I wanted to give the championship another crack and as I was told "you are a long time retired". If I was to have retired it would have been because I wanted to spend more time with my young family.

Get down to the 'Hot House' this Friday night and help us celebrate Travis' 300th game against the Bunbury Slammers.

Article by Ryan Rogers - Rockingham Flames