KEY POINTS:
It might be just another game in a rectangle but tonight's match against Melbourne Tigers will be special for Breakers forward Tony Ronaldson.
The hard-working veteran, universally known as Bear for his curious running style, will become just the second player in NBL history to rack up 600 appearances. The other member of the 600 club is the legendary Andrew Gaze. Ronaldson is no stranger to milestones, having already won more NBL games (394) and played in more playoff games (79) than anyone else.
Passing Gaze's mark of 612, which he should do wearing a Breakers uniform early next season, will likely mean more than tonight's achievement, but Ronaldson is quietly satisfied to be chalking up another milestone. "It's a lot of games," he said. "But this is my job, it's what I do for a living. It shows my longevity in the sport. I haven't been a flash in the pan and it will be nice to look back on it all with a degree of pride. But, for now, it's about what we can do here with the Breakers."
In his 599 NBL matches, Ronaldson has scored 15.67 points per game and averaged 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Despite being in his 19th season, his numbers for the Breakers remain close to those career marks - 12 points, four rebounds and four assists per game in 23 matches.
He had been due to bring up the milestone against the Tigers in Melbourne last month but an Achilles injury he suffered against the Gold Coast ruled him out for four matches. It was a rare spell on the injured list for Ronaldson, who had previously missed just 11 games.
Although most of his career has been spent at other clubs, Ronaldson has taken special satisfaction in aiding the Breakers' transformation from perennial also-rans to playoff contenders.
"Anytime an accolade like this comes along you feel a lot of gratitude to the team you are with and the people that have helped you get to this point and having the playoffs berth confirmed this week makes it all the sweeter," he said.
