Fee thriving in new home at Suns

Image credit: Tyson Lumbaca | @ty.visuales

After spending half his life at Willetton, Travis Fee was craving a bigger role on an NBL1 West team and has found that at an Eastern Suns team looking to make a statement and he even had a career night against the Tigers.

Not only did Fee play 114 NBL1 West games with Willetton starting back in 2019, but he played all his WABL basketball with the Tigers and never really had considered wanting to play anywhere else.

He saw his career trajectory heading in the direction he hoped with a strong finish to the 2023 season too, but he only played a total of 171 minutes on the Tigers team that went to the grand final.

That meant that he was willing to seriously listen to other clubs for the first time and with a connection with Suns assistant coach Conrad Francis and then wanting to be part of what they were trying to build at Kalamunda and it soon became an easy decision.

Career-best night v old team

The 24-year-old is now four games into his career with the Eastern Suns and is delivering career-best numbers at 16.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game with the versatile guard averaging bang on 30 minutes as well.

That included the best performance of his 118-game career last Saturday night when the Suns hosted his former Willetton team, and he delivered 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 9/16 shooting from the floor, 3/7 from downtown and 6/8 at the charity stripe.

"It was a nice feeling. It was just good to get some shots up and get off to a good start," Fee said.

"As a team we came out pretty hot and in all games this year we started off the first halves really strong and been leading at half-time, and then sort of have fallen off a bit in the third quarter which is something we're working on.

"But personally it was nice to have a good game even though ultimately it's the win that matters the most and hopefully we can get that done next week against them."

Feeling playing against Willetton

While it was a little strange for Fee to play against Willetton having spend half his life there, he was glad to get it out of the way early on in the season and already can't wait for the return encounter in what is the traditional Suns-Tigers Anzac Day match up.

"It definitely was very strange and obviously I've still got a lot of close mates in that team having spent 10 to 12 years at Willetton," Fee said.

"So it did feel very weird and leading up to the game I was a bit nervous, but as soon as it started a lot of those went away. It was funny a few times on the court instinct takes over and even one time I always gave one of the Willetton guys a high-five just out of habit.

"But it was good to go against them and just unfortunate we didn’t get the win but we get another chance to back it up now on Anzac Day against them so hopefully we get the win then."

Ending up at the Suns

Fee's career did appear on an upward curve over the first four years at NBL1 level with Willetton with him averaging 14 minutes a game in 2020, 11 in 2021, 25 in 2022 and then 20 in 2023.

That's why he had never seriously thought about playing elsewhere, but when his minutes per game dropped to single figures in 2024 on a team that reached the grand final, he wasn’t sure things were going to keep heading up.

With the Willetton back court still consisting of Damien Scott, Roosevelt Williams Jr, Andrew Black and welcoming back Kyle Armour, he could see the writing on the wall that now was the perfect time to bite the bullet.

He didn’t immediately know where that ideal destination would be, but it soon became obviously that Kalamunda would be it where he would be among their new signings including his Willetton teammate Marshall Nelson and NBL Grand Final MVP Terrico White.

"I sort of felt like the last two or three years at Willetton were pretty up and down in terms minutes, and my role sort of changed quite a bit," Fee said.

"I wanted to go somewhere that might give me something a bit more stable and then in terms of the Suns, I already had a relationship with the assistant coach Conrad who was one of my state coaches and I also have done some work for him so we also had that off-court friendship.

"He reached out to me and I felt like the time was right this year even though he had asked if I'd consider it the last couple of years.

"It was a combination of a few up and down years, and then we made a grand final last year but I didn’t have a big impact on that team so that was a bit hard to see especially when we ended up losing.

"I just wanted a bit of a bigger role on a team and I felt I could get that at Suns and Conrad was confident in me, and then I met with Aaron and some of the players, and we got it done from there. It's still early days but it's been the right decision so far."

Trying to build winning culture

Willetton might not have broken through for a men's championship since 2011, but their women are the most successful team in the competition and it's a club steeped in tradition and used to success right through the ranks.

It's not quite the case at the Eastern Suns but the push to try and be part of their first team that is a genuine contender is something that excites Fee and especially to have leaders like Seb Salinas, Reece Maxwell, Lewis Thomas and Rob Huntington showing the way.

"Everyone in this group knows we have the potential to make a run with this team and a big part of it is having guys like Seb, Robbie, Reece and Lewy who have been around for a long time and been part of successful clubs," Fee said.

"So while the Suns don't have a history of that winning culture like Willetton does, I think everyone is aware that we can make an impact with a big run to be part of the first Suns team to do that which we're all committed to trying to do."

Importance of that experienced core

One glaring similarity that Fee sees from where he came from at Willetton to what he now has alongside him at Kalamunda is that core group of experienced leaders.

The last couple of years at the Tigers it's been Damien Scott, Andrew Black and Michael Vigor, and now at the Eastern Suns it's the league's games record holder Salinas, 300-plus game veterans Huntington and Salinas, and Thomas who has built a career all round the world.

"Obviously the last few years having Scotty, Blacky and Vigs, and being so close to them, you probably sort of take it for granted how much you learn from them," Fee said.

"I think I've been super lucky to now almost have that spitting image at Suns now with Lewy, Rob, Seb and Reece. It's very similar in a way to the vets at Willetton to have that great communication from them both on and off the court.

"Those guys have already shown a real interest in getting to know me as a person and the other younger players to create those relationship.

"That's so important especially for a club like this with a lot of new faces so those veteran guys do a great job of welcoming everyone, and getting the team on the same page.

"They're not afraid to pull people up on their mistakes either and showing where they can improve, and that's the only way to get better. I've loved learning off those guys already this season."

Playing under different coaches

Fee's entire NBL1 career at Willetton was played with Adam Nener as a coach so the other big change that naturally comes from switching clubs is that he now is playing under someone new in Aaron Trahair.

Both coaches have strong credentials with Nener now a two-time Coach of the Year on the back of his 246-game career with Cockburn and Willetton while Trahair played 422 games in the NBL, and now his role at Kalamunda is on the back of previous stints in the league at Mandurah and Geraldton.

They also couldn’t be more different in their demeanours, but equally effective in their game instincts and Fee will always be thankful to Nener for the opportunities he gave him, and already is loving everything about playing under Trahair.

"Every coach is obviously different and Adam and Aaron are very different people so they are always going to coach a bit differently," Fee said.

"Having had Adam for pretty much my whole NBL1 career so far has been good, and I learned a lot from him. Then now with my short term with Aaron so far has been great.

"He's very detailed and will pick his moments to give his points and he has a really good calming energy, and he definitely just backs his players.

"I've got that confidence from him when I go out there to focus on that next play mentality, and in my short time so far Conrad, Ron and Shaq have done a great job too as the other assistants to pick out little points on both offence and defence."

Easter Thursday Eagles match up

The Suns have now scored road wins over the South West Slammers and Perry Lakes Hawks while losing at home to the Geraldton Buccaneers and Willetton at home to start the 2025 season.

Next up on Easter Thursday is a home clash with the winless East Perth Eagles with Fee hoping to get his first win at Ray Owen Sports Centre with his new team.

"I think it should be a good contest and we match up pretty well with them. I know they'll be coming out hot trying to get that first win but I think from our point of view it's pretty similar and it's really big game," Fee said.

"We need to get the win and the two games we've lost we've been leading, and feel like we had our chances to win both of them.

"Getting this one is really important heading into the Easter break and then getting ready for that Anzac game with Willetton before we have Geraldton after that. It definitely would be nice to get to that winning record and get that first home win."