Playing old team small hurdle in big picture for Amos

Playing against the Joondalup Wolves for the first time is nothing compared with what mother-of-two Shani Amos has gone through to be back playing but she can't wait to represent Rockingham Flames in the battle of unbeaten NBL1 West teams.

While Amos has always lived out in the hills region, it's the Wolfpack that has been her basketball home since she was 14 years of age and it's quite the legacy she will leave at Joondalup.

Amos went on to play 270 games for the Wolves starting in 2009 in the SBL and that included being a key part of championship triumphs in 2013 and 2020, and being one of the best point guards, captains and leaders right across the league.

What makes it all the remarkable that along the way Amos has now given birth to two children, sons Samuel and Benji, and she was told she not only would never play basketball again initially, but that even running ever again might be impossible.

There's been mental health battles along the way since not to mention the physical barriers she has overcome, but the 33-year-old is now right back at a high level in 2024 - it just happens to be in a Rockingham Flames uniform.

First time playing against the Wolves

Amos joined the Wolves back as a 14-year-old and spent almost 20 years traveling to and from Joondalup to play with the club.

Not only was there those two championships Amos was part of, but for the majority of her career the Wolfpack have had seasons where they have put themselves in the title hunt.

She never imagined playing against the Wolves and it's still something this week she is trying to not think too much about as the Flames prepare to host them at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

Amos has no doubt the nerves will only continue to grow as the game gets closer, but she's also excited to see how it plays out when the league's two undefeated teams lock horns.

"I haven't really thought about it like that with it being the first time in my life that I have played against them," Amos said.

"I have been trying to not think about it too much because I know I do have nerves there about it but I think I'll be alright until I get out on the court, and see that jersey out there and someone else wearing No. 22 (worn by Ty Bolland) staring back at me that I wore for so many years.

"It will be a bit surreal I think, but also if that didn’t happen I wouldn’t be able to play with Rockingham this year. So although I'm nervous, I'm also excited for the game and for the match up.

"I'm more excited than nervous about it and obviously both teams are undefeated so it's going to be a heck of a game. My happy place is playing in these sort of games so I'm really excited for a really close game, and to see what happens."

The decision to join Rockingham

At the end of the 2023 season where the Wolves were knocked out at home by the Mandurah Magic in the playoffs, Amos didn’t necessarily think she had played her last game.

However, there was plenty of changes happening at the club and then when Marcus Wong ended up appointed coach at Rockingham and Nes'eya Parker-Williams was on board at the Flames, it was looking like an attractive prospect for Amos.

"I did start my career at Kalamunda until under-14s when I went up to Joondalup and have spent the rest of my career there until now," Amos said.

"That was 20-odd years of basketball in the green so it definitely was a really, really tough decision to leave and one I didn’t take lightly either. Obviously I'm heading to the back end of my career, that's no secret, and the veteran word has been thrown out a lot and I'm heading towards 300 games.

"That had been for the one club but I just wanted to go somewhere I felt like my experience and everything else was heard, and I wanted to pass on my knowledge to anyone willing to listen. I just felt it was a great fit at Rockingham and we'd have an exciting group of girls, but also incredible humans. "

What Amos is realising more than ever now as a mother of two and veteran of 277 games in the league after everything that she's been through that some things are bigger than just winning.

Now the winning is fun and this Rockingham team has won all seven games so far of 2024, but being somewhere she feels happy, comfortable, supported and listened to means the world to Amos.

"The longer my career has gone the more I've realised it's not all just about basketball, it's about the support in other areas of your life and that's been big for me with things I've dealt with," she said.

"I knew Rockingham would provide that and even though they always were a rival club for me, it was just the right fit for me.

"Even someone like Sami Whitcomb, I had some great battles with her and now I've been able to call her a teammate. It's just the right fit for me to be here in the black-and-red at the right time."

Dealing with the travel

On the surface, it might seem like the travel to Rockingham was a significant obstacle to joining the Flames given Amos has been playing at Joondalup, but the reality is coming from the hills, it's really not too different.

In fact given how hectic her life is, having some quiet time in the car isn't the worst thing in the world.

"Even though I've always played at Wolves, I've actually always lived out in the hills and mostly the Mundaring area," Amos said.

"So I've always driven so far for my basketball so it's no biggie for me now heading down to Rockingham. It's about the same distance as Joondalup or maybe a bit further in traffic, but I don’t mind that and am used to it.

"I leave my two boys at home with nanny or poppy, and then I get a nice quiet drive and listen to a podcast or something. Honestly it's not the worst thing to happen and the girls make it worthwhile to drive that far and I've done it my whole career, so why not switch it up going south instead of north."

Having familiar faces at the Flames

Changing clubs was always going to be a difficult thing after the lifetime Amos had spent at the Wolves, but the reality was had she returned in 2024, it would be under a new coach and a whole host of new faces there for her to get to know anyway.

So she was on the look out for a fresh start and with Wong, Parker-Williams and Ellyce Ironmonger also at Rockingham that helped, but then Emma Gandini, Jess Jakens and even Sami Whitcomb are people she's not for a long time helping her quickly feel at home.

"Definitely with Marcus and Nes'eya already at Rocko when I joined, I knew what the program was going to look like and I'm really thankful there are those familiar faces, but I know a lot of the girls too just from playing against them for so long," Amos said.

"I've known a lot of them for a lot of years so it didn’t feel that unfamiliar going to a new club ironically enough. I just felt at home immediately which is something I wasn’t really expecting going from a club that had been mine for so long.

"So I was really thankful for that and then having Ellyce on board assistant coaching was a massive drawcard too. We've been friends and teammates for a very long time so to get the chance to be coached by her was another thing I was excited about, and was a once in a lifetime opportunity knowing my career is nearing an end."

Ellyce getting to reach 200-game milestone

Not only is Ironmonger part of the Flames on the coaching staff, but she's also hit the floor for an unexpected bonus early in the season and has been able to get those elusive four games of her career to get to 200-game milestone.

Having played the majority of those games with Amos at the Wolves before late career stints with Lakeside, Kalamunda and East Perth, Amos couldn’t be happier she got to the double ton.

"Ellyce definitely has come down to coach and there wasn’t any chat about playing even though that's changed a little bit now," Amos said.

"But I'm very glad it has and 200 games is such an awesome milestone for her to reach and I know her retiring just shy of that was something that might have been a little bit of a regret.

"Obviously she's also been around the league for a long time and went to college too so has played a lot more than just those games here, but 200 games is great and all the girls got around her.

"She brings so much to the program as an assistant coach and taking our pre-season while Marcus was away. So to get to 200 games, I'm so glad I was there with her for that and am thankful it got to happen."

Coming back to play as a mother

The Amos story is about much more than the tenacious, gritty and creative player and leader that you see running around the basketball court, firstly in green for so many years and now in the red and black of the Flames.

Any mother that gives birth is an incredible story in their own right if they are able to get back to doing what they were doing previously, and playing sport at such a high level is a remarkable thing.

But for Amos, it was anything but a smooth process and the complications were so significant that playing basketball again was a far away dream at first, and just being able to walk normally and being able to break into a jog was a massive feat.

However, she had the determination to want to push through that physical pain and get back to playing, and there's not only been the physical process, but a mental health battle in recent years.

"It was really tough to get back to playing after having kids, it's not really something that is spoken much about before with the toll it has on your body and everything," Amos said.

"I came in naively thinking because I was fit and strong that I could bounce back really quickly, and I got told by women's health physio soon after that I'd likely never be able to play again. Not only that, but that I might never even run again.

"It's a really shocking thing to hear and it wasn’t in my timeline of getting back after eight weeks. So I took a bit of time to listen to my body and honest I just didn’t want to take no for an answer.

"I pushed through to find a way to make it work, and trusted my body, and was able to make it back for that Covid season. Just dealing with the realisation that I might never play again and that my kids might never watch me play, I honestly didn’t want that.

"I then had my second son and that was a rollercoaster in terms of if that would definitely end my career or if I could get back again. Honestly I had the same mental approach to tie the shoes again to get back playing and having my boys grow up being able to see me play."

Getting back from the birth of her first son was a bigger process than Amos ever imagined it would be and in many ways it's a miracle she was ever able to do it.

Then to come back from her second son and it's almost indescribable how she's not only done it but is now back to playing at the high level she is, but being able to have her two boys watch their mum run around the basketball court was a huge motivating factor.

"My boys provided me such a drawcard to push myself to get back and keep doing something I love," she said.

"I'm thankful I had the drive to find a way to do that, and that I didn’t hang my shoes up then because being able to achieve what I have since then as a mum of two is something I'm very proud of.

"I've used basketball as a real outlet with a lot of the mental health battles I've dealt with the last few years, and I'm thankful I was able to do that.

"Then there's the logistics of having your kids looked after and everything so you can play and train, and that's something every mum would understand who is juggling that load with whatever they are doing.

"I'm now a single mum and every time I go to training or a game, I need support from the boys' grandparents to look after them and it's just a big juggle to get it done. It's definitely worth it but it's a huge responsibility to commit to a season and knowing how it affects my boys, and making that work is a miracle within itself."

Making the most of playing as a mum

To say life is hectic for Amos would be a great understatement as any parent would understand, and none more so than a single mother.

While Amos will cherish every second she has of continuing her career that has so far spanned 277 games, in-season also means life is especially hectic and she couldn’t be more thankful for all the support she receives.

"You never want any season to finish, but at the end of a season I'm so exhausted from organising everything that it can be a welcome break," Amos said.

"I'm very thankful that I have a lot of amazing people in my life to help me play as a mother, and it takes a lot more than me. My mum and dad are incredible, Ellyce helps a lot and so does her mum and game night as do a lot of the girls and people around the club.

"It's definitely a joint effort for a mum to play basketball and I'm extremely humbled that I get the opportunity.

"I know there won't be many more seasons where I get to do it and for them to watch mum play, so I'll take every opportunity I can and make it special, and just enjoy seeing their faces cheering me on.

"There's nothing more special than that and I'll enjoy every single game that I get to experience that for the rest of my career."