Salinas to reach 513 to set record on Troy Clarke Court

History will be made on Friday night by Seb Salinas as the Eastern Suns NBL1 West legend surpasses Troy Clarke to set a new games record and it just happens to be on the court named after the man he overtakes.

It's just remarkable how these things turn out. Salinas had to play every game with the Eastern Suns this season, unless they made finals, to end up on 513 games over his career to overtake the previous games record held by Clarke.

Now it just turns out that through a fixturing quirk, or maybe it's fate working its magic, and Salinas will set a new record on the Troy Clarke Court on Friday night when the Eastern Suns head to Wally Hagan Stadium to play the Cockburn Cougars.

If that's not enough, on the very same night that Salinas sets a new record for games played in the men's competition, the women's games record holder Casey Mihovilovich will be celebrating her 550th game for the Mandurah Magic.

Salinas becomes the men's games record holder in just another accomplishment over a remarkable career that's seen him play 154 games at the Warwick Senators, 317 with the Joondalup Wolves where he won two championships including one as captain, and now Friday night will be his 42nd at Kalamunda which will give him 513 over a career that started as a teenager in 2003.

HISTORY BECKONS SALINAS AHEAD OF GAME 500

How fate works to do it on Troy Clarke Court

The basketball gods really do work in remarkable ways and for Salinas to break the games record on Friday night, he will be doing so on the court that's named after the man he joined on 512 games in the league last week, Troy Clarke.

Clarke played all but 52 of his 512 games at the Cockburn Cougars, with the others at the WAIS Warriors, and the showcourt at Wally Hagan Stadium has been named in his honour after his career ended in 2009.

It's just only fitting that Salinas will pass Clarke's record on his court, and with him being there to pass the torch over for the occasion on Friday night.

"It is quite an ironical coincidental thing and from what I understand, I think Troy Clarke will be there on the night which is really cool," Salinas said. 

"I've known Troy for a long time and did a tour with him overseas a while ago so I have a lot of respect for him and what he's done for the league. It will be pretty cool to have him and it's just one of those things where it's pretty funny how it all works out."

How do you feel about to create history

Knowing something was on the horizon is totally different to it now actually being about to happen with Salinas still coming to terms with the fact that after Friday night, he will have set a new games record for the league and it's highly unlikely it's a mark that's ever going to be beaten.

"It's sort of a surreal feeling and it hasn’t really sunk in yet in regards to the enormity of how big that achievement is," Salinas said. 

"The last couple of weeks have been a bit disappointing for us as a team and my focus has been on that and trying to get us into the finals, but now the reality is hitting that we can't make finals and this achievement is pretty close. The achievement of it is starting to sit in a little bit now."

While in the back of Salinas' mind, he knew that if he kept playing every game this season he would be able to break the games record in the league. 

However, by no means was that his motivation for playing and as a result, it wasn’t something he really thought too much about until this week when the reality set in that it's upon him.

"To be honest it's one of those things I didn’t really think about until earlier this season. The focus was just on getting to the 500 and then that was one of the major highlights but I didn’t really think too much beyond that," he said. 

"Then we were just focusing on winning games and trying to get to finals, but now that this Friday is actually upon us that's when you think that it's really happening. 

"I can't explain it to be honest, it's quite a weird one and you normally have an idea of when milestones are coming because they're an even number. But because this one falls on 513 and is that sort of holy grail, but to actually get there is definitely pretty cool."

Means more to get here still playing a key role

What makes Salinas proud firstly getting to 500 games earlier this season and now to set a new games record by reaching 513 this Friday night is that he's anything but limping to the line.

Physically his body is more than standing up to the rigors of still playing some big minutes, and he remains a key player on a team up until last week who still was in playoff contention.

It's not like he's that grizzled veteran sitting at the end of the bench racking up games at the back end of his career without actually doing a whole lot. Instead he's starting, playing big minutes, getting the big defensive roles and is still a significant part of what the Suns are doing.

That certainly makes the occasion for Salinas of breaking the games record mean that little bit more knowing that he's well and truly earned it.

"I did think by this point in my career if I was still playing I might be having that type of role as a leader off the bench just chipping in here and there, but as seasons go and they pan out how they do, things change," Salinas said. 

"To still be able to be a big contributor on the court and off the court where I'm playing decent minutes and doing it on a team where we were contending for finals up until last week, it does mean a lot. I've always said that as long as I'm contributing and enjoying myself, I don’t see any reason to stop playing and that's still how I feel."

Looking back on the 500-game celebrations

Going back to May 13 this season and Salinas had a moment he will treasure forever when he got to celebrate his 500th game with a win for the Suns over the Mandurah Magic that he played a significant part in by knocking down some trademark three-point daggers in the fourth quarter.

To share the occasion not only with wife Tara and their three children Mackenzie, Emmersyn and Parker along with former teammates, friends and family will make it a moment he will never forget.

"I couldn’t have asked for a better night with the way it all panned out with who was there and how the club organised it," he said. 

"I got to run out with my kids so that was really special and something I'll never forget, and even the way the game panned out. I think we had a pretty decent start and then Mandurah made a run back at us, and to be able to contribute and get the win on a big night, that's what mattered the most. 

"Those milestone can come and go but you always want to win them, and that's what we did and it was a fairytale night to be honest. To get to celebrate it with everyone who has supported me along the journey was pretty special."

Disappointment to not be in finals contention

For a lot of this season the Eastern Suns were well on track to make a playoff run in the first year under coach Aaron Trahair, and with Salinas in his second season at the club along with his long-time Wolves teammates Rob Huntington and Reece Maxwell.

With a dynamic back court of Joe Cook-Green and Albert Almanza as well, things were looking promising for Kalamunda with them winning seven of the first 11 games including a stunning win over the reigning NBL1 West and National Champion Rockingham Flames.

That included that memorable win in Salinas' 500th game as well against Mandurah, but things haven’t quite gone to plan in the second half of the season with the Suns having lost nine of the past 10 games.

That includes losing the last two against the Goldfields Giants and East Perth Eagles by a combined 80 points to slip from playoff contention. While it's disappointing the way the season has ended, Salinas is still looking at the positives they can take.

"Only a few weeks ago and we were talking as a playing group about how we were looking ahead to this last game of the season and how it would be pretty cool to have sort of a potential play-in game on a big night against another team that's in a similar situation," Salinas said.

"But sometimes you just can't pick what's going to happen in a season when it comes to injuries and guys coming in and out. Every team has injuries, but for us to have sort of long-term ones especially to Rob (Huntington) who is one of the premier big men in the league, it's hurt us. 

"We did well to play without those guys for a long period of time this season and we should be really proud of that, but then the last couple of weeks have been really disappointing and poor on our end. 

"We accept that but I think just the adrenaline of having to get up every week and know we're undersize and undermanned, the last couple of weeks have caught up with us a little bit and we haven’t been able to produce. 

"It's disappointing and we were always there and there abouts, and you never know if we were fully healthy we could have given the finals a shake."

Now being the games record holder alongside Casey Milo

Fate works in remarkable ways sometimes. Go back a couple of weeks and Salinas' long-time teammate Reece Maxwell reached his 300-game milestone and it just happened to coincide with the Eastern Suns heading back to HBF Arena to play the Joondalup Wolves.

Now this Friday night, it's amazing that on the same night Salinas reaches 513 games to set a new games record in the men's competition, the women's record holder Casey Mihovilovich will celebrate her 550-game milestone with the Mandurah Magic.

The fact that the two games record holders are going to be playing still at the same time and celebrating significant moments on the same night is something you can never plan for, but it's something Salinas can't help but embrace.

"I think it's pretty cool that we are both now still playing and hold the records. What she's done in her career and is still doing is unbelievable, and her achievement is way beyond mine in regards to how she's going," Salinas said.

"We're still contributing to our teams that we're playing on, and competing well, and I'm not sure if it will ever happen again that anyone will get to this amount of games in the men's and women's comps. But it is pretty cool to be mentioned alongside her when you think of records like this at this level."