Basketball
14 July, 2026
Creek returns home to inspire next generation
Fresh off a championship season with Romanian club U-BT Cluj-Napoca and appearances for the Australian Boomers, Mitch Creek returned home to Horsham to pass on some knowledge to young local basketballers.
Fresh off a championship season with Romanian club U-BT Cluj-Napoca and appearances for the Australian Boomers, Mitch Creek returned home to Horsham to pass on some knowledge to young local basketballers.
Creek hosted multiple Wolf Pack clinics at Horsham Basketball Stadium on Friday, July 10.
Then on Sunday, July 12, in partnership with Uniting Vic.Tas, the Boomer forward hosted a Community Inclusion Basketball Day for individuals with disabilities or facing barriers to participation.
Creek said the camps focused on helping youngsters develop all facets of their game.
“Friday's Wolf Pack Hoops camps were based around trying to develop the next generation of young hoopsters,” he said.
“And that’s teaching the fundamental skill sets they need to acquire and implement, such as physical wellness, as well as mental and spiritual wellness.
“It’s just as important to feel great, to have confidence, because when you become an adult, life changes and comes at you pretty hard and fast, and we're not always as prepared as we think.
“So we’re trying to have a more holistic approach to camps now rather than just teaching basketball.”
The Horsham native added that it was a great opportunity to run the various Community Inclusion Basketball Day sessions.
“The partnership with Uniting is something we’re really proud to have because it’s the first time we’ve been able to offer free clinics,” Creek said.
“We want our Wolf Pack training program to be inclusive and to make sure that everyone has the chance to learn and have the same opportunities.
“The four 90-minute sessions we’ve hosted include people with an array of different abilities, from different situations and backgrounds.
“For me, it's special to interact with people who aren't as fortunate or as capable, who might have challenges, but we're able to suit what they need and still give them a really great experience.”
On the court, the 34-year-old has continued to show he is one of Australia’s best basketballers.
Across all competitions for U-BT Cluj-Napoca in 2025-26, Creek averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and captained the side to a Romanian League championship.
His standout season saw him named to the All-ABA League Team and the All-EuroCup Second Team.
It caps off a strong couple of years overseas for Creek.
In the 2024-25 season, Creek helped guide Trabzonspor to the Turkey Basketball League championship.
In 2025, he was named the Canadian Elite Basketball League Player of the Year after leading the Vancouver Bandits to a top-seed finish.
Creek said the past couple of years were a different challenge compared to what he had previously experienced.
“I had a fun year away in Europe,” he said.
“It was obviously 2.5 years away from Australia, but just the ability to integrate into a new kind of system and culture of basketball was challenging for the first few months.
“It then got really cold, and it was snowing for a few months, and I don't do great in the cold, but it was amazing.
“In Europe, the level of playmaking ability is very high, the level of physicality is very high, and there is a lot of travel.
“Something I can take from this season is a level of maturity and professionalism that allows me to now mitigate all the other external factors and say, ‘I'm okay, I can be present, and I can relieve pressure from other people, so the team can function.”
Having last put on the Boomers jersey in 2019, Creek returned to the national team for their FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier match against the Philippines in March this year, and recently played against Guam and the Philippines earlier this month.
Creek averaged 12.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across the three games, with the Boomers defeating Guam 124-52 and the Philippines 92-49 in the two recent games.
The forward relished the opportunity to play for the Boomers again, explaining his time spent away from the side.
“I definitely cherish any moment that my name gets called, even if it’s just in the selection pool; it's an absolute privilege and honour to be a part of it every time,” Creek said.
“I was a part of the Boomers for five or six years, and then, with circumstances out of my control, I just felt like it shifted a little bit.
“It became a little bit less about Boomers, family, culture, mateship, having each other’s back, especially during the hard times, the things I believe Australians to be.
“When that shifted a little bit, I felt like it was best for me to kind of just step out of that and take another direction and focus more on my career, my family, my loved ones.
“Conversations started to begin again over the last couple of years with the changes that were made and people coming in to build the program again.
“I put my hand up and had just 24 hours to prepare to play against the Philippines earlier in the year.
“It was definitely a welcoming sight to come into a program and have such a great group of guys, well coached by John Rillie, our assistant coaches, the support staff; it felt like the Boomers program when I first started.
“In this campaign, with Adam Caporn at the helm, it took another step and was very, very high level.
“It was just a great environment to be in; everyone got better, and everyone uplifted the Boomers culture.”
“We’ve set a precedent of how we want to play, and I think if we can continue the trend forward, the Boomers are going to be very dangerous come the World Cup and especially the Olympics.”
Creek admits he is in a great position in his career, acknowledging the value in his ability to pass on wisdom to young players and families.
“I've never felt better physically; emotionally, I'm in a great place, and spiritually, I feel really grounded and just in a really good space of wellbeing,” he said.
“That's why it's important to give everyone the chance to at least learn a little bit of what the best of the best are doing.
“The people that are doing well in their careers typically do take a very holistic, all-around approach to their life and especially to their sport.
“So it's a very grounded, whole-circle approach, and if we can get some parents and some kids to try to jump on board, the investment can pay dividends in the long run.”
Asked about the next steps in his career, Creek said he would consider his options while enjoying the offseason.
“No plan right now,” he said.
“I'll take some time off; my partner and her son are coming over next week from Canada.
“We will spend some time together, reset and digest some of what's gone on these last two years and go from there.”
