The star of the Wollongong Roller Hawks' fourth-straight National Wheelchair Basketball League title has already set his sights on helping the team secure a fifth championship.
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Tristan Knowles returned home from Darwin with his team-mates on Monday night, hellbent on getting some much needed rest.
But when he spoke to the Mercury the next day, Knowles who orchestrated the Roller Hawks 75-66 grand final victory over Perth Wheelcats, said the team still had more to achieve in the years to come.
"It's a great feeling. This title definitely is a little sweeter because all of the time that has passed since we last lifted the trophy," Knowles said.
"We obviously realise that it is not everyday that you win four in a row so we will take a little bit of time to enjoy the achievement and celebrate with those in the club that have made this possible.
"There's no reason why we can't go for five in a row but we realise too that we've probably put a really big target on our backs. We can't relax for too long, we need to get back to work and find ways to get better as well."
The Hawks won the title in 2019 but COVID-19 cancelled the last two NWBL campaigns, meaning Wollongong had to wait three years to defend their title.
Knowles was integral in the grand final win, finishing with 24 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, while Nick Taylor had 23 points and Shaun Russell had 14 points and seven assists.
The Australian Rollers representative star though praised the "outstanding contribution" of Brendan Dowler in the Roller Hawks ongoing success.
"A team doesn't win four in a row, just out of luck," Knowles said. "I think a lot of credit has to go to Brendan Dowler for implementing really sound structures and processes that really hold up under pressure.
"It's all about putting people in the right spots to execute when the opportunity arises."
While the next NWBL season doesn't start until next year, Knowles has little time to rest and will head to Canberra this week with the Australian Rollers squad.
"We have a series against Japan and Germany. This series is one of a couple before we play at the World Championships in November."
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