Australian basketball legend Cal Bruton honours mentor with tournament

Australia Broadcast Center

5 days ago

A desire to carry on the legacy of a lifelong friend has drawn an Australian Basketball Hall of Famer to Western Australia's far north to support local children and players.
A championship-winning player and coach across multiple decades in the NBL, Cal Bruton travelled to Broome, 2,000 kilometres north of Perth, to honour the work of his friend, longtime local and coach Mark Manado.
Mr Manado, who died late last year, was a pillar of the Broome community, a former councillor and active figure in local basketball.
In collaboration with the Broome Youth and Community Hub, Bruton helped launch the inaugural Mark Manado Tournament, an event they hoped would become an annual tradition.
The tournament brought together teams of local children and teenagers who regularly trained and played at the community centre.
Coaches led a series of training sessions and skill-building drills over three days.
"Mark left a huge legacy because [there was] everyone in his classes, people, his relatives, all the young Indigenous kids that are keen to play sport," Bruton said.
The tournament coincided with the opening of upgrades to the Broome Youth and Community Centres basketball courts, spearheaded by Bruton.
Mr Manado taught at the local TAFE and was a part of the first Broome Indigenous-majority shire council in 2011.
Alongside football, basketball has provided a key outlet for children in a region where youth issues remained a significant policy challenge.
Mr Manado was a mentor in Bruton's life, showing him around the Kimberley's vast outback, leading to Bruton's active involvement in basketball clinics across the region.
Bruton, who is an American-born Australian former professional basketball player and coach, said his own upbringing in Brooklyn highlighted the importance the sport could play.
"Basketball is a sport that unites everyone and it's a tremendous vehicle towards health, employment, and further education," he said.
Mr Manado's granddaughter, Teahni, said she had fond memories of the pair playing basketball together, describing the sport as a big part of their life.
"My pop was a beautiful man. He always made me smile and made me laugh," she said.
"We are celebrating the Mark tournament and we're celebrating my pops' legacy with all my family and friends."
The drop-in centre has been a part of the Broome community for nearly 40 years, according to the Broome Youth and Community Hub chief executive, Melinda Phillips.
She said kids had come to the centre to connect, learn and have fun after school and on weekends for decades.
"We got an email from Cal back in March and he expressed he wanted to do a tribute to his friend Mark Manado and look at opportunities at how we could uplift the centre and support the young people that come here," Ms Phillips said.
She said sporting activities had always been an important part of the service the centre tried to offer.
As part of the project, the hub's long-worn court was revitalised with fresh paint, adjustable hoops, and a new grandstand named in Mr Manado's honour.
"If you feel a part of something, that belonging, it gives people, especially young people, an opportunity to not just be a part of a team, but to challenge themselves individually as well," Ms Phillips said.