Thanks for the memories

“HE just worked flipping hard and made us work hard.”

That was how multi-championship skipper-turned- Pioneers women’s head coach Matt Sutton summed up the tenure of outgoing Pioneers Men’s head coach Richard Hill.

After 379 games in charge of the Mount Gambier program, Hill is stepping away – the club’s longest serving and most successful head coach in the club history calling it quits after leading the men’s team since the 2012 season.

Sutton is best placed to assess the impact Hill has had on the Pioneers Basketball Club, having experienced the 2025 NBL1 South Coach of the Year as both a player and now, as a coaching mentor.

“He was there on court with us a lot and he worked so hard that we also worked hard,” Sutton said.

And it was not just the team training sessions but the countless hours Hill spent in individual sessions with players with many an early morning spent at the Icehouse looking to develop the skills of every player on the playing roster.

“He was so invested in us and so you couldn’t help but be invested in him,” Sutton said. “One of his great strengths was devising a game plan that suited the players in the group so our game plan was always evolving. He prepared us really well and knew the opposition inside out as well.”

Sutton said Hill spent his inaugural season feeling out the league and learning how it all worked.

“But safe to say he is a really quick learner so it didn’t take long for him to bring us up to the standard required,” Sutton said.

“He had been coaching since he was 22 years old so there is no situation he hasn’t faced and no story he hasn’t heard or experience he hasn’t had and that has been great for me as well now that he is a sounding board for me as a coach.

“He has always been a student of the game and that’s why he was also changing the game plan as well – adapting to how the world of basketball was going.”

Hill was also a canny recruiter with a vast network of contacts and a reputation that meant players wanted to be in his program.

“He also recruited players that were pretty hungry,” Sutton said.

Safe to say, that dedication and expertise means Hill’s tenure has been littered with success.

He has cemented his place in club history, guiding the Pioneers to five consecutive SEABL Conference Championships (2013-2017) and three SEABL National Championships during that period.

Alongside team success, Hill’s leadership and coaching expertise earned him league Coach of the Year honours on four occasions, underlining his impact on the league as well as the Mount Gambier community.

Club president Tom Kosch also knows how fortunate the club has been to have Hill as the central figure of the basketball program.

“Since his arrival in 2012, Richard will step down as one of the most successful head coaches at the NBLl level and leaves an imprint on our club that goes far beyond the championship success and an incredible win-loss record,” Kosch said.

“Our club is extremely grateful for the commitment and service Richard has made in the basketball and wider community over his 13 year tenure with the Pioneers.

“Richard leaves a legacy built on hard work both on and off the court and has been the definition and leader of Pioneer Passion since he arrived.”