Written by Gerard Irugalbandara
PLAYER IN FOCUS
From Morrocco to Jordan, France to Spain, the young boy who dreamed of playing professional basketball overseas has made Australia and the RMIT Redbacks his home.
After a stellar 2024 season, the RMIT Redbacks hold a regular season record of 16 wins and 2 losses as Steve Coffey has become a staple for the Redbacks on their way to the top of the Division 1 Men's competition.
In his early college basketball years, Coffey attended the Division Two program of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. In his Senior year, Coffey displayed the qualities needed at the top level, showcasing his brilliance in shooting, averaging 49% from the field.
It was his college years where former coach of the Kutztown University, Bernie Driscoll, highlighted Coffey’s talent behind the line, as well as key personality traits Coffey would demonstrate through his decorated career abroad.
“I believe Steve is one of the top catch and shoot players that I have ever coached in my career of 27 years...his work ethic is second to none and he is an excellent teammate.”
After an impressive senior year and becoming eligible for the 2011 NBA draft, Coffey elected to follow his childhood dream of playing abroad which bought the Kutztown alumni some of the best highlights of his decorated career.
“The highlight of my career would be my first time playing overseas in Palestine, we won the championship, and I have never experienced that kind of passion! The support from the organisation, fans and everyone associated with the club was beyond what I had ever experienced in the US.”
When asked what inspired Coffey to play abroad from such a young age, Coffey detailed the cultural aspects of other countries as the primary motives of playing overseas.
“From the moment I started playing as a kid, I had a dream of playing professionally overseas and getting to see the world through hoops... I wanted to experience new cultures, new foods, meet new people and travel while doing what I love. I couldn’t think of anything else that I wanted to do as much as that, so everything I did went towards pursuing that goal.”
Coffey would reach professional levels of the sport in a move that saw the now Redbacks star play professionally in Spain for Teguise. During this stint, Coffey would demonstrate his consistent jumper and shooting qualities, averaging an impressive 50% from the field as well as shooting 40.9% behind the arc.
Having played in over eight countries and four continents, Coffey has been able to live out his dream of playing overseas and indulging in what the world had in store for him.
“My best friends live in several different countries. It’s been an incredible journey from being a kid from Pennsylvania to one that has travelled the world. On top of that, my wife grew up in Morocco so to share the international view with her makes it that much better.”
For the past five years, Coffey has been able to call Australia home representing the RMIT Redbacks in Big V. It has been a testament to Coffey’s professionalism and work ethic that has kept the guard in tip top condition over his long tenure in the sport.
With former coach of the RMIT Redbacks, Jeff Sparrow once joking that the now 36-year-old Coffey could play on till he’s 40, the RMIT guard is ironically proving his former coach right by amassing an incredible season for the Redbacks, averaging a field goal percentage of 46.9%, shooting an impressive 39.4% from behind the arc.
Although Coffey looks set to continue his playing career following his stellar form, there seems to be a pathway into coaching for the seasoned veteran. Coffey looks set to work in Basketball for the foreseeable future with Coffey recently taking on a role with RMIT Basketball as a Director of Basketball Development.
Current coach of the Division One Men RMIT Redbacks, Vincenzo Rovetto has spent many years coaching the game of basketball and enjoyed every minute being in the presence of Coffey.
“I’ve been fortunate to have coached some elite juniors across Victoria and WA...Steve is in another basket of his own. Steve’s ability to keep in shape at the tender age of 36 sets him apart. He trains daily, often working on real game play scenarios. He eats healthily, he doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke. I often say that whenever Steve chooses to retire, he will always be able to say, he did everything in his power to maximize his ability to play the game he loves. Truthfully, Steve still plays basketball as if he's a 16-year-old, back home on the black top.”
“Beyond playing, I want to coach"
When asked what the future holds for the prestigious number 3, Coffey talks to his coaching aspirations - “Beyond playing, I want to coach. Since my time at RMIT, I have coached their uni games team, the UBL team and as of this past season, the Youth League. It has become almost as big a passion as playing now. I enjoy being able to help younger players grow and learn and to relay what I have learned over the years. Hopefully I can help them achieve their goals as players and I hope to be able to do it for a long time once I am done playing.”
The advice I would give to young kids who want to play professionally is to give it your all. This is the greatest job to have but it is also the hardest. Many people say they want it but don’t understand what it takes to get there. This doesn’t just mean practicing every day. Find a mentor or someone who has accomplished what you are wanting to do and learn from them. Be prepared to make sacrifices that others won’t. Accept that there will be setbacks along the way and it won’t be the way you imagined it a lot of the time, that you miss time away from family, big events and more. But no matter what, keep pushing through it all!
Despite giving so much to the game at the age of 36, Coffey continues to deliver in the Big V competition, showing that age is just a number. With the RMIT Redbacks topping their division, the work ethic displayed by the seasoned vet is a true testament to the professional standards Coffey has shown throughout his decorated career.
"I spent hours watching Michael Jordan games on repeat. Growing up overseas up until I was 12 and being in the 90s where internet and social media wasn't available like today, there wasn’t much basketball on television to watch so my grandfather would tape games and send them over and I would watch them continuously. I would emulate what I would see and try to go from there."
