The Bankstown Bruins brought local business, community and basketball together on Saturday for a special networking event at Bankstown Basketball Stadium.
Held in partnership with the Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce, the event welcomed sponsors, community leaders, political representatives, players and supporters to celebrate the club’s strong local roots and its growing role across South Western Sydney.
Bankstown Bruins CEO Christian Gobolos addressed attendees, highlighting the importance of backing grassroots sport and showcasing the community behind the club.
“It’s really important to have the ability to showcase local community grassroots,” he said. “At the end of the day, the Bankstown Bruins represent this local LGA, and we’re very proud of that.”
Gobolos thanked the club’s sponsors and partners, including Bankstown Sports Club, Step One Sportswear and Oz Arab Media, and acknowledged the work of the Bruins board, including President Tracey Lopez and Vice President Alan Morris.
The club’s partnership with the Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce was also a key theme of the evening, with the relationship described as one that has grown strongly over the past three to four years. Chamber representative Jason Arraj spoke about the shared values behind the partnership.
“Sport and community for us is a wonderful initiative that brings people together. That’s what the chamber is all about,” he said.
The event also drew support from all levels of government. Guests included Federal Member for Banks Zhi Soon, State Member for East Hills Kylie Wilkinson, State Member for Fairfield David Saliba, and Canterbury-Bankstown Councillor Rachelle Harika, who also serves as patron of the Bruins. Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El Hayek also attended briefly but could not remain due to other commitments.
Soon spoke warmly about his personal connection to the stadium, recalling time spent playing basketball there in his youth.
“I have spent a lot of hours in my youth playing basketball on the very courts behind and in front of us,” he said.
He praised the Bruins as an iconic local organisation and commended the players for being strong custodians of the club’s legacy while continuing to champion basketball in the area.
Wilkinson also reflected on her own connection to the sport and the venue.
“I have also played basketball here,” she said. “It’s wonderful to be part of any sport.”
She wished both the men’s and women’s teams success for the season, expressing hope that they would progress through to the finals and enjoy a strong year.
A highlight of the evening was an interactive Q&A session with four players from the Bruins men’s NBL1 team: Deontay Williams, Tedric Wolfe, Aaron Wabun and Alex Higgins-Titsha. The players shared insights into their basketball journeys, their experiences at the club and what it means to represent Bankstown.
When asked what stood out about the Bruins, the players repeatedly pointed to the club’s family atmosphere.
“This is my first year at the Bruins,” Higgins-Titsha said. “Playing for other clubs, you notice how close everyone is here. It’s a community, and everyone seems to know each other. Everyone’s a family.”
Wabun, who has been part of the club since he was 10, spoke about what it meant to return to his home association. He said Bankstown had been “home since I was 10 years old” and reflected on the value of seeing junior players progress through the Bruins pathway into representative basketball.
The evening concluded with a raffle featuring Bruins gift packs, a signed team jersey and a basketball signed by Australian basketball great Lauren Jackson.
The event capped off a strong celebration of the people, partnerships and community spirit that continue to define the Bankstown Bruins.
