Geelong Arena hosted the get-together, where the 2023 roster was introduced to their mentor.
Wallace, who played NBL with the long-departed North Melbourne Giants, was keen to connect the current Supercats with those who have made the club what it is today.
“This is a start; we want to get all the past players here,” he said.
“Home games, imagine if they’re all singing the song in the rooms.
“That was the seed for me.
“I mentioned to DeMarcus (Gatlin) the older I get, the more history means to me.”
Players and mentors first heard from Jill Leader, wife of 2006 National Championship-winning coach Mark.
Mark, who coached Wallace at the North East Melbourne Arrows while playing with the Giants, lost his battle with cancer in January.
Jill used the start of the gathering to discuss her late husband’s four personal and coaching pillars: be in the now; control the controllable; move forward quickly; and choose your attitude.
“When I first got appointed by the club, Mark was the one I wanted to speak to the players – and I want to get some people to speak during the course of the year about what the club means to them,” Wallace said.
“In November, I found out he had pancreatic cancer, and he was in respite care.
“He meant so much to the Giants and the past Supercats. He also coached Corio Bay and won a championship there as well, so I couldn’t think of anyone more appropriate to speak.
“For Jill, I knew it would be important to pass on what Mark’s message would have been, and she was just brilliant.”
2006 ABA National Championship-winning captain Jarrod Leonard says he is excited to see how the 2023 cohort performs.
“I can see that they want the journey,” he said.
“When he (Wallace) outlined what he wanted to get out of it, I thought that it was a really great idea.
“Looking around the room, you can the older guys have embraced it just as much as the young guys.
“Leaving here today, I’m really excited.”
The Hoop City Geelong United Supercats commence their NBL1 South campaign on Saturday night with a road trip to Kilsyth.
The first home game at Geelong Arena is against Bendigo on Saturday, April 15, with tickets available here.
| Player | Mentor |
| Gabe Hadley | Braith Cox |
| Cohen Blythe | Nick Owusu |
| Liam Herbert | Nathan Herbert |
| Jay Posterino | Jamie Medved |
| Demarcus Gatlin | Jarrod Leonard |
| Jack Terrill | Adam Lamont |
| George Blagojevic | Damian Armour |
| Owen Odigie | Craig Herbert |
| Nick Velasquez | Ben Riddle |
| Liam McInerney | Sebastian Loader |
| Ma’alo Hicks | Jamal Brown |
| Jack Moran | Allen McKee |
| Marach Marach | Terry Kealey |
| Seth Garcia | Terry Kealey |
| Matt McCarthy | Ash Cannan |
| Bailey Bruce | Nathan Freind |