NZ Breakers star Jarrell Brantley has doubled down on his love for coach Mody Maor, after Wednesday's heartbreaking defeat in their Australian NBL finals series decider.
After taking charge of a Breakers side that finished last in the 2021/22 regular season, Maor's side came within one game of winning the competition.
But a late collapse ultimately saw the team fall short, as Sydney Kings took the finals series 3-2 to clinch back-to-back championships.
While the Kings deserve credit for holding their nerve in the pressure situation, the work of Maor to completely transform the Breakers cannot be overlooked.
The team won 22 games this season, 18 in the regular season, two in the semi-finals against Tasmania JackJumpers and two more against the Kings.
Those wins represent more success than what the Breakers had across their last two completed seasons, with just five wins in 2021/22, and 12 wins in the 2020/21 campaign.
As coach, Maor stands as the figurehead of the club, and has rightly been credited with much of the success coming his team's way.
In the minutes after the final loss to the Kings, Breakers forward Jarrell Brantley interrupted Maor's post-match press conference to profess his love for his coach.
And after arriving back into Auckland, Brantley outlined exactly what makes Maor - in his words - the best coach he's worked with.
"Mody gave me a lot of life back, in a lot of ways," Brantley told Newshub. "Just to have a coach to believe in the way he did, [he's] definitely the best professional coach I've had.
"He's special. If Mody recruits you, as a player or even as staff, he sees something in you. That's not regular.
"That's purpose. He does his history with every player he has. He's a special guy. He really cares."
While it would be natural for the Breakers to be disappointed with Wednesday's defeat, Brantley is philosophical.
The 26-year-old is one of a number of the team's roster without a contract for next season.
Fellow American imports Derek Pardon and Barry Brown Jr are also available, as is Australian point guard William McDowell-White.
Youngster Rayan Rupert has the brightest future, and will declare for the upcoming NBA draft as a representative of the league's next stars programme.
But while the future remains uncertain for the Breakers, Maor says the team will come back stronger next year.
Likewise, Brantley will look to his experience of defeat in order to come back a better player.
"It was a special journey with these guys, it's been amazing. We mapped out a plan at the beginning of the year in our first meeting, and we got there.
"All the way down to the last two minutes, and had the chance to win it - on the road, just how we did it all year.
"It didn't happen the way we wanted it to, but at the same time, you look back at it like 'wow, amazing'.
"There's things you can learn back from as a player, see if you can better, make adjustments, and keep moving forward."
