As the door creaks open on a new Breakers season, Mody Maor launches a warm welcome into the club's facilities.
"What's up, what's up. Welcome!" he greets with a firm handshake.
But as he welcomes in season two of his tenure with the Australian basketball league club, very little has changed.
"Same excitement, same adrenaline, looking forward to game one." Maor told Newshub.
He doesn't have to wait much longer.
More than six months after watching Sydney celebrate silverware after that gut-wrenching game five loss, tip off's just around the corner, when they host the Cairns Taipans on Saturday at Spark Arena in Auckland.
In response to being asked how long it hurt, Maor's frank in his response.
"Well, in your question you kind of insinuate that the hurt is gone." He asserts, before comparing it to a bad break.
"At the beginning, you think about it all of the time. And then there's things that remind you. You go to your old restaurant, whenever you see a picture, something like that.
"So, every now and then I get a reminder. It's probably going to sting forever."
In this analogy, he was only recently forced to revisit that old restaurant.
"We went to a pre-season game in Sydney. And maybe on purpose, maybe not, I got the same hotel room as game five. So that was a nice reminder," Maor says with a smile.
He can see the funny side in it, though is refusing to use that heartache as fuel.
"I don't lack in fuel or motivation." He asserts. "I use it to learn. We use it to draw conclusions and get better."
But while that pain lingers, there's been plenty of change since, particularly in the new looking roster, which includes the return of former player of the year Finn Delany, after the he spent last season in Germany.
"I'd say more refined," Delany says, reflecting on how his game has improved.
"I just know my game a little bit more, know myself a little bit more. I'm playing a role here that I'm familliar with and I'm excited about.
"It's going to be a good year."
The forward's return's been gratefully received by Maor, describing it as "a gift."
"It's very helpful for a coach who's trying to establish a culture when there are living examples of that culture," said Maor.
"People who are in the locker room and on the court and do things the way they want to be done. And Finn is one of those guys."
That's not the only change Maor concedes has taken place The refreshed roster, including the arrival of three new imports, means there'll also be an adjustment in how they play.
"There's been changes to the X's and O's and things that we want to do differently that will give us a better chance to compete in a big stakes games."
"There's been a lot of soul searching and work on how I teach and how we motivate and how prepare and how I prepare myself. This is an ongoing process.
"It's nothing to do with losing game five, but it has everything to do with the profession."
With all eyes ahead, the team wants to build on last year's success and engage with fans.
Captain Tom Abercrombie can see the synergy between them and another club across town – and understandably so.
After all, both they and the Warriors were forced to endure bubble life for two seasons.
"It was uncanny really, but I guess not unexpected," said Abercrombie.
"When you go through what we did, being away from home, you just appreciate all of those little things so much more.
"You don't take anything for granted. You want to reward your fans and play in a way that endears you to them.
"It was great to see the whole country and at times the whole world get behind the Wahs. It was wonderful to see."
As for the Breakers' version of 'Up the Wahs' - it's a work in progress.
"We don't know yet, we're still working on that one." Abercrombie laughs.
"Give us some time, I don't think that's for us to come up with. Something will eventuate."
They'll be hoping winning does as well.
