The 29-year-old will play his 100th game in the National Basketball League when his side does battle with the Nelson Giants at the Edgar Centre tonight.
The St Kilda Saints stalwart smiles and shrugs when asked how many wins he has had with the franchise since he first slipped on the Nuggets singlet 12 years ago.
He is not exactly sure but it is fair to say he probably would not need too many extra fingers. And he is very realistic about the team's prospects this season.
But then, this season feels like a bonus. The Nuggets dropped out of the league last season due to financial struggles and Gillan did not play the year before. He was unhappy with the dynamics in the team.
"I just felt I needed to take a step back and see where I was at, and start enjoying things a bit more," he explained.
But this season there is a different feel about the side.
"The team structure and general vibe is pretty good. The fact we've got the team back in the league is a big bonus. I'm glad to be part of helping that happen again."
The former Nuggets captain was not aware of the milestone until contacted by the Otago Daily Times and said "it came as a bit of a surprise". Gillan is in his 10th season, having missed three seasons since his debut in 1998.
The Nuggets have not fared well during that time. Their best finish came in 2000, when they finished seventh.
From 2005 to 2008, Otago won just nine of its 72 matches, and it has lost its opening six games this season, stretching the losing streak to 15 games.
The chances of halting the slide tonight are slim. The Nuggets were outclassed when the sides met in Nelson last month, with the Giants cruising to 92-60 victory.
Realistically, the best the home side can hope for is to keep the contest alive for longer. The Nuggets have plugged some of the holes in their defence but they need to make drastic improvements on offence to challenge the likes of the Giants.
Last Saturday the Nuggets landed just 21 of their 60 shots from the floor. It is a damning statistic and Gillan agreed his side was unlikely to win many matches until it lifted its shooting percentage.
"You have to be realistic about your expectations," Gillan said.
"If we play well, we might be able to knock off a team here and there. But we can't go in expecting to win every week. It is just not going to happen with what we've got.
"This year is a stepping stone for the Nuggets. Next year, hopefully, there will be a bit more money available and we can get a few players in and some of the young guys will come through."
Despite struggling for more than a decade the Nuggets have had some periods were they competed well.
Gillan remembers some great wins against Waikato, when it was almost unbeatable and one of his personal highlights was scoring 15 points in a quarter to help the Nuggets beat the Pistons.
The Nuggets may go into tonight's match without key player Antoine Tisby. The American centre has a foot injury but is desperate to play.
Tisby is the only genuine centre on the Nuggets roster and he will be a big loss if he misses the match.
NUGGETS v GIANTS
- Edgar Centre, tonight, 7pm
Nuggets: Antoine Tisby, Tyler Amaya, Matt Gillan, Steve Robinson, Sam To'omata, James Ross, Riki Buckrell, Tom Rowe, Matt Trueman, Luke Aston, Hayden Miller, Tim Coudret.
Giants: Michael Harrison, Mika Vukona, Phill Jones, Michael Fitchett, Tony Rampton, Darryl Jones, Ben Wright, Josh Bloxham, Tom Ingham, Samuel Dempster.
