Whatever happened to Former Otago Nugget Miles Pearce

This month sports writer Adrian Seconi catches up with the big centre.

 

Then

Miles Pearce spent most of his career with the Manawatu Jets but he came south for two years and made a big impression for the now defunct Otago Nuggets.

With his 2.07m, 110kg frame, Pearce cut quite the dominant figure out on court. But it was the size of his heart, and perhaps his Afro hairstyle, that endeared him to Nuggets fans.

He played the game with an infectious enthusiasm and made little effort to hide his emotions. When Pearce was all revved up, he was a beast on the inside.

The sight of the big fellow slamming down a dunk would get the crowd off its feet and he quickly became a fan favourite.

Pearce played 35 games for the Nuggets. The team did not have a lot of success during his stint but he amassed 433 points and 344 rebounds. He was the rebound champion in 2006 and co-starred in one of the more memorable Nuggets matches — the triple overtime thriller against the Jets at the Edgar Centre on June 4, 2006.

He grabbed a club-record 28 rebounds that night, while teammate Branduinn Fullove notched 42 points. Manawatu eventually won the epic encounter 123-121 but not before a fire alarm forced everyone outside.

The former Tall Black looks back at his time in Dunedin very fondly.‘‘I had an absolute ball down there. My brother and I wanted to come back but unfortunately coach [Rick] Castle’s contract was not renewed and it just didn’t seem the right fit for myself.

"I think that game [against the Jets] is the one where I got elbowed and the doctor had to give me a couple of stitches."

 

Now

The 38-year-old retired from playing about "five or six years ago" and is now coaching and working for the Jets.

After he left the Nuggets he had playing stints in Germany, Singapore and Brunei and, of course, with the Jets. He also played for the Hawke’s Bay Hawks for a couple of seasons.

"But as I started to get old and realised that I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when I grew up, I went back to school and got my master’s."

Pearce moved back home to Sydney to study for a master’s degree in education, sports coaching. He returned to Palmerston North with his new qualification and was appointed as assistant coach of the Jets. The Jets pulled out of the National Basketball League last year but Pearce remains on the payroll in a coaching and community development role.

"Even though we don’t have a team in the NBL, the board is working really hard to bring them back."

Pearce’s partner, Kat Wills, is a teacher and the couple enjoy life in Palmerston North.

Asked if there were any children on the cards, Pearce responded: "Mate, last year I coached over 4500 kids in basketball programmes, so I gave them all back and we are good at the moment, thanks."