"It was a long time coming," Josh Aitcheson said as he reflected on his 99 games in the Otago Nuggets singlet.
It certainly was.
Just as he was breaking through as a player, the Nuggets were breaking apart.
The franchise went into a hiatus at the end of the 2014 season and did not re-emerge until Covid provided them a pathway back in 2020.
Aitcheson had to go elsewhere to play.
The 26-year-old small forward had a stint with the Southland Sharks in 2017 and played for the Canterbury Rams the following year.
He brought up 100 games in the National Basketball League at the end of last season.
But when he takes the court against the Auckland Tuatara tonight it will mark his 100th game for the Nuggets.
And that means an awful lot to him.
"It’s been a bit of a long journey from watching the Nuggets at the Edgar as a kid.
"Just as I was about to get to that age where I could try to start being in the squad they kind of went away.
"But, yeah, it’s cool to have that kind of full-circle moment."
The wait was certainly worth it.
The 2020 season had to be re-imagined because of Covid.
The tournament was played in a bubble in Auckland during a six-week period. Three of the leading teams opted against entering, which reduced the league in the eyes of some.
But for the Nuggets it provided a lifeline and they ended up winning the tournament.
That banner hangs from the wall in the Edgar Centre.
Aitcheson has very fond memories of the campaign which he described as his career highlight.
He scored 16 points in the final and drilled the final free throw to complete a 79-77 win against the Manawatū Jets in the final.
"I think it was probably the best thing that could have happened to this organisation," Aitcheson said.
"We got back [in the league a] year earlier and got really fortunate with the guys we drafted.
"And we had a really good core of guys in me, Darce [Darcy Knox], and Bards [Matthew Bardsley], and Mike [Spencer] was here as the S&C [strength and conditioning].
"I’ve said it before but the reason I keep coming back is just that I love the boys.
"Some of my best mates are on the team, so just going on those roadies and going into each other's room at night and playing cards.
"But basketball-wise it's hard to go past that first championship.
"That was pretty cool and the tip-in winner against Hawke's Bay [in Napier in 2022] and then later that season going on to win the championship was pretty special as well."
Aitcheson joins an exclusive club.
Basketball records from the 1990s are patchy at best, so the Otago Daily Times has leaned heavily on its records.
Leonard King (181 games), Mark Dickel (124), Matt Gillan (112) and Hayden Allen (109) are confirmed centurions.
Andrew Parke got there as well, although it is unclear how many games he played exactly.
The forward was with the Nuggets from 1991 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2003. He answered an SOS in 2010 and returned for one game as well.
The calculated guess is he clocked close to 200 games, making him the most-capped Nuggets player.
Glen Denham played for seven seasons from 1991 to 1997 and surely got to 100 as well.
Aitcheson is likely just the seventh player to reach triple figures, but he will quickly be joined by his great mates, Bardsley (97) and Knox (95).
This will be the last season the trio play together at the Nuggets.
Aitcheson has decided to retire at the end of the campaign.
"It's been awesome but it’s hard to keep up with work and playing, and the plan is for this to be my last season."
He is an accountant at Deloitte and it has been hard to juggle his career with his sporting ambition.
But leaving will be a wrench.
"I love this competition and it'll be hard not hanging out with my mates every day. But I'll still be around."
The Nuggets are in the middle of a tough stretch. They have lost five in a row and their playoff prospects are fading.
"We pushed the Tuatara to the end and we pushed the Rams all the way, so we’ve shown that we have that capability.
"I think it's just locking it in for a full 40.
"But we dig ourselves into a bit of a hole but we know we can hang with the best."
Otago Nuggets
Confirmed 100 club
Leonard King 181
Mark Dickel 124
Matt Gillan 112
Hayden Allen 109
Josh Aitcheson 99
• NBL records are patchy but Andrew Parke played close to 200 games and Glen Denham 140-150 games.
NBL
Auckland, 7pm
Otago Nuggets: Jonathan Janssen, Jaylen Sebree, Jose Perez, Don Carey jun, Darcy Knox, Matthew Bardsley, Josh Aitcheson, Caleb Smiler, Christian Martin, Michael Ruske, Liam Boomer.
