Bendigo Braves greats open up about their cherished honour

Taylor Bell, Jane Chalmers, Chris Hogan and Gabe Richards were presented with framed jerseys as their respective numbers were hung in the Red Energy Arena rafters.

Fittingly, Braves' legends David Flint, Justin Cass, Andrea Walsh, Michelle Fletcher and Warren Randall were on hand to make the presentations to the quartet.

Bell, Chalmers, Hogan and Richards were humbled to be honoured by the club.

A product of the Braves juniors, Bell played more than 370 senior games for the Braves in the club's most successful era.

The athletic swingman was often given some of the toughest defensive assignments.

"It was a bit surreal to be out on the court with people like Dave Flint and Justin Cass,'' Bell said.

"To have Gabe, Hoges and Jane there as well was pretty special. Not often have I looked back on my career to think about what we've achieved, especially Hoges and I together, so to do that (on Saturday night) was great.

"I have a lot of fond memories with Hoges and the teams we played in, so it was good to be out there with him.

"I probably spent half my life at that stadium when you take in juniors as well, so I was really thankful to be recognised by the club. There's also so many people that helped me get to that position and it was nice to share that with some of them (on Saturday night).

"Naturally the friendships you make in sport mean everything, but we were lucky enough to have team success as well.

"We were able to build a pretty good culture around the club and being able to win while doing that is something I cherish."

Originally from Echuca, few players could bring the Braves crowd to life like the tenacious point guard.

What she gave up to opponents in height she made up for in heart and Braves fans would have wonderful memories of Chalmers changing the momentum of games with a big three-pointer or a gutsy defensive play.

"There's a lot of great players who have played for the Braves, so to have my jersey up there is a huge honour, but somewhat undeserving,'' a humble Chalmers said.

"My jersey will be there for years to come, so it's nice to have that support from people at the club who appreciated what I did as a player.

"When I started I was just happy to get one game. I didn't expect to get a shot, but (coach) Bernie Harrower gave me a chance when I first came back from college (in the US).

"I'm so thankful Bernie gave me that opportunity. I've had so many great team-mates... to play alongside them and have the success we had made for great experiences.

"I'd really like to thank my past team-mates and particularly Bernie for giving me that chance to play for Bendigo.

"Coming from Echuca, to have the opportunity is something that wasn't seen as attainable, but if you go about it the right way the chance is there if you want to play.

"I appreciate the chance I got. I have so many great memories from my time with the Braves and I still love the game now even though I'm not playing anymore."

A record 452 games for the club, Hogan is one of the finest Bendigo-bred talents the club has ever produced.

His sweet shooting from the perimeter and work ethic made him a dream team-mate in some of the Braves finest teams.

"It was humbling, but I appreciated it,'' Hogan said of his honour.

"To have Dave Flint there to present my framed jersey and to stand up there shake the hand of Justin Cass was pretty awesome.

"It's incredibly cliche, but honours like this are not what you set out to do. It's nice recognition for the best part of 20 years of my life.

"It was really nice to have Gabe, Jane and Taylor out there as well. Taylor and I probably played about 350 games together, so it was special for both of us to be presented like that on the same night.

"When I walked into the stadium someone congratulated me and my (eight-year-old) daughter said 'what for, Dad?'

"I explained to her that I was getting one of those big yellow banners with my name on it and she said 'oh, wow'.

"That made me feel good and it was nice that she was interested.

"When I look back on my career I value the friendships I made and the success we had.

"We didn't win as many titles as we should have and it still annoys me, to be honest,'' Hogan said.

"We won two (national) championship games and I played in five grand finals, so a 3-2 split would have sat better with me rather than 2-3."

Few players had more impact on and off the court for the Braves than the skillful centre.

On the court, her interior moves in the paint made her the most damaging post player in the competition.

Off the court, she was a fan favourite who became an instant hit with not just basketball supporters, but the wider Bendigo community.

"I genuinely thought I'd only be in Bendigo for a year or two,'' Richards said with a chuckle.

"After leaving Seymour at age 16 to go to the AIS, then I went overseas, so I thought it would be fun to play somewhere close to home for a year or two.

"I moved to Bendigo and that was the end of it. I've never left.

"It's been such a huge part of my life. The people I've made friends with through playing basketball in Bendigo transcends the lines of a basketball court. It's so special to call some of those people really good friends. It's been a wonderful blessing.

"(The jersey retirement) is such an honour and something I hold very dearly.

"It's special to have your name hanging in the rafters. It's recognition for the blood, sweat and tears that all four os put in over our careers.

"To be hanging up there with the legends of the club is really special.

"I really want to thank our families who got us into basketball.

"Jane, Chris and Taylor's parents put so many kilometres on the car like mine did.

"We have wonderful families that have supported us, not only in our junior careers, but through our senior careers as well.

"The recognition is great for us, but it's also recognition for our families for what they did for us."