The six-year-old jumped up, evading the arms of mother Sarah, and ran across the court to the Orange Eagles' huddle.

"He decided he wanted to see me and legged it across the court and popped up in the middle of the time-out," dad Mitch said, laughing.

Ryder said hi to his dad, led the team in the '3, 2, 1, EAGLES!' countdown and hightailed it back to his family in the bleachers, perfectly encapsulating what playing for Orange again means to the former NBL player.

"Having them be a part of this is the only way it works for me," Selwood said of his two kids, Ryder and Nash (aged four), who attended every game for the season and essentially became mascots for the Eagles side.

The 35-year-old admitted the workload of being inaugural captain of the club had been tough on both him and his kids, with training sessions and game time the main reasons why he's spent time away from his two boys since they were born, but they've still managed to worm their way into Selwood's sporting life.

They've trekked on long car-trips to Wollongong, Wagga Wagga and Bankstown that involve sleeping on the way back.

And boy, do they love it.

"We shout out a lot, we shout 'go Eagles' and 'go dad'," Nash said.

"I like bringing the ball to the ref and running out with dad," Ryder said.

Although as much as they admit to loving watching their dad play - who they say is "great" at basketball - the pair sheepishly admit they'll often talk to friends or family or even head off playing with the net in the corner of the PCYC.

Not that it bothers dad.

Not in the slightest.

It's the first time Selwood has played at a high level in over a decade, and the first time in "forever" he's played in front of friends and family. He loves the support.

"To play at a higher level, in your home town in front of your family and friends and having heaps of them here each and every game ... it's been fantastic," he said.

His parents have been to nearly every game, his grandmother - in her 80s - has been to every home game and to some away games, while aunts, uncles, in-laws, friends, cousins and siblings have also appeared at games to watch him play at a level he never thought he'd reach again.

"It's been forever since I played high-level basketball, when I was in the army was the last time I played at that level but that was in Darwin and elsewhere, nowhere near home," he said.

He finished playing in the NBL in 2006, and says while it's impossible to compare the state league to the nation's highest level, he's loved the perspective change of being back playing basketball seriously.

"I'm in a different stage in my life where I can really appreciate playing and playing with lots of young guys and meeting them as well," he said.

"When I was going through [the NBL] I was younger and still learning and now I get to be the older guy passing on that knowledge and playing that different role in the team.

"I have a lot more life experience and I wish I had the head I have now when I was 22 and gave the game away, the things I have now would have made my game a lot different but [leading the Eagles] has been a really good role."

He's been surrounded by young talent to impart his wisdom on, including Kobe Mansell, Zak Simons, Clarry Annis-Brown, Justin Parish and James Gagola, with those prospects - most of whom are still teenagers - rotating in and out of the starting five through the year.

Having a young group and a new club has given Selwood the chance to shape the culture of the Eagles for years and decades to come, and he said that culture has already began shining through.

Summed up in one word - "positivity".

"It's a really positive culture and something you want to be a part of and really want to put on the jersey and really represent the Eagles," he said.

"We've been through a lot this year and done a lot of good things but we've got the best base model we could have and now it's about getting the right people and tweaking the right things and making this grow to a bigger and better thing."

The side pushed plenty of others during the year and Selwood said with a few different decisions during play or a few different calls from referees the side could have won five games instead of the two it did.

The Eagles also never had their best outfit take the court together during the season and, with another pre-season under their belt, he is convinced his young side can push for finals.

"There were only really two teams which outclassed us ... we're not here to make up the numbers, we've already seen with the few challenges we had and we were highly competitive."

He wants to take that competitiveness forward, and with the Boomers' games and Ben Simmons driving the game, he's dreaming of the Eagles lining up with a women's side and youth league sides in the next few years.

But while he's hunting wins and the side's after success, winning isn't the best part of being back on the court for Selwood.

The best part has been having Ryder and Nash on the sidelines, with the pair paying the biggest compliment any child can by asking their dad if they can add a No.8 jumper with Selwood on it to their collection, which also includes LeBron James and Kobe Bryant singlets.

That gesture has meant a lot to Selwood but the dream they could follow in his footsteps for a club he's helped rebuild would be special.

"I don't think my body's going to last long enough to play with them at the higher level but I'd absolutely like to watch them line up for the Eagles if they choose basketball as their sport," Selwood said.