Jonny Bunyan on 'fairytale' BBL Trophy triumph with Caledonia Gladiators, the family connection and Falkirk Fury's impact

That title triumph over holders Cheshire Phoenix was only the second in the Glasgow outfits BBL history, and was a first in nearly twenty years.

David Sloan’s buzzer-beater sent Scotland’s only professional club three points into the lead with seconds to go on the clock, ensuring that they would take home the trophy with a 73-70 win.

“I am still on top of the world,” Falkirk native Bunyan told the Herald. “Everything is still floating on air. It was an incredible day for the club and the emotions were a mixture of pure joy and probably a bit of relief that we managed to win the title. It certainly feels like a fairytale. With the way the match finished, it did feel like it was written in the stars.

“I think everyone in the building was a nervous wreck towards the end of the game and there was so much tension. There are easier ways to win a match but it did feel like if we were ever going to break the twenty year streak, it was going to take something special like that. It was the perfect way to do it.

“It is also our last season at the Emirates Arena and we have been there for eleven years, and of course have went through a lot of change going from the Rocks to the Gladiators and all that has come with that – so to win it now really was perfect and a fitting end to an era in that sense. The list goes on and on really and you couldn’t write a better script.”

It certainly felt like it was meant to be for point guard Jonny, but then you when also add in the fact that his big brother, Keith, was a key part in helping the then-named Rocks pick up their first ever piece of silverware those twenty-odd years ago, it really does turn into a script even the most imaginative would struggle to come up with.

The Bunyan family are not only local sporting heroes in the Falkirk area, mainly through dad John’s work in bringing through the talent of tomorrow at Falkirk Fury, and almost single-handedly running the club himself, but across Scotland for their basketballing exploits.

“It means everything to me,” Jonny explained. “My family is a basketball family, it is as simple as that. In Scotland, we are probably one of the main names around. But it is different being known for being involved in basketball in general and for being involved in the top professional game.

“Having had a member of the Bunyan family play a part in both occasions that the Gladiators (and previously Rocks) have won a title is truly special and it is some achievement. I don’t take it for granted just how much that means.

"It was an amazing moment at the end and to have my dad John and Keith and the rest of the family there.”

Jonny also believes that the trophy win shows just how much his dad has done for the sport, with four Gladiators having connections to Fury.

He added: “The title also brings a real sense of achievement in terms of what my dad has done with Fury and the fact that we had Ali Fraser and Fraser Malcolm in our squad too who are both ex-players. Oscar Baldwin is also currently playing for Fury too.

"Everything is down to my dad for sure. He is basketball in Falkirk and he is basketball in Scotland. The infrastructure he has put into the local area for young people wanting to play the sport is amazing.

"He has worked 30 years non-stop to develop Fury and myself and Keith and he has been rewarded for it.”

Caledonia Gladiators – who are due to move their base to East Kilbride later this year – now have a huge British Basketball League clash at home to fourth-placed Manchester Giants on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Falkirk Fury senior men’s title hopes were dashed over the weekend despite an away victory over North Lanarkshire Chiefs.