General News
19 August, 2025
Mount Isa basketball hero steps up to help save lives
Darcy Ryder was a hero in more ways than one after his eventful Saturday night in Brisbane.
Darcy Ryder was still buzzing from his grand final win, having just helped the Southern Districts Spartans to their first men’s grand final victory in 19 years.
But that’s perhaps not the most memorable thing about the night of August 16.
The Mount Isa product, who is the son of local sports champions Col Ryder and Kim Coghlan, was on his way home to get ready for an epic night of celebrations when his heroics became needed away from the court.
“After the game, I was driving home to get ready to go out and celebrate and there was a massive car crash ... there were two people trapped in a car,” Ryder told North West Weekly.
“It was on fire, man. Two blokes pulled the guy from the car, and the wife was stuck. We ran back down and pulled her from the car.”
The 23-year-old then went into further detail.
“I was all by myself in the car – I was on the phone to mum – and then a lady was standing on the road asking for a fire extinguisher... I couldn’t see why because there was only one car on the road,” Ryder explained.
“And then she pointed down to her right, and a car had gone down towards the river (Downfall Creek at Chermside).
“The car had gone over the side railing at a roundabout and it was stuck, wedged in between the hill going down to the river, and a tree.
“It was on fire, so me and this other bloke, a Dominos worker, plus a bloke who was first on the scene, we helped pull them out.”
The Queensland Ambulance Service said at 10.54pm on Saturday, paramedics responded to a single-vehicle rollover on Fischle Street at Chermside where “one patient with head injuries in a potentially life-threatening condition and one stable female patient in her 30s with minor injuries” were transported to Royal Brisbane Hospital.
Ryder, not one for the spotlight, said he didn’t stay at the scene once the car crash victims were safe from the wreckage.
“We got everyone out and the other two blokes were sticking around, so I just sort of took off because I didn’t want to get held up,” he said, eager to celebrate the Spartans’ premiership drought coming to an end.
“I was more shocked because it was pretty full-on, and then afterwards mum was like, ‘Darcy, you just saved two people’s lives’ – I didn’t even really think about it.
“To be honest, I don’t think it’s really hit me.”
COACH’S PRAISE
Another Mount Isa product in Peter Crawford – an Olympian, no less – was not surprised when he heard of Ryder’s off-court heroics.
The former Perth Wildcats and Townsville Crocs champion said a movie could be written about the basketball star’s Saturday night.
“He rang me after the game and I was in the opposition locker room chatting to the coach, and I sent him a message saying, ‘hey man, I’m just down the hall, what’s up?’ and then I don’t hear from him,” Crawford said.
“Then I get back to our stadium (for the celebrations) and they’re saying, ‘Darcy’s just saved two people. He pulled two people out of the car and then the thing caught on fire and exploded’.
“I’m like, ‘is this for real?’ and Darcy comes back all lit up and happy, saying ‘that’s what I do’.
“It’s like a movie.”
Crawford said he was just as impressed with the young guard’s work on the court.
The Spartans were missing several of their key players heading into the best-of-three grand final series against the Brisbane Capitals in the NBL1 North competition.
On Friday night, the Spartans had to produce a big comeback.
“We were down by 13 with about two minutes left in the third (quarter),” Ryder said.
“And then we went on a 6-0 run to go into the last quarter down by seven points.
“In the last five minutes, I think we went on a 22-6 run to finish it off. That was unreal.”
The Spartans won 90-78, putting themselves in a good position for Game 2 on Saturday night at Northside Indoor Sports Centre.
Scores were deadlocked at the end of the third quarter before the Crawford-coach team came out on top, with Ryder playing a key role, playing out every minute of both final quarters, despite starting his games on the bench.
Crawford was full of praise for his fellow Mount Isa product, who he said had come a long way since they first crossed paths when Ryder was still in high school.
“He came to Townsville when I was still there and one of his relatives organised an individual (workout) with me before the schoolboys trials.
“His dad (Col) came in – I’m probably talking a little bit out of school – but his dad came into the office and got me. And he’s like, ‘hey, the young fella’s in the car’.
“I had to go out to the car and grab him and say, ‘hey man, come on in. I’ll work you out’.
“He was nervous. He didn’t want to trial for the NQ side.
“I ran him through some stuff, and then watched him trial and later I got told, ‘oh yeah, we picked the Ryder kid in the team’.
“I was like, ‘f--k yeah, man.
“Four years later, we’re at Southern Districts and Darcy’s there working. He’s got a job there doing maintenance and cleaning and stuff.”
When Crawford’s contract didn’t get renewed at the Brisbane Bullets, the assistant coach landed at the Spartans as the coaching director, heading up the NBL1 side.
“I was a first-time head coach and (Ryder) brought this great energy to training.
“Even all this season, every day I get there, every morning he’s shooting with Jess McDowell-White, the point guard of the women’s team.
“He’s just a relentless worker.
“The last couple of years, he's been driving training because he goes so hard – he only knows how to play one way.”
Crawford said he could pinpoint the Spartans’ turnaround this year down to his use of Ryder.
“We were having a bit of a shocking start to the season ... so we made Darcy a starter because we’ve been having so many bad starts,” he said.
“He brings so much energy.”
Ryder’s time with the Spartans was interrupted this season as he was also playing in QSL2 – where he won a grand final – and had a stint in Taiwan with an academy.
The coach said he came back into the fore just before finals and led by example.
“He’s driving Spartans culture. He’s had the net around his neck since that night – and so he should – he works at the association, we see him every day ... he’s also the head coach of our Div 1 under-12 team,” Crawford said.
“And they’re beating everyone by 50 points. He's a winner everywhere.
“So yeah, I’m super happy for him. Coming from Mount Isa myself, I think there’s a little bit of an underdog mentality.
“You feel like you have to prove yourself every time you do anything. So he’s got that in him.”
Ryder is now focused on trying to win the national championship, with the NBL1 winners from around Australia to face off in Canberra from August 29 to 31.
Crawford is unlikely to be there as he embarks on a new coaching adventure in China.
