Alec Godinet’s 'Force' powers son’s leukemia battle

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Ipswich Force veteran Alec Godinet has a deeply personal connection to the NBL1 North’s Pink Round this weekend.

“For people that don’t know my situation, my son Boston, who’s almost three, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was about 13 months old. It isn’t breast cancer, but it’s still cancer in itself,” Godinet told Mal Crawford on the latest episode of Ball Don’t Lie.

“Since August 2023, life’s been pretty hectic. A lot of uncertainty. It’s been hard seeing your son go through harsh treatment.

“When you’re in the moment, you just deal with it and hope for the best, but when you look back at photos and see how far he’s come, you kind of forget how hard it was at the time.

“He’s in maintenance right now, which means the treatment and medication are less frequent and not as harsh. He’s got treatment until November, and hopefully everything stays on track.”

Godinet, 30, returned to the Force after spending three seasons between the South West Metro Pirates and RedCity Roar between 2021 and 2023. He revealed he was “humbled” to be back at his childhood club.

It’s kind of weird to say, but I feel like we’re very blessed with the support we’ve received from family, friends, our community and even people we didn’t know,” Godinet said.

“That’s been really humbling.

“It’s easy to get caught up in your own day-to-day bubble, but when you go through tough times, and people lend a hand, it gives you faith in humanity.

“When Boston got diagnosed, it was right after our 2023 season finished. The start of treatment was pretty dark. It felt isolating.

"We were at the hospital a lot, and I took time off work.

“Basketball is something I’ve always loved. For a few hours at training or during a game, I can take my mind off the daily struggles of Boston’s treatment.

“It refreshes me and allows me to be the best version of myself for him.

“I’ve been with Ipswich my whole junior career since top-age under-12s back in 2007, so almost 20 years ago. I played all the way through to the 20s.

“It’s just a good bunch of people – community, teammates – especially Kane Bishop. I’ve been teammates with him since 2007, which is crazy to think about because some of our teammates now were born around 2005. We’ve basically been playing together our whole lives.”

The Force takes on unbeaten Logan Thunder at home at 7pm on Saturday.

“I feel like Logan has a point to prove after missing the playoffs last year, which is pretty unheard of for them,” Godinet revealed.

“The absence of Shaun Bruce last year was definitely felt, and him coming back rejuvenated the team.

“They look all business right now.

“If you look at the team list, it’s hard not to think we’re capable of making playoffs.

“But talent on paper doesn’t play for you. You’ve got to go out there and do the work.

“The last two weeks were a hard pill to swallow for us. Everyone was disappointed, but because of that, we’ve kicked into another gear at training this week. I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

Alec Godinet – Ipswich Force, NBL1 North

Position: Forward
Born: October 6, 1997
Nationality: Australian
Team: Ipswich Force (2024–26)

Godinet has been part of the Ipswich Force program for almost two decades, progressing through the junior pathway before debuting in the QBL in 2016. The versatile forward has also spent time with South West Metro Pirates and RedCity Roar in NBL1 competition before returning to Ipswich.

Across his career, Godinet has built a reputation as a high-energy role player and culture piece, valued for his defensive effort, versatility and connection to the Ipswich basketball community.

Year-by-Year Career

• 2016 – Ipswich Force (QBL): 7 games │ 0.9ppg
• 2017 – Ipswich Force (QBL): 4 games │ 1.3ppg │ 1.3rpg
• 2018 – Ipswich Force (QBL): 18 games │ 4.9ppg │ 2.4rpg
• 2019 – Ipswich Force (QBL): 17 games │ 4.5ppg │ 1.4rpg
• 2020 – Ipswich Force (QBL): 9 games │ 1.8ppg │ 1.0rpg
• 2021 – South West Metro Pirates (NBL1): 12 games │ 5.3ppg │ 2.6rpg │ 1.1apg │ 53.7 FG%
• 2022 – RedCity Roar (NBL1): 19 games │ 9.6ppg │ 5.6rpg │ 1.6apg │ 53.3 FG%
• 2023 – RedCity Roar (NBL1): 18 games │ 7.1ppg │ 4.3rpg │ 2.0apg │ 46.5 FG%
• 2024 – Ipswich Force (NBL1 North): 16 games │ 4.0ppg │ 1.7rpg
• 2025 – Ipswich Force (NBL1 North): 14 games │ 2.2ppg │ 1.0rpg

About Ball Don't Lie

Ball Don't Lie Australia has been covering the NBL1 North for multiple years. Host Mal Crawford is being joined weekly by current and former players, coaches, commentators, GMs to breakdown the North. With deep dives into games and team breakdowns across the league from as far south as Gold Coast, as north as Cairns and every team in between. Don’t forget predictions, side bets and of course some silly games along the way.

Mal Crawford has been hooked on basketball since being taken to his first junior comp when he was in Year 2 of primary school, by his basketball loving Mum. Mal is the play by play commentator of the Brisbane Capitals as well as the Ipswich Force. He can be heard on multiple Game of the week broadcasts on Kayo every season and has been called up to the NBL1 National finals as a commentator to boot. Mal has been covering North with Commentary and podcasting since the rebrand to the NBL1 North five seasons ago.

What to expect from Ball Don’t Lie Australia throughout the season:

• Breakdowns of the big games of the round
• Player and Coach interviews
• Predictions across the round, season
• Weekly ladder looks, whose up and whose down and why
• Fun Games such as ‘Crackem’, ‘Whose that teammate’ and others that listeners can play along with that put guests in the hot seat