BIO: Tom Koppens was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sandringham basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Tom Koppens made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

In preparation for NBL24, Melbourne United rebuilt their roster with a strong focus on continuity and young talent after narrowly missing out on a grand final berth in 2022. Returning to the squad were Jo Lual-Acuil (via China) and Matthew Dellavedova (via NBA), along with the addition of NBA prospect Luke Travers. United also brought in Ian Clark (via Adelaide) as their lone import to provide bench scoring, a role previously occupied by Scotty Hopson, while signing young talent Tanner Krebs (via Brisbane), Kyle Bowen, and Flynn Cameron. After elevating Zac Triplett to the full roster, United signed Tom Koppens as a Development Player for the NBL24 season.

Koppens joined United after several impressive preseason outings as a training player. Head coach Dean Vickerman praised Koppens for his defensive versatility and basketball IQ, noting his ability to contribute when called upon.

“TK is the type of player you always look out for: a versatile defender who plays a high-IQ brand of basketball,” said Vickerman. “He’s been with us across the preseason and has shown that he can contribute when called upon.”

Throughout the season, Koppens appeared sparingly, playing in nine games and scoring a total of two points. Despite limited minutes, he demonstrated steady growth, gaining valuable experience within United’s system.

Melbourne United’s season was led by Chris Goulding (16.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists), delivering one of his best campaigns, supported by consistent contributions from Lual-Acuil (14.5 points, 7.7 rebounds), Dellavedova (12.9 points, 6.3 assists), and Travers (11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds). A dominant December victory over Brisbane, with Goulding hitting 7 of 9 three-pointers, highlighted their regular season success.

In the postseason, United overcame Illawarra in a thrilling semifinal series to reach the Grand Final. They opened with a commanding Game 1 win (104–81) but lost momentum in Games 2 and 3, despite Dellavedova’s 21-point performance. A Game 4 victory (88–86) forced a decider, where Jordon Crawford’s 32 points lifted Tasmania to an 83–81 win, ending United’s title hopes.

While Koppens had limited minutes, his development season positioned him for future contributions as United leaned on their veteran core.

2024/25
Melbourne re-signed Tom Koppens as a Development Player for a second straight season, keeping him in the program after he had first joined as a training player before being elevated into the DP group. Koppens joined a United squad that farewelled Brad Newley (retired), Luke Travers (to Cleveland), Ariel Hukporti (to New York), Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (to Liaoning), Zac Triplett (to Illawarra) and Malith Machar (to Sandringham). Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova, Shea Ili, Ian Clark, Flynn Cameron, Tanner Krebs, Kyle Bowen and Rob Loe returned, while coach Dean Vickerman added Jack White (via Memphis), Marcus Lee (via Tasmania), Akech Aliir (via Adelaide) and Joel Foxwell (via Sandringham).

Koppens made his first appearance against Adelaide on 13 October, collecting 1 rebound in two minutes as Melbourne defeated the 36ers 106-79. His first NBL points came against Cairns on 27 October, where Koppens (2 points and 1 rebound) scored late as Melbourne completed the second-largest victory in club history with a 106-63 win.

Koppens (0.9 points and 1.5 rebounds across 8 games) played minimal minutes, but was able to use his size and versatility across the forward and centre positions while he continued to work with United’s scout team. He added 1 assist in three minutes against New Zealand on 4 November, grabbed 1 rebound in two minutes against Adelaide on 17 November, and appeared briefly against Brisbane on 8 December.

Koppens’ best game came against Illawarra on 13 December, where Koppens (5 points and 9 rebounds) hit a three-pointer late in the opening quarter and produced his strongest rebounding game during Melbourne’s 106-93 loss.

Melbourne won its final four regular-season games to finish second with a 19-10 record and secure direct entry into the semifinals. Goulding (18.4 points) led United in scoring, with White (13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds), Clark (12.7 points), Ili (11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Dellavedova (10.9 points and 7.1 assists) forming the primary group. Goulding earned All-NBL Second Team honours and Melbourne’s club MVP award, while Ili won the Damian Martin Trophy as Defensive Player of the Year.

Koppens did not play during Melbourne’s semifinal series against Perth, but returned to the floor during the Championship Series against Illawarra. In game three, Koppens (1 point, 1 rebound, and 1 steal) appeared during the opening half as Melbourne defeated the Hawks 83-77 behind White (20 points and 5 rebounds), Dellavedova (16 points and 11 assists) and Clark (16 points and 7 rebounds), while Hickey (12 points) and Darius Days (11 points) led Illawarra.

Illawarra forced a deciding game with an 80-71 victory in Melbourne behind Hickey (22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals) and Lachlan Olbrich (13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists), while Dellavedova (17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Goulding (17 points and 5 rebounds) led United, with Koppens recording 1 assist in three minutes.

The final game returned to Wollongong, where Kell III (26 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists), Hickey (21 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists), Harvey (16 points and 7 rebounds) and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (16 points) led Illawarra to a 114-104 championship victory, while Goulding (21 points), Ili (20 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals) and White (17 points and 7 rebounds) led Melbourne. Dellavedova was awarded the Larry Sengstock Trophy as Championship Series MVP before handing it to Hickey, and Koppens played the final 33 seconds without scoring.

2025/26
Melbourne entered NBL26 after falling one win short of the championship for the second straight season, with Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, Tanner Krebs, Kyle Bowen and Development Player Tom Koppens returning from the previous group. Matthew Dellavedova (to Sydney), Flynn Cameron (to Adelaide), Akech Aliir (to South East Melbourne), Rob Loe (to New Zealand), Marcus Lee (to Cairns), Jack White (to Turkey), Ian Clark (to South East Melbourne) and Joel Foxwell (to NCAA) departed, while coach Dean Vickerman added Milton Doyle (via Tasmania), Finn Delany (via Japan), Fabijan Krslovic (via Tasmania), Tyson Walker (via Texas Legends), Jesse Edwards (via Iowa Wolves), Tom Wilson (via Melbourne Tigers) and Next Star Dash Daniels (via Centre of Excellence).

Melbourne opened the season in Hobart on September 18, where Koppens did not play as United defeated Tasmania (88-84) but Koppens’ first appearance came three days later against New Zealand, where Koppens (1 rebound) played 4:59 minutes as Melbourne defeated the Breakers 114-82, with Edwards (22 points and 6 rebounds) and Daniels (14 points and 5 rebounds) providing support, while Izaiah Brockington (21 points and 6 rebounds) led New Zealand.

Koppens (1.9 points and 0.8 rebounds across 21 games) played only a small role this season, his best scoring game came against Cairns on October 12, where Koppens (9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals) played 9:26 minutes as Melbourne defeated the Taipans 95-60, with Edwards (16 points and 12 rebounds) and Goulding (16 points) leading United, while Alex Higgins-Titsha (16 points) was Cairns’ best.

Five days later in Brisbane, Koppens (8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal) gave United another useful bench burst as Melbourne defeated the Bullets 95-86, with Goulding (22 points) and Krebs (16 points) leading the scoring, while Jaylen Adams (29 points and 5 assists) was Brisbane’s best. Koppens also added 4 points in 8:44 minutes against New Zealand on October 19 as Melbourne defeated the Breakers 104-88 and extended its undefeated start to seven games.

Koppens made his first start of the season against South East Melbourne on December 7, finishing with 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in 11:35 minutes as Melbourne lost 111-86. His longest stint came five days later in Adelaide, where Koppens (4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block) played 13:44 minutes as Melbourne fell 114-105 in overtime despite Goulding (24 points) and Delany (20 points and 9 rebounds), while Bryce Cotton (33 points, 7 rebounds, and 13 assists) led the 36ers.

This season, Doyle (16 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists) led Melbourne in scoring, while Walker (14.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals) added speed and point-of-attack defence. Edwards (13.3 points and 8.4 rebounds) anchored the frontcourt and won Melbourne’s club MVP award, Goulding (12.8 points) remained the club’s main shooter, while Delany (11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds), Krebs (7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds) and Ili (7.3 points and 3.1 assists) rounded out the main contributors.

Melbourne won its first nine games before injuries and inconsistency pushed the club into the play-in race. United closed the regular season against South East Melbourne on February 19, where Koppens (2 points) played 1:44 minutes as Melbourne defeated the Phoenix 95-91, with Doyle (25 points), Walker (23 points and 5 assists) and Edwards (17 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks) leading United, while Nathan Sobey (29 points and 7 rebounds) was South East Melbourne’s best as Melbourne finished fifth with a 20-13 record.

Melbourne defeated Tasmania in the Play-In Qualifiers and then faced Perth, who ended Melbourne’s season 95-77 behind Lual-Acuil Jr (28 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks). Koppens did not play in either post season game.

Tom Koppens played three seasons with the Melbourne United. He averaged 1.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 37 NBL games.