NICKNAME/S: Loughzy

BIO: Alex Loughton was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Bunbury basketball program. He later played with the Wanneroo Basketball Association, playing for the Wolves’ SBL team between 2000 and 2002 in between a year spent at the Australian Institute of Sport.

During that time he also played with the Australian Under-20 team where he averaged 17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds.

Loughton received a scholarship to play college ball with Old Dominion University for four years before declaring for the 2006 NBA draft where he went undrafted.

Loughton played for the Orlando Magic during the Pepsi Pro Summer League before returning to Australia to play in the NBL. Loughton received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2001. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Alex Loughton made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 24 years of age. He scored 20 points in his first game.

After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, the Wildcats moved on from veteran Tony Ronaldson (to New Zealand) and guard Damien Ryan (Europe), looking to get younger and bigger. They replaced them with Alex Loughton (Spain) and Tom Garlepp (NCAA). After an impressive debut season, Perth could not retain import Darren Brooks, who received several lucrative offers from overseas, and replaced him with Rashad Phillips.

Despite leading the league in assists, Phillips (13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists) was released six games into the season, with the team sitting on a 3-3 record. Head coach Scott Fisher cited Phillips’ fitness as the main issue.

‘Unfortunately, Rashad never really showed us the athleticism or intensity needed to make himself or those around him better. Plus, he never really contributed to the defensive side of things. He lacked the leadership and on-court management that this group needs. So we felt it was in the best interest of the club to delist him.’

The team immediately replaced him with Gerald Brown (13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists), a former teammate of Luc Longley at the Phoenix Suns.

Rookie Loughton (14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 steals) impressed during his first season, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting (losing to Nathan Jawai). Shawn Redhage (22.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) delivered a career-high scoring season, including a career-high 40 points against Adelaide (10 Oct 2007), and became the fastest Wildcat to reach 2,000 career points, doing so in 95 games and 3,400 minutes. Captain Paul Rogers (12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks) proved he was still one of the competition’s elite big men, earning a spot on the All-NBL Third Team, joining Redhage, who earned a spot on the All-NBL First Team. Despite high-level performances from Redhage and Rogers, the team struggled on the road. They were nearly unbeatable at home (12-3) but woeful in away games (6-9), finishing the season in fourth place (18-12).

Much like their regular season results, Perth was able to win at home but struggled on the road in the playoffs. They defeated fifth seed Townsville at home (96-78) in their quarterfinal match-up, but when they reached the semi-finals against Sydney, they were outmatched. Perth pushed the Kings to the limit on their home court in Game 1 (101-98) but rebounded behind a huge game from Redhage (35 points) to win Game 2 at home (94-85). However, Sydney handed Perth their worst loss of the season in Game 3 (109-77), ending their playoff run. Shortly after, coach Fisher announced he would not seek a new contract from the Wildcats and would return to the United States.

Redhage was selected to the All-NBL First Team, while captain Paul Rogers (12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks) showed he was still one of the competition’s elite big men, earning a spot on the All-NBL Third Team.

2008/09
After four seasons of leading the Wildcats, coach Scott Fisher decided it was time to return to his family in the US. Upon Fisher’s announcement that he would not return after leading the Wildcats to within one game of the Grand Final, a worldwide search was conducted for his replacement. Ultimately, Fisher’s successor would be Conner Henry, a former college teammate of Fisher’s, who had been with the Wildcats since 2006 as an assistant coach.

The core of the Wildcats’ roster—Shawn Redhage, Alex Loughton, Peter Crawford, and Paul Rogers—would all return. The only major changes to the local roster were the additions of Ben Knight (via Singapore), Chris Goulding (via Brisbane), and rookie Stephen Weigh. With Shawn Redhage becoming a naturalised Australian (Jan 2008), the Wildcats had the luxury of being able to sign two new imports: athletic forward Isiah Victor (via Sydney) and Darnell Hinson (via West Sydney). Both players delivered solid debut NBL seasons the year prior.

Perth entered the season fighting through multiple injuries, with guards Adam Caporn, Brad Robbins, and Peter Crawford all managing knee issues. The team deactivated starting center Rogers due to a lingering knee complaint. This allowed Perth to pull off a major recruiting coup, beating Melbourne Tigers and South Dragons for the signature of former Boomers point guard Luke Kendall.

At the mid-way point of the season, Rogers returned to the lineup, forcing the Wildcats to release Kendall (8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals), who had become a key reserve with Robbins playing in only three games all season. Kendall signed with Melbourne shortly after, replacing Sam MacKinnon. Team captain Rogers (9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks) played in only two games before suffering a ruptured disc in his back that required surgery, ending his season.

Perth’s efforts during the regular season were similar to the previous year. The Wildcats were dominant at home (11-4) but inconsistent on the road (6-9), finishing in fourth place (17-13) for the second year in a row. Shawn Redhage (19.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) led the team in scoring and rebounding, earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team. Hinson (13.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.7 steals), Loughton (13 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists), and Victor (12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) also played key roles.

In the postseason, Perth faced fifth-seed Townsville in the Elimination Finals but were defeated (103-96), ending their playoff run and ensuring Conner Henry’s tenure lasted only one season.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2010/11
After finishing one loss away from the wooden spoon in 2010, the Taipans underwent a major overhaul of their roster. While the core group of Ian Crosswhite, Dusty Rychart, Aaron Grabau, and captain Phill Jones remained, Cairns replaced the rest of last year’s roster. Alex Loughton, the team’s major signing, returned to Australia after a season spent in Spain. Daniel Dillon, who had spent the past season in the state league, signed on as the Snakes’ backup point guard, and imports Ayinde Ubaka and Ron Dorsey replaced Julien Mills and Rich Melzer.

After a modest start to the season, with only one win from their first three games, the Taipans became the surprise package of the year. The team won five in a row and jumped from 7th place in round three to 2nd place by round nine.

A well-balanced attack from Cairns saw Ubaka (13.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists), Dorsey (13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists), Loughton (11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists), and Crosswhite (11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists) all score in double figures.

The Taipans finished the season on a four-game winning streak and secured third place (16–12).

The semi-finals saw them lose to Townsville in the opening game of the series before winning games two and three to advance to the Grand Final series for the first time in franchise history.

Facing off against New Zealand, Cairns suffered a heavy loss in the series opener (85–67) in Auckland before returning to Cairns for Game 2. There, the Taipans looked set for a three-point win in regulation before a three-pointer from Breakers guard CJ Bruton in the dying seconds sent the match into overtime. However, five minutes later, Dorsey returned the favor, wiping out the Breakers’ three-point lead with a miraculous long-range buzzer-beater, which led to the first game in NBL history heading into double overtime. With momentum now on their side, the Taipans took home a nail-biting double-overtime win (85–81), sending the series back to New Zealand for a third game.

The Taipans lacked the same spark in Game 3, with import pair Ubaka and Dorsey shooting 4-of-26 between them, and the Breakers won comfortably by 18 points (71–53).

Loughton appeared in 31 games, averaging 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists for the season.

2011/12
During the 2011/12 season, Loughton averaged 11.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists and was part of the Taipans squad that finished in fifth place with a record of 15-13.

2012/13
In the 2012/13 season, Loughton averaged 10.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, helping guide the Taipans to a sixth-place finish in the regular season with a 11-17 record.

2013/14
In the 2013/14 season, Loughton averaged 12.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists as the Taipans finished in fifth place with a 12-16 record.

2014/15
In 2015, Cairns became the first regional team to finish the season in first place (21-7) since Geelong achieved the feat in 1984. Cairns also achieved an NBL first when Aaron Fearne utilised the same starting five of Scottie Wilbekin, Cameron Gliddon, Stephen Weigh, captain Alex Loughton, and Matt Burston for all 28 games.

The roster did see some changes during the season, with training player Nathan Sobey (1.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.1 assists) being elevated into the squad mid-season after injuries to Corey Maynard (1.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) and Shaun Bruce (3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists).

In the semifinals, they faced off against 4th-seeded Perth. Behind the all-around brilliance of Wilbekin (28 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists), they won Game 1 (71-64). Wilbekin (16 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists) then led Cairns to victory in Game 2 (80-68), progressing to the Grand Final series.

Cairns would face the New Zealand Breakers and, despite having home-court advantage, lost the opening game (86–71). A buzzer-beating fadeaway from Breakers forward Ekene Ibekwe resulted in a Game 2 loss (83–81), denying the Taipans their first NBL championship.

Wilbekin (15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists) led the team in scoring and assists, earning the club’s MVP award, while Loughton finished the season with 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

Loughton played in all 32 games, averaging 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks.

2015/16
In the 2015/16 season, Loughton averaged 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists as the Taipans finished in sixth place (12-16).

2016/17
In the 2016/17 season, Loughton averaged 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, playing a key role in the Taipans’ rotation and helping the team finish in second place (15-13).

2017/18
The 2017/18 season saw Loughton average 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, playing a key role in helping the Taipans to a sixth-place finish in the regular season with an 11-17 record.

2018/19
In 2018, Cairns chose to go in a new direction, parting ways with long-time coach Aaron Fearne after eight years of him patrolling the sidelines. Mike Kelly was brought in as his replacement and was tasked with rebuilding a roster that had already lost key players Cameron Gliddon (to Brisbane), Mitchell McCarron (to Melbourne), Jarrad Weeks (to New Zealand), and Stephen Weigh (retired).

With only a short time before the season kicked off, Kelly bolstered the roster by adding free agent Rob Loe (via New Zealand) and a new import trio consisting of Melo Trimble, Devon Hall, and DJ Newbill, while Nathan Jawai, Alex Loughton, and Jarrod Kenny were retained for their experience and leadership.

Cairns started the season with a dominant victory over Brisbane (88-70) in their opening game, but consistency soon became an issue. The team endured a six-game losing streak between 21 October and 9 November 2018. Despite these struggles, the Taipans managed some impressive wins later in the season, including a surprise victory over Perth (81-79) and a dominant win over Brisbane (109-80), but an inability to consistently win at home (3-11) or away (3-11) saw them finish the season dead last.

While wins were few and far between, Melo Trimble (21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals) and DJ Newbill (14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals) formed a powerful one-two punch this season. Trimble earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and was named the Taipans’ club MVP at the end of the season.

Alex Loughton (6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds) was also a vital cog for the Taipans, providing veteran leadership. Alongside him, a healthy Nathan Jawai (10.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who saw his minutes and production nearly double compared to the previous season, and Devon Hall (8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists) were also key contributors.

Loughton’s best games this season included a 16-point, 7-rebound effort in the victory over Brisbane (3 Jan 2019), a 14-point, 6-rebound night against Melbourne (14 Feb 2019), and a 17-point performance against Sydney (16 Feb 2019).

The lack of pre-season preparation and large roster turnover prevented the Taipans from building momentum, leading to one of the worst records in franchise history (6-22).

Alex Loughton played eleven seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 309 NBL games.