Luuk Wittiveen
July 23, 2020
Casey Frank
- Nationality: USA/NZL
- Date of Birth: 23/10/77
- Place of Birth: Port Jefferson, New York (USA)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 109
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Northern Arizona (1995–1999)
- NBL DEBUT: 1/10/03
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 7/09/14
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 36
- NBL History: New Zealand 2004, 2006, 2014 | West Sydney 2006 | Wollongong 2007 | Gold Coast 2008-10
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Casey Frank was born in Port Jefferson, New York (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Casey Frank made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 25 years of age. He scored 12 points in his first game.
In March 2003, Three Waikato businessmen, Michael Redman, Dallas Fisher and Keith Ward, acquired a NBL licence for a team based in New Zealand. The inaugural Breakers roster was built from the core playing group of New Zealand’s national team, which had finished in fourth place at the FIBA World Championships six months prior.
Phill Jones, who had been the ‘Tall Blacks’ leading scorer (18.2 ppg) at the World Champs, Paul Henare, Dillon Boucher, Paora Winitana and Pero Cameron (who was named team captain) formed the Breakers’ local core. The roster was then filled out with up and coming New Zealand talent like Aaron Olsen and Lindsey Tait and some Australian NBL veterans like Ben Melmeth and Brad Williams to add leadership. Lastly, Casey Frank, a long-time import in the New Zealand national league, was signed as the team’s second import.
Jeff Green was implemented as the team’s first coach and, despite the Breakers being picked by many to finish dead last, they pulled out a win in their very first NBL game against Adelaide (111-110).
After initial success, the Breakers went on to lose ten of their next eleven games (proving the pundits right) to languish near the bottom of the NBL ladder for the remainder of the season.
Twelve games into the season (2-10), Green was fired and succeeded by the team’s assistant coach Frank Arsego, who had also headed up the basketball program at the Australian Institute of Sport for the past five years. Arsego would then bring in Mike Chappell (22.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists), who finished top five in the league in both points and three-point shooting while playing in Canberra the season before. Both Casey Frank and Brad Williams would be released to make way for Chappell, who went on to lead the team in scoring and named Breakers club MVP.
Chappell’s presence delivered a mid-season resurgence where a five game winning streak towards the end of the season gave the Breakers a realistic shot of qualifying for the playoffs. Needing to win both of their final games in the final round to claim a playoff berth, the Breakers instead went winless and finished in tenth place (12–21).
Frank appeared in 12 games and averaged 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists alongside teammates Jones (13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Ben Melmeth (13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) who were the best among the team’s local talent.
2005/06
With the Breakers still searching for their first winning season, they chose not to re-sign Mike Chappell, the Breakers’ leading scorer from the past two seasons and appointed a new head coach Andrej Lemanis. Lemanis had played in the NBL during the 1980s and 1990s and spent the previous five seasons as a assistant coach with the Townsville Crocodiles.
Lemanis inherited a Breakers squad who had seen both its national team players, Pero Cameron (Gold Coast) and Dillon Boucher (Perth), leave for better opportunities on other NBL team’s.
Lemanis looked to build around its young turning core group, which included Aaron Olsen, Ben Pepper, Lindsay Tait and Paul Henare, who was named team captain with the departure of co-captain Pero Cameron.
Rugged defender Ben Thompson and New Zealand born Adrian Majstrovich (both via Perth) were added to the roster, as was the import duo of Rich Melzer and Brant Bailey.
The Breakers started the season poorly (1-5) and quickly made the decision to replace Bailey (18.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) with Brian Green (18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals). Frank would recieve a cameo call up in the two games in between Bailey”s axing and Green’s signing, playing in two games where he failed to score any points.
Melzer (18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) would lead New Zealand in scoring while the Breakers continued to see strong development from young gun Aaron Olson (17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) and Ben Pepper (14.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) was a force inside the paint.
Lemanis’ first season in charge was not particularly memorable. During the season, the Breakers endured a team-worst eleven straight losses, but after making the personnel changes, the team split their final twelve games of the season and finished the regular season tenth out of eleven team’s (9-23).
ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2006/07
During the 2006/07 season Frank averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists and helped the Hawks finish the regular season in a ninth place (11-22).
GOLD COAST BLAZE
2007/08
During the 2007/08 season, Frank averaged 10.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists and was a part of the Blaze squad which finished in eighth place (15-15).
2008/09
In 2008/09, Frank averaged 8.0 points and 5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, and helped guide the Blaze to a tenth place finish in the regular season (8-22).
2009/10
With injuries impacting the Blaze, Frank was again brought in as a short term import replacement, appearing in 3 games and scoreing four points.
Casey Frank played eight seasons in the NBL. He averaged 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 122 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 36 | New Zealand | 11-17 (7) | 13 | 204.0 | 75 | 36 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 50 | 30 | 55 | 55% | 3 | 10 | 30% | 12 | 25 | 48% | 56% | 57% | |
| 2009-10 | 32 | Gold Coast | 16-12 (3) | 3 | 20.0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 50% | 0% | 2 |
| 2008-09 | 31 | Gold Coast | 8-22 (10) | 25 | 541.0 | 201 | 125 | 37 | 42 | 83 | 11 | 17 | 55 | 86 | 77 | 147 | 52% | 7 | 26 | 27% | 40 | 60 | 67% | 57% | 55% | 18 |
| 2007-08 | 30 | Gold Coast | 15-15 (8) | 31 | 782.0 | 313 | 193 | 42 | 71 | 122 | 14 | 17 | 66 | 120 | 129 | 230 | 56% | 10 | 34 | 29% | 45 | 78 | 58% | 59% | 58% | 21 |
| 2006-07 | 29 | Wollongong | 11-22 (9) | 33 | 876.0 | 389 | 239 | 62 | 86 | 153 | 35 | 18 | 89 | 127 | 154 | 281 | 55% | 7 | 21 | 33% | 74 | 104 | 71% | 59% | 56% | 22 |
| 2005-06 | 28 | New Zealand | 9-23 (10) | 2 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | |
| 2005-06 | 28 | West Sydney | 5-27 (11) | 3 | 81.0 | 19 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 47% | 0 | 2 | 0% | 5 | 10 | 50% | 48% | 47% | 8 |
| 2003-04 | 26 | New Zealand | 12-21 (10) | 12 | 282.0 | 127 | 78 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 15 | 8 | 31 | 33 | 54 | 95 | 57% | 1 | 8 | 13% | 18 | 27 | 67% | 59% | 57% | 19 | Totals | 122 | 2795 | 1128 | 692 | 190 | 251 | 441 | 81 | 71 | 256 | 434 | 453 | 830 | 54.6% | 28 | 101 | 27.7% | 194 | 304 | 63.8% | 59% | 56% | 22 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 36 | New Zealand | 11-17 (7) | 13 | 15.7 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 55% | 0.2 | 0.8 | 30% | 0.9 | 1.9 | 48% | 56% | 57% | |
| 2009-10 | 32 | Gold Coast | 16-12 (3) | 3 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 50% | 0% | 2 |
| 2008-09 | 31 | Gold Coast | 8-22 (10) | 25 | 21.6 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 5.9 | 52% | 0.3 | 1.0 | 27% | 1.6 | 2.4 | 67% | 57% | 55% | 18 |
| 2007-08 | 30 | Gold Coast | 15-15 (8) | 31 | 25.2 | 10.1 | 6.2 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 7.4 | 56% | 0.3 | 1.1 | 29% | 1.5 | 2.5 | 58% | 59% | 58% | 21 |
| 2006-07 | 29 | Wollongong | 11-22 (9) | 33 | 26.5 | 11.8 | 7.2 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 8.5 | 55% | 0.2 | 0.6 | 33% | 2.2 | 3.2 | 71% | 59% | 56% | 22 |
| 2005-06 | 28 | New Zealand | 9-23 (10) | 2 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2005-06 | 28 | West Sydney | 5-27 (11) | 3 | 27.0 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 47% | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0% | 1.7 | 3.3 | 50% | 48% | 47% | 8 |
| 2003-04 | 26 | New Zealand | 12-21 (10) | 12 | 23.5 | 10.6 | 6.5 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 7.9 | 57% | 0.1 | 0.7 | 13% | 1.5 | 2.3 | 67% | 59% | 57% | 19 | Total | 122 | 22.9 | 9.2 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 6.8 | 54.6% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 27.7% | 0.2 | 0.8 | 63.8% | 59% | 56% | 22 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 22 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Once he became a naturalised Kiwi, Frank earned selection to the Tall Blacks squad that competed at the 2006 FIBA World Championships (Japan). There, New Zealand (2–4) made it to the second round before being eliminated by Argentina (62-79). They finished the tournament tied for ninth place.
In 2010, Frank was a part of the Tall Blacks squad that competed at the FIBA World Championships. With Kirk Penney leading the team in scoring (24.7 ppg), New Zealand finished in 12th place.
Frank was also selected to play for the Tall Blacks at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. There, New Zealand (3-2) advanced to the second round of the tournament where they were eliminated by Lithuania (71-76). Corey Webster (13.7 ppg) and Kirk Penney (10.8 ppg) would lead the team in scoring as New Zealand finished 15th overall.
FIBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 37 | 6 | 89 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 7 | 23 | 30.4% | 2 | 8 | 25.0% | 2 | 4 | 50.0% |
| 2010 | 33 | 5 | 79 | 36 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 19 | 68.4% | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | 6 | 6 | 100.0% |
| 2006 | 29 | 6 | 88 | 36 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 23 | 47.8% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 14 | 17 | 82.4% | Total | 17 | 256 | 90 | 49 | 20 | 20 | 29 | 9 | 5 | 27 | 44 | 31 | 65 | 48% | 6 | 16 | 38% | 22 | 27 | 81% |
FIBA PER GAME STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 37 | 6 | 14.8 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 30.4% | 0.3 | 1.3 | 25.0% | 0.3 | 0.7 | 50.0% |
| 2010 | 33 | 5 | 15.8 | 7.2 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 68.4% | 0.8 | 1.2 | 66.7% | 1.2 | 1.2 | 100.0% |
| 2006 | 29 | 6 | 14.7 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 47.8% | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0% | 2.3 | 2.8 | 82.4% | Total | 17 | 15.1 | 5.3 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 48% | 0.4 | 0.9 | 38% | 1.3 | 1.6 | 81% |
NBA EXPERIENCE
In January 2001, he signed with the La Crosse Bobcats of the Continental Basketball Association. The next month, he was placed on the injured reserve list. In nine games for the Bobcats, he averaged 4.7 points, 5.3 rebounds 1.8 assists per game.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- France - Paris SG (1999–2000) | Sweden - Sallen Basket (2001–2002) | New Zealand - Auckland Stars (2002–2009), Wellington Saints (2010–2013, 2016), Waikato Pistons (2014), Super City Rangers (2015), Hawkes Bay (2018)
Frank joined Paris SG for the 1999–2000 LNB Pro A season, playing his first season in France as an injury replacement, and his early professional period also included multiple stints in Spain and France between 1999 and 2000.
Frank joined Sallen Basket for the 2001–2002 Basketligan season in Sweden and produced 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game across 32 games before moving on at the end of the Swedish season.
Frank joined the Auckland Stars for the 2002 New Zealand NBL season, beginning a long run with the club from 2002–2009 that included New Zealand NBL championships in 2004 and 2005, and in 2005 he was named the league’s Most Outstanding Forward alongside a Stars roster that included Tall Blacks figures Dillon Boucher and Lindsay Tait.
In 2006, Frank was named New Zealand NBL New Zealand Most Valuable Player, Most Outstanding Forward, and Most Outstanding New Zealand Forward/Centre while playing for Auckland, and he was also selected in the league’s All-Star Five as Auckland finished as the regular-season winners and reached the Grand Final against Hawkes Bay.
Frank joined the Wellington Saints for the 2010 New Zealand NBL season and won back-to-back championships with the club in 2010 and 2011, then in 2012 he averaged 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across 18 games, and in 2013 he returned to average 14.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists across 17 games while sharing the Saints roster with Dillon Boucher.
In 2014, Frank moved to the Waikato Pistons for the New Zealand NBL season and averaged 11.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists across 18 games, then in 2015 he joined the Super City Rangers and averaged 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists across 19 games.
Frank played his final season in the New Zealand NBL in 2016, suiting up for seven games with the Wellington Saints and averaging 3.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists before leaving mid-season, and he later returned to the league in 2018 with Hawkes Bay.
COLLEGE
Frank played college basketball at Northern Arizona from 1995 to 1999, suiting up for the Lumberjacks across four seasons under head coach Ben Howland.
In the 1995-96 season, Northern Arizona finished 7–19, and Frank played as a freshman while averaging 7.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.
In the 1996-97 season, Northern Arizona jumped to a 21–7 record and won the Big Sky regular-season title with a 13–1 conference mark, and Frank improved to 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game as the Lumberjacks reached the NIT.
In the 1997-98 season, Northern Arizona went 21–8 and captured both the Big Sky regular-season championship and the conference tournament title to earn the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, and Frank averaged 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while earning First Team All-Big Sky recognition.
In the NCAA Tournament loss to Cincinnati (65–62) on March 12, 1998, Frank played 27 minutes with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting and 8 rebounds, and his offensive rebound helped spark a seven-point run that put Northern Arizona ahead 53–47 with 9:24 remaining.
In the 1998-99 season, Northern Arizona finished 21–8 overall and 12–4 in Big Sky play, and Frank produced 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while being named First Team All-Big Sky for a second straight season and adding All-Big Sky Tournament honours.
During that 1998-99 campaign, he was highlighted early in the year averaging 7.3 rebounds per game as Northern Arizona opened 8–3, and he had a 17-point night on 7-for-10 shooting with 3-for-3 free throws in a 99–65 win over Elon on December 29, 1998.
Across his Northern Arizona career, Frank appeared in 106 games and averaged 10.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 22.7 minutes per game, and he finished with 1,060 career points, which has been listed among the program’s career scoring leaders.
Related
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