CJ Bruton
February 2, 2021
Tim Behrendorff
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 26/11/81
- Place of Birth: Gold Coast (QLD)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 212
- Weight (KG): 105
- Junior Assoc: QLD - Gold Coast
- College: Gardner–Webb (2000–2004)
- NBL DEBUT: 10/10/04
- AGE AT DEBUT: 22
- LAST NBL GAME: 27/03/11
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 29
- NBL History: Cairns 2005 | New Zealand 2006-2008 | Wollongong 2009-11
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Tim Behrendorff was born in Gold Coast (QLD) where he attended Trinity Lutheran College. As a junior, Behrendorff began playing basketball with the Gold Coast basketball program and is considered by many to be the best big man the Gold Coast ever produced.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Tim Behrendorff made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
In his first NBL season Behrendorff averaged 0.7 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.2 assists as the Taipans finished in tenth place (11-21).
NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
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).
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. Behrendorff averaged 3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists, appearing in 25 of the Breakers’ games.
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).
2006/07
In Andrej Lemanis’ second year as head coach, the New Zealand Breakers brought back a large portion of their roster from the previous campaign, with captain Paul Henare, Aaron Olson, Ben Pepper, Mika Vukona, and Tim Behrendorff all returning.
The offseason saw Dillon Boucher depart for Brisbane and Rich Melzer released after signing with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. To strengthen the squad, the Breakers added Oscar Forman (via Adelaide) and Adam Darragh (via West Sydney), while recruiting imports Brian Wethers (via Hunter) and prolific scorer Carlos Powell (via NBA D-League).
New Zealand started the season in strong fashion, defeating defending champions Melbourne 118–97 on 2 November. Wethers top-scored with 31 points, Powell added 28 points and 8 rebounds, Pepper had 18 points and 7 rebounds, and Behrendorff chipped in 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. On 13 December, in the NBL’s first ever clash between two non-Australian teams, the Breakers fell 111–94 to Singapore despite Powell’s 43 points; Behrendorff contributed 6 points and 4 rebounds in the loss. Later in the season, Powell produced a 50-point performance against Melbourne, with Behrendorff adding 5 points and 3 rebounds.
The team’s fortunes shifted on 1 January in Sydney when Wethers sustained a fractured tibial plateau early in a 100–89 defeat. At the time, Wethers was averaging (19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals) over 22 games. His absence sparked a ten-game losing streak. Import guard Pierre Wooten (8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 9 games) was signed to fill the gap, but the Breakers struggled to replace Wethers’ offensive production.
Tim Behrendorff (3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks across 33 games) was a dependable rotation big, providing interior defence and rebounding while contributing timely scoring. Carlos Powell (28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) led the league in scoring, Ben Pepper (15.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) gave the side a consistent inside presence, Aaron Olson (12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) was reliable in his final NBL season, Oscar Forman (10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds) added shooting range, and Paul Henare (8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists) directed the offence.
The Breakers concluded the season in 10th place with an 11–22 record, improving slightly on their 9–23 mark from the previous year. Behrendorff’s size and defensive contributions were steady throughout a campaign disrupted by injury setbacks to key personnel.
2007/08
During the 2007/08 season Behrendorff averaged 3.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.4 assists and helped the Breakers finish the regular season in seventh place (16-14).
2008/09
After the Brisbane Bullets fell into financial hardship and withdrew from the league, head coach Andrej Lemanis recruited free agent pair CJ Bruton (two-year deal) and former Breaker Dillon Boucher (three-year deal) to play for the Breakers with the explicit intentions to win a championship that season.
‘The Breakers have proved they’re a playoff team and I’d like to help take them up to that next level,’ Bruton said upon signing with New Zealand.
‘I’ve seen the Breakers change their team and their culture to become more competitive. They’re serious about becoming number one and I want to be a part of New Zealand’s first championship. You don’t play this sport just to be in it.’
The duo joined the existing roster of Paul Henare, Kirk Penney, Phill Jones, Oscar Forman, Tony Ronaldson and Tim Behrendorff. The Breakers later signed import Rick Rickert to finalise their roster.
Bruton’s signing gave the Breakers’ stability and direction at the point guard position, something the Breakers had always been missing. New Zealand would play with only one import this season, being led by Bruton (16.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals ) and sharp-shooting Penney (24.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) who would be selected to the All-NBL First Team. Penney would also make history by becoming the first New Zealand born player to win NBL MVP, and Phill Jones was voted the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.
With 14 games left in the season and the Breakers on top of the ladder (15-4), Bruton suffered a high-ankle sprain in late December, which saw the team stumble through January, losing eight of their next nine games.
Heading into the playoffs with a win in their last game regular season game, the Breakers finished with a 18–12 record, setting the team up with their first ever home playoff game. New Zealand went on to win their elimination playoff, routing Adelaide (131–101) to set up a best-of-three semi final series with the defending champions Melbourne. In their first-ever semi finals appearance, the Breakers were beaten 2–0.
Behrendorff appearing in 32 games for the season, averaging 4.0 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.
WOLLONGONG HAWKS
2009/10
In February 2009, the Hawks ownership group declared the team would not be able to join the revamped league in 2009/10 on financial grounds. Mat Campbell, who was the team captain and still a active player, started the “Save the Hawks” fundraising campaign, which generated the total amount required by the club to continue. Campbell and his small team raised funds via donations from the Illawarra community, acquiring naming rights sponsor ahm Health Insurance and a bank guarantee provided by Indian mining magnate Mr Arun Jagatramka from Gujarat NRE. A not-for-profit community-based company formed as Wollongong Hawks Basketball Limited was established to operate the Hawks into the future.
A number of changes occurred as a result of the ownership change. Coach Brendan Joyce was replaced with former Hawks star Gordie McLeod, and the team moved on from imports Kavossy Franklin and Dusty Rychart, replacing them with Tywain McKee and David Gruber.
Mckee (17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) would lead the team in scoring, but after suffering two stress fractures in his lower back, Mckee (17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals) was shut down for the season with Wollongong hovering around the middle of the ladder (11-10). Journeyman guard Luke Martin for the remaining 13 games of the season and the Hawks were forced to rely on their local talent for their playoff run.
Losing McKee gave Illawarra a balanced attack, with nine players all averaging 18 minutes or more per game. Cam Tragardh (14.7 points, 5.4 rebounds) would step up and lead the team in scoring after losing McKee, while Glen Saville (10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals), team captain Campbell (10.3 points and 3.0) and Larry Davidson (9.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals), who would be voted the Hawks club MVP, led a late-season charge that saw Illawarra finish with five wins in their last seven games.
In one of the closest seasons in NBL history, the Hawks finished in a three-way tie for second place, with Townsville and Gold Coast all finishing the regular season with the same record (16-12). Head-to-head victories saw the Hawks (5-3) claim the second seed, Crocodiles (4-4) finish third, and Gold Coast Blaze (3-5) take the final playoff spot.
With the series heading back to Wollongong, the Hawks led game three from start to finish and behind a 12-point win (88-76), they were heading back to the Grand Final for the first time since 2001.
Illawarra faced off against first-placed Perth (17-11), and thanks to a all-round performance from guard Kevin Lisch (15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block), the Wildcat’s came away with the win (75-64). In game two, the Hawks evened the series (1-1), locking Lisch down (11 points) and riding a huge offensive effort from Cam Tragardh (28 points), who barely missed, hitting 12 of his 20 shots.
The deciding game three would return to Perth, where the Wildcats found themselves down by as many as 11 points in the second quarter. Another huge game from Lisch (29 points, including 5 of 9 from three) allowed the Wildcat’s to defeat the Hawks comfortably (96-72), delivering the Wildcats’ their fifth NBL Championship. Kevin Lisch was named Finals MVP after averaging 18 points and 4 rebounds over the three games.
Behrendorff appeared in 30 games for the season, averaging 2.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists.
2010/11
In 2010/11,Behrendorff averaged 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.1 assist as Wollongong finished in fifth place (15-13) and failed to qualfiy for the playoffs. The team was led by import Gary Ervin who after averaging 20.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists was subsequently named MVP of the league, becoming the first Hawk to win the award since Mike Jones in 1981.
Tim Behrendorff played seven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Cairns Taipans, New Zealand Breakers and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 191 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 29 | Wollongong | 15-13 (5) | 27 | 266.0 | 94 | 39 | 4 | 16 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 25 | 37 | 71 | 52% | 7 | 21 | 33% | 13 | 15 | 87% | 60% | 57% | 14 |
| 2009-10 | 28 | Wollongong | 16-12 (4) | 30 | 244.0 | 71 | 40 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 25 | 45 | 56% | 8 | 15 | 53% | 13 | 15 | 87% | 68% | 64% | 10 |
| 2008-09 | 27 | New Zealand | 18-12 (3) | 32 | 352.0 | 128 | 65 | 19 | 27 | 38 | 6 | 13 | 17 | 33 | 52 | 103 | 50% | 6 | 16 | 38% | 18 | 23 | 78% | 56% | 53% | 13 |
| 2007-08 | 26 | New Zealand | 16-14 (7) | 28 | 351.0 | 91 | 56 | 11 | 26 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 41 | 37 | 62 | 60% | 1 | 4 | 25% | 16 | 18 | 89% | 64% | 60% | 10 |
| 2006-07 | 25 | New Zealand | 11-22 (10) | 33 | 452.0 | 125 | 100 | 18 | 40 | 60 | 6 | 17 | 20 | 39 | 48 | 99 | 48% | 2 | 3 | 67% | 29 | 42 | 69% | 53% | 49% | 12 |
| 2005-06 | 24 | New Zealand | 9-23 (10) | 25 | 230.0 | 81 | 56 | 5 | 34 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 28 | 61 | 46% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 24 | 29 | 83% | 54% | 47% | 13 |
| 2004-05 | 23 | Cairns | 11-21 (10) | 16 | 59.0 | 11 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 57% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 3 | 3 | 100% | 65% | 0% | 5 | Totals | 191 | 1954 | 601 | 371 | 68 | 159 | 212 | 26 | 53 | 90 | 177 | 231 | 448 | 51.6% | 25 | 61 | 41.0% | 116 | 145 | 80.0% | 59% | 54% | 14 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 29 | Wollongong | 15-13 (5) | 27 | 9.9 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 52% | 0.3 | 0.8 | 33% | 0.5 | 0.6 | 87% | 60% | 57% | 14 |
| 2009-10 | 28 | Wollongong | 16-12 (4) | 30 | 8.1 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 56% | 0.3 | 0.5 | 53% | 0.4 | 0.5 | 87% | 68% | 64% | 10 |
| 2008-09 | 27 | New Zealand | 18-12 (3) | 32 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 50% | 0.2 | 0.5 | 38% | 0.6 | 0.7 | 78% | 56% | 53% | 13 |
| 2007-08 | 26 | New Zealand | 16-14 (7) | 28 | 12.5 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 60% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 25% | 0.6 | 0.6 | 89% | 64% | 60% | 10 |
| 2006-07 | 25 | New Zealand | 11-22 (10) | 33 | 13.7 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 48% | 0.1 | 0.1 | 67% | 0.9 | 1.3 | 69% | 53% | 49% | 12 |
| 2005-06 | 24 | New Zealand | 9-23 (10) | 25 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 46% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 50% | 1.0 | 1.2 | 83% | 54% | 47% | 13 |
| 2004-05 | 23 | Cairns | 11-21 (10) | 16 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 57% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.2 | 0.2 | 100% | 65% | 0% | 5 | Total | 191 | 10.2 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 51.6% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 41.0% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 80.0% | 59% | 54% | 14 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 14 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Gold Coast 2004-05
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Behrendorff joined Harbour Heat for the 2007 New Zealand NBL season, playing his first season in New Zealand as an import center in a roster that included Hayden Allen, Oscar Forman, Nat Connell, Brent Charleton and Jarrod Kenny, with John Dorge coaching the side.
During the 2007 season, Behrendorff produced a noted early-season performance against the Manawatu Jets when he scored 20 points in 21 minutes on 9-for-12 shooting, alongside a Harbour scoring spread that also featured Allen (17 points) and Connell (15 points) in a 104–73 win.
Behrendorff returned to Harbour Heat for the 2008 New Zealand NBL season, continuing as part of Harbour’s frontcourt rotation alongside teammates such as Oscar Forman and Jarrod Kenny.
Behrendorff joined Christchurch Cougars for the 2009 New Zealand NBL season, and he was named the competition’s All-Star Five at center that year alongside guards Mike Efevberha and Phill Jones and forwards Thomas Abercrombie and Adam Ballinger.
In the 2010 New Zealand NBL season with Christchurch, Behrendorff had a documented 20-point night in a 75–72 win over the Taranaki Mountain Airs, with Trent Wurtz (19 points) and Jeremy Kench (14 points) also in double figures for the Cougars.
COLLEGE
Behrendorff attended college at Gardner–Webb University in the United States from 2000–2004.
Was a part of the 2001 NCCAA Championship winning squad.
Behrendorff’s NCAA statistical record includes three documented seasons for Gardner–Webb from 2001–02 through 2003–04, and his career line across those seasons sits at 8.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 54.1% from the field.
During the 2001–02 season, he appeared in 27 games and averaged 14.9 minutes, 5.1 points, and 4.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.5% from the field, 40.9% on three-pointers, and 58.1% at the free-throw line, with 0.8 assists, 1.3 blocks, 0.1 steals, 2.1 fouls, and 0.7 turnovers per game.
In that same 2001–02 season, one conference recap noted a 20-point performance in an 81–69 win over Campbell, with Behrendorff sparking a second-half run by knocking down a pair of threes and scoring in the paint, while teammate Chris Wiggins also hit a key three during the stretch that pushed the lead out.
By the 2002–03 season, Gardner–Webb was coached by Rick Scruggs, and Behrendorff’s season numbers increased to 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game across 28 games while logging 24.3 minutes per night and shooting 54.3% from the field, 32.4% from three, and 80.0% at the line, alongside 1.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, 0.3 steals, 2.7 fouls, and 1.4 turnovers per game.
Those 2002–03 totals translate to 294 points on 114-of-210 shooting, 21 made threes, 44 made free throws, 146 total rebounds, 31 assists, and 34 blocks across 679 minutes, with 24 starts recorded in that 28-game slate.
In a February 2003 game recap, Behrendorff was credited with grabbing seven rebounds in a contest in which teammate Brendan Clowry led Gardner–Webb in scoring with 12 points, providing an example of the frontcourt and rotation context he operated within that season.
His advanced efficiency markers for 2002–03 included a .623 true shooting percentage and a .593 effective field goal percentage, with that .623 true shooting mark also appearing as the top single-season true shooting figure listed in Gardner–Webb’s season leaders and records data set for the program’s tracked Division I era.
As a senior in 2003–04, Behrendorff played 23 games and averaged 22.3 minutes, 9.1 points, and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.6% from the field, 39.1% from three-point range, and 73.0% at the free-throw line, with 0.9 assists, 0.7 blocks, 0.3 steals, 1.9 fouls, 1.8 turnovers, and 44 personal fouls logged across the season’s per-game line.
That 2003–04 season also includes a totals line of 209 points on 82-of-152 shooting with 18 made threes and 87 total rebounds, alongside 21 assists and 17 blocks, and he was credited with 22 starts in 23 appearances for that final year.
A January 23, 2004 game story described Gardner–Webb leaning on its “Australian big men,” noting Behrendorff and fellow senior Brendan Clowry combining for eight straight points in a key second-half stretch, with leading scorer Simon Conn also referenced as part of the late-game run management as the Bulldogs sealed the win at the foul line.
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