NBL players come from across the globe. Every continent (except Antarctica unfortunately) was represented last season. The majority of these players naturally started their careers in college, and specifically, in the USA.

Since 2011, 448 different players have played in the NBL. 290 of them (or about 65%) played college basketball in America. ^{*This sample will be used for the rest of the article}

Every year when the college basketball season comes around, we are inevitably watching future stars of the NBL. This is not just the players at big schools like Travis Trice at Michigan State or Perry Ellis at Kansas. Nick Kay is a 2-time All-NBL First Team member and went to Metro State (a Division II school).

The Colleges

It is no surprise that the leading source of NBL talent is Saint Mary’s with 14 former Gaels having played in the league– most notably Patty Mills and Stephen Holt. This coming season will be the 19th year in a row with an Aussie on the team. Randy Bennett, head coach since 2001, commented on this phenomenon:

“Whatever that is — a pipeline, a partnership — it’s a big part of our program.”

Jock Landale is the most recent star for the Gaels appearing on the 2017-18 NCAA AP All-American 2^nd Team and will almost certainly grace the NBL one day.

The other highly represented college with 8 players is Metro State led by Nick Kay and David Barlow. The Australian tradition at MSU Denver began when former Adelaide 36ers coach (and NBA head coach) Mike Dunlap took the reins at the university. They notably hold the title as the best all-time winning percentage in NCAA Division II basketball history thanks in no small part to Australians. As recently as 2015, Melbourne United star Mitch McCarron was named Division II Player of the Year while at MSU.

The Conferences

Since 2011, 58 conferences have been represented in the NBL with the PAC-12 in front with 25 former players. Only two schools from the PAC are not represented – USC and Washington.

Of the 290 players sampled: 237 played Division 1; 32 played Division 2; 7 played Division 3; and 14 played in junior college (community college).

The big D-I representation sees future NBL players consistently participate in March Madness every season. 

Do the best players come from Division 1?

The short answer is yes (unsurprisingly). 

MVP and All-NBL teams are almost exclusively dominated by previous D-1 athletes – although lower division players do sometimes sneak in as did Ben Magden and Mark Worthington.

As the (albeit basic) stats show, in general, D-1 players have had the most success. Notably, Division 2 players on average have had the longest career. This is likely due to D-II players being mostly local compared to 1-and-done import players from D-I. So, while the most successful may be in D-I, many fan favourites grace the lower divisions before coming to the NBL.

With 100s of Aussies and Kiwis playing in the US every year, there is plenty of talent to come to the NBL in the future. So, when college basketball returns, take note of the standout players because they may one day grace the NBL.

All 169 mainland colleges (excl. 4 Hawaii + Alaska colleges) ranked by # of NBL players

Luke Rogan (6 Posts)

Just a biased Australian patiently waiting for the day we win a medal. Peaked when I shook hands with the great Popovich. Find my work on other sports @ https://outbackzonasports.wixsite.com/sportsblog