NBL Tribunal Needs Overhaul After a Decade of Inconsistencies
September 16, 2024
Demitrius Conger
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 29/05/90
- Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 198
- Weight (KG): 93
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: St. Bonaventure (2009–2013)
- NBL DEBUT: 6/10/17
- AGE AT DEBUT: 27
- LAST NBL GAME: 15/02/19
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 28
- NBL History: Illawarra 2018 | Adelaide 2019
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Demitrius Conger was born in Brooklyn, New York (USA). He spent three years at Covenant Christian Academy in Cumming, Georgia. He averaged 18 points per game as a junior in 2007/08 en route to leading the Crusaders to a 20–9 record and a National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) Elite League Championship.
As a senior in 2008/09, he averaged 24 points per game and was named to the NACA All-Tournament team.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Demitrius Conger made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 27 years of age. He scored 16 points in his first game.
On August 11, 2017, Conger signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2017–18 NBL season.
In 27 games for the Hawks, he averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals with the Hawks. The Hawks were on track to make the playoffs before a incident which resulted Conger recieving a striking charge for a hit on a hard screen to Kings forward Brad Newley mid-season. The Hawk’s lost both games during Conger’s suspension and finished in fifth place (12-16), needing only one extra win to make the playoffs.
Conger went on to finish second in league MVP voting and earned All-NBL First Team honours.
Breaking news. @illawarrahawks forward Demitrius Conger suspended for striking Brad Newley in #SYDatILL. More at https://t.co/ytaJ12pjyw #NBL18 pic.twitter.com/ULFJuh72bj
— NBL (@NBL) November 20, 2017
2018/19
After narrowly missing out on the NBL championship the previous season, Adelaide was forced into a rebuilding mode with the departure of several key players, most notably second-leading scorer Mitch Creek. Creek left to pursue his NBA dream after a protracted negotiation between Adelaide and Basketball Australia.
During the NBL 2018 off-season, Creek was granted team approval to play in Germany with the understanding that he would return to the 36ers for the 2018/19 season. However, his strong performances in Germany caught the attention of the Brooklyn Nets, who signed him to their G-League team. The 36ers then filed an injunction to prevent Basketball Australia from approving Creek’s NBA deal without compensation, but after some initial backlash, a resolution was reached, allowing Creek to pursue his NBA aspirations.
Other departures included Shannon Shorter (to Japan), Josh Childress (retired), and Matthew Hodgson (to Brisbane). To address these roster gaps, Adelaide signed import Jacob Wiley (via Germany) to replace Creek and added point guard Adris De León to assist in scoring and playmaking duties. Rising stars Harry Froling and Jack McVeigh were also signed straight out of college, injecting youthful energy into the team.
Despite the roster shakeup, Adelaide retained key players from the previous season, including Nathan Sobey, Majok Deng, Adam Doyle, Brendan Teys, and import Ramone Moore. Leading scorer Daniel Johnson also returned and took over as team captain, replacing the departing Creek.
Adelaide began the season with a loss to Perth (91–99) at home in Round 1. However, they bounced back with a win against the Sydney Kings (94–83) on the road in their next game. In Round 3, Sobey delivered one of the standout moments of the season when he recorded a triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists) in the 36ers’ win over Cairns (91–83).
Adelaide then fell into a string of four consecutive losses starting the following game with a loss to New Zealand (114–94) and culminating in a loss to Brisbane (93–90) in Round 4. Key injuries, including a calf injury to Ramone Moore, further disrupted their momentum. An ultimatum was then delivered to De León that if the team couldn’t turn things around with a win over Sydney in their next game, they would look at rejigging the team’s roster.
De Leon (11 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in 25 minutes) moved into the starting line-up and delivered a good game, but Sydney defeated Adelaide by 12, handing them their fourth loss in a row. De León (7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) was released, and former Illawarra import Demitrius Conger was signed as his replacement. With Moore still unable to take the court, Adelaide also signed Shaun Bruce, who had been unsigned after three seasons in Cairns, to play out the remaining games of the 36ers’ season.
Adelaide’s inconsistency continued. After winning back-to-back games against Cairns (109–95) and Illawarra (120–109) in Round 7, the 36ers lost a nail-biter to Illawarra at home (86–87) in Round 8. A victory over Brisbane (101–91) in Round 9 was followed by another defeat to Illawarra (90–93).
The 36ers did finally find some rhythm in Round 14, winning four consecutive games, including a crucial victory over Perth (97–84) and a dominant win against Sydney (119–99). Unfortunately, their inconsistency returned, with losses to Melbourne (114–91) in Round 16 and Brisbane (98–87 OT) in Round 17. These critical losses ultimately affected their playoff chances.
Despite the challenges, Demitrius Conger (11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) delivered a solid season for Adelaide. His standout performances included a 25-point, 4-rebound, and 3-assist game against Brisbane (94-98) (12 Jan 2019), where he shot 10/16 from the field and made 2 of his 5 attempts from beyond the arc.
He also scored 22 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists in a win against Illawarra (101-100) (25 Nov 2018), displaying his scoring ability by hitting 8 of his 15 field goal attempts.
Another impressive game came in a win against Illawarra (100-93) (10 Jan 2019), where he contributed 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting 7/8 from the field.
Adelaide struggled with inconsistency throughout the season, marked by injuries and roster changes. The 36ers managed to find some rhythm in Round 14, winning four consecutive games, including a crucial victory over Perth (97–84) and a dominant win against Sydney (119–99). Unfortunately, their inconsistency returned, with Melbourne handing Adelaide their worst loss of the season in Round 16 (114–91), and Brisbane defeating them in overtime in Round 17 (98–87 OT).
Alongside Conger, Daniel Johnson (17.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) and Nathan Sobey (16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists) were both named to the All-NBL Second Team. Other key players for Adelaide included Jacob Wiley (12.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1 assist), Anthony Drmic (9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), and Harry Froling (7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds) who took home the NBL Rookie of the Year award.
Adelaide hovered between fourth and fifth place for most of the second half of the season before finishing equal with Brisbane at 14-14. However, the Bullets advanced to the playoffs due to a higher points percentage, bringing Adelaide’s season to an end in fifth place. Despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs, Conger’s season was a strong personal showing, and he remained a key part of the 36ers’ plans moving forward.
Demitrius Conger was electric ⚡️
Check out his best plays in the NBL ???? pic.twitter.com/ACLeNmGpdo
— NBL (@NBL) May 23, 2024
Demitrius Conger played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 46 NBL games.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 28 | Adelaide | 14-14 (5) | 19 | 485.0 | 224 | 93 | 46 | 26 | 67 | 9 | 2 | 38 | 44 | 81 | 169 | 48% | 17 | 52 | 33% | 45 | 68 | 66% | 56% | 53% | 25 |
| 2017-18 | 27 | Illawarra | 12-16 (5) | 27 | 827.0 | 532 | 153 | 73 | 43 | 110 | 30 | 10 | 88 | 65 | 189 | 365 | 52% | 43 | 106 | 41% | 111 | 140 | 79% | 62% | 58% | 31 | Totals | 46 | 1312 | 756 | 246 | 119 | 69 | 177 | 39 | 12 | 126 | 109 | 270 | 534 | 50.6% | 60 | 158 | 38.0% | 156 | 208 | 75.0% | 60% | 56% | 31 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 28 | Adelaide | 14-14 (5) | 19 | 25.5 | 11.8 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 8.9 | 48% | 0.9 | 2.7 | 33% | 2.4 | 3.6 | 66% | 56% | 53% | 25 |
| 2017-18 | 27 | Illawarra | 12-16 (5) | 27 | 30.6 | 19.7 | 5.7 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 7.0 | 13.5 | 52% | 1.6 | 3.9 | 41% | 4.1 | 5.2 | 79% | 62% | 58% | 31 | Total | 46 | 28.5 | 16.4 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 5.9 | 11.6 | 50.6% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 38.0% | 1.3 | 3.4 | 75.0% | 60% | 56% | 31 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 31 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
In July 2018, Conger played for the Boston Celtics in the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Dominican Republic - Indios de San Francisco (2013) | Italy - Lucca (2013–2014), Roseto (2014), Omegna (2014–2015) | Greece - Aries Trikala (2015–2016) | Israel - Hapoel Tel Aviv (2016), Hapoel Jerusalem (2019) | Belgium - Antwerp Giants (2016–2017), Oostende (2021–2022) | Spain - Joventut (2018), Real Betis (2019–2020) | France - Le Mans (2018) | Germany - ratiopharm Ulm (2020–2021) | Turkey - Petkim Spor (2021) | Taiwan - New Taipei CTBC DEA (2022–2023) | Romania - Rapid București (2023–2024)
After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Conger moved to the Dominican Republic for a seven-game stint with Indios de San Francisco while he determined where he would play in the future.
On September 11, 2013, Conger signed with Pallacanestro Lucca of the Italian Serie A2 Basket. He was forced to part ways with Lucca in late February 2014 after the team declared bankruptcy. In 23 games for Lucca in 2013–14, he averaged 15.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He spent the back end of that season training with the Roseto Sharks.
On August 12, 2014, Conger signed with Paffoni Omegna for another stint in the Serie A2 Basket. In 30 games for Omegna, he averaged 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
The next season, he spent with Aries Trikala of the Greek Basket League. Due to financial issues Conger left Trikala in early February 2016, and joined Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv. In 17 games for Trikala, he averaged 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. In 18 games for Tel Aviv, he averaged 7.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
On July 27, 2016, Conger signed with Antwerp Giants of the Belgian League. In 42 league games during the 2016/17 season, Conger averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He also averaged 11.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 12 FIBA Europe Cup games.
After a season in Australia, Conger signed with Joventut Badalona of the Spanish Liga ACB (On March 2, 2018).
After a trial with the NBAs Boston Celtics, Conger signed with French team Le Mans Sarthe Basket on August 6, 2018. , he .[16] On November 13, 2018, after beginning the season in France, Conger signed with the Adelaide 36ers, returning to the Australian NBL for a second stint.[17] In 19 games played for the 36ers, he averaged 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. On February 22, 2019, Conger joined Hapoel Jerusalem as a injury cover for Chris Johnson. He spent one month with the club before parting ways after appearing eight games.
On August 14, 2019, Conger signed a two-year deal with Spanish club Coosur Real Betis. He exited his contract earlier, signing with Real Betis the following season.
He played with ratiopharm Ulm of the German Basketball Bundesliga for the 2020/21 season and then signed with Petkim Spor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) for 2021/22. On November 24, 2021, Conger parted ways with Petkim Spor and a month later had signed with Filou Oostende of the BNXT League.
On December 15, 2022, Conger signed with New Taipei CTBC DEA of the T1 League. On February 21, 2023, New Taipei CTBC DEA terminated Congers contract.
Conger spent the 2023/24 season with Rapid București of the Liga Națională.
COLLEGE
As a freshman at St. Bonaventure in 2009/10, Conger saw action in 26 games and averaged 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.2 minutes of action per outing. He scored a career-high 10 points against Savannah State on December 12 and Temple in the season finale on March 12.
As a sophomore in 2010–11, Conger started all 31 games and was fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10 points per game. He set a career high for points (23) and minutes played (57) in a quadruple overtime game against Ohio on December 18, 2010.
As a junior in 2011/12, Conger started all 32 games while averaging 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, which both ranked second on the team to future NBA star Andrew Nicholson. Conger also led the team with 91 offensive rebounds and 33.5 minutes played per game. He turned in his fifth career double-double and first of the season with a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds against Niagara on December 30, 2011 to help the Bonnies complete its first-ever sweep of the Big Four. In March 2012, Conger helped the Bonnies win the Atlantic 10 tournament while garnering Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team honours.
As a senior in 2012–13, Conger started all 29 games. He was the only player in the Atlantic 10 who led his team in points (14.3 per game), rebounds (7.1) and assists (3.2) during the season. Out of a total of 1,170 minutes of game time, he played in 1,057 (90.3 percent). On December 31, 2012, he netted a season-high 26 points and led the team with eight rebounds and two blocked shots against Iona.
Conger finished his four-year career at St. Bonaventure with 1,206 career points (26th all-time), 645 rebounds, 249 assists and 83 steals. He became just the third player all-time with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists. Over his four-year career, he posted 12 double-doubles, including four each in the last three seasons. He had 58 career double-figure point games and nine contests with at least 20 points or more.
AWARDS
- 1x All-NBL First Team- Belgian League champion (2022)
- Belgian Supercup champion (2017)
Related
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