NBL EXPERIENCE

Jim Ericksen made his NBL debut with the Launceston Casino City Tigers on 2/2/1980. He scored 23 points in his first game.

Jim Ericksen was one of the most reliable players to come to Tasmania; which is proven by his record of playing 3 season’s with the one club in the NBL; three season’s with Latrobe in the North West Basketball Union and three season’s for the Queechy All Stars team in the local Launceston Basketball League.
Robbie Thompson, who played with Jim Ericksen at Launceston Casino City in 1980, said that Ericksen “was the best big man I’ve played with. He could run the floor, he had great footwork, and a great little board shot.”
In the NWBU in 1980; it is recorded in Nick Haywood’s book The Union, that the Advocate award was won by Ulverstone’s star recruit Cliff Martin, followed by Latrobe’s gun player, Jim Ericksen in 2nd. Ulverstone beat Latrobe in the 1980 NWBU Grand Final and in the 1980 Top Shot ABC final. Ulverstone Redhoppers player Robbie Thompson had the following to say re the 1980 Grand Final, which along with the 1982 Grand Final, were two of the best Grand Finals seen on the North West Coast. “We played Latrobe who had Ericksen and Alden Ulrich and we had Regan Lusk, Cliff Martin, Phil Thomas, Grant Hearps, Longdon and blokes like that. It was a great game which ended with Cliff shooting a long shot on the buzzer to win by a point. We celebrated well too.” Latrobe’s starting five was Jim Ericksen, Trevor Mathew, Alden Ulrich, Garry McDermott and Mike Gaffney.
In 1981 the Examiner award went to Jim Ericksen from Latrobe and Cliff Martin was runner-up; with Martin winning The Advocate’s player of the year.
In 1982, Ulverstone Redhoppers beat Latrobe in overtime in what was another great grand final. “Latrobe’s best included Curtis Coleman who nailed 29 points, Ericksen 22 and Gary McDermott with 10. For Ulverstone, Lusk top scored with 26 points. The Advocate best player in 82 was awarded to Trevor Matthew (Devonport) followed by Ericksen and Lusk.
Phil Thomas rated Cliff Martin and Jim Ericksen as the first picked in his all time top five players in the NWBU. Thomas who has been involved in the NWBU from the first year in 1974, until the current time, had the following to say re Jim Ericksen – perhaps the best big man to play in Tasmania. Relentless rebounder that could play both ends.
Jim Ericksen also played three seasons in the local Launceston Basketball League for the Queechy All Stars, with Richard Smith in 1981 and 1982 and never in the history of Tasmanian local basketball has any team had two players in their team as tall as Ericksen and Smith. Sanyo City had the “black flash” Cliff Martin and Kings Meadows Traders had the “Sky Walker” Curtis Coleman and Olympian Ian Davies.
Not sure which team won the Premierships in Launceston in 1980, 1981 or 1982, but maybe Lucas or Jenny Sytsma can tell me as they followed the Queechy All Stars back in those days, when son Mark played in the Queechy All Stars under 12 team. Thanks to Lucas for this photo of Jim Ericksen’s playing singlet from his time playing with Queechy. The question is has Lucas also got the missing Launceston Casino City championship cup hidden away somewhere? The banner that was won by the team in 1981 was missing, but was found in a Hobart shed earlier this year. Who stole the championship cup is the question that needs to be answered. I don’t think that Jim Ericksen took it back to Utah when he returned home to the U.S at the end of the 1982 season, after the writing was on the wall re the demise of Launceston’s NBL team due to financial reasons.

Jim Ericksen played three seasons the Launceston Casino City Tigers. He averaged 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 72 NBL games.