BIO: Andrew Goodwin was born in Brisbane (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Iona School basketball program. Goodwin received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1987. He spent three years year there and played for the program’s state league team (1987, 1988, 1989).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Andrew Goodwin made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Cougars at 18 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.

1990 saw the Gold Coast Cougars enter the NBL, playing home games at Carrara Indoor Stadium. Tom Wiseman was appointed the club’s inaugural head coach, and his first move was to fill the roster with several players from in-state rivals, the Brisbane Bullets. In their debut season the Cougars featured four ex-Bullets—veterans Larry Sengstock and Ron Radliff, 1989 rookie Rodger Smith, and early-1980s bench forward Mark Kitching.

The team was led by imports Leroy Combs (23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.3 blocks) and Brian Kellybrew (14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists), along with U.S.-born Eric Bailey (17.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists), who had become a naturalised Australian after several seasons in the NBL and state league.

Boomers centre Paul Kuiper (15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds), previously with the St Kilda Saints, also joined the roster.

Radliff (13.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.0 steals) and captain Sengstock (11.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists) provided veteran leadership, while rookie big Andrew Goodwin (9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists) impressed in his first NBL season.

Overall, the team struggled against the league’s stronger clubs and replaced Wiseman with rookie coach Brian Lester midway through the year. The Cougars finished their inaugural campaign 9–17, with Combs named team MVP.

1991
In 1991, Gold Coast re-branded themselves from the Cougars to the Rollers, a effort to engage with Jupiter’s Casino at the time. After replacing inaugural head coach Tom Wiseman with Brian Lester mid-way through the team’s first year, the Rollers looked for stability and brought in Gold Coast local Dave Claxton, who had previously coached the Brisbane Bullets, as the team’s new coach.

Under Claxton, they recorded their best team result ever, finishing with 14 wins and 12 losses. The team was headlined by import stars Mike Mitchell (29 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks) and Andre LaFleur (22 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), while veterans like Paul Kuiper (13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds) and team captain Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) provided leadership from the bench.

The team also got a added boost from the development of talented youngster Rodger Smith (8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5 assists), who developed into one of the league’s most exciting young guards.

Despite the winning record, the Rollers would not qualify for the postseason. Goodwin contributed 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in what would be the most successful year of the franchise’s six years of existance.

1992
A stroke of luck saw the Rollers able to retain team captain Larry Sengstock who signed a three-year deal (worth $300,000) to play with Westside Melbourne only to see that disintegrate after they merged with Eastside Melbourne (forming South East Melbourne) and had no room on the roster. Sengstock then returned to the Gold Coast who re-signed star imports Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur and looked to take things one step further after narrowly missing out on the playoffs in their first season playing together. Nine games into the season, however, the Rollers suffered a huge blow when they lost Mitchell on May 31, 1992, after he suffered a horrific injury after a loss in Illawarra. Mitchell had punched a wire-reinforced glass panel of a locker-room door after Gold Coast narrowly lost to the Illawarra Hawks, which saw his arm almost severed, and his muscle cut from the bone. Mitchell was found slumped on the floor in a pool of blood by Rollers teammate Ron Radliff. Doubt was initially cast over whether Mitchell would ever play again, miraculously he recovered, making his return to the court the following season.

Mitchell (26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) left a huge hole at both ends of the court. Willie Jennette, who had averaged 37.3 points over three seasons in the state league (SEABL) was then signed as his replacement, and the team looked to LaFleur (22.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 2.2 steals) and Sengstock (13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) to step things up in Mitchell’s absence.

The team struggled to generate wins against any of the top team’s, however, and could only manage a record of 11-13 and a tenth-place finish in a disappointing season for Gold Coast fans.

1993
In 1993, Goodwin averaged 13.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists across 26 games, during a season where the Rollers struggled to generate wins, finishing with a 12-14 record and their second consecutive tenth place finish.

1994
1994 was the third season in a row where the Rollers finished in 10th place, although they had won fewer and fewer games each year. Goodwin averaged 5.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists this season, which would end in a major revamp at the end of the year with the team not re-signing import duo Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur.

BRISBANE BULLETS
1995
Goodwin joined a Bullets team on the rebound in 1995, having lost to Adelaide in the Quarterfinals the previous season. The early exit saw Brisbane revamp their frontcourt, releasing veteran forward Shane Froling and imports Dave Colbert and Andre Moore. Although Leroy Loggins, Rodger Smith, Robert Sibley and Wayne Larkins were retained from last season, coach Bruce Palmer set out to recruit a younger roster he could develop over the next 2-3 seasons. He signed Andrew Goodwin and Mike Mitchell (both from rival team Gold Coast), and added import Chris Munk as their replacements.

John Rillie, who had just graduated from Gonzaga University, was a late addition to the team signed to backup Brisbane’s leading scorer Shane Heal.

Heal (22.9 points and 7.4 assists), Loggins (21.7 points and 7.5 rebounds), and Mitchell (20.9 points and 6.8 rebounds) would carry the team offensively, notching up 60+ points a game between them, with Goodwin also adding 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.

Additionally, promising young talent John Rillie (13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists) was awarded the NBL Rookie of the Year award, but the ‘new look’ Bullets didn’t fare much better than the old ones. Brisbane finished in fifth place with a record of 16-10 and would suffer elimination during the Quarterfinals stage yet again, this time losing to North Melbourne (0–2).

1996
In 1996, the Brisbane Bullets re-loaded by adding veterans Mike McKay (via Adelaide) and Mark Dalton (via Sydney), as well star import Steve Woodberry (23.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists), who was coming off a major injury, led the team in scoring, and was selected to the All-NBL second team. McKay (17.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) was impressive during his first season in Brisbane while the legendary Loggins (16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) delivered his worst season ever, recording career lows in points, rebounds, assists and steals, prompting many to think he may retire at seasons end.

During a extremely tight season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league’s leadership at some point, the Bullets finished up in eighth place (14-12) under first-year head coach David Ingham. Loggins (16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) who averaged career lows in points, rebounds, assists and steals, prompting many to think he may retire at season’s end.

Goodwin averaged 6.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists, appearing in 28 games.

NORTH MELBOURNE GIANTS
1997
In 1997, the Giants were beginning to feel the pinch financially and struggling to retain talent. He would lose the services of forwards Tonny Jensen (via Newcastle) and Paul Maley (again due to crippling back problems). However, due to the demise of team’s in Gold Coast and Hobart, he would benefit by making some key free-agent signings. Import Mike Mitchell and young gun David Stiff, both looking for new NBL homes, joined the team as Coach Brett Brown cleverly tried to make the most of his team budget by playing the entire season with the league minimum of 11 players.

A little 90's Nth Melb Giants v Sydney Kings. Enjoy!! pic.twitter.com/3VdqfONAJN— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) May 14, 2023

Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants’ competitive. Goodwin would average 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as the team finished the year in third place behind a 18-12 record.

Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals.

The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship.

How many sugars did Andrew Goodwin want in his coffee Mark? And looks Pat Reidy wanted a tea?? @markbradtke https://t.co/gVUG4HBKXC pic.twitter.com/s4wdMev0PR— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 29, 2023

1998
With the Giants again facing financial difficulties, the team struggled to remain competitive in 1998 and after finishing the season with a record of 9 wins and 21 losses, North Melbourne merged with the South East Melbourne Magic. Goodwin would average 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists during the North Melbourne Giants’ last season.