Andrew Vlahov
July 23, 2020
Scott Harkess
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth:
- Place of Birth: Harvey (WA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 202
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc: WA - Perry Lakes
- College: Emporia State University (1995–1997)
- NBL DEBUT: 19/04/97
- AGE AT DEBUT: 0
- LAST NBL GAME: 17/10/97
- NBL History: Perth 1997
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Scott Harkess was born and raised in Harvey (WA). He began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program. Harkess received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1992. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Scott Harkess made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 19/4/1997. He scored one point in his first NBL game.
1997
Perth’s championship defence ended against Adelaide in the 1996 quarterfinals, and Adrian Hurley entered 1997 without Aaron Trahair (to Sydney), Peter Hansen (to Perry Lakes) and Matthew Earp, while Scott Fisher remained sidelined after knee reconstructive surgery. Captain Andrew Vlahov, Ricky Grace, Todd Lichti, James Crawford, Anthony Stewart, Gavin Vanderputten, Phil Doherty and Ryan Gardiner returned, with David Van Dyke (via Newcastle), Greg Brown, Scott Harkess (via Emporia State) and Nick Lackovic added.
Harkess (1 point and 1 rebound) made his NBL debut at Beaton Park on April 19, playing 4:38 off the bench as Perth defeated Wollongong 108-101 behind Stewart (28 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Van Dyke (20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks).
Harkess (2.7 points across 21 games) arrived after two seasons at Emporia State, where his final college season included All-MIAA Second Team and NABC All-Region Second Team honours. He also grabbed 18 rebounds against Northwest Missouri on December 3, 1996, a mark that went more than 20 years before another Emporia State player collected 18 rebounds in a game. Used as a reserve forward, Harkess averaged 10.4 minutes and appeared in 17 of Perth’s 30 regular-season games before playing in all four playoff games, with no injury reported in connection with his regular-season non-appearances.
George Banks (via Dinamo Sassari) joined Perth in late June and made his NBL debut on June 27. Banks (10.3 points and 7 rebounds across 7 games) was released after seven games after failing to meet the club’s expectations.
Harkess’ best game came in Townsville on September 26, where Harkess (13 points and 5 rebounds) made five of six field goals, including two of three three-pointers, in 15:32 as Perth defeated the Crocodiles 102-100. Lichti (25 points and 5 rebounds) and Crawford (23 points and 5 rebounds) led the Wildcats, while Derek Rucker (36 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists) was Townsville’s best. The win completed Perth’s regular season at 17-13 and secured fourth place.
Lichti (16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 34 games) led Perth in scoring and appeared in every game, while Grace (16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals across 34 games) led the Wildcats in assists and also appeared in all 34 games. Crawford (14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds across 31 games) shot 50 per cent from the field and appeared in his tenth consecutive NBL All-Star Game. Van Dyke (14.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks across 24 games) led Perth in rebounding and blocks, while Vlahov (13.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals across 33 games) and Stewart (13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists across 33 games) rounded out Hurley’s main rotation.
Perth opened the quarterfinals at the Perth Entertainment Centre on October 4, where Harkess (2 points) played 8:52 as Grace (18 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals), Lichti (15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals), Vlahov (14 points and 12 rebounds) and Crawford (12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led the Wildcats to an 81-79 win. Leroy Loggins (32 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks) and Steve Woodberry (23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals) led Brisbane.
Game two moved to the Brisbane Convention Centre, where Harkess (5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist) played 18:41 as Grace (25 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals), Vlahov (21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block), Van Dyke (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Lichti (13 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) helped Perth win 88-71 and complete the sweep. Woodberry (21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals), Mark Dalton (16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Loggins (14 points and 9 rebounds) led Brisbane, while Crawford missed the game through injury and remained out for the semifinals.
Fisher (10 points and 5.5 rebounds across 2 games) returned for the semifinal series after missing the entire regular season following knee reconstructive surgery.
South East Melbourne opened the semifinals at the Perth Entertainment Centre on October 13, where Harkess (0 points and 1 rebound) played 4:34 as Lichti (20 points and 4 rebounds), Grace (19 points and 4 assists), Fisher (14 points and 6 rebounds) and Van Dyke (12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) led Perth, while Chris Anstey (19 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals) and Tony Ronaldson (18 points) helped the Magic win 92-82.
Game two moved to Melbourne Park on October 17, where Harkess (3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal) played 9:32 in his final NBL appearance. Grace (16 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Van Dyke (13 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks) were Perth’s best, while Sam Mackinnon (21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) led South East Melbourne to a 96-69 win and completed the semifinal sweep.
The uploaded Perth material confirms Harkess’ game log, including his playoff appearances, while the player-summary index confirms his 21-game Perth career. His profile confirms the 13-point career high and Emporia State honours, Emporia State independently confirms the December 1996 18-rebound mark, and Perth’s official records confirm the 17-13 fourth-place finish and semifinal appearance.
Scott Harkess played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | Perth | 17-13 (4) | 21 | 219 | 56 | 47 | 10 | 19 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 24 | 20 | 46 | 43% | 4 | 14 | 29% | 12 | 22 | 55% | 50% | 48% | 13 | Totals | 21 | 219 | 56 | 47 | 10 | 19 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 24 | 20 | 46 | 43.5% | 4 | 14 | 28.6% | 12 | 22 | 54.5% | 50% | 48% | 13 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | Perth | 17-13 (4) | 21 | 10.4 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 43% | 0.2 | 0.7 | 29% | 0.6 | 1.0 | 55% | 50% | 48% | 13 | Total | 21 | 10.4 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 43.5% | 0.0 | 28.6% | 0.2 | 0.7 | 54.5% | 50% | 48% | 13 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 13 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Mandurah 1990-1991, 1993 | AIS 1992 | Perry Lakes 1994-1997
Harkess began playing in the WA state league in 1990 with Mandurah. He spent two seasons there, averaging 9 points per game across 55 games before accepting a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport.
While at the AIS he played for the programs SEABL squad in state league competition.
Upon returning to Perth, he played a third season with Mandurah in 1993 where he averaged 15.3 points across 24 games.
Later, he was a part of the Perry Lakes Hawks squad that captured the 1994 SBL championship.
Played in 11 SBL games in 1996, averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds per game for Perry Lakes before heading to play college ball in the US.
COLLEGE
Harkess played college basketball at Emporia State University during the 1995-96 season and continued there through 1996-97, finishing his Hornets career across the 1995-97 window.
Emporia State’s year-by-year results list the 1995-96 Hornets as a 12-15 team under long-time head coach Ron Slaymaker, with the schedule including road trips to NCAA Division I Kansas State and several neutral-site games early in the season.
In that 1995-96 season, Harkess produced 268 points, a total that later remained part of Emporia State’s all-time freshman scoring list and was still cited decades later as a benchmark for first-year production in the program.
Emporia State improved to 15-12 in 1996-97, and that season became Harkess’ most decorated year at the school, as he was named to the All-MIAA Second Team while also earning NABC All-Region Second Team honours in 1997.
On the glass, Harkess authored two of Emporia State’s notable single-game rebounding marks from that 1996-97 campaign, pulling down 17 rebounds against Northwestern Oklahoma State and then grabbing 18 rebounds against Northwest Missouri in another outing that season.
The 18-rebound night against Northwest Missouri came on December 3, 1996, and remained a reference point in later Emporia State materials when comparing subsequent Hornets who approached or matched that level of rebounding output in a single game.
Related
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