Erik Wickstrom
September 12, 2022
Jason Joynes
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 23/01/70
- Place of Birth: Adelaide (SA)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 206
- Weight (KG): 115
- Junior Assoc: SA - Sturt
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 27/08/89
- AGE AT DEBUT: 19
- LAST NBL GAME: 16/09/95
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 25
- NBL History: Westside Melbourne 1989-90 | Newcastle 1991-93 | Geelong 1994-95
- Championships: 0
- None
NICKNAME/S: Big J
BIO: Jason Joynes was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sturt basketball program.
As a junior, Joynes led all scorers and rebounders at the 1989 Under 20 State Championships.
FAMILY: Married his wife Michelle and had their three children Eliza, Isaac and Scarlett.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Jason Joynes made his NBL debut with the Westside Melbourne Saints at 19 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.
1995
In 1995, Geelong saw imports Everette Stephens and Daren Rowe, along with veterans Vince Hinchen and Ray Borner (to Canberra), depart as the club reshaped its roster around a younger, more committed core.
Jim Calvin returned for his third season as head coach and retooled the Supercats with a blend of proven imports and local talent. Key additions included Joey Wright and Jeff Arnold (both from the United States), Andrew Svaldenis (via Adelaide), and David Graham (via South East Melbourne). They joined returning players Cecil Exum, Simon Kerle, Jason Joynes, and Justin Cass to form a refreshed roster. Although the revamped squad showed improvement in depth and energy, Geelong concluded the season with a 9–17 record and missed the playoffs.
The Supercats opened the season with a 102–112 home loss to Canberra, where Andrew Svaldenis (13 rebounds, 8 points) and Cecil Exum (10 points, 8 rebounds) made early impressions. The team rebounded with a dominant 117–93 victory over Adelaide and edged out a pair of road wins against Townsville (87–85) and Gold Coast (116–106) to start the year 3–1. That run was halted by back-to-back defeats to Adelaide and Perth. However, Geelong responded with wins over Hobart (108–97) and Brisbane (112–106), again led by strong outings from Wright, Arnold, Svaldenis, and Exum.
In the back half of the schedule, Geelong posted wins against Melbourne (116–100) on June 24, Gold Coast (104–94) on July 28, Hobart (90–86) on August 4, and Townsville (127–113) in Round 19. However, losses outpaced wins as the Supercats gradually fell out of playoff contention. The stretch run included a narrow 105–107 defeat to Sydney on August 12, a 99–114 loss to Perth on September 8, and a heavy 103–129 defeat to the Magic in their final regular season game on September 16.
Joey Wright (22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists) was Geelong’s offensive engine, delivering a consistent mix of scoring and distribution across 25 games. In a memorable June 24 clash with Melbourne, Wright led the Supercats with 28 points—despite shooting just 2-of-10 from the field—by setting a new NBL record with 24-of-25 free throws. Jeff Arnold (19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) provided a powerful inside presence and opened the year with 35 points against Canberra. Both Wright and Arnold were selected for the NBL All-Star Game. Simon Kerle (18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists) emerged as a steady backcourt scorer, while David Graham (15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) was a versatile threat on the wing. Exum (10.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) contributed efficient scoring and rebounding over 19 games, while Svaldenis (10.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) solidified the frontcourt.
Jason Joynes (3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists across 18 games) carved out a rotational role and delivered several of his best performances late in the season. On August 25 against North Melbourne, he produced a season-high 23 points and 15 rebounds while playing over 42 minutes. He followed that with 12 points and 7 rebounds against Newcastle on September 9, and added 6 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists in the season finale against the Magic. Earlier, he scored 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a September 1 win over Townsville and pulled in 8 rebounds against Perth on September 8.
Despite some standout individual efforts, the Supercats were unable to mount a consistent push toward the postseason and finished with a 9–17 record, marking a third consecutive year without playoff qualification under Jim Calvin.
Jason Joynes played seven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Westside Melbourne Saints, Newcastle Falcons and Geelong Supercats. He averaged 3.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 104 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 25 | Geelong | 9-17 (11) | 18 | 223 | 68 | 58 | 6 | 30 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 62 | 47% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 10 | 14 | 71% | 50% | 47% | 23 |
| 1994 | 24 | Geelong | 7-19 (12) | 25 | 163 | 49 | 44 | 6 | 20 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 17 | 39 | 44% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 15 | 22 | 68% | 50% | 44% | 8 |
| 1993 | 23 | Newcastle | 15-11 (5) | 11 | 46 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 25% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 3 | 33% | 27% | 0% | 2 |
| 1992 | 22 | Newcastle | 9-15 (12) | 10 | 200 | 76 | 53 | 7 | 25 | 28 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 27 | 29 | 75 | 39% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 18 | 29 | 62% | 43% | 39% | 17 |
| 1991 | 21 | Newcastle | 5-21 (14) | 10 | 69 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 17 | 18% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 5 | 11 | 45% | 25% | 18% | 5 |
| 1990 | 20 | Westside Melbourne | 3-23 (14) | 26 | 470 | 110 | 108 | 30 | 58 | 50 | 5 | 18 | 38 | 64 | 47 | 96 | 49% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 16 | 44 | 36% | 47% | 49% | 15 |
| 1989 | 19 | Westside Melbourne | 8-16 (9) | 4 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 43% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 8 | 50% | 46% | 0% | 6 | Totals | 104 | 1195 | 329 | 293 | 60 | 152 | 141 | 16 | 46 | 83 | 170 | 130 | 304 | 42.8% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 69 | 131 | 52.7% | 45% | 43% | 23 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 25 | Geelong | 9-17 (11) | 18 | 12.4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 47% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.6 | 0.8 | 71% | 50% | 47% | 23 |
| 1994 | 24 | Geelong | 7-19 (12) | 25 | 6.5 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 44% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.6 | 0.9 | 68% | 50% | 44% | 8 |
| 1993 | 23 | Newcastle | 15-11 (5) | 11 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 25% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 33% | 27% | 0% | 2 |
| 1992 | 22 | Newcastle | 9-15 (12) | 10 | 20.0 | 7.6 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 7.5 | 39% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.8 | 2.9 | 62% | 43% | 39% | 17 |
| 1991 | 21 | Newcastle | 5-21 (14) | 10 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 18% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.5 | 1.1 | 45% | 25% | 18% | 5 |
| 1990 | 20 | Westside Melbourne | 3-23 (14) | 26 | 18.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 49% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.6 | 1.7 | 36% | 47% | 49% | 15 |
| 1989 | 19 | Westside Melbourne | 8-16 (9) | 4 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 43% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.0 | 2.0 | 50% | 46% | 0% | 6 | Total | 104 | 11.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 42.8% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 52.7% | 45% | 43% | 23 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 23 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Mount Gambier 1989, 1996-99
Joynes had a short stint with Mount Gambier in 1989 before signing a deal to play in the NBL.
He returned once his NBL career was over and was made club captain in his second year back (1997). He went on to lead all ABA conferences in that season in rebounding and field goal percentage, with the Pioneers finishing runners-up in the South Conference runners-up. He was named All Star 5 for the league and voted as the Pioneers team MVP.
Joynes retired from basketball after winning the club’s first ever Conference and National Championship in 2003, having played a total of 267 ABA and SEABL (now NBL1) games (all with Mount Gambier). Joynes still holds the clubs record for rebounds (2,829), held the clubs record for games played (267) until 2022 and sits third in career blocks.
He was one of the Pioneers’ first life members in 2003 and repeated the feat as a Hall of Fame inductee in 2015.
COACHING HISTORY
After ten seasons playing for Mount Gambier, Joynes before turning his attention to coaching and eventually becoming the vice president of Adelaide's Woodville Warriors team from 2021. He was assistant coach of the South Australian Metro under-16 girls national champions in 2014, assistant for the SA Metro Under-18 boys from 2016-2018 and head coach of the South Australian under-20 men’s team in 2018 and 2019. He also and coached junior teams from Woodville, North Adelaide and Forestville.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
Jason Joynes passed away on September 18, 2024, aged 54, surrounded by his family, after battling a rare form of neuroendocrine tumour cancer diagnosed in April 2024.
Following his death, the NBL, the Australian Basketball Players' Association, the Mount Gambier Pioneers and Woodville Warriors paid tribute to his contribution to the basketball community.
Family and friends farewelled Joynes at a memorial service in Port Adelaide on September 30, 2024.
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