NICKNAME/S: Mr Double Double

BIO: Shawn Long was born in Morgan City, Louisiana (USA) and attended Morgan City High School under coach Jeremy Whittington. As a senior, he averaged 21.4 points, 15.2 rebounds, and 9.1 blocks, helping team to a 26-5 record.

He was named district MVP, earned first team all-district honours for two straight year and was the district defensive player of the year as a senior.

Attended the University of Louisiana (2012-2016) and was Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2016.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Shawn Long made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 25 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game.

After finishing fourth with a 15-13 record and being swept by Melbourne in the semifinals the previous season, a new era began in New Zealand when former NBA player Matt Walsh led a consortium that became majority shareholders of the Breakers, ending the 13-year ownership of Liz and Paul Blackwell. Paul Henare departed after a 15-year association with the club as a player and coach, Kirk Penney retired, while Alex Pledger (to Melbourne), Mika Vukona (to Brisbane), and Robert Loe (to Cairns) also departed. Thomas Abercrombie was appointed captain and former Breakers guard Kevin Braswell took over as head coach, with Corey Webster (via Europe), Tai Wesley (via Melbourne), Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns), Majok Majok (via Melbourne), Patrick Richard, and Armani Moore added to the roster. On September 5, the Breakers signed Shawn Long (via Delaware) to a one-year deal as their final import after original starting centre Jerrelle Benimon was released before ever arriving in New Zealand due to family reasons. Braswell said the late replacement would “help us on both sides of the ball”.

Before the NBL season began, the Breakers travelled to the United States to face the Phoenix Suns in an NBLxNBA preseason game. The new import briefly returned to Louisiana for a family funeral before rejoining the team in Phoenix, where New Zealand pushed the Suns before falling 86-91 behind Corey Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Tai Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds), while Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points and 6 assists) led Phoenix.

Shawn (10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists) made his NBL debut against Brisbane at Spark Arena on October 11, with New Zealand falling 73-86 despite Webster (23 points) and Wesley (12 points and 4 rebounds), while Cameron Gliddon (29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) led the Bullets.

Long (18.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) quickly became New Zealand’s primary offensive target and its biggest defensive presence around the basket. He appeared in all 28 regular-season games, with no games missed through injury, but the Breakers struggled to find consistency around him, winning only four of their first 12 games and enduring a five-game losing streak through November and December.

Long’s best overall game of the season came against Adelaide on January 4, when Long (28 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks) set a Breakers franchise record with 18 rebounds and led New Zealand back from an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat the 36ers 104-96. Wesley (19 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Richard (18 points) provided support, while Nathan Sobey (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists) led Adelaide.

Two days later, Long (33 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) produced his highest-scoring game of the season, making 12-of-18 from the field and three three-pointers as New Zealand defeated Perth 97-84 at Spark Arena for back-to-back wins. Wesley (20 points and 9 rebounds) helped the Breakers improve to 8-9, while Bryce Cotton (27 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) led Perth.

With New Zealand’s playoff hopes beginning to fade, Long (32 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks) delivered another dominant performance against Cairns in New Plymouth on January 24, leading the Breakers to a 113-106 victory. Wesley (16 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals) controlled the game alongside him, while DJ Newbill (32 points) and Melo Trimble (31 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists) combined for 63 points for Cairns.

Long (28 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) produced one of his most complete performances against Melbourne on February 3, but New Zealand was beaten 102-111 in overtime after Corey Webster forced the extra period with a late three-pointer. Shea Ili (18 points and 5 assists) and Webster (16 points and 3 assists) provided support, while Mitchell McCarron (25 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) and DJ Kennedy (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) led United.

Long finished second in the NBL in both rebounding and blocked shots and was named to the All-NBL Second Team, while also claiming the Breakers Club MVP award and finishing third in Best Defensive Player voting with 20 votes. Wesley (14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) was New Zealand’s other major frontcourt contributor, while Weeks (10.1 points) produced the best season of his career and finished runner-up for both Best Sixth Man and Most Improved Player. Richard (11 points and 3.6 rebounds), Webster (10.4 points), Abercrombie (8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds), Ili (7.9 points), and Moore (7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds) were unable to provide enough consistency for the Breakers to remain in the playoff race, with Webster recording his lowest scoring average in five seasons.

Long (to Melbourne) announced in late April that his one-season stay with the Breakers was over after agreeing to join Melbourne United, writing, “Thank you @NZBreakers for the opportunity and support last season.” The move was made official on May 30, with Long joining United for the 2019/20 season alongside his friend and former Cairns import Melo Trimble.

New Zealand closed the season in Brisbane on February 16, where Long (23 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 blocks) and Wesley (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) were unable to prevent an 78-84 loss that secured Brisbane’s first playoff appearance since 2008, with Lamar Patterson (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Jason Cadee (18 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists) leading the Bullets as the Breakers finished sixth with a 12-16 record and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

MELBOURNE UNITED
2019/20
After finishing second with an 18-10 record and losing the 2019 Grand Final series to Perth 3-1, Melbourne United made significant changes to its roster. Casper Ware (to Sydney), Josh Boone (to Illawarra), Daniel Trist (to South East Melbourne) and Craig Moller (to Sydney) departed, while coach Dean Vickerman added Shea Ili (via New Zealand), Jo Lual-Acuil (via Jerusalem), development player Jack Purchase and import duo Melo Trimble (via Cairns) and Shawn Long (via New Zealand). Casey Prather (via Patras) returned on a two-year deal, while Chris Goulding, Mitch McCarron, David Barlow, Alex Pledger, Tohi Smith-Milner and Sam McDaniel returned.

Long’s signing gave United a replacement for Boone as its starting centre and reunited him with Trimble, who he had previously played alongside for the United States at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Melbourne opened the season against expansion side South East Melbourne on October 3 in the first Throwdown, where Long (26 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) and Goulding (27 points and 3 steals) led United, while Trimble (16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) also contributed. Mitchell Creek (28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) led the Phoenix to a 91-88 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,300, the largest crowd for an NBL season-opening game at the time.

United then travelled to the United States for two NBLxNBA games, where Long (17 points and 9 rebounds) helped Melbourne lead the Los Angeles Clippers 51-47 at half-time before falling 118-100. Before facing Sacramento, Long said, “Everyone is pretty confident. We came here expecting to play to the best of our abilities but after the other game, I think we have a chance tomorrow to win and that’s our goal.” Long (15 points and 15 rebounds), Goulding (25 points) and Trimble (20 points) then helped Melbourne score an NBLxNBA record 110 points in a 124-110 loss to the Kings.

Long (18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks across 31 games) started every game for United and did not miss a game through injury, appearing in all 28 regular-season games and all three semifinals. Melbourne struggled early, losing four of its first five games amid reports of a rift between players, pressure on Vickerman and frustrated supporters.

With Melbourne sitting at 1-4, Long produced one of his best games against South East Melbourne on November 2, scoring 16 points in the opening quarter and finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists as United defeated the Phoenix 110-98. Goulding (24 points) and McCarron (13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) provided support, while Creek (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) led South East Melbourne. The victory began a six-game winning streak which saw United improve to 7-4 by late November, sitting third while leading the NBL in scoring at 99.7 points per game.

Long’s best scoring game came against Adelaide on December 7, when he finished with a career-high 34 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 4 blocks as Melbourne defeated the 36ers 112-90. Trimble (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Prather (17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) provided support, while Eric Griffin (34 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) led Adelaide. Long became the first Melbourne United player to record at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks in a game, with the win snapping a two-game losing streak and improving United to 8-6.

Prather (9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds across 6 games) missed the first seven games after another knee clean-out and, after returning for six games, was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a right hamstring tear. United signed former NBA player Stanton Kidd (8.9 points and 3.7 rebounds across 14 games) as his injury replacement.

United’s playoff hopes came down to its final regular-season game against South East Melbourne on February 16, where Long (21 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block), Goulding (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) and Trimble (20 points and 4 assists) led Melbourne to a 109-90 victory, while Ben Madgen (23 points and 4 rebounds) led the Phoenix. The win secured United fourth place with a 15-13 record and a third consecutive finals appearance.

Trimble (19.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals across 31 games) led Melbourne in scoring, with Long providing the team’s main inside presence. Captain Goulding (17 points across 30 games), McCarron (8.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 31 games), Barlow (7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds across 29 games), Ili (6.4 points across 29 games) and Lual-Acuil (5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds across 31 games) formed the team’s other major contributors.

Melbourne opened its semifinal series against Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena, where Long (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 block) and Trimble (34 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals) helped United build a 16-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining. Sydney finished the game on a 24-2 run behind Jae’Sean Tate (23 points and 5 rebounds), Brad Newley (17 points and 5 rebounds) and Xavier Cooks (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) to win 86-80 and take a 1-0 series lead.

Facing elimination in game two, Long (26 points and 11 rebounds), Trimble (21 points and 2 steals) and Kidd (18 points and 4 rebounds) led Melbourne, while Lual-Acuil (17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Ili (14 points) also contributed. Tate (18 points and 6 rebounds) and Didi Louzada (10 points and 3 steals) led Sydney, but United produced a 38-0 run and outscored the Kings 32-7 in the second quarter to win 125-80, the largest winning margin in an NBL game since the league moved to 40-minute games.

The series returned to Qudos Bank Arena for game three, where Long (17 points and 9 rebounds), Goulding (19 points and 2 steals), McCarron (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Trimble (17 points and 2 steals) led Melbourne, while Long picked up his fourth foul less than three minutes into the second half. Tate (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists), Casper Ware (15 points and 4 rebounds) and Cooks (14 points and 9 rebounds) led Sydney to an 89-87 win.

Shawn Long played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the New Zealand Breakers and the Melbourne United. He averaged 18.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 59 NBL games.