BIO: Brendan Mann was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Central Districts basketball program. Mann received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1994. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (1994, 1995).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Brendan Mann made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 18 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.

Canberra again restructured their roster as they looked to find success, moving on from import duo Jervaughn Scales and Fred Cofield, and adding Robert Rose (via Adelaide) and Darnell Mee, who had previously played with the Denver Nuggets NBA. Chris Blakemore (via Adelaide) and rookie Brendan Mann, who had just won a gold medal with the Australian Junior team, were signed to replace the outgoing Lachlan Armfield (to Newcastle) and Matt Witkowski (to Gold Coast).

Although Rose (27.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 steals) had been told he was getting ‘too old’ when released by the 36ers, he delivered a incredible season, being selected to the All-NBL First Team and coming close to winning the MVP award. Mee (15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.7 steals, 1.5 blocks) showcased that he could do it all in this league, while also battling through a serious knee injury that limited his game all season.

The Cannons were able to return to the playoffs this season, finishing in fourth place (16-10).

Mann appeared in 26 games and added 2.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists as the Cannons were able to return to the playoffs this season, finishing in fourth place (16-10).

Canberra then met the Sydney Kings (16-10), who finished as the fifth seed behind high-scoring duo Shane Heal and Issac Burton. In game one, Sydney surprised everyone with Stephen Whitehead (24 points and 5 rebounds) leading the team in scoring and equalling a season high to give the Kings a 24 point victory (113-89). The Cannons would get a huge boost from their supporting cast in game two, with Jamie Pearlman (29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists), David Close (25 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Ray Borner (21 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals) as well as Darnell Mee (29 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks) all scoring over 20 points. Rose (11 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists) finished just shy of a triple-double with Canberra defeating Sydney by 47 points (146-99). The deciding game saw the stars of the series come out firing, with Canberra’s Rose (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Mee (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) going head-to-head with Sydney’s Heal (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Burton (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 steals) but it was the team’s supporting casts the made the difference. Outside of Heal and Bruton, the Kings managed to score a mere 43 points, while the Cannons remaining roster tallied 58 points, with Borner (18 points and 7 rebounds), Blakemore (17 points and 6 rebounds), and Pearlman (17 points and 3 assists) all having big games. Canberra closed out the series with the win (101-89) and headed into a semi final against Melbourne.

Canberra got a huge effort from Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) to win the opening game (98-87), combining with Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists), Mee (23 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) to score a combined 65 points. Andrew Gaze (28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) finished as the game’s high scorer. Game two saw a very different Melbourne team on the defensive end, forcing Canberra to shoot 35% from the field (30/86) and Rose (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) the only player to score over 13 points. The Tigers trio of Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists), Copeland (23 points and 6 rebounds) and Bradtke (20 points and 7 rebounds) evened the series with a 18 point win (100-82). In the deciding game, the defence efforts from Rose (21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals) and Mee (18 points and 4 assists) locked down Copeland (6 points and 5 rebounds). Still, it wasn’t enough to stop the Tigers’ other two big guns in Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks), who combined to score half of the Melbourne’s points. The Tigers eliminated the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point contest (91-87) and moved on to the Grand Final series.

1997
In 1997, Mann averaged 6.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3 assists, playing a key role in the Cannons rotation, helping the team finish in a fifth place (15-15).

1998
The 1998 season saw Mann average 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists and play a key role in helping the Cannons to a seventh place finish in the regular season (14-16).

BRISBANE BULLETS
1998/99
The Bullets made a number of moves during the off-season, signing import Thaddeus Delaney as a replacement for the departing Chuck Kornegay, and adding Ben Knight and Matthew Shanahan, who were both squeezed out of the Giants/Magic merger and Phil Doherty, who had left the Wildcat’s looking for more playing time.

Steve Woodberry (27.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season and took home the 1999 NBL MVP in the process alongside Leroy Loggins (18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals), still delivering at 41 years of age. Other than that, the Bullets roster was light on, to say the least. Delaney (11.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.1 blocks), while able to fill the box score, never delivered on his potential. Veteran Rodger Smith (6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) did what he could on defence, and 23-year-old Mark Nash (8.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists) stepped up here, he could, but when that’s the production you’re getting out of your starting lineup, it was always going to require a big night from Woodberry/Loggins just to keep it competitive.

The team finished with a 13-13 record, finishing fifth and earning a qualifying finals matchup against the Melbourne Tigers, who eliminated Brisbane in two straight games.

Mann appeared in only two games and failed to score.

1999/00
The team were unable to retain imports Chuck Kornegay (Spain) and Steve Woodberry (Sydney), who both left for high-paying deals, and by the 1999/00 season, Leroy Loggins (16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal per game) was finally showing signs of slowing down. By now, his numbers had dropped to career lows across the board, and the Bullets began to plan for life after Leroy.

Head coach Brian Kerle signed his son Simon Kerle and Jason Cameron (both via Townsville) as well as Brendan Mann (via Canberra) to build a local core to build around, adding them to existing young talent, Phil Doherty and Mark Nash. Rod Johnson (via Newcastle) was also added for some veteran leadership, and import signings Kelvin Price and Sheldon Quarles rounded out the roster.

Amazingly, Loggins (15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 steals) was still a vital cog in the Bullets’ offence and continued to clock 29 minutes of playing time each game despite being 42 years old. Kerle (14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists) did what he could, while Price (12.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Quarles (11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) underperformed, to say the least. The Bullets didn’t quite have the talent they did the previous year and finished 7-21, causing Loggins to miss the playoffs for only the third time in his 20 seasons in the NBL.

Mann stepped up into the team’s regular rotation this season, averaging 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28 games.

CANBERRA CANNONS
1998/99
After a season playing in Europe, CJ Bruton signed a deal with play with Canberra, aiming to help his father and head coach Calvin turn the team around after a woeful season where the Cannons managed only three wins for the season. Coach Bruton also added players George Banks (via Perth), Brendan Mann (via Brisbane) and rookie big man Cameron Rigby to the roster.

Banks (23.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) would lead the team in scoring while Bruton (19.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists) led the team in assists. Canberra finished the season with 12 wins and 18 losses and failed to reach the playoffs.

Mann averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists for the season.

2002/03
Although Canberra entered 2002 struggling to stay afloat financially, the team added imports Mike Chappell (via Wollongong) and Reginald Poole (via Europe) to the roster and hoped a competitive team would draw enough fans to cover their costs.

With Chappell (21.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) leading the team in scoring, alongside Dave Thomas (18.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals), CJ Bruton (15.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.1 steals) and Poole (14.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 2.2 blocks) the Cannons started the season on fire. The part of the plan that involved building a successful team worked with Canberra winning seven of their first nine games, but by December, Cannon’s ownership couldn’t afford to keep paying the bills, and the team was forced into voluntary administration just three months into the season. Back-up big man Pero Vasiljevic (5.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Thomas, who had both just signed two-year deals with the Cannons, exited the club to find alternative employment. A few games later, Bruton and Chappell both requested their release and signed elsewhere also.

Veterans Matthew Shanahan (14.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists) and Willie Simmons (6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks) were added mid-season to help cover the loss of their starting lineup but it wasn’t nearly enough.

In a combined attempt to raise enough money to keep the team in the league and add a few bodies to the roster, a number of NBL legends made cameo appearances with Cannons throughout the last half of the season. 41-year-old Butch Hays suited up for four games for the Cannons, and Perth Wildcats’ legend James Crawford also came out of retirement for one game. The Cannons season ended with the club going 4-17 across their remaining games, and at the end of 2003, Canberra’s licence was moved to Newcastle, where it operated as the Hunter Pirates.

Mann (9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) would be the only member of the starting lineup to remain with the team until the end of the season missing only one game for the entire season.

HUNTER PIRATES
2003/04
As a result of Canberra’s NBL licence moving to Newcastle, former Cannons players Brendan Mann, Matthew Shanahan and Cameron Rigby all came across to the Pirates to form the beginnings of the Pirates roster. Hunter chose not to retain Cannons coach Cal Bruton and signed Bruce Palmer as their first head coach.

Hunter signed rookie point guard Chris Harriman (via Augusta State) straight out of college and filled the remainder of the roster with low-cost imports Kevin Brooks and Chris Brown, local players Josh Morgan and Adam Melmeth, and a number of players who had been discarded by their former clubs like Geordie Cullen (via Wollongong), Michael Kingma (via Sydney) and Travis Lindstrom (via Perth) who were all unable to secure deals elsewhere.

It took six games before the Pirates won their first game, a four-point victory over Adelaide at home (103–99) and then managed to win only one more, a home win against Cairns (109–103) and ended their first season on a 15-game losing streak. Their two win season was the second worst in NBL history (outside of Geelong’s zero win season in 1988).

Initial coach Bruce Palmer was controversially fired partway into the season and was replaced by assistant coach David Simmons but that made little difference to the team’s success.

Cullen (17.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) would lead the team in scoring and win the league’s Most Improved Player award at the end of the season. Kevin Brooks (16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), Matthew Shanahan (15.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) and Chris Brown (10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) would lead the team in scoring. Starting point guard Brendan Mann (9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals) suffered a season ending injury only three games into the season, resulting in rookie Chris Harriman (7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4 assists) stepping into the starting lineup. Harriman would narrowly miss out of winning the Rookie of the Year award, finishing second to West Sydney’s Steven Markovic.

2004/05
In the Pirates second NBL season, Adrian Hurley was enticed out of semi-retirement to take on the role of head coach. Feeling that the team’s roster was weak and a direct result for their poor performance last season. Hurley retained only three players, Geordie Cullen, Brendan Mann and Josh Morgan from the previous season’s squad that won only two games.

Ben Melmeth (via New Zealand), Russell Hinder (via West Sydney), Brad Davidson (via Townsville), Damon Lowery (via Townville) and Larry Davidson formed the Pirates new look roster and imports Brian Wethers and Kavossy Franklin were signed to provide offensive scoring power.

Under the guidance of former Australian coach Adrian Hurley, the Pirates became a force to be reckoned with and after a slow start (1-4), the Pirates began reeling off victories against some of the league’s best team’s, including a away win over Perth (83-77) and defeating league leaders Wollongong (90–81). Ten games into the season and the Pirates sat in fifth spot on the ladder (5-5) with much of the credit going to the unselfish play of imports Brian Wethers (24.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) and Kavossy Franklin (20.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals).

Weathers would go on to be selected in the All-NBL first team and win the league’s Most Valuble Player award and after winning the last two games of the season, Hunter would secure the final playoff berth and finish in eighth place (13-15).

In the Elimination Finals, however, Hunter fell short to Brisbane (99-113), a loss which ended playoff run.

Mann would appear in 13 games and average 4.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.

Brendan Mann played ten seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Canberra Cannons, Brisbane Bullets and Hunter Pirates. He averaged 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 177 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (817 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.