BIO: Ian Manson was born in Horsham (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Horsham basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Ian Manson made his NBL debut with the St. Kilda Saints on 25/2/1979. He scored 10 points in his first game.

St Kilda began the NBL’s inaugural season under Brian Kerle with a fully Australian lineup featuring Tony Barnett, Larry Sengstock, Danny Morseu, Steve Breheny and Robbie Cadee, a core that brought established state-league familiarity into the newly formed national competition.

After an even 3–3 opening, the Saints’ structure tightened, with Barnett supplying consistent perimeter scoring and Sengstock anchoring the paint, while complementary pieces such as Ian Manson grew in responsibility as the rotation settled into defined roles.

Momentum built rapidly as the season progressed, with St Kilda stringing together a decisive late surge that saw them win their final 12 regular-season games and remain unbeaten at home, reflecting a team increasingly comfortable dictating tempo and closing games on their terms.

Barnett was central to that run, delivering multiple high-end scoring performances, including big nights against Bankstown and Canberra that helped separate the Saints from the chasing pack and secure first place on the ladder.

Finishing the regular season 15–3, St Kilda advanced directly to the single-game Grand Final against Canberra, a matchup that contrasted the Saints’ continuity-driven, all-local approach with the Cannons’ import-led attack built around Cal Stamp.

The championship game unfolded as a tight, physical contest, with teenage centre Larry Sengstock producing a defining display, pouring in 33 points and matching Stamp’s output as the battle inside shaped the flow of the contest.

In the closing moments, Robbie Cadee attracted defensive pressure before finding Peter Vitols, whose buzzer-beating basket delivered a 94–93 win and secured the first championship in NBL history.

The title capped a season that highlighted the depth and balance of St Kilda’s roster, a group that also captured multiple state and domestic honours during 1979, reinforcing their standing as the country’s leading club side at the time.

Barnett finished as the team’s leading scorer (22.3 points), supported by Sengstock (17.6 points), Morseu (15.8 points), Breheny (13.3 points) and Cadee (12.3 points, leading the league at the foul line).

Manson contributed steady production as a rotation forward (9.1 points), providing reliable minutes and reinforcing the Saints’ ability to sustain pressure through a deep, cohesive lineup.

GEELONG CATS
1982
On the back of winning a state league title in 1981, Geelong and a successful appeareance in the NBL preseason tournament where the Cats defeated multiple NBL squads, Geelong was entered into the NBL for the 1982 season.

No one would have predicted that Geelong would reach the NBL Grand Final in their first year in the competition, especially after starting the year with a 2-3 record which included a drubbing at the hands of Nunawading.

Bruton began the year carrying the offensive load for the Cats, in fact, he was the league-leading scorer for the first seven weeks of the season until eventual winner Reg Biddings took over, on the back of his 63 point effort, which remains the highest score in a 40-minute NBL game.

As a result of the team’s slow start, coach Tim Kaiser was fired and replaced with the team’s high-scoring guard Cal Bruton, who would act as a player-coach for the remainder of the season. A stunning 13-game winning streak followed, culminating with Geelong finishing in second place (20-6).

Manson averaged 4.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists for the season, alongside Bruton (23.4 points 3.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists) and fellow import James Crawford (26.0 points and 10.9 rebounds) as the team got their revenge on Nunawading by defeating them in the semifinals (71-59).

Geelong then advanced to the Grand Final where they would face West Adelaide who had lost only five games for the year, twice by one point and once by two points before eliminating Coburg in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final. In fact, during the last round of the season, West Adelaide had thrashed Geelong by 29 points at Apollo Stadium to cement themselves into a first-place finish.

The championship game was played at the neutral venue of Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium (Newcastle), as a neutral venue, where the Bearcats would prove far too strong.

Behind the team’s ‘Big Three’ of Al Green (23.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists), Leroy Loggins (25.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and player/coach Ken Richardson (14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists), they resisted a courageous second-half challenge by Geelong to win the Grand Final (80-74), becoming the team from South Australia to win the national championship.

In their 15 seasons of NBL competition from 1982 to 1996, this would prove to be Geelong’s only NBL Grand Final appearance. At the end of the season, Bruton received the league’s Coach of the Year award, and Crawford earned a spot on the All-NBL First Team.

1984
After failing to make Geelong’s roster in 1983, Manson sat out an NBL season, before getting another chance with North Melbourne. The 1984 season saw Manson average 1.0 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists while the Giants went on to a third place finish in the regular season (18-6).