Pierre Wooten
July 23, 2020
Rich Melzer
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 8/12/79
- Place of Birth: Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 102
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Wisconsin–River Falls (2001–2004)
NBL CAREER OVERVIEW
NBL DEBUT
4/09/05
Age 25
LAST NBL GAME
13/02/10
Age 30
TEAM HISTORY
- New Zealand2006
- Cairns2010
CHAMPIONSHIPS
NoneBIO: Rich Melzer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA) and attended River Falls High School.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Rich Melzer made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 25 years of age. He scored 19 points in his first game.
With the Breakers still searching for their first winning season, they chose not to re-sign Mike Chappell, the Breakers’ leading scorer from the past two seasons and appointed a new head coach Andrej Lemanis. Lemanis had played in the NBL during the 1980s and 1990s and spent the previous five seasons as a assistant coach with the Townsville Crocodiles.
Lemanis inherited a Breakers squad who had seen both its national team players, Pero Cameron (Gold Coast) and Dillon Boucher (Perth), leave for better opportunities on other NBL team’s.
Lemanis looked to build around its young turning core group, which included Aaron Olsen, Ben Pepper, Lindsay Tait and Paul Henare, who was named team captain with the departure of co-captain Pero Cameron.
Rugged defender Ben Thompson and New Zealand born Adrian Majstrovich (both via Perth) were added to the roster, as was the import duo of Rich Melzer and Brant Bailey.
The Breakers started the season poorly (1-5) and quickly made the decision to replace Bailey (18.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) with Brian Green (18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals).
Melzer (18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) would lead New Zealand in scoring while the Breakers continued to see strong development from young gun Aaron Olson (17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) and Ben Pepper (14.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) was a force inside the paint.
Lemanis’ first season in charge was not particularly memorable. During the season, the Breakers endured a team-worst eleven straight losses, but after making the personnel changes, the team split their final twelve games of the season and finished the regular season tenth out of eleven team’s (9-23).
CAIRNS TAIPANS
2009/10
Melzer returned to Australia to play with Cairns during the 2009/10 season, but was a shadow of the player he was four years ago when he played with New Zealand. Melzer averaged 10.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists and was a part of the Taipans squad which finished in seventh place (11-17).
Rich Melzer played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Cairns Taipans and the New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 14.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 30 | Cairns | 11-17 (7) | 28 | 676 | 304 | 135 | 35 | 41 | 94 | 14 | 18 | 74 | 84 | 103 | 289 | 36% | 27 | 100 | 27% | 71 | 97 | 73% | 46% | 40% | 23 |
| 2005-06 | 26 | New Zealand | 9-23 (10) | 25 | 839 | 465 | 184 | 43 | 81 | 103 | 37 | 35 | 81 | 72 | 194 | 418 | 46% | 15 | 49 | 31% | 62 | 94 | 66% | 51% | 48% | 34 | Totals | 53 | 1515 | 769 | 319 | 78 | 122 | 197 | 51 | 53 | 155 | 156 | 297 | 707 | 42.0% | 42 | 149 | 28.2% | 133 | 191 | 69.6% | 49% | 45% | 34 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 30 | Cairns | 11-17 (7) | 28 | 24.1 | 10.9 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 10.3 | 36% | 1.0 | 3.6 | 27% | 2.5 | 3.5 | 73% | 46% | 40% | 23 |
| 2005-06 | 26 | New Zealand | 9-23 (10) | 25 | 33.6 | 18.6 | 7.4 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 7.8 | 16.7 | 46% | 0.6 | 2.0 | 31% | 2.5 | 3.8 | 66% | 51% | 48% | 34 | Total | 53 | 28.6 | 14.5 | 6.0 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 5.6 | 13.3 | 42.0% | 0.8 | 2.8 | 28.2% | 2.5 | 3.6 | 69.6% | 49% | 45% | 34 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 34 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
USA (CBA) - Sioux Falls Skyfoce (2005)
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
-
Dominican Republic
- San Carlos2005
France
- ASVEL Basket2006–2007
- JL Bourg-en-Bresse2006–2007
- Le Portel2012
Israel
- Hapoel Gilboa/Afula2007
- Hapoel Holon2010–2011
Germany
- Artland Dragons2007
- New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig2011–2012
Melzer joined San Carlos for the 2005 Dominican Republic season, playing his first season outside the United States in the Dominican Republic and later being voted MVP of the National Finals during San Carlos’ title run.
Melzer spent part of the 2006–07 French LNB Pro A regular season with ASVEL Basket, playing six domestic games in which he recorded 71 points, 21 rebounds, four assists, six steals and five blocks over 120 minutes, for 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 20 minutes per game. He made four of 13 three-pointers (30.8 percent). During the same 2006–07 French top-division season he transferred to JL Bourg-en-Bresse and played three additional regular-season games, totaling 31 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal in 57 minutes, averaging 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 19 minutes. His six ASVEL and three Bourg games are two distinct club samples (nine French league matches combined), not separate seasons or cup fixtures. Later in his overseas career Melzer also spent time with Le Portel in France in 2012; its complete individual games-played record was not established from the sources used here.
Melzer joined Hapoel Gilboa/Afula for the 2006–07 Israeli Premier League season after arriving in January 2007, before moving to Germany with Artland Dragons in 2007–08. He played one confirmed BBL regular-season game for Artland, recording 11 points, two rebounds and one steal in 16.5 minutes. He also made two separate EuroCup appearances, averaging 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists; those European games are not part of his single domestic German league game. A contemporary Braunschweig report later recalled that an injury had cut short this first German stint.
Melzer returned to Israel for the 2010–11 Israeli Premier League season with Hapoel Holon, where he played under coach Dan Shamir and shared the roster with Kasib Powell, Moran Roth, and Amit Ben David, and he enjoyed a strong playoff run.
In the 2010–11 Israeli Basketball Super League regular season, Melzer (15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26 games) started 25 games and averaged 30.3 minutes for Holon. In the playoffs, Melzer (23.3 points and 8.0 rebounds across four games) started every appearance and averaged 37.0 minutes, shooting 59.6% on two-point attempts.
Melzer returned to Germany with New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig for 2011–12. RealGMs game ledger records 31 BBL appearances, including 19 starts, averaging 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 22.9 minutes, shooting 43.0 percent from the field and 75.6 percent at the line. He scored 357 points and collected 132 rebounds in those 31 recorded games. A separate German-language historical biography credits him with 32 Bundesliga games that season, averaging 11.6 points; the one-game discrepancy has not yet been verified against individual playoff box scores and is explicitly retained rather than resolved by assumption. The Phantoms reached the Bundesliga quarterfinals, and published box scores include an 18-point, eight-rebound game. Melzer subsequently joined Le Portel in France in 2012 but suffered an Achilles tendon injury before the season started; no unsupported French playing appearances are inferred.
COLLEGE
Melzer played college basketball at Wisconsin–River Falls from 2001 to 2004, where he competed for the Falcons in NCAA Division III under head coach Jeff Berkhof and developed into one of the most decorated players in program and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history.
As a freshman in 2001–02, he immediately became a key contributor, helping UW–River Falls to a 20-win season while establishing himself as one of the top post players in the WIAC, averaging double figures in scoring and ranking among the conference leaders in field-goal percentage and rebounding.
In the 2002–03 season, Melzer elevated his production to All-America status, earning D3hoops.com All-America Second Team honours after averaging over 20 points per game and ranking among the nation’s leaders in scoring efficiency and rebounding while guiding the Falcons to another 20-plus win season and a WIAC title share.
On January 29, 2003, he produced the fourth-highest single-game scoring output in WIAC history with 54 points against UW–La Crosse, a performance that ranks among the top individual scoring efforts in conference history and remains one of the highest single-game totals in Division III during that era.
During the 2003–04 season, Melzer was named National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division III National Player of the Year and received D3hoops.com All-First Team status in 2004 after averaging over 25 points and double-digit rebounds per game while leading the Falcons to a WIAC championship and an NCAA Division III Tournament berth.
That senior campaign saw him finish second in the WIAC in scoring, rank among conference leaders in rebounding and blocks, and surpass multiple school and conference milestones, including becoming Wisconsin–River Falls’ all-time leader in points and blocks.
Melzer concluded his collegiate career with 2,363 points, ranking second on the WIAC’s all-time scoring list, and 935 field goals made, also second in conference history, while producing one of the most prolific offensive careers in Division III basketball during the early 2000s.
He was a two-time WIAC Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, earned multiple All-WIAC First Team selections, and was recognized nationally across several All-America teams during his final two seasons.
Melzer graduated from Wisconsin–River Falls as the school’s all-time leader in points and blocks, cementing his status among the most accomplished players in program history.
In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Men’s Basketball All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference’s Centennial Celebration.
Additional Info: Melzer was a member of UW-River Falls' men's basketball team from 2001-04 and received National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division III National Player of the Year honours, as well as D3hoops.com All-First Team status in 2004. He was a D3hoops.com All-America Second Team honoree in 2003.
He graduated from Wisconsin-River Falls as the schools all-time leader in points and blocks. A two-time conference Player of the Year (2003 and 2004), Melzer ranks second on the conference's all-time list with 2,363 points and 935 field goals made. He produced the fourth-highest scoring output in league history, with a 54-point performance against UW-La Crosse on Jan. 29, 2003.
In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Men's Basketball All-Time Team in conjunction with the conference's Centennial Celebration.
COACHING HISTORY
Rich Melzer moved into basketball coaching following his professional playing career.
Melzer served as an assistant basketball coach at Academy of Holy Angels in Minnesota alongside head coach Troy Bell.
He has also coached youth basketball with Grassroots Sizzle Nation.
Related
HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PLAYER?
Whilst we try to source as much information as we can for every player who has ever played in the NBL some information on a player profile may be missing. If you have additional information on a player you'd like us to add to a profile, please send it to us using the enquiry form below.
Submissions are then sent to info@aussiehoopla.com