Matt Zauner
July 23, 2020
Dylan Rigdon
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth:
- Place of Birth: Scottsdale, Arizona (USA)
- Position: PG
- Height (CM): 193
- Weight (KG): 98
- Junior Assoc:
- College: UC-Irvine (1990-1992) / Arizona (1992-1994)
- NBL DEBUT: 14/06/97
- AGE AT DEBUT: 0
- LAST NBL GAME: 13/09/97
- NBL History: Wollongong 1997
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Dylan Rigdon was born in Scottsdale, Arizona (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Dylan Rigdon made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks on 14/6/1997. He scored 23 points in his first game.
After missing the playoffs with a 9-17 record in 1996, Illawarra entered another rebuilding phase after losing leading scorer and rebounder Marcus Timmons (to Melbourne), while Andre LaFleur (not re-signed), Greg Hubbard (retired) and captain Chuck Harmison (retired), who moved into the Hawks’ general manager role, also left the playing roster. Matt Zauner was named captain and Terry Johnson, Glen Saville, Mat Campbell, Dene MacDonald and Marc Brandon returned under head coach Brendan Joyce, while Eric Cooks (via Ballarat), Lachlan Armfield (via Newcastle), Jason Brettell, and young imports Bryan Edwards and Clayton Ritter were added.
Illawarra opened the season at Beaton Park on April 12 with a 112-96 loss to Newcastle before struggling through the first half of the year. Edwards (18.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.5 steals across 13 games) provided plenty of individual production but was not the fit Joyce needed at point guard and was replaced midway through the season by Dylan Rigdon (mid-season replacement), who had previously led the New Zealand NBL in scoring at 33.3 points per game and won the league’s Most Outstanding Guard award with Palmerston North in 1995. Rigdon (19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists across 15 games) immediately gave Illawarra another scoring and playmaking option.
Rigdon (23 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists) made his NBL debut against North Melbourne at Beaton Park on June 14, with Ritter (25 points) and Zauner (20 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists) providing support, while Pat Reidy (33 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) led the Giants to a 111-104 victory.
Six days later, Rigdon (26 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) again provided a major scoring option as Ritter (29 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) and Campbell (14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) helped Illawarra score 107 points, but Isaac Burton (44 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals) led Sydney to a 123-107 win at Beaton Park.
Rigdon’s best all-round game came against Adelaide on June 28, where he made 10-of-17 shots and finished with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists with only one turnover as Illawarra defeated the 36ers 105-92 at Beaton Park. Ritter (31 points and 11 rebounds) and Cooks (12 points and 10 rebounds) provided support, while Brett Maher (22 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) led Adelaide.
After his first five games Rigdon was averaging 23.0 points and 6.4 assists, placing him among the NBL’s leading scorers and playmakers at that stage of the season. His highest-scoring game of the year was a 33-point performance and he finished the season as the NBL leader in free-throw percentage at 88.2 percent.
Ritter (23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals across 28 games) led Illawarra in scoring, produced two 40-point games and won the Hawks’ team MVP award, while Saville (13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 30 games) more than doubled his scoring from the previous season and was selected for the NBL All-Star Game. Zauner (12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds across 30 games), Johnson (9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds across 30 games), Cooks (8.9 points and 6.5 rebounds across 29 games) and Campbell (8.7 points across 30 games) provided the remaining support, although a contract dispute between Zauner and Joyce created further problems away from the court.
Illawarra missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season and finished 11th with a 7-23 record, closing the year at Beaton Park on September 27 with a 115-90 win over Brisbane.
Dylan Rigdon played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 15 | 635 | 297 | 61 | 85 | 14 | 47 | 15 | 5 | 58 | 51 | 75 | 204 | 37% | 35 | 94 | 37% | 112 | 127 | 88% | 56% | 45% | 33 | Totals | 15 | 635 | 297 | 61 | 85 | 14 | 47 | 15 | 5 | 58 | 51 | 75 | 204 | 36.8% | 35 | 94 | 37.2% | 112 | 127 | 88.2% | 57% | 45% | 33 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 15 | 42.3 | 19.8 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 13.6 | 37% | 2.3 | 6.3 | 37% | 7.5 | 8.5 | 88% | 56% | 45% | 33 | Total | 15 | 42.3 | 19.8 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 13.6 | 36.8% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37.2% | 2.3 | 6.3 | 88.2% | 57% | 45% | 33 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 33 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Palmerston North Jets (1995) | Netherlands - USA in Nederland All Stars (1995) | Germany - Ludwigsburg (1999)
Rigdon joined the Palmerston North Jets for the 1995 New Zealand NBL season, playing his first season in New Zealand.
In 1995 he led the New Zealand NBL in scoring at 33.30 points per game for Palmerston North, earned the league’s Most Outstanding Guard award, and was also named to the New Zealand NBL All-Star Five alongside fellow selections Leonard King, Darryl Johnson, Kenny Stone, and Pero Cameron.
Rigdon also played in the Netherlands during the mid-1990s and was selected for the USA in Nederland All Stars roster that faced the Nederland All Stars at the DBL All-Star Gala in Groningen on March 4, 1995, with that squad including Michael Huger, Matt Stanford, Michael Hodges, Ray Wingard, Sonique Nixon, Tyrone Travis, Lynwood Wade, Chris Simpson, and Travis Stel.
He later played in Ludwigsburg, Germany in 1999 and was part of a team that won its division that season.
COLLEGE
Rigdon played college basketball at UC-Irvine during the 1990-91 season before transferring to Arizona, where he competed from 1992-93 through 1993-94 and completed his collegiate career under head coach Lute Olson.
In 1990-91 at UC-Irvine, Rigdon appeared in 28 games as a freshman guard and averaged 8.9 points per game while shooting 45.2% from the field and 38.7% from three-point range, adding 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest as the Anteaters competed in the Big West Conference.
He elevated his production as a sophomore in 1991-92, starting 27 of 29 games and averaging 15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while connecting on 48.1% of his field-goal attempts and 41.3% from beyond the arc, and he finished the year with 453 total points before entering the transfer portal and committing to Arizona.
After sitting out the 1992-93 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Rigdon debuted for Arizona in 1992-93 as a redshirt junior and served as a reserve guard on a Wildcats team that went 22-10 overall and 14-4 in Pac-10 play, earning an NCAA Tournament berth.
In that 1992-93 season, he appeared in 29 games off the bench and averaged 3.8 points per game while shooting 41.7% from the field and 85.7% at the free-throw line, providing depth in the backcourt behind Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves.
Rigdon’s senior season came in 1993-94 when Arizona finished 29-4 overall and 17-1 in Pac-10 play, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Final Four, and he appeared in 33 games as a reserve guard on that Final Four squad alongside Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves.
During the 1993-94 campaign, Rigdon averaged 4.2 points per game and shot 46.3% from the field while leading the team at the free-throw line with an .891 percentage, which stands as the fourth-best single-season free-throw mark in Arizona Wildcats history.
Across his two seasons at Arizona, he shot .872 from the free-throw line for his Wildcats career, which still holds as the school record for career free-throw percentage, and he contributed steady minutes in Pac-10 play and throughout the NCAA Tournament run.
Over his four collegiate seasons between UC-Irvine and Arizona, Rigdon totaled 1,010 career points and made 118 three-pointers while maintaining a free-throw percentage above 85% overall, graduating prior to 1997 after completing his eligibility and concluding a career that included Big West competition, Pac-10 title contention, and a Final Four appearance.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
Began a career as a real estate agent in Arizona after his basketball career was over.
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