Does Nathan Jawai solve problems or create them in Perth?
August 31, 2015
Earnest Ross
- Nationality: GUM/USA
- Date of Birth: 27/01/91
- Place of Birth: Guam
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 196
- Weight (KG): 101
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Auburn (2009-2011) / Missouri (2012-2014)
- NBL DEBUT: 10/10/14
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 9/01/15
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 23
- NBL History: Perth 2015
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Ross was born in Guam, a United States territory in Micronesia. His parents were both in the military at the time and moved around a lot early in Ross’ life.
He moved to Hawaii and then Japan before his parents split when Ross was 5 years old. His mother, Toy, left the military in 1996 after 15 years due to 12-hour shifts keeping her way from her two children. Ross’ brother Jamel is two years younger than him.
Toy moved her sons to Washington, but she struggled to find work, sending her kids during the summers to live in Texas and Maryland with their father, who was still traveling from base to base in the military and made enough money to support the kids. When Ross was 8 years old, his mother moved the family to Chicago.
They first moved in with Toy’s sister for a year and a half before the trio got their own apartment. In addition to Toy working long hours and maintaining multiple jobs, they lived in a rough neighborhood, and were eventually evicted from their apartment and had to move in with Toy’s mother. Ross and his brother attended separate schools in the south side of Chicago. Ross was his brother’s guardian, often having to cook for both of them while also having to walk him to and from school.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Earnest Ross made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
Ross played half a season with the Perth Wildcats before a Achilles injury ended his rookie year.
Earnest Ross played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 24 | Perth | 16-12 (4) | 18 | 162.0 | 59 | 42 | 13 | 12 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 59 | 32% | 6 | 21 | 29% | 15 | 22 | 68% | 42% | 37% | Totals | 18 | 162 | 59 | 42 | 13 | 12 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 59 | 32.2% | 6 | 21 | 28.6% | 15 | 22 | 68.2% | 43% | 37% | 13 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 24 | Perth | 16-12 (4) | 18 | 9.0 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 32% | 0.3 | 1.2 | 29% | 0.8 | 1.2 | 68% | 42% | 37% | Total | 18 | 9.0 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 32.2% | 0.0 | 28.6% | 0.3 | 1.2 | 68.2% | 43% | 37% | 13 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 13 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Ballarat (2016), Geraldton (2018), Joondalup (2019), West Adelaide (2021), Sunshine Coast (2025–2026)
Ross joined Ballarat for the 2016 SEABL season and remained in the state-league pathway after an injury-interrupted lead-in, playing in Victoria with the Miners. He produced two triple-doubles, earned SEABL Player of the Week honours in Rounds 7 and 9, and averaged 19.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.1 steals across 22 games as Ballarat finished 11–13 and missed the playoffs.
Ross returned to the state league in 2018 with Geraldton in the SBL after playing overseas in 2017, signing for the Buccaneers on January 30. He averaged 19.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists during the regular season, played in the SBL All-Star Game for the North All-Stars, earned Round 17 Player of the Week honours, and helped Geraldton finish as minor premiers with a 23–3 record before a quarter-final loss to Rockingham.
Ross joined Joondalup for the 2019 SBL season and opened with 25 points and eight assists in a 112–76 win over Perry Lakes. He averaged 19.47 points, 8.07 rebounds and 4.2 assists across 30 games, helped Joondalup finish 20–6 and reach the SBL Grand Final, then had 16 points and 12 rebounds in a 92–80 loss to Geraldton.
Ross signed with West Adelaide for the 2021 NBL1 Central season on March 12 and debuted with 21 points against Central Districts on April 10. He later recorded 35 points and 16 rebounds against Norwood, posted 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists against Eastern Mavericks, and finished the season averaging 19.11 points, 11.05 rebounds and 3.16 assists across 18 games.
Ross joined Sunshine Coast for the 2025 NBL1 North season and averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists, earning NBL1 North All Star Second Team honours. He re-signed with Sunshine Coast for the 2026 NBL1 North season.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Ross represented the Guam national team for the first time in 2018.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Denmark - SISU (2016–2017) | New Zealand - Super City (2017) | Qatar - Al Arabi (2017)
Ross joined SISU Copenhagen for the 2016–17 Basketligaen season, playing his first season in Denmark and averaging 18.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game across 22 appearances while shooting 44.8% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range. During that same 2016–17 season he also spent time with Team FOG Næstved, contributing to the club’s Danish Cup title run in 2017.
He then joined Super City Rangers for the 2017 New Zealand NBL season, where he averaged 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists across 15 games. During that campaign, he shot 45.3% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range, recorded a season-high 32 points against the Canterbury Rams, and shared the roster with Marcel Jones and Rob Loe.
Later in 2017, Ross began a stint in Qatar, joining Al Wakrah for the 2017–18 Qatari Basketball League season, where he played 19 games and averaged 19.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, helping the team reach the league final before falling 61–59 to Al Arabi.
He returned to Qatar for the 2018–19 season with Al Ahli, appearing in 16 games and averaging 18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per contest in league play.
Ross also featured for Al Arabi in the Qatari Basketball League during 2017, averaging 20.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in league action and helping the team reach the Emir Cup semifinals while playing alongside import guard Brandon Spearman.
COLLEGE
Ross played college basketball at Auburn during the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons before transferring to Missouri, where he competed from 2012–13 to 2013–14 after sitting out the 2011–12 season under NCAA transfer rules, and he played college basketball for Auburn and Missouri before beginning his professional career in Australia in 2014.
As a freshman at Auburn in 2009–10, Ross appeared in 32 games and made 8 starts, averaging 2.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game while shooting 31-for-109 from the field (28.4%), 15-for-68 on three-pointers (22.1%), and 14-for-22 at the line (63.6%), and he opened the season in the starting lineup for Auburn’s first seven games as an injury replacement while finishing the year with 91 total points, 97 total rebounds, 44 assists, and 24 steals.
In 2010–11, Ross made a major jump as a sophomore at Auburn, playing 31 games with 27 starts and producing 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in 31.8 minutes, and that season he scored in double figures 22 times while recording six double-doubles and ranking among Auburn’s top contributors on both the glass and the perimeter.
Ross’ standout Auburn performances in 2010–11 included a career-high 30 points in an overtime loss at Georgia on February 5, 2011, when he shot 12-for-18 from the field and hit 7-of-11 from three-point range, and he also posted a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double against Alabama on January 22, 2011, with the 13 boards standing as his single-game rebounding high at Auburn.
Auburn finished 11–20 overall in 2010–11 (4–12 in SEC play) in Tony Barbee’s first season, with Ross serving as a team captain and later being named Auburn’s Most Valuable Player at the program’s annual awards banquet in April 2011 after leading the Tigers in scoring 13 times and rebounding 14 times across the season.
After leaving Auburn following the 2010–11 season, Ross transferred to Missouri, signed his grant-in-aid agreement in June 2011, and redshirted the 2011–12 season, before returning to game action in 2012–13 as a redshirt junior and playing 34 games with 10 starts while averaging 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, including recognition as the SEC’s top bench scorer that season, and Missouri went 23–11 overall while earning an NCAA Tournament berth as a No. 9 seed before being eliminated in the second round.
As a senior in 2013–14, Ross started all 35 games for Missouri and averaged 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals in 31.9 minutes per game while shooting 141-for-343 from the field (41.1%), 57-for-183 from three-point range (31.1%), and 152-for-196 at the free-throw line (77.6%), and he finished the season with 46 steals, 57 made threes, and three double-doubles as Missouri went 23–12 and reached the NIT (with the season’s wins later vacated as part of NCAA penalties announced in 2016).
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