David Stiff
July 23, 2020
John Stelzer
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 18/08/68
- Place of Birth: Canberra (ACT)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 97
- Junior Assoc: ACT - Canberra
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 24/04/87
- AGE AT DEBUT: 18
- LAST NBL GAME: 4/10/96
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 28
- NBL History: Canberra 1987-93 | North Melbourne 1994-96
- Championships: 2
- Canberra (1988), North Melbourne (1994)
BIO: John Stelzer was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. Stelzer received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent three years year there and played for the program’s state league team (1984, 1985, 1986).
NBL EXPERIENCE
John Stelzer made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 18 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game.
1995
After winning the 1994 championship, North Melbourne entered Brett Brown’s third season with almost its entire title roster intact, with Darryl McDonald, Pat Reidy, Paul Rees, Paul Maley, Larry Sengstock, Rod Johnson, Darryl Pearce, Mark Leader and John Stelzer all returning. The only major setback came in the final weeks before the season when Maley (back injury) was ruled out for the year, forcing Brown to find a late replacement before the Giants signed former Ohio State forward Chris Jent (via Houston Rockets), who had won the 1994 NBA championship only months earlier.
North Melbourne opened the season on April 22 against Gold Coast, where John (0 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist) played 7:37 minutes as the Giants defeated the Rollers 118-97. Jent (25.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 steals) immediately justified the late move, becoming the first reigning NBA champion to play in the NBL and finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists in his debut.
Stelzer (3.7 points across 26 games) had his best regular-season game in Hobart on May 5, where he made 5-of-6 shots and finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal as North Melbourne defeated the Devils 129-89.
A week later, Stelzer (12 points) made both of his field goals and went 7-of-8 from the foul line in 10:57 minutes, but Newcastle defeated North Melbourne 109-104 at the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre.
On May 26, Stelzer (11 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks) delivered his strongest rebounding game of the year against South East Melbourne, playing 30:51 minutes as the Magic defeated the Giants 110-96.
Stelzer (10 points and 4 rebounds) added another efficient bench game against Townsville on July 28, making 3-of-5 shots and all four free throws in 8:41 minutes as North Melbourne defeated the Suns 112-103.
North Melbourne closed the regular season in Brisbane on September 16, where Stelzer (0 points) played 1:48 minutes as the Giants defeated the Bullets 122-109, closed on a five-game winning streak and finished third with a 18-8 record during a season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all spent time on top of the ladder.
Reidy (20.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals) remained a major scoring and rebounding option on the wing, while McDonald (17.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 10.4 assists, and 3.8 steals) led the NBL in assists and steals for a second consecutive season, earned All-NBL First Team honours and won the Good Hands Award.
Rees (14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) anchored the middle, Johnson (11.5 points) gave the Giants another perimeter scoring option, while Sengstock (5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds), Pearce (5.7 points), Leader (4.6 points and 3.0 rebounds) and John completed Brown’s veteran rotation.
The quarterfinals opened in Brisbane, where Jent (34 points), Reidy (25 points and 10 rebounds), Johnson (20 points) and McDonald (19 assists) led North Melbourne to a 115-105 win. Stelzer (0 points) played 1:11 minutes.
Game two moved to Melbourne, where McDonald (32 points), Reidy (28 points and 13 rebounds), Jent (21 points) and Rees (18 points and 5 blocks) led a 130-99 win. Stelzer (3 points) scored in 3:28 minutes.
The semifinals opened with North Melbourne defeating South East Melbourne 98-77 behind Jent (24 points and 11 rebounds), Reidy (23 points and 14 rebounds), Rees (17 points) and McDonald (12 assists). Stelzer (2 points) scored in 1:30 minutes.
Game two saw the Magic respond 98-79 despite Jent (17 points and 10 rebounds), McDonald (17 points) and Rees (12 points). Stelzer (3 points and 2 rebounds) played 6:35 minutes.
Game three saw Reidy (27 points and 12 rebounds), Jent (25 points), McDonald (13 assists and 8 steals) and Sengstock (14 points) lead North Melbourne to a 107-92 win. Stelzer (1 point and 1 rebound) played 2:10 minutes.
The Grand Final opened in Perth, where Jent (29 points), Johnson (21 points), Reidy (21 points and 7 assists) and McDonald (18 points and 7 assists) led North Melbourne to a 104-97 win. Stelzer did not appear.
Game two moved to Melbourne, where Vlahov (29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) led Perth to a 97-88 win, while Jent (28 points), McDonald (17 points and 10 assists) and Reidy (17 points and 11 rebounds) kept North Melbourne close. Stelzer did not appear.
Game three returned to Perth, where Crawford (32 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks) powered the Wildcats to a 108-88 win, with Vlahov named Grand Final MVP. Stelzer (2 points) played 3:32 minutes in the 108-88 loss.
1996
After falling one win short of back-to-back championships, North Melbourne returned most of its roster for Brett Brown’s fourth season. Darryl McDonald, Pat Reidy, Paul Rees, Paul Maley, Rod Johnson, Larry Sengstock, Matthew Shanahan and John Stelzer all remained in place, while Mark Leader and Darryl Pearce retired and Chris Jent (to New York Knicks) exited after his one-season stint with the Giants. Australian Boomers guard Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) joined the roster, while Maley returned from the back injury that had ruled him out for the entire 1995 season.
North Melbourne opened the season in Sydney on April 12 without Stelzer playing, losing 102-97 to the Kings despite Maley (20 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals), McDonald (16 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, and 2 steals) and Reidy (16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) keeping the Giants close.
Stelzer (2.1 points) made his first appearance four days later, playing 3:03 minutes as North Melbourne defeated Melbourne 105-85 at Melbourne Park. McDonald (20 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) recorded a triple-double, while Reidy (27 points and 10 rebounds), Jensen (28 points) and Rees (17 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) helped the Giants claim their first win of the season.
Stelzer (6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) gave North Melbourne useful minutes against Canberra on April 20 as the Giants continued their early-season run, while McDonald (19 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals) and Reidy (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the rotation.
Stelzer’s best game of the season came against Geelong on May 10, where Stelzer (12 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist) shot 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point range as North Melbourne defeated the Supercats 133-103. McDonald (24 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 7 steals), Reidy (22 points), Maley (19 points and 5 rebounds) and Rees (14 points and 8 rebounds) led the Giants in the win.
Stelzer (7 points and 5 rebounds) played his biggest minutes of the regular season in Perth on September 28, logging 32:45 minutes as North Melbourne defeated the Wildcats 99-93 behind McDonald (30 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 9 steals) and Rees (15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists).
Reidy (20.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals) led North Melbourne in scoring, while McDonald (17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3.9 steals) again led the NBL in assists, earned All-NBL First Team honours, won the Good Hands Award and was named NBL All-Star Game MVP. Maley (17.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals) returned strongly after missing the previous season, Jensen (14.6 points) gave the Giants another perimeter scorer, while Rees (14 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks), Johnson (9.1 points and 1.3 steals), Shanahan (5 points) and Sengstock (4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds) completed Brown’s rotation as North Melbourne finished seventh with a 15-11 record in a tight ladder where only two games separated third place and eighth.
The quarterfinals opened at the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre, where South East Melbourne defeated North Melbourne 96-82 behind Andrew Parkinson (19 points). Stelzer (6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist) played 11:49 minutes, while Rees (28 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks), Reidy (19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) and McDonald (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) led the Giants as the Magic took control of the series.
Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Tony Ronaldson (25 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Mike Kelly (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) led South East Melbourne to an 87-77 win and completed the sweep. Stelzer did not play in the 87-77 loss and would retire at the end of the season.
John Stelzer played ten seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Canberra Cannons and the North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 252 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 28 | North Melbourne | 15-11 (7) | 21 | 213.0 | 44 | 32 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 14 | 41 | 34% | 3 | 15 | 20% | 13 | 18 | 72% | 44% | 38% | 12 |
| 1995 | 27 | North Melbourne | 18-8 (2) | 26 | 249.0 | 95 | 47 | 7 | 13 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 41 | 30 | 69 | 43% | 6 | 19 | 32% | 29 | 39 | 74% | 54% | 48% | 13 |
| 1994 | 26 | North Melbourne | 19-7 (3) | 33 | 405.0 | 123 | 71 | 19 | 21 | 50 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 49 | 42 | 110 | 38% | 9 | 30 | 30% | 30 | 45 | 67% | 47% | 42% | 10 |
| 1993 | 25 | Canberra | 12-14 (9) | 22 | 421.0 | 97 | 79 | 13 | 26 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 29 | 39 | 94 | 41% | 7 | 25 | 28% | 12 | 14 | 86% | 48% | 45% | 19 |
| 1992 | 24 | Canberra | 11-13 (8) | 26 | 613.0 | 106 | 112 | 43 | 29 | 83 | 12 | 13 | 24 | 83 | 37 | 94 | 39% | 14 | 29 | 48% | 18 | 25 | 72% | 50% | 47% | 15 |
| 1991 | 23 | Canberra | 9-17 (9) | 26 | 552.0 | 150 | 91 | 26 | 41 | 50 | 7 | 9 | 35 | 86 | 51 | 140 | 36% | 8 | 32 | 25% | 40 | 53 | 75% | 45% | 39% | 16 |
| 1990 | 22 | Canberra | 16-10 (7) | 26 | 800.0 | 291 | 122 | 26 | 30 | 92 | 14 | 12 | 44 | 83 | 100 | 206 | 49% | 31 | 75 | 41% | 60 | 71 | 85% | 61% | 56% | 26 |
| 1989 | 21 | Canberra | 17-7 (2) | 25 | 570.0 | 228 | 101 | 25 | 29 | 72 | 19 | 6 | 21 | 42 | 74 | 188 | 39% | 33 | 93 | 35% | 47 | 60 | 78% | 53% | 48% | 24 |
| 1988 | 19 | Canberra | 16-8 (4) | 26 | 487.0 | 201 | 64 | 20 | 19 | 45 | 5 | 1 | 26 | 46 | 68 | 172 | 40% | 30 | 76 | 39% | 35 | 43 | 81% | 52% | 48% | 19 |
| 1987 | 19 | Canberra | 17-9 (5) | 21 | 496.0 | 215 | 81 | 30 | 19 | 62 | 12 | 3 | 31 | 45 | 72 | 179 | 40% | 40 | 90 | 44% | 31 | 38 | 82% | 55% | 51% | 23 | Totals | 252 | 4806 | 1550 | 800 | 212 | 235 | 565 | 90 | 64 | 230 | 526 | 527 | 1293 | 40.8% | 181 | 484 | 37.4% | 315 | 406 | 77.6% | 53% | 48% | 26 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 28 | North Melbourne | 15-11 (7) | 21 | 10.1 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 34% | 0.1 | 0.7 | 20% | 0.6 | 0.9 | 72% | 44% | 38% | 12 |
| 1995 | 27 | North Melbourne | 18-8 (2) | 26 | 9.6 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 43% | 0.2 | 0.7 | 32% | 1.1 | 1.5 | 74% | 54% | 48% | 13 |
| 1994 | 26 | North Melbourne | 19-7 (3) | 33 | 12.3 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 38% | 0.3 | 0.9 | 30% | 0.9 | 1.4 | 67% | 47% | 42% | 10 |
| 1993 | 25 | Canberra | 12-14 (9) | 22 | 19.1 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 41% | 0.3 | 1.1 | 28% | 0.5 | 0.6 | 86% | 48% | 45% | 19 |
| 1992 | 24 | Canberra | 11-13 (8) | 26 | 23.6 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 39% | 0.5 | 1.1 | 48% | 0.7 | 1.0 | 72% | 50% | 47% | 15 |
| 1991 | 23 | Canberra | 9-17 (9) | 26 | 21.2 | 5.8 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 5.4 | 36% | 0.3 | 1.2 | 25% | 1.5 | 2.0 | 75% | 45% | 39% | 16 |
| 1990 | 22 | Canberra | 16-10 (7) | 26 | 30.8 | 11.2 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 7.9 | 49% | 1.2 | 2.9 | 41% | 2.3 | 2.7 | 85% | 61% | 56% | 26 |
| 1989 | 21 | Canberra | 17-7 (2) | 25 | 22.8 | 9.1 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 7.5 | 39% | 1.3 | 3.7 | 35% | 1.9 | 2.4 | 78% | 53% | 48% | 24 |
| 1988 | 19 | Canberra | 16-8 (4) | 26 | 18.7 | 7.7 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 6.6 | 40% | 1.2 | 2.9 | 39% | 1.3 | 1.7 | 81% | 52% | 48% | 19 |
| 1987 | 19 | Canberra | 17-9 (5) | 21 | 23.6 | 10.2 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 8.5 | 40% | 1.9 | 4.3 | 44% | 1.5 | 1.8 | 82% | 55% | 51% | 23 | Total | 252 | 19.1 | 6.2 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 40.8% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 37.4% | 0.7 | 1.9 | 77.6% | 53% | 48% | 26 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 26 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- AIS (1984–1986), Charnwood (1987, 1989, 1993), Canberra (1991, 1994)
Stelzer joined AIS for the 1984 SEBL season, beginning a three-year state league run with the institute that continued through 1985 and 1986.
The AIS stretch placed him in the men’s basketball program during the SEBL era, with Patrick Hunt coaching the men’s team through the same period and the program later continuing in the same state league pathway until 2010.
Charnwood became an ACT State League stop by 1987, when Stelzer was part of the Ramblers’ senior group before a final against Wanniassa.
The Ramblers connection continued in 1989, with Charnwood using a frontcourt group that included Stelzer, Dave Nelson, Garry Ball and Neill Burton during the ACT State League season.
Canberra was part of his early 1990s state league record, with Stelzer leading the scoring with 24 points in a 128–101 SEABL win over the Rangers in March 1991.
Charnwood was again part of his ACT Coca-Cola State League run in 1993. In Round 4, he top-scored for the Ramblers with 27 points in a 117–99 loss to Wests, with Murray Shiels scoring 21 and Dirk Riding 20.
Related
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