Andrew Vlahov
July 23, 2020
Gavin Vanderputten
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 12/02/74
- Place of Birth: Perth (WA)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 213
- Weight (KG): 104
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Pepperdine (1992-96)
- NBL DEBUT: 11/05/96
- AGE AT DEBUT: 22
- LAST NBL GAME: 23/01/99
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 24
- NBL History: Perth 1996-99
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Gavin Vanderputten was born in Perth (WA)
NBL EXPERIENCE
Gavin Vanderputten made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
1997
Perth entered 1997 after Adelaide ended its title defence in the previous season’s quarterfinals, with Aaron Trahair (to Sydney), Pete Hansen and Matthew Earp leaving the Wildcats while Scott Fisher remained sidelined following knee reconstruction. Coach Adrian Hurley retained captain Andrew Vlahov, Ricky Grace, Todd Lichti, James Crawford, Anthony Stewart, Gavin Vanderputten, Phil Doherty and Ryan Gardiner, adding David Van Dyke (via Newcastle), Greg Brown, Scott Harkess and Nick Lackovic to the roster.
Vanderputten (3.9 points and 3 rebounds across 28 games) returned for his second NBL season after joining Perth as a rookie in 1996 following his college career at Pepperdine. He appeared in 24 of Perth’s 30 regular-season games and all four playoff games, shooting 55 percent from the field after averaging 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds across 21 games the previous season.
With Fisher still unavailable and Van Dyke sidelined after May 24, Vanderputten (18 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, and 5 blocks) produced the best game of his season against Wollongong on June 7, making 8-of-10 field goals in 20:36 as Perth defeated the Hawks 109-89 at the Perth Entertainment Centre. The 18 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks all remained career highs.
George Banks (10.3 points and 7 rebounds across 7 games; via Dinamo Sassari) joined Perth in late June as short-term injury cover while Fisher and Van Dyke were unavailable. Banks appeared in seven games before his stint ended after July 19, with Van Dyke (14.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks across 24 games) returning on August 16.
Perth closed the regular season in Townsville on September 26, where Vanderputten (2 points and 1 rebound) played 3:19 as Lichti (25 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Crawford (23 points and 5 rebounds) helped the Wildcats hold off Townsville 102-100, while Derek Rucker (36 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists) was Townsville’s best. The win left Perth fourth with a 17-13 record.
Lichti (16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 34 games) led Perth in scoring, while Grace (16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals across 34 games) directed the offence and won the Gordon Ellis Medal as the Wildcats’ club MVP. Crawford (14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds across 31 games) appeared in his tenth consecutive NBL All-Star Game, while Vlahov (13.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals across 33 games) also appeared in the All-Star Game and Stewart (13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists across 33 games) remained another major part of Hurley’s rotation.
The quarterfinal series opened at the Perth Entertainment Centre on October 4, where Vanderputten (0 points and 1 rebound) played 3:15 as Grace (18 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals), Lichti (15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Vlahov (14 points and 12 rebounds) led Perth to an 81-79 win, while Leroy Loggins (32 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks) and Steve Woodberry (23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals) led Brisbane. Crawford suffered an injury during the victory and did not return for the remainder of the postseason.
Game two moved to the Brisbane Convention Centre, where Vanderputten (0 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block) played 10:44 as Grace (25 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals), Vlahov (21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) and Van Dyke (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Perth to an 88-71 win and completed the sweep, while Woodberry (21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block) and Mark Dalton (16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) were Brisbane’s best.
With Crawford unavailable, Fisher (10 points and 5.5 rebounds across 2 games) returned from knee reconstruction for the semifinal series after missing the entire regular season, giving Perth additional frontcourt cover.
The semifinals opened at the Perth Entertainment Centre on October 13, where Vanderputten (2 points and 2 rebounds) played 8:30 as Lichti (20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block), Grace (19 points and 4 assists) and Fisher (14 points and 6 rebounds) led Perth, but Chris Anstey (19 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals) and Tony Ronaldson (18 points) led South East Melbourne to a 92-82 win.
Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Vanderputten (0 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block) played 8:53 as Grace (16 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Van Dyke (13 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) were Perth’s best, while Sam Mackinnon (21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) and Brian Tolbert (19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) led South East Melbourne to a 96-69 win and completed the sweep. The 27-point defeat was Perth’s heaviest loss of 1997 and meant South East Melbourne had handed the Wildcats their three biggest losses of the season.
1998
Perth reshaped its coaching staff and supporting cast after a 17-13 fourth-place finish and semifinal appearance in 1997. Adrian Hurley’s five-season tenure ended and Alan Black returned to the Wildcats, while David Van Dyke, George Banks, Scott Harkess and Ryan Gardiner departed. Captain Andrew Vlahov, Ricky Grace, Todd Lichti, Scott Fisher, James Crawford, Anthony Stewart, Gavin Vanderputten, Phil Doherty, Greg Brown and Nick Lackovic remained, with Greg Smith and former Duke guard Thomas Hill (via Jacksonville), a two-time NCAA champion and former Indiana Pacers second-round draft pick, arriving for the NBL’s final winter season.
Vanderputten (4.2 points and 3 rebounds across 21 games) continued to provide frontcourt depth after averaging 3.9 points and 3 rebounds the previous season. His scoring increased for a second consecutive year and he averaged 12.2 minutes while shooting 49 percent from the field, with the 18 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks he had produced during 1997 remaining career highs.
The Wildcats dropped four consecutive games from March 6 to March 22 before immediately turning their season around with five straight victories through April 11. Hill’s stint ended during the first half of the campaign and reigning SBL MVP and Grand Final MVP Dewey Michaels (via Perth Redbacks) joined the roster, while Vlahov returned on April 19 after missing Perth’s opening 17 games.
Vanderputten’s highest-scoring performance of the season was a 16-point game, two points short of the career-high 18 he had established the previous year.
Grace (18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.5 steals across 34 games) directed Perth’s offence, leading the club in scoring and assists and earning All-NBL Third Team honours. Lichti (17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals across 32 games) remained another major perimeter option, while Fisher (17.2 points and 9.2 rebounds across 32 games) returned to full-time action after knee reconstruction had restricted him to two appearances in 1997 and led the Wildcats in rebounding. Crawford (16 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 34 games) remained productive inside and Vlahov (12.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.6 steals across 17 games) strengthened the frontcourt after his return. Crawford, Fisher and Vlahov were selected to the NBL’s 20th Anniversary Team as Perth completed the regular season in third place with a 17-13 record.
Perth began its elimination series against Wollongong at Beaton Park on June 12, where Fisher (37 points) and Lichti (18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led the Wildcats. Mat Campbell (27 points and 5 rebounds) was the Hawks’ leading scorer, but Perth won 95-85 in the final NBL game played at the Snakepit.
Game two moved to Challenge Stadium, where Vanderputten (4 points) made two of his three field-goal attempts in 1:37. Fisher (21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal) and Lichti (21 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led Perth, while Elliot Hatcher (34 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals) was Wollongong’s best as the Wildcats won 120-97 and completed the sweep.
Adelaide visited Challenge Stadium for the opening semifinal, where Crawford (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Grace (20 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) led Perth. Brett Maher (36 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal) made seven three-pointers and Darnell Mee (16 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists) helped the 36ers take a 114-97 victory.
The series shifted to Adelaide Arena for game two, where Vlahov (32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Grace (26 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, and 2 steals) carried Perth. Maher (26 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Kevin Brooks (22 points and 4 rebounds) led Adelaide to a 117-110 win, completing the semifinal sweep and ending the Wildcats’ season.
Gavin Vanderputten played four seasons with the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 73 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | 25 | Perth | 13-13 (6) | 3 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 51% | 0% | 5 |
| 1998 | 24 | Perth | 17-13 (3) | 21 | 256 | 88 | 64 | 4 | 29 | 35 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 48 | 37 | 75 | 49% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 14 | 20 | 70% | 52% | 49% | 16 |
| 1997 | 23 | Perth | 17-13 (4) | 28 | 301 | 110 | 85 | 11 | 38 | 47 | 2 | 15 | 20 | 36 | 47 | 86 | 55% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 16 | 27 | 59% | 56% | 55% | 18 |
| 1996 | 22 | Perth | 16-10 (3) | 21 | 157 | 53 | 39 | 4 | 17 | 22 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 26 | 20 | 46 | 43% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 13 | 23 | 57% | 47% | 43% | 10 | Totals | 73 | 733 | 256 | 193 | 21 | 86 | 107 | 12 | 30 | 43 | 110 | 106 | 211 | 50.2% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 44 | 72 | 61.1% | 53% | 50% | 18 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | 25 | Perth | 13-13 (6) | 3 | 6.3 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.3 | 0.7 | 50% | 51% | 0% | 5 |
| 1998 | 24 | Perth | 17-13 (3) | 21 | 12.2 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 49% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.7 | 1.0 | 70% | 52% | 49% | 16 |
| 1997 | 23 | Perth | 17-13 (4) | 28 | 10.8 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 55% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.6 | 1.0 | 59% | 56% | 55% | 18 |
| 1996 | 22 | Perth | 16-10 (3) | 21 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 43% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.6 | 1.1 | 57% | 47% | 43% | 10 | Total | 73 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 50.2% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 61.1% | 53% | 50% | 18 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 18 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Wais 1990-1991 | Mandurah 1997-1998
Wais 1990-1991, 38g, 384pt @ 10.1
Mandurah 1997-1998, 15g, 234pt @ 15.6
COLLEGE
Vanderputten played college basketball at Pepperdine during the 1992-93 season, then continued with the Waves through the 1995-96 campaign in the West Coast Conference.
Vanderputten arrived at Pepperdine after a U.S. high school season at Trabuco Hills High, where he was an exchange student from Perth, averaged 20.4 points and 11 rebounds as a senior, earned Times Orange County first-team recognition, and helped Trabuco Hills win the Southern Section II-A title before committing to Pepperdine in May 1992 over a group that included Fresno State, Utah, Charlotte, Syracuse, San Diego and Arizona State.
As a freshman in 1992-93, Vanderputten appeared in 22 games and finished with 29 points (1.3 points per game) and 30 rebounds (1.4 per game) while shooting 11-for-28 from the field (39.3%), going 0-for-0 from three, and making 7-of-14 free throws (50.0%), adding 2 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks as Pepperdine went 23-8 overall and 11-3 in WCC play under head coach Tom Asbury.
In the 1993-94 season, Vanderputten suited up for Pepperdine on a 19-11 team under head coach Tom Asbury that won the WCC Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament, where the Waves pushed No. 3 Michigan to overtime before falling 78-74 on March 17, 1994, with Vanderputten playing 30 games and making 15 starts while totaling 120 points (4.0 per game), 97 rebounds (3.2 per game), and 11 blocks (0.4 per game) in 406 minutes (13.5 per game), shooting 45-for-90 from the field (50.0%) with 0-for-0 from three and 30-of-50 at the foul line (60.0%), plus 13 assists, 11 steals, 42 turnovers and 70 fouls.
Vanderputten’s role expanded again in 1994-95 as he appeared in all 27 games and started 26, averaging 21.7 minutes while producing 219 points (8.1 points per game) and 142 rebounds (5.3 per game) on 89-for-163 shooting (54.6%), with no three-point attempts, and 41-of-58 free throws (70.7%), along with 15 assists, 10 steals and 24 blocks (0.9 per game), and he finished that year with 45 turnovers and 55 fouls as Pepperdine closed 8-19 and exited the WCC tournament with a 52-62 loss to Portland in the neutral-site opener on March 4.
As a senior in 1995-96, Vanderputten played in 28 games and averaged 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while also leading the WCC in blocks at 1.5 per game, including a single-game high of six blocks against Cal State Northridge on December 5, 1995, and that season also included a coaching change in which David A. Wilson served as interim head coach for Pepperdine’s final 13 games.
Across four seasons at Pepperdine, Vanderputten appeared in 107 games and scored 576 points (5.4 per game), finishing as a multi-year frontcourt contributor who moved from a limited freshman role into regular starts by his second and third seasons and capped his college career with conference-leading rim protection as a senior.
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