Michael Virtue
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 27/11/72
- Place of Birth: Kograh (NSW)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 200
- Weight (KG): 104
- Junior Assoc:
- College: George Mason (1995–1996)
- NBL DEBUT: 20/04/96
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 28/09/96
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 23
- NBL History: Geelong 1996
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Michael Virtue was born in Kograh (NSW)
NBL EXPERIENCE
Michael Virtue made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 23 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game.
1996 would see coach Jim Calvin replaced by up-and-coming coach Ian Stacker, with the team overhauling its roster. Major moves included securing Rupert Sapwell (via South East Melbourne) and Matt Scalzi (via Adelaide) to fill the departures of David Graham and Justin Cass, and bringing in powerhouse import Ray Owes to replace Jeff Arnold. Owes was joined by returning guard Joey Wright, who was injured after just two games and replaced by high-scoring Orlando Williams.
Playing in a bench role across 23 games, Michael Virtue averaged (3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.3 assists), with late-season games providing his strongest returns. After a modest first half of the season, Virtue broke through with 9 points (4-of-5 FG) against the Gold Coast Rollers on September 21, then capped his year with a career-high 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists (6-of-11 FG, 2-of-4 3PT) in Geelong’s final NBL game—a 100–94 road loss to the Sydney Kings on September 28.
That farewell fixture also featured strong outings from Rupert Sapwell (23 points, 12 rebounds) and Simon Kerle (20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists), though Sydney prevailed behind Shane Heal (25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) and Isaac Burton (25 points, 9 rebounds).
Ray Owes stood out as one of the league’s most dominant frontcourt players, averaging (22.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) across 25 games and earning All-NBL First Team honours.
Despite the influx of talent, the Supercats endured a difficult campaign, finishing 13th with a 6–20 record and ultimately handing back their NBL licence at season’s end due to financial strain and league restructuring.
Michael Virtue played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 23 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 | 23 | Geelong | 6-20 (13) | 23 | 217 | 71 | 32 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 29 | 55 | 53% | 5 | 15 | 33% | 8 | 22 | 36% | 54% | 57% | 16 | Totals | 23 | 217 | 71 | 32 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 29 | 55 | 52.7% | 5 | 15 | 33.3% | 8 | 22 | 36.4% | 55% | 57% | 16 |
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 | 23 | Geelong | 6-20 (13) | 23 | 9.4 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 53% | 0.2 | 0.7 | 33% | 0.3 | 1.0 | 36% | 54% | 57% | 16 | Total | 23 | 9.4 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 52.7% | 0.0 | 33.3% | 0.2 | 0.7 | 36.4% | 55% | 57% | 16 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 16 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
COLLEGE
Virtue played college basketball at George Mason during the 1995-96 season, joining the Patriots as a junior forward for Paul Westhead’s third year as head coach in the program’s first season competing in the Colonial Athletic Association.
That 1995-96 George Mason team finished 11-16 overall and 6-10 in CAA play, playing its home games at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, and Virtue appeared in 18 games as part of the frontcourt rotation.
Across those 18 appearances, Virtue averaged 4.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game while adding 0.4 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per contest, and he shot 42.5% from the field, 31.4% from three-point range, and 56.3% at the free-throw line for the season.
Virtue’s three-point shooting showed up in key stretches, including a late three-pointer that cut the margin to 70-64 with 2:06 remaining in George Mason’s road game at James Madison on January 20, 1996, as the Patriots pushed into the final minutes before falling 80-72.
Four days later, he delivered one of the program’s notable single-game shooting marks by going 6-for-6 from three-point range against William & Mary on January 24, 1996, producing a perfect long-range night that stood as a George Mason single-game record for consecutive made three-pointers without a miss.
By early February 1996, George Mason announced Virtue had left the team for personal reasons, and he returned to Australia during the back half of the season as the Patriots closed the year with a first-round loss to Richmond in the 1996 CAA Tournament on March 1, 1996.
Virtue’s lone NCAA season at George Mason concluded with 18 games played in 1995-96, highlighted by his efficient spot minutes in Westhead’s up-tempo system and the 6-for-6 three-point performance that remains one of the cleanest single-game perimeter shooting lines in the program’s record listings
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