NICKNAME/S: Wheels

BIO: Brett Wheeler was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Noarlunga Tigers in Southern Adelaide.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Brett Wheeler made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game.

Despite Adelaide having their worst season ever in 1990, head coach Don Shipway was able to avoid being fired and looked to rebuild around the squad’s young talent. He began with replacing 37-year-old club legend Al Green with 29 year old, former NBA player Butch Hays as the teams import point guard, signing him to a two year deal. The 36ers also added 19-year-old Adelaide product Brett Wheeler, who at 208 cm provided the extra size the team needed to support Bradtke.

Wheeler made his NBL debut for Adelaide, playing 7:46 minutes and scoring 1 point in a 93–90 loss to the Perth Wildcats at the Perth Entertainment Centre (29 June 91).

Butch Hays (24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists) and Mark Davis (23.0 points and 14.7 rebounds) would lead the team as Wheeler averaged 2.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.3 assists alongside the all-star pair, helping the 36ers return to the playoffs. Finishing in fourth place (16-10), Adelaide would face Melbourne in the elimination finals. The 36ers defeated the Tigers in two straight games and move on to the semifinals. There they were eliminated by defending and eventual champions Perth (0-2).

1991 was also the last season the 36ers would play out of the 3,000 seat Apollo Stadium before moving into the 8,000 seat Clipsal Powerhouse.

1992
Adelaide had played at the Apollo Stadium since the team’s inception in 1982, but by the early 1990s, ticket demand was far too great to remain there, and the team moved into the 8,000 seat Clipsal Powerhouse prior to the 1992 season. During the off-season, the team was able to retain import point guard Butch Hays and captain Mark Davis but saw local favourite and former captain Darryl Pearce sign with the North Melbourne Giants.

The venue quickly became a fortress for the 36ers, with every game played in front of a sell-out crowd. The increased fan support saw Adelaide open the year with a 106-84 victory over the North Melbourne Giants. After this initial success, however, the team failed to win again across their next seven games, including losses to perennial easy beats like Hobart and Newcastle.

The 36ers would then face a major hurdle after the league’s mid-season break to accommodate the Barcelona Olympics. After the Boomers finished the tournament in fourth place, Bradtke returned with the announcement that he had accepted a lucrative deal (reportedly worth $200,000) to finish the season playing for Spanish team Juver Murcia. In his 17 games prior to the break, Bradtke had clearly become the best local big man in the competition. In his last game wearing a 36ers jersey, he scored acareer-high 43 points, grabbed 25 boards against Geelong at home and averaged 20.1 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists for the season.

The 36ers, although never looking like a playoff team, were never able to fill the gap left by Bradtke and limped home to an 11-13 record, finishing in the ninth spot.

Davis (23.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks) again led the team with his spectacular all-around game, with Wheeler also contributing 2.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

Despite the disappointing season, two positives came from this season. The first was the rookie debuts of local teenagers Brett Maher (2.2 points in 8 minutes per game), who went on to play a record 525 games for the 36ers, and 18-year-old Paul Rogers, who appeared in five games but later became a big part of the 36ers and the Australian national team. Mark Davis also played his last season as an import, obtaining his Australian citizenship this year and qualifying as a local player until his retirement.

Bradtke, who had signed with the Spanish club for only one season, had an agreement to play with Adelaide if he returned in 1993. Upon his return to Australia, Bradtke made it known he did not want to play the final year of his contract in Adelaide, amongst rumours the Melbourne Tigers were actively recruiting him. After negotiations between the two parties broke down, the 36ers gave permission for Bradtke to leave if a team would buy out his remaining contract. However, the NBL stepped in and vetoed the buyout, effectively letting Bradtke leave for Melbourne without the 36ers receiving any compensation. After the fact it became clear Bradtke had decided to move to Melbourne to be closer to then girlfriend (and future wife), pro-tennis player Nicole Provis.

1993
After two losing seasons under coach Don Shipway, Adelaide hired American coach Don Monson to replace him and steer the team back to its winning ways. With the 36ers still regrouping from the loss of Australian Boomers big man Mark Bradtke (to Melbourne), they built up the team’s frontcourt by adding Chris Blakemore, a talented young big man from the Australian Institute of Sport, import Paris McCurdy and welcomed back former 36er Willie Simmons (via Canberra). Key additions to the back court included Australian Boomers guard Phil Smyth (via Canberra) and the return of local prodigy Scott Ninnis (via South East Melbourne) who had spent two seasons playing under Brian Goorjian in Melbourne.

After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn’t what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake.

While Wheeler averaged 0.9 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.2 assists, Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs.

Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league’s Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours.

Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne.

1994
During the 1994 season Wheeler averaged 3.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists and helped the 36ers finish the regular season in second place (18-8 ).

1995
Under coach Mike Dunlap, Adelaide’s good form continued into 1995 after deciding no to re-sign veteran Phil Smyth (to Sydney) and instead focus on the young core of Brett Maher, Chris Blakemore and Brett Wheeler. Imports Robert Rose and Mark Davis would lead the team in scoring and rebounding while Jo Jo English, previously a member of the Chicago Bulls, would join the team mid-season after Mark Davis became a naturalised Australian.

Adelaide finished in sixth place (17-9) and then eliminated Newcastle in the Quarterfinals. A semifinal matchup against Perth saw national media headlines when Blakemore elbowed Perth forward Martin Cattalini in game one, delivering a cut to his mouth that required 15 stitches. The incident almost led to a brawl and saw Blakemore suspended for game two. Perth went on to win the second game (85-76) and Adelaide’s playoff run was ended by the Wildcats for the fourth time in eight years (1987, 1989, 1991 and 1995).

At the end of the season, Robert Rose request for a raise was denied and led to his exit from the club. It was believed the 36ers felt that Rose (31 years old) had already played his best basketball and wasn’t worth the money. With coach Dunlap focused on building a younger roster, the departures of Mike McKay (to Brisbane), Phil Smyth (to Sydney) were next to go. Finally, due to an end of season altercation with Dunlap due to the aforementioned Cattalini incident, he chose to follow Rose and signed a deal to play in Canberra as well.

1996
After losing to Perth in the semifinals in 1995, a series which included a vicious elbow from Chris Blakemore to the head of Wildcats forward Martin Cattalini, head coach Mike Dunlap had lost favour with Blakemore and 36ers MVP Robert Rose, who both left the team and signed with the Canberra Cannons. Long range specialist Mike McKay also found Dunlap hard to play for, and he left to play with the Brisbane Bullets.

Despite this, the 36ers recruited well going into the 1996 NBL season, signing slam-dunking forward Leon Trimmingham from the Sydney Kings and, funnily enough, Martin Cattalini from the championship winning Perth Wildcats. John Rillie, who was coming off a Rookie of the Year winning season with Brisbane, was added as a backup guard to Brett Maher, and new import Rick Brunson, who had just narrowly missed out on being drafted to the NBA. This was also the season Davis was replaced as captain of the 36ers by Brett Maher, who at mid-season would be selected to play for Australia at the 1996 Olympic Games.

The 36ers got great production from starters Brunson (21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.5 steals), Trimmingham (19 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals), Maher (15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.9 steals), Rillie (13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.2 steals) and Mark Davis (12.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2 assists) but continued to struggle against the league’s top teams.

This season Wheeler would develop into a solid backup centre, appearing in 28 games, and average 9.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.

Following the sudden death of his father after the 1996 season, coach Dunlap returned home to the United States and decided to stay there to be closer to his family. The team finished in sixth place with a record of 16-10. The 36ers defeated arch-rivals Perth Wildcats in the quarterfinals before being eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champs the South East Melbourne Magic in two straight games.

This season would also be Dunlap’s last with the team after he requested the team release 36ers legend Mark Davis and focus on the team’s younger players. Since joining the 36ers, Dunlap had been systematically removing the older players from the squad, but the club board instead retained Davis (who went on to play another four seasons) and agreed that Dunlap would not return as coach.

1997
Having just shown head coach Mike Dunlap the door, the 36ers hired his assistant and former Gold Coast Rollers coach Dave Claxton as his replacement. Despite finishing sixth the season prior, Adelaide chose to retain the majority of the roster this season, the only major changes being the addition of Rupert Sapwell (Geelong) and replacing import guard Rick Brunson with big man Jeff Brown. Perhaps the biggest change to the roster wasn’t during free agency but when Brett Maher (18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) was handed the team captaincy from club legend Mark Davis (something he would hold until his retirement in 2009).

The plan had been for Brown to play alongside Leon Trimmingham (19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) and Mark Davis (9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) to form a dominant frontcourt, similar to what had been delivered recent championships for the Perth Wildcats. Six games in, it was clear Brown (7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals) wasn’t the player the 36ers needed, and he was swiftly released. Hoping to find a quick replacement, Adelaide brought back former big man Willie Simmons, who hadn’t played in the NBL since 1994 and was now 35 years old. Simmons (5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds) added what he could, but needless to say, Adelaide struggled through the remaining games and finished in seventh place (14-16), missing the playoffs for the first time since 1992. Wheeler would appear in 30 games and average 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE MAGIC
1998
After falling short in the grand final, South East Melbourne coach Brian Goorjian looked to rekindle some of the ‘Magic’and replace import guard Brian Tolbert with Billy McCaffrey, who led the Magic to the 1996 championship. Goorjian also blossoming big man Brett Wheeler (via Adelaide) to the squad as a replacement for the NBA departure of Chris Anstey.

The team would win their first six games in a row before a loss to Brisbane that also saw the team release McCaffrey (10.3 points and 2.9 assists) after realising he was not quite the same player as he was in 1996. Former NBA guard Clinton McDaniel (17.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) would replace him and go on to lead the league in steals.

Tony Ronaldson (18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists) who had led the team in scoring since 1994 did so yet again, while 20-year-old Frank Drmic (14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds) had a breakout season, gaining interest from multiple NBA teams. Alongside Ronaldson, McDaniel and Drmic, Wheeler would average 12.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists and the Magic would finished on top of the ladder, recording the third best regular season record of all-time (26-4). Only Adelaide in 1986 (24-2) and Geelong in 1984 (21-2) being able to top it. As a result, Brian Goorjian took home the NBL’s coach of the year award for the third time and Mike Kelly would collect his second consecutive Best Defensive Player award.

The Magic received a first-round bye thanks to finishing in the first place before facing Brisbane in the semifinals.

The Magic would swiftly eliminate the Steve Woodberry led Bullets in two straight games to reach the NBL Grand Final for the third season in a row, this time going head to head with the Adelaide 36ers.

In game one of the Grand Final series, second seed Adelaide (19-11) delivered the initial blow (100-93) on the back of first-year import Kevin Brooks (24 points and 8 rebounds). Amazingly, game one of the Grand Final was only the second time the 36ers had defeated the Magic since the Eastside Melbourne Spectres and Southern Melbourne Saints had merged to form the Magic in 1992.

The 36ers, who had started the season off slowly, had really found their form come the Grand Final and, in game two, obliterated the Magic, who at that point had lost only one home game for the season, at Melbourne Park 90-62. The 36ers held the Magic to less than 15 points in three of the game’s quarters. Brooks (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks) and Martin Cattalini (20 points and 6 rebounds) were brilliant for the 36ers in a game decided by turnovers and free throws, with South East Melbourne finishing with 26 turnovers and 6 of 8 from the free throw line to Adelaide’s 14 turnovers and 25 of 33 from the stripe.

The win saw Adelaide capture their first NBL championship since 1986 with Kevin Brooks being named Grand Final MVP in what was to be the last NBL season played during the winter months. This season also saw the end of the South East Melbourne Magic, who merged with the North Melbourne Giants the following year to become the Victoria Titans.

VICTORIA TITANS
1998/99
After the NBL’s move to summer, interest in the league had declined, and financially, it had become difficult for Melbourne to sustain three separate clubs. In an effort to boost sponsorship and membership numbers, the South East Melbourne Magic merged with the North Melbourne Giants, who had struggled financially for a number of years.

The team was re-branded to the Victorian Titans and with the majority of the front office being former Magic owners, a decision was made to retain Brian Goorjian, leaving Giants coach Brett Brown without a job (Brown would later sign on to coach the Sydney Kings).

Selecting a team generated it’s criticism as Goorjian’s appointment coincided with team’s deciding not to offer Pat Reidy, then a member of the Australian national team, a spot on the roster. The Titans would complete their roster by signing four players from the Giants roster, Darryl McDonald, Ben Pepper, David Smith and Paul Maley and five players from the Magic’s roster, Jason Smith, Frank Drmic, Brett Wheeler, Mike Kelly and Tony Ronaldson.

As a testament to the strength in depth that this newly possessed the Titans became immediate favourites to lift the title in April. To kick-start the season, Victoria faced long-time rivals of the Magic and Giants, the Melbourne Tigers. The 80-99 loss inflicted by the Tigers wasn’t the result many expected and clearly showed the lack of cohesion that combining two teams had created.

Although it took a little while before the Titans found their rhythm, starting the year with a 2-2 record, a few weeks into the season and they quickly proved they were championship contenders.

Ronaldson (16.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists) was named team captain and responded by leading the team in scoring and earning the club MVP at the end of the season. Ben Pepper (12.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks) finished second in scoring and led the team in rebounds and blocks, while Darryl McDonald (11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.4 steals) led both the Titans and the league in steals and assists.

The team would deliver a balanced attack with seven of it’s players scoring in double figures and Wheeler finishing the season with averages of 11 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.

The Titans finished the year in fourth place, and having lost only three games at home (10-3) and finishing the regular season on a four-game winning streak, they were clearly a different team come playoffs than the team which lost by 19 points to the Tigers in round one.

Victoria destroyed Wollongong at home in game one of the Qualifying Finals (96-65) and in game two, delivered the knockout punch, eliminating the Hawks in two straight games.

In the semifinals, the Titans would face the aforementioned Tigers, who led by star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds), and were able to grind out a three point win (80-77). Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) led the team in scoring, and Paul Maley (16 points) delivered an incredibly efficient game off the bench, nailing seven of nine shots in 22 minutes.

In game two, Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) led Victoria in scoring as the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and came away with the win (94-87). The win would set up a grand final series between Victoria and Adelaide, who defeated Brian Goorjian’s squad the previous season when they were known as the Magic.

The opening match-up delivered a battle of the point guards with McDonald (23 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals) and 36ers import Darnell Mee (25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks) led both teams in scoring. Mee was able to come out on top in this one, with Adelaide winning the game (104-94) and Mee also forcing McDonald into making 8 turnovers.

Brett Maher (25 points) came out firing for Adelaide in game two, but the Titans’ defence saw the remainder of the 36ers struggle, with no one else able to score more than 12 points and the team shooting 39% from the field. Victoria would rely on Tony Ronaldson (22 points), Brett Wheeler (18 points, 9 rebounds) and McDonald (12 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists) to get the win (88-82), evening the series.

With the 36ers finishing in first place during the regular season the deciding game would be held in Adelaide where more than 7,000 Sixers fans willed the team over the line to become back-to-back NBL champions. Martin Cattalini (19 points and 9 rebounds) led the 36ers in scoring while Brett Maher (15 points and 7 rebounds) was named Grand Final MVP. Ben Pepper (15 points) top scored for the Titans who shot a woeful 26/78 from the field (38%) in the deciding game.

1999/00
After falling short in the Grand Final for the second year in a row (Magic ’98, Titans ’99) Brian Goorjian looked to add local youth to his roster in an attempt to go one step further… a common Goorjian strategy. This saw veteran import players Paul Maley and Mike Kelly shown the door and replaced with 23 year old big man Nathan Taylor, who had previously played for the team when they were the North Melbourne Giants, and elevated 20 year old development player Glen Siegle elevated into the full roster. The remainder of the Titans roster all returned, as the team looked to go one step further than last season and win the NBL championship. The remainder of the Titans roster all returned, as the team looked to go one step further than last season and win the NBL championship.

In their second as the Titans, Victoria finished the season strong thanks to a break-out season from Jason Smith, who boosted his numbers from 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 29 minutes to 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 40 minutes per game and named the Titan’s club MVP at the end of the season. In addition to Smith leading the team in scoring, Victoria would deliver a well-balanced offensive attack, with six players scoring in double figures. Captain Tony Ronaldson (16.0 points and 5.4 rebounds) and Darryl McDonald (13.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 3.1 steals), who led the league in steals and assists were key contributors, while Wheeler adding 11.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.

Once again, the Titans built their season around a strong home record (11-3) and finished the season in fourth place. This saw Victoria (20-8) and Melbourne (14-14) face off in the elimination finals where the Tigers took game one (101-94). The Titans evened the series (78-70) in game two, setting up a third and deciding game. In game three, Victoria overcome an offensive explosion from Melbourne’s Andrew Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists), but again, the Titans defence proved highly successful in generating turnovers (Gaze himself had 7), and Victoria closed out the series (2-1). MacDonald (29 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steal) led the Titans in scoring in the win (105-96).

This set-up a rematch with the aforemention Adelaide, who had picked up the discarded Paul Maley (12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds) midseason, to see him become a valuable bench contributor. Adelaide, who had finished the season in first place (and had the wood of the Titan’s it was believed) and entered the in the semifinals as favourites. Ronaldson (26 points and 5 rebounds) and MacDonald (24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks) would lead the Titans to a game one win in Melbourne (101-86), before the series moved to Adelaide for games two and three.

Game two saw the 36ers return to the same high-scoring offence that had proven unstoppable during the past two seasons. Martin Cattalini (24 points and 7 rebounds) and Darnell Mee (22 points,7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals) delivered big games, allowing the 36ers to even the series with a win (95-72). With many expecting Victoria to come up short against Adelaide yet again, the team rallied behind MacDonald (24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals), who again impacted the game from every angle. While his counterpart Mee (22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) filled the stat sheet, his 36ers teammates struggled to score through the impenetrable Titans defence. This resulted in Victoria winning the game three (93-89) and finally overcoming the 36ers, igniting a Titans celebration on court, which some felt was premature considering the grand final series was still to come.

Not surprisingly, Victoria had nothing left for Perth in the Grand Final, and the Wildcat’s defeated the Titans in two straight contests, a six-point win in game one (84-78) followed up with a similar outcome in game two (83-76). Perth were led by league MVP Paul Rogers (24 points and 20 rebounds), who connected on 10 of 16 shots and racked up a 20/20 game in game one. Marcus Timmons (27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals) couldn’t miss in game two, going 9/15 from the field and being voted the NBL Finals MVP.

2000/01
After three years in the NBA, Chris Anstey returned to play for Brian Goorjian and the Titans. Although Anstey’s signature was a major coup, Victoria also suffered a major loss with Frank Drmic signing with Brisbane. In a surprise move, however, Drmic would exercise a European out clause before the start of the season and head overseas before backflipping, returning to Australia and inking a deal with the Sydney Kings. To fit Anstey in, Victoria released Nathan Taylor (to Melbourne), replaced David Smith with Jason Smith’s older brother Darren and signed Kiwi guard Mark Dickel to replace Drmic. Dickel, who just graduated from UNLV, was signed as an import player as New Zealand players weren’t considered local players in the NBL until 2003.

Dickel (13.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists) and Jason Smith (20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists) formed quite a duo, with Smith leading the team in scoring while having a career-high scoring season himself.

Anstey (16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks) returned a vastly improved player from the NBA, but coach Goorjian surprised many by bringing Anstey off the bench this season, favouring Brett Wheeler (13 points and 8 rebounds) in the starting line-up as he looked to replicate the success of the double-headed centre that was Anstey and John Dorge during the Magic’s 1996 championship run. Wheeler would also play a key role for the Titans this season, averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.

As a result of mid-season injuries to Ben Pepper, Chris Anstey and Darren Smith, development players Marcus Wright and Pero Vasiljevic were elevated to the full roster and helped the team finish the season strong. Victoria finished the season in first place (22-6) with Anstey, who was named the Titans MVP despite doing it all coming off the bench, was an easy choice for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

This saw them face off against long-time rivals, the sixth-placed Adelaide 36ers and behind a season high scoring performance from Anstey (27 points and collected 16 rebounds) took out game one (101-96). The Sixers, behind star duo Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks, would then rebound to win games two (96-83) and three (115-103). Mee (22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists) and Brooks (25 points and 7 rebounds) put up big numbers over the three-game series.

As a result of finishing first, the Titans being the highest placed loser in the Qualifying Finals allowed them to proceed to the semi-finals. There they would face the Townsville Crocodiles, led by 37 year old Robert Rose, who had just become the league’s oldest winner of the NBL’s MVP award. Thanks to veteran players Tony Ronaldson (22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) and Darryl McDonald (20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) stepped up and delivered a game one win for Victoria (106-97). An injury to Anstey in the early moments of game two saw him miss the remainder of the series, which saw the Titans lose both game two (98-82) and three (101-97). A major factor was Anstey suffering an injury in the early moments of game two which kept him out of both games.

In a twist of fate, the Crocodiles roster was made up of a number of players discarded by Brian Goorjian in recent years. In addition to Rose, both Pat Reidy and Mike Kelly were Titans cast-offs, both playing huge roles in eliminating the Titans. Reidy (19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) was an equal game high scorer (with Rose and Andrew Goodwin) in game two, while Kelly (17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) was the clear difference maker in the deciding game three.

The Titans falling short of the Grand Final was also the first time a Brian Goorjian team hadn’t reached an NBL Grand Final since 1996 (seven years).

2001/02
After the Titans failed to reach the Grand Final in 2001, the first time a Brian Goorjian team hadn’t reached an NBL Grand Final in seven years. It was decided the triple big man rotation of Chris Anstey, Brett Wheeler, and Ben Pepper wasn’t working, and as a result, Pepper was not re-signed. As a result of Darryl McDonald becoming a naturalised Australian, the team used its second import spot to sign power forward Jamahl Mosely as his replacement. Mark Dickel remained the team’s second import, as New Zealand players were not considered local players until 2003. The Titans’ next moves were replacing Glen Siegle with young guard Nathan Crosswell who had been playing for the Melbourne Tigers state league squad.

Anstey would move into the starting line-up this season, and alongside team captain Tony Ronaldson, Jason Smith, Brad Sheridan and McDonald guide the team to a first place regular season finish for the second year in a row.

The team featured six players scoring in double-figures that year with team captain Ronaldson (19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds) leading the team in scoring, Anstey (16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks) filling each section of the box score each night (he be named Titans club MVP at the end of the season) and Mosely (11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds), who had a dominant season off the bench and became the first import player to win the league’s sixth man of the year award. As well as Jason Smith (18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds), Darryl McDonald (12.0 points and 7.3 assists), Mark Dickel (11.6 points) rounded out perhaps the most well rounded scoring attacks in league history, with Wheeler also contributing 7.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.

The first stage of the playoffs saw Victoria take on sixth-placed Melbourne and, after winning game one (113-107), went on to lose games two (105–107) and three (103-97). As a result of finishing first, they progressed to the next stage as a result of being the highest-ranked losing team in the Qualifying Finals. This time, facing third-ranked Adelaide, the Titans lost game one at home (92-99), evened the series with a win in Adelaide (86-81), then lost game three by 11 points (103-92). The loss would become the last game for the Victoria Titans franchise, with the team falling into financial strife shortly after. The team would sell their licence to a group comprising a number of former North Melbourne Giants staff headed by Peter Fiddes and re-branding to the Victoria Giants.

PERTH WILDCATS
2002/03
In 2002, club legend and captain Andrew Vlahov retired after 12 seasons, leaving Ricky Grace as the only remaining Wildcat from the team’s early championships in the 1990s. Following Vlahov’s retirement, Grace became captain of the Wildcats’ (a role he continued until his retirement) before the closure of the Perth Entertainment Centre saw the Wildcats return to their old home, the Superdrome (now HBF Stadium), for the 2002/03 season.

Vlahov’s retirement created an enormous gap in both leadership and frontcourt that seemed impossible to fill. However, as a result of the unexpected demise of the Victoria Titans, Vlahov’s fellow Australian Boomers teammate Tony Ronaldson would join the team and capably fill his role. Big man Brett Wheeler would also move across from Victoria to Perth and fill the shoes of the recently departed Paul Rogers, who had decided to return to his hometown 36ers.

The team hardly missing a step despite losing Vlahov and Rogers, starting the season 5-1. The new-look squad delivered a balanced offensive attack with seven players, all scoring in double figures. Import Rob Feaster (19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists) would lead the team in scoring, the recently acquired Wheeler (12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds) led the team in rebounds and Grace (18.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists) led both the team and league in assists. Key rotation players James Harvey (14 ppg), Stephen Black (12.6 ppg), Tony Ronaldson (12 ppg) and Matthew Burston (11.6 ppg) all scoring in double figures.

As a result, the Wildcats were unbeatable at home, finishing with a 14-1 home record and ending the regular season on a four-game winning streak. Perth and Sydney ended the season with equal records (22-8) but due to the Kings having the head-to-head advantage (2-1), the Wildcats finished in second place, with the Kings claiming top spot.

The Wildcats balanced roster saw a number of players recognised at the 2003 NBL awards night. Stephen Black earned the Sixth Man of the Year award, and Matthew Burston won the league’s Most Improved Player award, having leapt from 2.3 ppg in 6 minutes of game time to 11.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg and averaging 21 minutes per game. Grace’s continued form saw him named to the All-NBL First team for the fourth time.

The Qualifying Finals saw Perth match up against their former teammate Rogers and the Adelaide 36ers. Perth would win games one and three behind big games from Grace, who came up big in Perth’s wins in game one (29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists) and game three (32 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists).

The Wildcats’ semi-final match-up would be against the fourth-placed Hawks, who they swiftly eliminated in two straight games with the one-two punch of Grace and Wheeler really hitting its stride. Game one saw Grace (24 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists) and Wheeler (21 points and 7 rebounds) destroy the Hawks 121-90 at home before a similar result saw Grace (26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists) and Wheeler (27 points and 14 rebounds) eliminate the Hawks in Perth for game two (113–84). The win saw Perth reach their seventh Grand Final in 17 years.

The Sydney Kings had followed a similar path to the Wildcats, defeating the Melbourne Tigers (2-1) in the Qualifying Finals before convincing wins over the Townsville Crocodiles (2-1) saw the two teams who had led the competition all season face off in Grand Final series.

The Kings lineup, which featured league MVP Chris Williams, Shane Heal and Matt Nielsen, guided Sydney to a narrow victory at home for the opening game, overcoming the phenomenal play of Grace (15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists), who recorded the second triple double ever in a grand final series. With Williams (26 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals) shooting 12/23 from the field, the Kings claimed the opening game (98-94).

Even with game two being held in Perth and Feaster (40 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal) doing everything he could, including scoring 30 points in 4th quarter, the same result followed. Behind a near triple double from Shane Heal (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists), a big defensive effort from Nielsen (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks), and another stellar performance from Williams (24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), this time shooting an even higher percentage (10/17 shooting), Sydney won their first NBL championship (117-101). Williams would be a unanimous choice for named Finals MVP.

SYDNEY KINGS
2003/04
After winning the 2003 NBL championship, team captain Shane Heal chose to retire from basketball. Strangely enough, while retired Heal was offered a contract to play with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, which he accepted. CJ Bruton was signed as Heal’s replacement for Kings as the looked to rebuild the roster for a chance at back to back titles. With the Kings losing both imports Chris Williams and Kavossy Franklin to bigger deals overseas, import Ebe Ere was signed, and instead of finding a second import, coach Brian Goorjian added Jason Smith, who had just returned from Europe, and Brett Wheeler, who had both played for Goorjian whilst with the Victoria Titans.

With only one import, this allowed up-and-coming talent, Matthew Neilsen (22.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.5 blocks), to deliver a breakout season and alongside Bruton (16.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists) and Ere (19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) that propelled the Kings’ to back-to-back championships.

The team began the season scorching hot, winning ten straight games before losing Smith (11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals) when he suffered a season-ending injury. Unable to return, Goorjian would replace him with import Chris Carrawell (13.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals), who played out the team’s last 11 regular season games.

Sydney would finish first place finish in the regular season with a 26-7 record and go on to win their second championship after their best-of-five grand final series with crosstown rivals West Sydney Razorbacks went down to the deciding fifth game. Nielsen would win the regular season and finals MVP in 2003/04 before leaving to play overseas.

Wheeler would play in 37 games, averaging 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

2004/05
In 2004/05 Wheeler averaged 3.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists, as the Kings finished in a first place (21-11).

During his 17 year career, Wheeler appeared in a record eight NBL Grand Finals (at least once with every team he played with), winning the championship in 2004 and 2005 with the Kings.

Brett Wheeler played sixteen seasons in the NBL. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 448 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 33rd in total games played.
– 31st in total rebounds
– 26th in total blocks

Dan Boyce (820 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.