NICKNAME/S: Mud

BIO: Alex Mudronja was born and raised in Adelaide (SA) where he played his junior basketball with the Sturt Sabres. He was a member of the South Australian state basketball team when they won the U20 Men’s Championships in 2017 and was awarded the Bob Staunton Award as the most outstanding player during the 2018 competition. Mudronja received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2017. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2017, 2018).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Alex Mudronja made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 20 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game.

After one season with the Gaels, Mudronja returned to Australia in 2019 and signed a three-year contract with the 36ers. 36ers head coach Joey Wright called Mudronja “the best point guard of his class in Australia.” He began as a development player during the 2019/20 season before being elevated to a full roster position in his second season with Adelaide.

Mudronja played 20 games for his hometown 36ers before deciding to exit his contract with the team in 2021.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2021/22
Mudronja signed with the Illawarra Hawks as an injury replacement player. Midway through the season, he secured a three-year deal (with an optional third year) following a season-ending injury to Daniel Grida.

Illawarra finished the regular season in second place (19-9), but once again faced a disappointing exit in the semifinals, this time falling to cross-town rivals, Sydney. Mudronja made just one appearance for the team during the season.

2022/23
After two consecutive seasons of reaching the NBL semi-finals, the Illawarra Hawks faced significant changes in 2022/23, beginning with head coach Brian Goorjian’s departure to coach the Bay Area Dragons in the newly formed East Asia Super League. Longtime assistant Jacob Jackomas was promoted to head coach, tasked with continuing the success of previous seasons. However, the team experienced a mass exodus of talent following the coaching change. The Hawks retained only Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling from the main rotation, while key players Duop Reath (to Lebanon), Justinian Jessup (to Spain), Antonius Cleveland (to Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (to Melbourne), and Harry Froling (to Brisbane) departed for other opportunities. Additionally, veteran AJ Ogilvy retired.

To fill these gaps, Illawarra signed locals Deng Deng (via Brisbane), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (via Perth), and Mangok Mathiang, who was recovering from a long-term injury. The Hawks also rounded out their roster with imports Justin Robinson and George King.

The season started with mixed results, as Illawarra split their opening two games. They lost to their rivals, the Sydney Kings (97–106), but rebounded with a win over South East Melbourne (85–72), where Tyler Harvey (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the way. However, injuries soon plagued the team, starting with Justin Robinson, who suffered a meniscus tear in his knee during the first game. The Hawks brought in Kevin White as a short-term injury replacement, but their struggles continued. Nine games later, George King (10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) was released after dealing with persistent lower leg issues.

Former New Zealand guard Peyton Siva (9.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.6 steals) was signed to replace Robinson but only managed 11 games before a shoulder injury ended his season. With the Hawks sitting at 1-9 by mid-November, they were forced to rely on players like Lachie Dent (4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (4.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists), and injury replacement Davo Hickey (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals). To add more depth, the team signed former Perth Wildcats import Michael Frazier II.

In December, the Hawks snapped their nine-game losing streak with a 93–79 victory over Melbourne United. Sam Froling (29 points) led the way, with Michael Frazier II (16 points) and Tyler Harvey (15 points) contributing to the win. However, Frazier’s season was cut short after just eight games when he suffered a broken arm in a collision with two Adelaide 36ers players. At the time of his injury, Frazier was the team’s top scorer, averaging 17.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

Illawarra would not win again until the third-to-last game of the season, edging out New Zealand 78-76 in a nail-biting finish. A last-minute steal and dunk from Tom Abercrombie gave the Breakers a late lead, but Tyler Harvey (25 points and 3 steals) hit a game-winning shot to seal the victory, providing one of the few bright spots in a difficult season.

The Hawks finished with the worst record in club history (3-25). Tyler Harvey led the team in scoring (18.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals), while Sam Froling (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) was named team MVP. Alex Mudronja played 22 games, averaging 1.9 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists during the season.

Mudronja had a few notable performances, such as his 10-point, 3-rebound effort against Melbourne United, where he shot 80% from the field. He also provided solid minutes in the Hawks’ tough win over Brisbane in early December, chipping in with crucial defensive stops and helping set up the Hawks’ offensive plays, further highlighting his contribution to the squad despite limited opportunities.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2023/24
Signed a two-year deal with Cairns as a developmental player in August 2023, the second year of the deal having a club option.

Cairns will be Mudronja third NBL club, following two seasons at each of Illawarra and Adelaide, where he made a combined 44 appearances.

Alex Mudronja played five seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Adelaide 36ers, Illawarra Hawks and Cairns Taipans. He averaged 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 53 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (823 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.