BIO: Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Brandt grew up in the Blue Mountains region.

Living in his hometown of Springwood, he attended Blaxland High School in Blaxland, where he graduated from in 2007.

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FAMILY: Angus’s brother, Louis Brandt also played 1 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Angus Brandt made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 24 years of age. He scored 13 points in his first game.

During his rookie season, Brandt averaged 7.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 0.3 assists for the Sydney Kings, who finished with a record of 9-19 and in seventh place.

2015/16
Since re-entering the league in 2010, Sydney had never finished with a winning record, something they came narrowly close to last season, until a season-ending injury to star Josh Childress derailed things.

The Kings bounced back by loading up on talent to surround Childress and blossoming young stars like Jason Cadee, Tom Garlepp and reigning Rookie of the Year Angus Brandt. Veterans Julian Khazzouh, Steven Markovic and Rhys Carter were brought in, and NBA draftee Marcus Thornton was signed as the team’s second import.

Although Childress would miss the first four games of the season (1-3) with a foot injury, he returned to the court to face Adelaide (Oct 23) at home, only to break his right hand. Childress still managed to score 23 points and played out the Kings’ loss to the 36ers (91–80) before being ruled out for a further four to six games with a boxer’s fracture.

Childress returned in late November, but two games later, he suffered a fractured left hand back and was subsequently ruled out for three weeks. He was reactivated once again on December 29 and played out the rest of the season.

All in all, Childress (21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks) played in only 13 games for the Purple and Gold. Starting centre Khazzouh (13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.8 blocks) delivered great numbers in his return before ripping his right quadriceps tendon off the bone in mid-December, missing a third of the season and Markovic (3.0 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) played a grand total of 3 games for the season due to illness and subsequent recovery. With most of the team’s starting line-up missing, the Kings were so decimated at one stage that assistant coach Ben Knight suited up for four games.

In early January 2016, Craig Moller and Jordan Vandenberg were also brought in to help cover the loss of Khazzouh and backup forward Jeromie Hill (4.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.4 assists).

During the absence of Childress, the Kings brought in former NBA players Damion James (7.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) for 5 games, Al Harrington (17.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) for 6 games with James being a disappointment and Harrington becoming a fan favourite during their brief stints, but both failed to deliver team success and coach Damian Cotter was released mid-season.

Former Washington Wizards assistant Joe Connelly was brought in as a new head coach and helped youngsters Cadee (14.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), Garlepp (14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) and Brandt (8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks) continued to develop, it wasn’t enough for the under-manned Kings to avoid finishing dead last (6-22) during the regular season.

Brandt appeared in every game for the Kings this season and in the absence of Khazzouh, upped his numbers across the board, including in points, minutes, rebounds, and blocks, while developing a handy three-point shot (41.1 percent, , good for fifth in the league) and earning a training spot with the Australian Boomers at the end of the year.

2016/17
The 2016 off-season saw a lot of change in personnel, with three key players from the 16 championship team (Nathan Jawai, Tom Jervis and Jermaine Beal) moving on. To replace them, coach Trevor Gleeson brought in Angus Brandt, Jameel McKay and Jaron Johnson and headed into the 2016/17 season attempting to secure the team’s first back-to-back championships since 1991.

In April 2016, the team re-signed both Damian Martin (three-year deal) and Matthew Knight (two-year deal), who had just undergone shoulder stabilisation surgery on his left arm. Shortly after, injury struck Knight again, this time during the 2016 pre-season. This led to him being ruled out for two months. To cover for the loss of Knight, the team added veteran forward Lucas Walker, who had been training with Melbourne United after not being re-signed by the Adelaide 36ers.

After adding Walker, the Wildcats started the season off strong with a 4–1 record, but things went south quickly after that.
Long-term injuries to Martin, Knight and Jarrod Kenny were hurting the Wildcats, and by December, Perth had slumped to a 7–9 record and sat in last spot on the ladder.

Import Jaron Johnson would take the brunt of the Wildcats’ poor start and was replaced with three-point specialist Andre Ingram just three games into the season. In a bizarre twist, Ingram left the team and returned to the US after just two games, citing mental issues, and Johnson was then brought back into the squad. Johnson’s reinstatement was a temporary solution, and he was shown the door again in December with the Wildcats seizing the opportunity to sign former NBA guard Bryce Cotton. It was around this time also that Perth legend Shawn Redhage announced that the 2016/17 season would be his last in the NBL.

With Cotton (23.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) leading the league in scoring, Perth would win win eight of their remaining twelve regular-season games, the last two being must win games in order to reach the playoffs. Prather’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed either as he was named in the All-NBL First Team, and finished second in NBL MVP voting (107 votes) behind Jerome Randle (147) of the Adelaide 36ers. Alongside Perth’s two import stars, Brandt averaged 6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists as the team finished in third place with a 15–13 record.

in the semifinals, Perth (15-13) would face Cairns (15-13) at home, where Cotton (34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Prather (22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) led the way offensively for a easy win in game one (91-69). In game two, Perth closed out the series (74-66) with Prather (24 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists) leading the team in scoring and Jesse Wagstaff (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) having a huge game off the bench

In the NBL Grand Final series, Prather (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists), Cotton (18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists), and Knight (18 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals) delivered a balanced offensive attack, winning the opening game by twelve points (89-77). The series moved to Wollongong for game two, but the Wildcat’s continued their playoff winning streak (89-77), with Cotton (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Prather (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists) being the team’s primary scorers on a night the Wildcats had five different players deliver double figure scoring efforts. Perth won game three comfortably (95-86), finishing undefeated in the postseason, claiming their eighth championship and winning back-to-back for the first time since 1991.

A number of record-breaking moments occurred in the game three win. Most prominently, it was Bryce Cotton who was named Grand Final MVP after putting up 45 points, the most ever scored in a NBL Grand Final game. Cotton’s 27.7 points per game over the Grand Final series marked the most from any player in 20 years.

Trevor Gleeson became the first coach to win back-to-back championships in Perth while Prather delivered a historical season. Prather was voted Wildcats MVP for the second year in a row, becoming the only player to be a club MVP in more than one championship season, as well as becoming the first Perth player to win two championships in his first two seasons.

2017/18
The Wildcats were able to re-sign Grand Final MVP Bryce Cotton for the 2017/18 season but lost two-time Club MVP Casey Prather, who was unable to commit to the Wildcats season due to pursuing NBA opportunities. Perth would replace him with Devondrick Walker in the meantime, leaving Prather with no place on the roster after he had exhausted his NBA options. Unable to play with the Wildcats, he signed a contract to play with Melbourne.

In a bizarre twist, Devondrick Walker then suffered a foot injury during the pre-season and was replaced by JP Tokoto without having ever played a regular season game. Other changes to the roster included Derek Cooke Jr replacing Jameel McKay and Lucas Walker being elevated from a training player role to a full-time squad member to replace the retired Shawn Redhage.

Around this time, Matthew Knight (5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) made it public that he would retire at the end of the season, but as a result of three early-season head knocks, he chose to bring his retirement forward and retired in early November, playing in only five games.

The Wildcats started the season 10–3, as they sat atop the ladder following Round 9, but on 14 December 2017, Damian Martin (4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists 1.5 steals) was ruled out for two games with an ankle injury.

Other injuries to Clint Steindl (2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds) and Greg Hire (2.1 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) saw the team drop to 13–9 record in mid-January but as all three returned to the court, Perth finished the regular season off strongly and secured third place on the ladder (16–12) by season’s end. with Brandt averaging 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the season.

On the eve of their finals campaign, Martin was named the league’s Best Defensive Player, earning the honour for a record-breaking sixth time. Tokoto (15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists 1.7 steals) earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team, and Cotton (19.8 points, 3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals) was selected to the All-NBL first team, as well as being named league MVP, becoming just the third Wildcat to win the award after Paul Rogers (2000) and Kevin Lisch (2012).

In game one of their semi finals series against the second-seeded Adelaide 36ers, the Wildcats were defeated 109–74, thus recording their second biggest finals loss in club history. The only time the Wildcat’s have lost by a larger margin in their 32-year finals streak was in 1989, when they lost to North Melbourne by 55 points. The Wildcats went on to lose 89–88 to the 36ers in game two, stopping Perth from winning a third championship in a row.

2018/19
During the off-season, Perth managed to re-sign star Bryce Cotton (three-year deal), while also adding Nick Kay and Mitch Norton (both via Illawarra), two-time champion Tom Jervis (via Brisbane), and new import Terrico White (via Korea). These signings led to the exits of Lucas Walker, Jarrod Kenny, and Dexter Kernich-Drew, who all signed with Cairns. Perth’s final roster move was elevating four-year development player Rhys Vague to the full-time roster.

The team travelled to the United States for two pre-season games against NBA teams Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. They suffered a heavy (130–72) loss to the Jazz in their first match, which coach Trevor Gleeson cited as the catalyst for the season’s success. In their second game, they narrowly lost (96–88) to the Denver Nuggets, gaining valuable experience that set the tone for the season.

Perth started the season strongly, boasting a (10–1) record. However, the team’s momentum was disrupted when captain Damian Martin (5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals) suffered a right calf tear, sidelining him for six games. Compounding the issue, Brandt missed three games in November due to an ankle injury sustained while playing for the Australian Boomers. As a result, Perth’s form took a downturn, and by mid-January, the Wildcats had lost eight of their next ten games, bringing their record to (12–9).

During this time, the Wildcats faced increasing external pressure, urging them to make changes to their roster and add a third import. Instead, the organisation and coaches backed the existing playing group, which returned to form as the roster regained health. Perth bounced back with three straight wins over Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney, which saw them return to the top of the ladder with two rounds to go, finishing first at the end of the regular season (18–10).

Perth were led by Bryce Cotton (21.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals), who was both the league’s MVP and leading scorer, and Nick Kay (14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals), who delivered the best season of his career. Both players earning a selection to the All-NBL First Team. Despite battling injuries in the first half, Terrico White (17.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) emerged as a key contributor by season’s end.

Angus Brandt (8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) was a consistent presence in the paint for the Wildcats, providing physicality and rebounding. His standout performance came on October 27, 2018, when he recorded 14 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in a crucial win over Melbourne United. This 20-rebound effort set a Perth Wildcats record and included 10 offensive boards, proving pivotal in a double-overtime victory in one of the season’s most memorable games.

Other notable games this season included his 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists in a win against Adelaide on February 10, 2019, and 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal against Cairns on October 25, 2018.

Perth went on to face Brisbane in the semi-finals, where Bryce Cotton (19 points, 2 rebounds, and 10 assists) and Terrico White (24 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist) led the team to a Game 1 win (89–59), and Angus Brandt (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist) went to work inside. Cameron Gliddon (18 points and 4 rebounds) finished as Brisbane’s top scorer. In Game 2 (84–79), Terrico White (24 points and 3 rebounds) led Perth in scoring, Bryce Cotton (19 points and 10 assists) recorded his first career double-double, and Brandt (8 points and 4 rebounds) also made a solid contribution. Despite strong efforts from Lamar Patterson (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) and Matthew Hodgson (15 points and 2 blocks), Brisbane couldn’t stop Perth from advancing to the Grand Final to face Melbourne.

Once into the Grand Final series, Perth faced reigning champions Melbourne United. In Game 1 of the Grand Final series (81-71), Perth secured a hard-fought victory despite Bryce Cotton (10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) being shut down offensively by Melbourne’s defence. The Wildcats’ win was powered by performances from Terrico White (19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Angus Brandt (14 points and 7 rebounds), who continued to provide solid play in the paint. Melbourne’s offence was led by Casper Ware (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Chris Goulding (15 points and 2 assists).

Game 2 of the Grand Final series (92-74) saw Melbourne bounce back with a balanced offensive effort led by Casper Ware (14 points and 2 assists), Chris Goulding (14 points and 2 rebounds), DJ Kennedy (12 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists), and David Barlow (11 points and 4 rebounds), allowing United to even the series. Despite Brandt’s (9 points and 5 rebounds) best efforts, and strong performances from Bryce Cotton (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Terrico White (17 points and 4 rebounds), Perth couldn’t keep pace as United proved too strong on the night.

The loss prompted coach Trevor Gleeson to make several adjustments, which led to Perth dominating Game 3 (95-67). Terrico White (31 points and 7 rebounds) and Bryce Cotton (27 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists) were unstoppable, combining for 58 points and nearly outscoring Melbourne by themselves, while Brandt (6 points and 2 rebounds) continued to contribute valuable minutes. For Melbourne, DJ Kennedy (13 points and 10 rebounds) and David Barlow (13 points and 5 rebounds) were the only bright spots.

In the deciding Game 4 (97-84), Perth clinched the title with another strong showing from Bryce Cotton (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals) and Terrico White (20 points and 8 rebounds), with Brandt (8 points and 3 rebounds) playing a key role off the bench to help secure the victory. Despite the best efforts from Casper Ware (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Chris Goulding (15 points and 4 assists), Melbourne fell well short. Terrico White, who had faced criticism earlier in the season, was named Grand Final MVP after averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over the four-game series.

On 29 March 2019, Brandt parted ways with the Wildcats, opting to exercise the European out-clause in his contract.

Angus Brandt played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 140 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (811 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.