NICKNAME/S: Agent 97, Weeksy

BIO: Jarrad Weeks was born in Melbourne (VIC) before moving with his family to Sydney (NSW). He graduated from Barker College in Sydney, and did not play basketball at a collegiate level.

FAMILY: Has a wife Michelle and young son Freddie.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jarrad Weeks made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 21 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

After the Sydney Kings licence was revoked in 2008 after club sponsor Firepower collapsed and the Kings were unable to pay player salaries, new ownership relaunched the Sydney Kings for the 2010/11 NBL season, returning to the league after a two-year absence.

The ‘Resurrection Squad’, the name given to the Sydney Kings roster which had returned to the league for the first time in two years with the team’s first moves being the hiring former Kings player Ian Robilliard as head coach and convincing a number of European based aussies to return to play for the team’s latest reincarnation.

Julian Khazzouh (Israel), Luke Cooper (Latvia) and Damien Ryan (Italy) all signed deals for the 2010/11 season, as was college graduate Ben Madgen (Augusta State University). The Kings then filled the remaining roster with offcast NBL talent, Graeme Dann (via State League), Luke Martin (via Wollongong) and Ben Knight (via Melbourne), who had played for the previous iteration of the Kings, was added and named co-captain along with Khazzouh. Robilliard added imports Taj McCullough and Rod Grizzard for excitement and scoring punch to the roster and Weeks was later added as a development player.

Grizzard, who had previously put up 19 points per game with Singapore and 13 points per game with Melbourne struggled to produce as a King. He produced a megre 8 points per game on a 36% field goal percentage, resulting in the import axe swinging quickly, as he was released five games into the season.

The axe then fell for fellow import McCullough who after being told his contract was on the line prior to a game against New Zealand he managed only ten points on a lowly 5 from 17 from the field in a 80-94 home loss. After eight games Taj McCullough (11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game) would become the second import to be released by the Sydney Kings during the 2010/11 season.

Former NBA talent Trey Gilder (13.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals) replaced Taj McCullough then Patrick Sanders (13.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) filled the shoes of Rod Grizzard as Robilliard looked to deliver a team capable of entertaining the valuable Sydney market while it was clear they would struggle to compete against other NBL teams. The Kings limped home to a last place finish and a record of 8–20 with Weeks only appearing in two games during the Kings comeback season.

Weeks would fail to earn a contract with the Kings for the following season and spend the next season playing in the state basketball league.

2012/13
Having taken over the head coaching reigns mid-season the year before, Shane Heal set to work on helping the Kings return to the NBL playoffs for the first time since returning to the league in 2010. Heal began the season with some big roster holes to fill after losing both the leagues leading rebounder, Julian Khazzouh, Rookie of the Year Anatoly Bose and talented import Jerai Grant to European opportunities.

Heal would convince Former King Ian Crosswhite to return (via Cairns) and fill the shoes of Khazzouh, high-scoring shooting guard James Harvey (via Gold Coast) to cover the loss of Bose and recruit diminutive point guard Corin Henry and Darnell Lazare as the team’s import duo. Sydney was also bolstered by the return of Aaron Bruce, who had missed the second half of last season due to a tibia injury.

After losing to Illawarra in the opening game of the season (76–79), the team delivered a strong start to the season, and by the time of the league’s All-Star break, Sydney (9-5) was sitting in third place on the ladder.

The Kings’ second half of the season wasn’t as successful, managing just three wins from their remaining 14 games. Due to the dominance of the New Zealand Breakers (24-4) and Perth Wildcats (22-6), every other team in the NBL finished the season with a losing record. Thus, in unusual fashion, despite having a losing record, the Kings finished in fourth place and returned to the playoffs for the first time since returning to the league in 2010.

Once into the semi finals, the Kings were outclassed by the Breakers, who claimed game one in New Zealand (81-64) before closing out the series with a win on Sydney’s home floor (99-88). New Zealand would then defeat Perth in two games to become NBL Champions.

Sydney owed much of its success to a breakout season from Ben Madgen (18.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), who led the league in scoring, was awarded the league’s Most Improved Player award and named in the All-NBL first team. Ian Crosswhite (10.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists) was named in the All-NBL third team and announced his retirement shortly after. Weeks would continue to see limited playing opportunities with the Kings, appearing in only 10 games, averaging 1.7 points, 0.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

2013/14
In 2013/14, Weeks averaged 0.9 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists as the Kings finished in sixth place with a record of 12-16.

Weeks would again find himself without a NBL contract at the end of the season and play in the state basketball league.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2015/16
Following long-time coach Gordie McLeod’s departure, Rob Beveridge was signed as head coach for the 2015/16 season. He made big moves coming into his first season, inking the trio of AJ Ogilvy, Kirk Penney, and Kevin Lisch, who had all been playing in Europe the previous season.

The trio were dubbed ‘the three-headed monster’, but a knee injury to Lisch in the Hawks opening game of the season saw the trio play limited games together during the first month of the season.

Lisch returned to action with a 15 point and 7 rebound effort in a loss to his former team, the Perth Wildcats (106–99). In January, Lisch was named NBL Player of the Month for December after leading the Hawks to five wins in six games and averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game throughout the month. This included a career-high 40 points in a double-overtime win over New Zealand (103–96) in Auckland. Four days later, he played his 150th NBL game in a loss to the Wildcats in Perth.

Weeks would play his first season in a team’s regular rotation with the Hawks, appearing in only 31 games and averaging 6.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. It was here, after playing in the number 97 ‘Blood Jersey’ he finally found some NBL success and adopted the nickname ‘Agent 97’ which has stuck with him ever since.

Illawarra finished the season in third place with a 17–11 record which set them up to play the second-seeded Perth Wildcats in the semifinals. In the early stages of the first quarter, the Hawks suffered a huge playoff blow, when Lisch suffered a ankle injury and exited the game before returning to the bench in the second half in a moon boot and on crutches. The injury ruled Lisch out of Game 2, but the Hawks managed to rally at home to even the series. He recovered in time to face the Wildcats in game three however, despite Lisch’s return, the Hawks were defeated (89–74) and eliminated from the playoffs.

Penney was named to the All-NBL second team while both Ogilvy (16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) and Lisch (19.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals) were selected to the All-NBL First Team. Lisch also took home the Best Defensive Player award as well as winning the NBL MVP for the second time, making Lisch only the second player in NBL history to win the award with two different team’s.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2016/17
During the 2016/17 season Weeks averaged 6.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists and helped the Taipans finish with a record of 15-13 and end the regular season in second place.

2017/18
During the 2017/18 season, Weeks averaged 8.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2 assists and was a part of the Taipans squad which finished in sixth place with a record of 11-17.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2018/19
In 2018, a new regime was brought about at the Breakers organisation. In February, a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became the majority shareholders via a newly formed company called Breakers Basketball Ltd, thus ending the 13-year Liz and Paul Blackwell ownership team.

Next came the exodus of four of the franchise’s most long-serving figures during the off-season. Paul Henare’s 15 years as player and coach came to an end, New Zealand’s all-time leading scorer Kirk Penney retired, and Alex Pledger (to Melbourne), Mika Vukona (to Brisbane), and young talent Robert Loe (to Cairns) all signed deals elsewhere.

Thomas Abercrombie would step into the role of captain with Vukona’s exit, and former player Kevin Braswell signed up to be the team’s new head coach. Braswell was tasked with remaking the Breakers squad, which included bringing back Tai Wesley (via Melbourne) and Tall Blacks star Corey Webster (via Europe) on a three-year deal. Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns) and Majok Majok (via Melbourne) were later added to finalize the team’s local roster, while Patrick Richard, Armani Moore, and Shawn Long signed as import players.

The Breakers headed to the USA and faced the Phoenix Suns in a preseason NBLxNBA exhibition game to start their season. Despite being heavy underdogs, New Zealand pushed the Suns to the limit, making a late surge to cut the lead to four in the final minute before falling just short in a 91–86 loss. Corey Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Tai Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds) led the Breakers offensively. Phoenix, who were without star Devin Booker, relied on Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points and 6 assists).

New Zealand’s season was marked by inconsistency, injuries, and roster changes, leading to a difficult start with a five-game losing streak in late November and early December. The team struggled to find their footing, winning just four of their first twelve games.

New Zealand’s lacklustre season was also due to several key players not delivering as expected. Corey Webster (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists), who was once a premier scorer in the league, experienced his worst statistical season in five years. Thomas Abercrombie (8.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) and Shea Ili (7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) both saw a decline from last season, while imports Patrick Richard (11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Armani Moore (7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) fell short of expectations.

Despite ups and downs, Jarrad Weeks (10.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) delivered a career-best season for the Breakers. His standout performances included a 22-point, 3-assist effort against Illawarra (18 Jan 2019), where he shot an impressive 9 of 12 from the field, including 4 three-pointers. Weeks followed this with a 17-point, 9-assist, and 3-rebound game against Cairns (21 Jan 2019), and another 17-point, 4-rebound, and 4-assist showing against Cairns (16 Dec 2018), where he hit 4 three-pointers.

In January, New Zealand (8-12) fell to the bottom of the ladder following three consecutive losses, including one to last-placed Cairns. Despite their efforts to regain form, the Breakers ended their season with a 12-16 record, finishing in sixth place and missing the playoffs.

Alongside Weeks, the Breakers saw strong contributions from Tai Wesley (14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), who continued his consistent play. Shawn Long (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) ranked second in the league for both rebounds and blocks, earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and winning the Breakers Club MVP, while Corey Webster had a tough season, showing flashes of his scoring ability.

2019/20
In 2019/20 Weeks averaged 5.9 points and 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, as the Breakers finished in sixth place with a 15-13 record.

NEW ZEALAND > SYDNEY
2020/21
Weeks began the NBL season without a contract but a chance to play with the New Zealand Breakers presented itself after the team suffered a number of injuries. Due to losing numerous players to injury and personal issues throughout the season, Robert Loe (20 games), Thomas Abercrombie (9), Corey Webster (8) and Tai Webster (7), Weeks played 18 games for the Breakers before being released.

After being cut, Weeks signed with the Sydney Kings and played the final eight games of the year with the team he began his career with. He would average 3.7 points over the course of the full season.

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
2021/22
Weeks entered the 2021/22 season as a free agent and with the league’s newest franchise, the Tasmania Jackjumpers looking to lock in a young core for first year roster they offered Weeks a multi-year deal, making it a easy decision to move to Tassie for his eleventh NBL season. Returning to Tasmania, Weeks was a obvious leader amongst the new group, being elected Vice-Captain with Clint Steindl as Captain.

The JackJumpers debut NBL season would begin with low expectations with multiple betting agencies offering 400:1 odds of winning the championship in their first season. However in their NBL debut on 3 December 2021, the Tasmania defeated Brisbane (83–74) in a overtime victory at home to start the season off with a bang.

After scoring their first big win the newly formed squad struggled to find their feet and heading into round eight, Tasmania had won only one more game and sat in ninth spot (2-6). A season ending injury suffered by marquee signing Will Magnay then made things even more difficult and forced the head coach Scott Roth to change their game plan from relying on perimeter shooting to a much more well rounded approach. The move paid off and the team rounded out their season with 10 wins from their last 12 games, finishing with a 17–11 record and fifth spot on the ladder.

Weeks and the JackJumpers weren’t done however as in true Cinderella fashion, thanks to the South East Melbourne Phoenix beating the Perth Wildcats in the last game of the season, Tasmania overtook Perth to finish in fourth place thanks to points percentage.

Weeks finished the season averaging 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists as the JackJumpers drew the reigning champions and first-placed Melbourne United in the semifinals where again they were not expected to fare well.

Tasmania would lose game one to Melbourne on their home court (74-63), before returning the favour on their home court to even the series (1-1). Heading into the deciding game three a additional stroke of luck befell the team with United Captain Chris Goulding unable to play in game three due to injury. Tasmania would take control in the games final moments, defeating Melbourne in a nail-biter (76-73) to advance to the Grand Final series.

The Sydney Kings defeated the Illawarra Hawks 2-0 on the opposite side of the finals bracket and maintained their strong form, defeating Tasmania in Game one of the Grand Final series 95-78.

Game two saw JackJumpers fan favourite Josh Adams erupt for 36 points in front of a sell-out Tasmanian crowd, but thanks to 20 point efforts from both captain Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin (who shot 80% from the field) as well as Dejan Vasiljevic, who nailed a long range dagger in the closing minutes clinched game two for the Kings, 90-86. The win was Sydney’s 12th straight road game victory – the most away wins ever during a single NBL season.

Dejan Vasiljevic with the ???????????????????????? ????️
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— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) May 8, 2022

The Kings then closed out the series in game three, ending their 17-year championship drought in front of 16,000 fans at Qudos Bank Arena. Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin would combine for 45 points and 29 rebounds, and the Kings won their 19th win of their final 21 games.

2022/23
The JackJumpers entered their second year with most of their roster locked into multi-year deals, with the only major exits being import duo Josh Adams and MiKyle McIntosh.

While fans lamented the loss of Adams, the team’s leading scorer, coach Scott Roth swiftly replaced him with perhaps an even better talent in Milton Doyle and brought in Rashard Kelly to replace McIntosh.

With Will Magnay (5.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks) recovering from a foot injury and captain Clint Stiendl (4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) sidelined from a knee injury from playing for Australia at the FIBA Asia Cup, Tasmania got off to a shaky start.

Losses to South East Melbourne (79-84), Cairns (84-106) and New Zealand (65-71) saw them sitting equal last with Brisbane three games in. In a battle for the bottom of the ladder, they defeated Brisbane in overtime (90–86) to earn their first win of the season, thanks primarily to Doyle’s 32 points and 4 assists.

Tasmania then rolled off a four-game wining streak which propelled them back into the top six and within playoff contention, where they stayed for the rest of the season.

Milton Doyle (17.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals) led the team in scoring, while Jack McVeigh (14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) increased his scoring for the fifth consecutive season and was the team’s best local player this season.

Tasmania finished the season in fourth place (16-12), earning a spot in the debut of the NBL’s play-in tournament.

A casualty of the regular season was point guard Josh Magette (10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.0 steals) copping an accidental elbow to the face in Tasmania’s final regular season game against the Hawks. The JackJumpers’ leader and floor general required surgery to fix a broken cheekbone and fractured eye socket and would miss the entire playoffs.

Import Rashard Kelly (12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) as well as development player Sean MacDonald (6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) and Isaac White (5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists), an injury replacement for Stiendl and Magnay, would fill the void of Magette during the playoffs and after defeating Cairns (79–87) in the play-in qualifier, Tasmania would face second seed New Zealand (18-10) in the semifinals.

In game one, Tasmania would struggle to score, managing only 68 points as a team, their third-lowest score of the season with Kelly (12 points) and Doyle (10 points) the only two players to reach double figures.

Doyle (23 points and 5 assists) would make sure the JackJumpers would even the series with a home win (89-78) in game two., but New Zealand were too strong back on their home floor, closing out the series defeating Tasmania by 15 points (77-92).

Weeks averaged 3.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists for the season, missing only a single game.

After 11 incredible seasons playing at Australia’s highest level, Weeks retired at the end of the season, moving into a assistant coaching team with the JackJumpers immediately after.

“It is with great pride I am hanging up my boots from my second home, the NBL. I have cherished my 250+ games I have played for what seems like half the league. I have had many highlights to show but looking back it is the friendships I will take with me in to my next chapter in life” he said whilst announcing his retirement.

“I am so grateful to have been the 4th ever signing for the Tasmania JackJumpers and helping build the JackJumpers franchise to what it is today. I am excited to see how it continues to grow. Finishing my playing career with this club has been my dream since I entered it. I cannot wait to see this club win its first championship.”

Jarrad Weeks played twelve seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Sydney Kings, Illawarra Hawks, Cairns Taipans, New Zealand Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers. He averaged 5.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 280 NBL games.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (815 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.