BIO: Koen Sapwell was born in Adelaide (SA) and is the son of ex-NBL player Rupert Sapwell, who played for five NBL team’s across his career. He attended Trinity College (Adelaide) and represented his state in Under 16’s and 18’s, before moving to the United States to play college ball at Cal State Monterey Bay. He returned to Australia in 2021 sign on to play with the Hobart Chargers in the NBL1 South Season.

At the end of the 2021 NBL season Sapwell spent training with the Cairns Taipans and the Devonport Warriors in the 2021 NWBU state league competition before signing a development player deal with the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

FAMILY: Koen Sapwell is the son of Rupert Sapwell who played 359 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Koen Sapwell made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

After making their maiden Finals appearance the year prior, South East Melbourne aimed to go one step further. The Phoenix’s first move was re-signing head coach Simon Mitchell to a one-year deal. Mitchell then focused on retaining the majority of the team’s local core, securing key re-signings, including Kyle Adnam, Ryan Broekhoff, Izayah Le’Afa, and Mitch Creek.

Despite the departures of Keifer Sykes (to the NBA) and Yanni Wetzell (to New Zealand), the Phoenix bolstered their squad by signing Tohi Smith-Milner (via Melbourne), Chinese national team member Zhou Qi, and imports Zach Hankins and Xavier Munford.

South East Melbourne started the season strongly, winning three of their first four games. However, injuries to Zhou Qi and Ryan Broekhoff contributed to a disappointing second half of the season. The Phoenix managed to win only six of their final 14 games, finishing in sixth place with a 15-13 record. The lone highlight of their second half was an overtime victory over Perth (102-100), which ended the Wildcats’ 35-year playoff streak.

With injuries and player absences due to COVID-19 protocols, the team saw multiple roster changes throughout the season. Development player Sapwell managed to make two appearances, scoring a total of two points.

BRISBANE BULLETS
2022/23

After finishing second to last in the previous season, the Brisbane Bullets aimed for a resurgence by adding Boomers big man Aron Baynes and veteran guard Tyler Johnson, who had previously been teammates in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns.

To further strengthen their roster, the Bullets signed Devondrick Walker (via NBL1) as a second import and acquired local talents Harry Froling (via Illawarra), Gorjok Gak (via Europe), and DJ Mitchell (via NBL1), the son of former Bullets import Mike Mitchell. These additions were expected to complement the returning core of Jason Cadee, Tyrell Harrison, Tanner Krebs, and captain Nathan Sobey.

The Bullets’ off-season recruiting efforts led many media analysts to predict a top-four finish for the team. However, questions lingered regarding the health of Sobey, who was returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for half of the NBL22 season, and Baynes, who was making his comeback after a severe neck injury sustained during the Olympics that nearly left him paralyzed.

Six games into the season, the Bullets were yet to secure a victory. Baynes (11.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) struggled to recapture his NBA form, and Sobey (15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists) posted his lowest scoring and rebounding averages in five years.

Brisbane then recorded back-to-back wins over Illawarra. The first victory (82-56) was fueled by a dominant 17-point, 14-rebound performance from Baynes, while the second (86-61) saw Sobey explode for a career-high 14 points in the first quarter and 22 points in the first half. The consecutive 25+ point victories marked the first time Brisbane had achieved such a feat since February 2007.

A narrow two-point victory over Tasmania (74-72) extended their winning streak to three games. However, just as momentum was building, the Bullets made the decision to release underperforming import Walker (9.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists) and part ways with head coach James Duncan.

Walker was replaced by Andrew White (7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists), and Duncan was succeeded by General Manager Sam Mackinnon as interim coach. Mackinnon’s tenure lasted only three games before assistant coach and former Townsville Crocodile Greg Vanderjagt took over as head coach for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately for Brisbane, their best performances were already behind them.

Sapwell joined the team in early December as an injury replacement player. He appeared in three games, scoring a total of two points.

Brisbane once again finished second last with an 8-20 record, with three of their eight wins coming against Illawarra, who endured their worst season in franchise history.

Sapwell appeared in only three games during the season, scoring a total of two points.

Koen Sapwell played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Brisbane Bullets..

Dan Boyce (829 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.