BIO: Paul Rees was born in Terang (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Terang basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Paul Rees made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Rees was known for his presence under the basket and while not blessed with a great jumping ability he was able to use his physical size to his advantage and was considered to be a strong rebounder.

Brisbane entered the season with a new-look squad, ready to rebound from their dismal eighth-placed finish in ’89, which saw the Bullets miss the playoffs for the first time under coach Brian Kerle. Only three of the 13 players who wore a Bullets singlet the previous year returned – Leroy Loggins, Robert Sibley, and Greg Fox.

Those exiting included captain Larry Sengstock and Ron Radliff, who had been with the team for eight and seven seasons, respectively, leaving to join the new Queensland expansion team, the Gold Coast Cougars and second-year guard Rodger Smith, joining them. John Dorge (to Geelong), Darren Perry (to Eastside), and Dan Clausen (to Adelaide) all headed elsewhere. Greg Giddings, Shane Edwards and import Winston Crite were not offered a contract to return, and Danny Morseu retired.

Loggins, who was used with mixed success in the off-guard spot the previous season, reverted to his more familiar and preferred small forward position. Moore and Sibley headed up a frontline that also included comeback player Chris McGraw and young Melbourne pair Paul Rees and Craig Adams, with locals Steve McLeod and Chris Clarkson making up the 12-man list. In a flash, the Bullets went from the oldest team in the league, a average age of 26.5 years, to probably the youngest at 23.1 years.

Together with new imports Derek Rucker (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.6 steals) and Andre Moore (26.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals), the Bullets improved to finish in third place after recording 18 wins and 8 losses. They would even reach the grand final once again, a rematch of the 1987 Grand Final, where they faced the Perth Wildcats. This time around the Bullets lost game one in Perth, 112–106, before levelling the series in Game two in front of the largest crowd the NBL had seen at the time. 13,221 fans filled the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to see the Bullets defeat Perth 106–90. This would stand the highest ever grand final crowd for a game played outside of Melbourne until game two of the 2012/13 Grand Final series between the Wildcat’s and New Zealand Breakers in Perth. The attendance record remains the eighth largest for a NBL Grand Final game. Game three was held in front of a near-equal crowd of (13,159), but this time, the Bullets would fall short, losing 86–109 as Perth won their first NBL championship. Additionally, Brian Kerle received the Coach of the Year award for the second time, while the Bullets would make history by having three players Derek Rucker (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals), Leroy Loggins (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals) and Andre Moore (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals) all named to the All-NBL First Team (something which has still never been replicated). Rucker, additionally, won the league’s MVP award, becoming the second Bullets player to do so.

Rees finished the year by averaging 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game also.

1991
The 1991 season was not nearly as successful, as the team finished in ninth place, way out of finals contention with a 13–13 record. Rees averaged 7.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.

1992
However, in 1992, the Bullets were back in the finals, making it to the quarter-finals. Rees averaged 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. After the club failed to make the playoffs in 1991, Rees signed with the North Melbourne Giants.

NORTH MELBOURNE GIANTS
1993
In 1993, the Giants chose not to re-sign long term head coach Bruce Palmer who since taking over in 1987 had led them to the semi finals five of six years and to the 1989 championship. His successor would be found in young Melbourne Tigers assistant Brett Brown whose appointment was deemed a cash saving move by a team beginning to face years of financial uncertainty. Another sign of the Giant’s financial struggles became evident when they lost star import Scott Fisher to the ‘deeper pockets’ of the Perth Wildcats.

Brown began his search for Fisher’s replacement first with import Chuckie White, who failed to cut it during pre-season, before settling on Jason Reese. Reese was known around the league as ‘workhorse’ and dominant inside scorer that had spent the past two seasons with Hobart (1991) and Canberra (1992) and Mark Leader, who had became a naturalised Australian in 1993, replaced Fisher as team captain.

Reese went on to lead the team in scoring (26.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg), fellow import Paul Maley led the team in rebounding (22.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg) and Rees also contributed 5.1 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

North Melbourne finished the season (13-13) sneaking into the final playoff spot. There, they would face familiar foes, Scott Fisher and the Perth Wildcats who had finished the season in first place (21-5). Despite winning game one at home (105-101), the Giants would lose games two (98-108) and three (104-117) to Perth to put a end to their season.

1994
1994 – ONE GIANT LEAP
North Melbourne’s financial struggles publicly came to light after 1993, but a group of new investors saved the team at the eleventh hour from its burgeoning financial woes. The new ownership made a number of changes, including a uniform design change, tossing away the team’s maroon uniforms and switching to the colours of the NBA’s most marketable outfit, the Charlotte Hornets.

The Giants’ roster had aged considerably in the years between its 1989 championship and 1994, with its roster now being the oldest roster in the league, their decision to replace high scoring forward Jason Reese with a 30-year-old point guard named Darryl McDonald was met with much surprise. The media and betting agencies promptly wrote off the Giants’ season, most tipping them to finish dead last. The pundits couldn’t have been more wrong however, with McDonald (17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists and 3.0 steals per game) leading the league in steals and assists and when the Giants came home undefeated after the ‘Doomsday Double’, first avenging a home loss to Perth then holding off Adelaide at the Clipsal Powerhouse (a feat which hadn’t been achieved since 1986) fans really started to become excited.

Pat Reidy (19.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.4) and Paul Maley (19.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg) became the main beneficiaries of many of McDonald’s flashy assists while Rees finished the season averaging 12.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

The Giants would finish the season in second place, winning 19 of their 26 games. At season’s end, Brown would be named Coach of the Year and controversially, McDonald finished second in both the NBL MVP (behind Andrew Gaze) and Best Defensive Player (Darren Lucas) awards but McDonald responded by taking his game to a entirely new level for the playoffs. After Sydney blitzed the Giants (131–109) in the opening game of the quarter-finals, McDonald led the Giants to a 112-91 victory in game two and a 104-95 victory in game three. In the deciding game ‘D-Mac’ played all 48 minutes and filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists while shooting 70% (7/10) from the field.

On the other side of the bracket, South East Melbourne eliminated Perth before being knocked out by the Giants after a Adonis Jordan three-point heave (he could have found a open David Graham for a better shot but missed him) in the game’s closing moments missed its mark and the chance to force a third game.

Game one of the Grand Final series was held at the Clipsal Powerhouse in Adelaide and after Robert Rose had dragged the Sixers back into the match when they still had trailed by 14 inside the last six minutes of regulation the ball ended up in McDonald’s hands before he nailed the game-winning shot in overtime, delivering a 95–93 win.

As the series moved to the Glasshouse in Melbourne for game two Rose would come out firing, his 31 point effort would see him finish as the game’s high scoring. Still, a balanced attack from North Melbourne proved too strong for the 36ers. The Giants would control the first half, the scoreboard reading 51-41 at halftime and with 36ers forward Mark Davis in serious pain, the Giants were able to put the foot down in the third quarter and then closed out the game with a 117-97 victory.

Paul Rees, who benefitted greatly from McDonald’s passing all series, finished up earning the Finals MVP award after delivering 17 points and 5 rebounds in game one and 20 points (making all seven of his shots) and 7 rebounds in game two.

The 1994 NBL season made history bypassed the one-million spectator mark during the regular season for the first time.

1995
In 1995 Rees averaged 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, and helped guide the Giants to a second place finish in the regular season (18-8).

1996
The Giants would return almost their entire roster in 1996 as the team looked to go one step further after finishing runners-up in 1995. The only roster changes being the addition of Tonny Jensen, a member of the Australian Boomers, who would replace the retiring Mark Leader and a returning Paul Maley would replace import Chris Jent after he delivered one of the greatest one and done seasons in NBL history.

Pat Reidy would lead the team in scoring, averaging 20.8 points as well as 6.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while McDonald would deliver another stellar season, putting up 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and a league leading 10 assists per game. Rees averaged 14 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists and despite his scoring being down on previous seasons was still was one of the Giants best players.

1996 was a extremely close season, where only two games seperated third place and eight place. The Giants finished with a 15-11 record and in seventh place finish on the NBL ladder.

North Melbourne would face crosstown rivals South East Melbourne who would make quick work of the Giants behind a season high 19 points from Andrew Parkinson in game one, a 82-96 loss and a 25 point effort from Tony Ronaldson in game two, which resulted in a 77-87 defeat and the end to the Giants season.

At seasons end McDonald would again be named to the All-NBL First team.

1997
In 1997, the Giants were beginning to feel the pinch financially and struggling to retain talent. He would lose the services of forwards Tonny Jensen (via Newcastle) and Paul Maley (again due to crippling back problems) However, due to the demise of team’s in Gold Coast and Hobart, he would benefit by making some key free agent signings. Import Mike Mitchell and young gun David Stiff, both looking for new NBL homes, joined the team as Coach Brett Browncleverly tried to make the most of his team budget by playing the entire season with the league minimum of 11 players.

Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants’ competitive. Rees would average 4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, as the team finished the year in third place, behind a 18-12 record.

Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals.

The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship.

Rees left North Melbourne at the end of 1997 as the Giants replaced him with former Newcastle big man Ben Pepper.

Paul Rees played seventeen seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, North Melbourne Giants and Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 7.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1 assists in 508 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 11th in total games played.
– 40th in total rebounds
– 19th in total blocks

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.