BIO: Acie Earl was born in Peoria, Illinois (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Acie Earl made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 28 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game.

Sydney underwent a number of key losses as the NBL shifted from a winter competition to a summer one. The biggest ones being Shane Heal heading to play in Greece for Near East, team Captain Bruce Bolden leaving to play for a brand new NBL team, the West Sydney Razorbacks, and Brad Williams and Stephen Whitehead, who both were not re-signed by the team. Ben Castle (Brisbane) and Darren Smith (state league) signed as their replacements.

In their place, coach Tomlinson chose to build the squad around young local talent Matthew Nielsen and Aaron Trahair. Veteran point guard Brad Rosen was named team captain after the loss of Bolden and Kelsey Weems, who joined the team with 12 games left in the previous season, was re-signed and paired incoming import Alonzo Goldston.

The Kings’ opening game came against Bolden’s Razorbacks, in their NBL debut. Sydney lost, 97-103, and went on to lose seven of their next eight games.

This saw the axe fall on import Goldston (14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks in six games), and NBA big man Acie Earl signed as his replacement.

Earl was a monster, standing 208cm and 110kg, who had spent two seasons with the Boston Celtics before being selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft. Earl didn’t take the Celtics’ decision to let him go kindly and exploded for 40 points against his former team when they met the following season.

His 1998/99 season statistically is one of the most efficient in NBL history. Five games in, he dropped 33 points (12/19 shooting) and collected 12 rebounds while holding Brisbane’s star big man Thadderous Delaney to 4 of 14 shots, and he finished the year averaging 21.6 points (on 50% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game.

Beyond Earl, the remainder of the team’s roster was a little hit-and-miss this season. While Weems (15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals) didn’t have the same impact as the previous season, the continued development of Matt Nielsen (20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks) who boosted his scoring from 16.4 points the previous season, saw him become the new face of the franchise.

The Kings couldn’t seem to win at home (5–8) or abroad (4-9) and finished the season in ninth place, missing out on the playoffs once again.

1999/00
Sydney underwent a familiar narrative during the 1999/00 season. One that began with compiling a impressive roster on paper to start the season, only to see it fall apart (like a violet crumble) by the end of the year. Expectations were high with the continued development of Sydney underwent a familiar narrative during the 1999/00 season. One that began with compiling a impressive roster on paper to start the season, only to see it fall apart (like a violet crumble) by the end of the year. It started with a coaching change, Brett Brown replacing Bill Tomlinson (the team’s fourth coach in six seasons). Then, with Sydney seemingly stockpiling much of the league’s best young talent, adding Ben Melmeth (Newcastle) and Derek Moore (South Carolina-Aiken University) and to the talented young core of Matthew Nielsen, Aaron Trahair and Scott McGregor, re-signing one of the most dominant big men in NBL history, Acie Earl and poaching the reigning league MVP, Steve Woodberry from the Brisbane Bullets expectations were high.

The Kings started the year with a 98–76 win over Canberra, but it was clear Earl’s fitness wasn’t where it was the previous season. He managed 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists and was released before their next game.

The Kings finished their season with a record of 11-17, missing the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

Acie Earl played two seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 20.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 21 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 18th in rebounds per game.
– 5th in blocks per game.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (817 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.