Yan Peng
October 16, 2026
Andrej Lemanis
- Nationality: AUS/LAT
- Date of Birth: 18/03/69
- Place of Birth: Melbourne (VIC)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 196
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc: VIC - Bulleen
- College: None
NBL CAREER OVERVIEW
NBL DEBUT
21/07/85
Age 16
LAST NBL GAME
13/07/93
Age 24
TEAM HISTORY
- St. Kilda1985
- Southern Melbourne1991
- South East Melbourne1992-93
CHAMPIONSHIPS
South East Melbourne (1992)BIO: Andrej Lemanis was born in Melbourne (VIC).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Andrej Lemanis made his NBL debut with the St. Kilda Saints at 16 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.
Having made his NBL debut at 16 years of age Lemais is one of the youngest players to ever play in the NBL.
SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE MAGIC
1992
Following the South Melbourne Saints’ merger with the Eastside Melbourne Spectres to form the South East Melbourne Magic, only two Saints players were retained for the 1992 NBL season—Andrew Parkinson and young guard Andrej Lemanis. With Brian Goorjian appointed head coach and the team loaded with veteran backcourt talent, Lemanis entered the season firmly positioned as a development prospect.
Lemanis featured in just nine regular season games during the Magic’s debut campaign, averaging 0.8 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game. His minutes were limited due to the team’s deep rotation, which included experienced guards such as Darren Perry, Darren Lucas, Scott Ninnis, and mid-season addition Rob Rose. Still, Lemanis made the most of his time on the court, showing composure and a willingness to execute the team’s structured style.
He did not feature in any postseason games, as the Magic stormed through the playoffs with consecutive series wins over Canberra, North Melbourne, and finally the Melbourne Tigers in the Grand Final. The backcourt depth proved essential after the injury to starting point guard Darren Perry, though Lemanis remained on the fringe of the lineup throughout the championship run.
🏀 THROWBACK THURSDAY 💫
Did you believe in Magic? How could you not with this old tune! Before the days of @SEMelbPhoenix we had the South East Melbourne Magic. Do you remember how many NBL Championships Magic had to their name? Read more – https://t.co/OezFZFpFDS #HoopsAtHome pic.twitter.com/mQfmy7kiG4— Basketball Victoria (@Basketball_Vic) April 16, 2020
1993
Coming off a championship-winning debut season, the South East Melbourne Magic entered 1993 with their eyes set on back-to-back titles. Head coach Brian Goorjian brought back nearly the entire core of the 1992 roster, with the only significant changes being the addition of David Graham (via North Melbourne) and Simon Kerle (via Brisbane) to offset the departure of Scott Ninnis (to Adelaide).
fourth year guard Andrej Lemanis was one of the developmental players on the roster, suiting up in three games throughout the season. In extremely limited court time, Lemanis recorded no points, 0.3 rebounds, and no assists, steals, or blocks, but his role was largely contained to practice sessions.
While he didn’t feature in the team’s postseason run, Lemanis was part of a squad that finished the regular season with a 20–6 record and an impressive 12–1 mark at Melbourne Park. The Magic swept the Adelaide 36ers in the quarter-finals but fell short of a second straight Grand Final appearance, eliminated in the semi-finals by the Melbourne Tigers.
Melbourne’s marquee addition Mark Bradtke was the difference-maker, posting 21 points and 9 rebounds in Game 1 (108–106), followed by a dominant 28-point, 15-rebound performance in Game 2 (89–72), ending South East Melbourne’s season and their title defence in two games.
This season would be Andrej’s last as a player before transitioning into a successful NBL coach.
Andrej Lemanis played four seasons across three NBL teams. This included the St. Kilda Saints, and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 1.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 41 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 24 | South East Melbourne | 20-6 (2) | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | |
| 1992 | 23 | South East Melbourne | 20-4 (1) | 9 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 33% | 1 | 3 | 33% | 2 | 4 | 50% | 45% | 42% | 3 |
| 1991 | 22 | Southern Melbourne | 9-17 (11) | 23 | 447 | 59 | 43 | 48 | 17 | 26 | 20 | 1 | 23 | 46 | 22 | 60 | 37% | 5 | 10 | 50% | 10 | 22 | 45% | 42% | 41% | 8 |
| 1985 | 16 | St. Kilda | 10-16 (10) | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 50% | 50% | 2 | Totals | 41 | 481 | 68 | 49 | 54 | 18 | 31 | 21 | 1 | 26 | 48 | 25 | 69 | 36.2% | 6 | 14 | 42.9% | 12 | 26 | 46.2% | 42% | 41% | 8 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 24 | South East Melbourne | 20-6 (2) | 3 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 1992 | 23 | South East Melbourne | 20-4 (1) | 9 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 33% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 33% | 0.2 | 0.4 | 50% | 45% | 42% | 3 |
| 1991 | 22 | Southern Melbourne | 9-17 (11) | 23 | 19.4 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 37% | 0.2 | 0.4 | 50% | 0.4 | 1.0 | 45% | 42% | 41% | 8 |
| 1985 | 16 | St. Kilda | 10-16 (10) | 6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 50% | 50% | 2 | Total | 41 | 11.7 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 36.2% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 42.9% | 0.3 | 0.6 | 46.2% | 42% | 41% | 8 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 8 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Sandringham 1993
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Lemanis served the head coach of Australia national team from 2013 to 2019.
During his first year with the national team Lemanis guided Australia to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. Australia was drawn into Group D, alongside Lithuania, Slovenia, Angola, México and South Korea. After suffering a opening round 90–80 loss to Slovenia, Australia bounced back, stringing together three consecutive wins over South Korea, Lithuania and México, the first time in 16 years that Australia had won 3 consecutive matches at the FIBA World Cup. However, in their next match Australia suffered a shock 91–83 loss to Angola, which came despite leading by 15 points in the middle of the third quarter. This result, combined with Lithuanias 67–64 win over Slovenia meant that Australia finished third in their group, qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament. Australia met Turkey in the knockout stage of the tournament, and lost 65–64 to Turkey, ending their World Cup campaign.
Lemanis then led the Boomers to gold in the 2015 Oceania Championships, qualifying the team for Rio 2016.
In Rio, the Boomers, under Coach Lemanis went 4 and 1 in the pool games (losing only to Team USA), finishing second in their group. They played Lithuania in the quarter final, beating them 80-64 leading Australia in to the medal rounds for the first time since 2000. Australia went on to lose the semi-final game to Serbia and then fell to Spain in the bronze medal game by a single point. This equalled Australias highest ever finish at a Olympics for Mens Basketball.
In 2017, Lemanis was re appointed as National Head Coach of Australia, this time on a part time basis as he also coached the Brisbane Bullets in the Australian national Basketball league. In 2017, the Boomers, under Lemanis, played in their first ever Asia Cup tournament. The team went undefeated through the tournament, beating Iran in the final 79 - 56, taking home the gold medal for Australia.
Lemanis then led the team through the FIBA qualification system. Australia went 10 and 2 during the qualification phase, finishing first in their group and taking the number one ranking in to the 2019 FIBA World Cup draw.
In 2019, Lemanis again lead the Boomers at the World Cup in China. The team won all 3 games in the opening round and both games of the second round, meaning they qualified as the number one team from their section. Australia then went on to beat the Czech Republic 82 to 70 meaning that for the first time in their history Australia had won 6 straight games at a World Cup or Olympics tournament - a significant achievement. The team was again playing for a medal. They lost in double overtime to eventual champions Spain in the semi final and lost to France in the bronze medal game, meaning they finished fourth. Once again, equalling Australias best ever finish at a Mens World Cup.
On 27 November 2019, Brett Brown replaced Lemanis as head coach of Australia national team.
Lemanis is currently the winningest Coach in Australian Mens Basketball history, going 35 and 9 (79.5%) in his tenure as head Coach of the Boomers. In major tournaments (Olympics and World Cup), Lemanis record is 14 and 8 (64%).
When Lemanis was appointed as the Australian national Coach in 2013, Australia had a FIBA ranking of 11. When he departed in November 2019, he had taken the country to a FIBA World ranking of 3 - its highest ever.
Lemanis is also the only coach in the history of Australian basketball to have recorded a victory against the USA at senior level. The Boomers beat Team USA in a World Cup lead up game in Melbourne on August 25th, 2019. The game was played at Marvel Stadium in front of 52,000 fans. The Boomers won the game 98 - 94.
AWARDS
- As player: NBL champion (1992)
- As head coach: 2× NBL Coach of the Year (2012, 2013)
- As head coach: 3× NBL champion (2011–2013)
COACHING HISTORY
Lemanis moved into coaching after his playing career, working in Victorian basketball before becoming an assistant coach with the Geelong Supercats in 1996. When Geelong’s NBL licence was returned after that season, he later worked in basketball administration with Basketball Victoria before returning to full-time coaching.
In 1998, Lemanis joined Ian Stacker’s staff at the Townsville Crocodiles as an assistant coach and remained with the club for seven seasons through 2005. During that period he also coached the Townsville Heat to the 2000 Queensland Basketball League championship and served as an assistant coach with the Australian Under-21 men’s team in 2004.
Lemanis was appointed head coach of the New Zealand Breakers in March 2005. Over eight seasons he transformed the Breakers into one of the NBL’s leading teams, taking the club to its first playoffs and later its first Grand Final series.
New Zealand finished first with a 22–6 record in 2010/11 before defeating Perth in the semi-finals and Cairns 2–1 in the Grand Final series to win the first championship in club history.
The Breakers again finished first in 2011/12 with a 21–7 record and defeated Perth 2–1 in the Grand Final series to win back-to-back championships, with Lemanis named NBL Coach of the Year.
In 2012/13, New Zealand produced a 24–4 regular-season record, including a 15-game winning streak, and won a third consecutive minor premiership. The Breakers swept Sydney in the semi-finals and Perth 2–0 in the Grand Final series to complete the NBL three-peat, with Lemanis winning a second straight NBL Coach of the Year award.
Lemanis coached his 250th NBL game on 28 February 2013 and left the Breakers after the championship season with three consecutive NBL titles.
Alongside his club coaching, Lemanis joined the Australian Boomers staff as an assistant coach from 2009 to 2012. He worked at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, the 2009 and 2011 Oceania qualifying series and the 2012 London Olympics under Brett Brown.
In April 2013, Lemanis was appointed head coach of the Australian men’s national team, succeeding Brown, while also taking responsibility for the men’s program at Basketball Australia’s National Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport.
Lemanis led Australia to FIBA Oceania Championship titles in 2013 and 2015. At the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, Australia advanced to the Round of 16 before being eliminated by Turkey.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Lemanis guided the Boomers to the semi-finals. Australia lost to Serbia before falling 89–88 to Spain in the bronze medal game, finishing fourth and equalling the country’s best Olympic result at the time.
Lemanis was re-appointed Boomers head coach in 2017 and led Australia through its move into the Asian qualification region. The Boomers went undefeated at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup and defeated Iran 79–56 in the final to win the tournament in Australia’s first appearance.
Australia also won gold under Lemanis at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, going undefeated and defeating Canada 87–47 in the gold medal game.
During qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Australia went 10–2 and qualified as the first team from the Asian qualifiers. In August 2019, Lemanis became the first Australian senior men’s coach to defeat the United States when the Boomers won 98–94 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
At the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, Australia won its first six games and reached the semi-finals for the first time. The Boomers lost to eventual champion Spain in double overtime and then to France in the bronze medal game, again finishing fourth. Australia had risen to a then-record FIBA world ranking of third by the end of Lemanis’ tenure, with Brett Brown replacing him as Boomers head coach in November 2019.
While coaching the Boomers, Lemanis was appointed head coach of the returning Brisbane Bullets in October 2015 ahead of the club’s 2016/17 NBL comeback. Brisbane finished 10–18 in 2016/17 and 9–19 in 2017/18 before improving to 14–14 and fourth place in 2018/19, reaching the semi-finals in the club’s first playoff appearance since returning to the league.
The Bullets finished 15–13 and fifth in 2019/20, narrowly missing the playoffs, before going 18–18 and finishing sixth in 2020/21. Lemanis announced in May 2021 that he would leave Brisbane at the end of the season, ending a five-season tenure with the club.
On 25 June 2021, Lemanis was appointed inaugural head coach of Altiri Chiba for the club’s first season in Japan’s B3 League. In 2021/22, Altiri finished second with a 37–7 record and defeated TryHoop Okayama 100–69 in the B2 promotion game, earning promotion in the club’s first season.
In Altiri’s first B2 season in 2022/23, Lemanis guided the club to a 47–13 record, the B2 Eastern Conference championship and the best regular-season record in the league. Altiri went 3–4 in the B2 playoffs and missed promotion to B1.
Altiri improved to 56–4 in 2023/24, winning a second straight B2 Eastern Conference championship and setting a new B.League regular-season winning-percentage record at .933. The club finished third in the B2 playoffs after going 4–2 and again missed promotion.
In 2024/25, Lemanis led Altiri to a 57–3 regular-season record, a third consecutive B2 Eastern Conference title and another league winning-percentage record at .950. Altiri secured promotion to B1 and was declared joint B2 champion with Toyama Grouses after the deciding Grand Final game was cancelled, finishing the playoffs 5–1.
Altiri’s first B1 season in 2025/26 ended with a 19–41 record. The club retained Lemanis for the 2026/27 season, with Altiri moving into the new B.PREMIER competition as he continued as head coach.
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