NICKNAME/S: Parky, The Microwave

BIO: Andrew “Parky” Parkinson was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Knox basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Andrew Parkinson made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

At the end of the 1988 a group of local Geelong business men had fought together to save the Cats and injected the team with some much needed financial assistance. The team rebranded the team to Supercats and as a result the team went from a winless season the year prior to a 5-19 record in 1989. Despite the off-court distractions Parkinson averaged 4.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists during the 1989 season.

1990
In 1990, Parkinson averaged 6.0 points and 1.4 rebounds, and helped guide the Supercats to a tenth place finish in the regular season with a 11-15 record.

SOUTH MELBOURNE SAINTS
1991

1991 saw Parkinson average 20.9 points and 3.9 rebounds and play a key role in helping the South Melbourne Saints to a second place finish in the regular season with a 9-17 record.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE MAGIC
1992 – ONE MAGIC YEAR
With the South Melbourne Saints financially stressed at the end of 1991 and ownership unable to continue covering costs a merger was agreed to between the embattled Saints and nearby rivals, the Eastside Melbourne Spectres East Melbourne Magic. In 1992, the merged rosters became known as the South East Melbourne Magic. With the Spectres having the more successful team, having been one game away from being champions the prior season, the Magic retained Spectres coach Brian Goorjian to lead the team. Andrew Parkinson and Andrej Lemanis were the only players retained from the Saints roster, who were added to the core of the Spectres roster.

The Magic retained Spectre’s coach Brian Goorjian to lead the club and added Parkinson and Andrej Lemanis from the Saints to the Spectres core group of players who had just fallen short in the previous years NBL Grand Final. Bruce Bolden, Tony Ronaldson, Darren Lucas, Scott Ninnis and Darren Perry were joined by John Dorge via the Geelong Supercats and import Milt Newton to finalise the roster for the team’s NBL debut, a campaign coined by the media as ‘One Magic Year’.

???? 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

The team got off to a strong start to the year, winning six of their first seven games but felt a change was needed and released Newton, replacing him with LA Clippers guard Rob Rose. From there, the Magic rarely missed a beat, winning all 12 of their home games and losing only four games for the regular season. Parkinson would average 12.1 points and 2.1 rebounds for the season.

In the playoffs, the Magic made short work of both the Canberra Cannons and North Melbourne Giants, setting up a NBL Grand Final against their crosstown rival Melbourne Tigers (15-9), who had finished third.

In game one of the series, South East Melbourne’s starting point guard Darren Perry suffered a torn ACL and would miss the next nine months due to injury and the remainder of the Grand Final. The injury rattled the Magic, with the Tigers guards Lanard Copeland (34 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks) and Andrew Gaze (26 points) capitalising, taking home a 18 point win (116-98).

In game two, the Magic backcourt stepped up in Perry’s absence with Darren Lucas (19 points) finishing with a season-high and Scott Ninnis locked down Copeland (14 points), who had single-handed won the opening game for the Tigers, forcing him to shoot a poor 6 of 19 from the field. Parkinson added 9 points while Robert Rose (20 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals) controlled the point guard spot at the offensive end and Bruce Bolden (22 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks) dominated inside, giving the Magic a 115-93 win to even up the series.

The Tigers had been taken by surprise by the Magic’s ability to bounce back without Perry, and although Melbourne battled valiantly in game three, the Magic seemed to have won the mental game with the previous victory. Once again, the Magic backcourt stepped up, this time forcing Gaze (18 points) into a horrible 5/19 shooting night and holding Copeland (24 points) below his season average. Parkinson contributed 4 points, and the Magic ground out a 95-88 win in the deciding game. The Magic’s import duo of Rose (26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks) and Bolden (21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks) were at their very best and at the conclusion of the game Bolden was awarded the NBL Finals MVP award by NBA Commissioner David Stern who was visiting Australia at the time.

1993
With the Magic coming off a NBL championship in their first year in the league, many pondered what they could do in their second. Coach Brian Goorjian was able to return with the majority of the roster intact. Even Darren Perry, who suffered a ACL injury that saw him miss nine months of action, made it back to the court. The only major additions to the roster being David Graham (via North Melbourne) and Simon Kerle (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Scott Ninnis (to Adelaide).

Parkinson would average 11.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists for the season alongside the dominant inside play of Bruce Bolden (21.6 points and 12.6 rebounds), a breakout season from 21-year-old Tony Ronaldson (20.2 points, 6.3 rebounds) and the all-around brilliance of Robert Rose (18.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game) who would be crowned this year’s NBL MVP. As a result, the Magic would deliver another strong performance during the regular season, finishing in second place with a 20-6 record.

South East Melbourne would eliminate the seventh-placed Adelaide 36ers in two games during the quarterfinals to set up a rematch of last year’s grand final, a semi-final showdown against the Melbourne Tigers. Bradtke, who had shifted to Melbourne from Adelaide during the pre-season, dominated the series. He delivered 21 points and 9 rebounds in the Tiger’s 108-106 win in game one and then backed it up with 28 points and 15 rebounds in their 89-72 win in game two.

1994
After losing to crosstown rivals, the Melbourne Tigers head coach Brian Goorjian decided the Magic needed to go younger and chose not to re-sign veteran guards, Darren Perry and Robert Rose, replacing them with younger talent. 18-year-old Sam MacKinnon and Rupert Sapwell, who had just returned from playing college basketball, were added to the roster, and Adonis Jordan, who had led the Kansas Jayhawks to the 1993 NCAA Final Four only six months prior, became the Magic’s sole import.

Jordan (19.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.6 steals) would lead the team in scoring and assists, alongside frontcourt duo Tony Ronaldson (19.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Bruce Bolden (16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals) doing the damage inside. Parkinson would also add 14.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists during the season and Sam MacKinnon (5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8) would also make a immediate impact, earning his way into the team’s regular rotation (19.2 minutes per game) and delivering one of the greatest seasons ever by a 18-year-old which made him a easy choice for the league’s Rookie Of The Year Award.

In a interesting nod to the future, due to injury the Magic replaced him with state league star Mike Kelly who would become a major part of the Magic roster in 1997.

South East Melbourne was unbeatable at home all season (11-2) butcould never replicate that on the road, losing half their away games and finishing third on the ladder (18-18).

In the postseason, South East swept Perth in two games to set up a semi-finals matchup against crosstown rival North Melbourne. The Giants delivered a major upset in game one, convincingly defeating the Magic (108-87). In game two, it was much closer. In fact, the game was only decided in the final minute (76-79), and if Adonis Jordan hadn’t missed a three-point heave at the buzzer (many thought he could have made a extra pass to a open David Graham for a better shot), the Magic might have been able to force a third game. Instead, the South East Melbourne’s season came to a end.

1995
1995
Brian Goorjian’s youth movement continued in 1995. After moving on from star import Robert Rose the season prior, veteran big man Bruce Bolden would not be offered a chance to return (he would move on to sign with the Sydney Kings), with his replacement coming in the form of young 7-footer Chris Anstey from the Melbourne Tigers.

Anstey’s move to the Magic was one of huge controversy when Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed the signing via the NBL tribunal. The NBL decided that Anstey could not leave the Tigers and would have to play for Melbourne as long as the Tigers could match the contract, which they did.

After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer Anstey a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn’t match. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team’s players were reinstated to their previous contracts.

After the Anstey deal was done, the Magic rounded out the roster by adding Nunawading junior Jason Smith, re-signing import Adonis Jordan and pairing him with Richard ‘Scooter’ Barry, son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry. Unfortunately, Barry (14.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals) didn’t quite make the impact in the NBL that his father had in the NBA and was shown the door after four games. Goorjian chose to elevate 23-year-old development player Shane Bright (0.3 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) for the remaining games instead of bringing in another import, aiming to give his young local core of MacKinnon, Anstey and Smith as much playing time as possible.

The Magic went on to finish second on the ladder (18-8), with Tony Ronaldson (21.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.0 steals) leading the team in scoring and Jordan (20.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals) leading the Magic in assists.

Additionally, 33-year-old big man John Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge’s improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season while backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league’s Best Defensive Player award.

In the postseason, the Magic lost game one of their quarterfinal matchup with the Illawarra (108-113), then returned to Melbourne to win both games two (92-89) and three (93-75). Moving onto the semi-finals, South East Melbourne would face North Melbourne and saw their season end early thanks to losses in both games one (77-98) and game three (92-107).

Andrew Parkinson would appear in 32 games for the Magic, averaging 13.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists).

1996
In 1996 Parkinson averaged 7.9 points and 1.4 rebounds as the Magic’s primary scorer off the bench. He was effective in his role and helped guide the Magic to a second place finish on the ladder with a 19-7 record. The Magic then got revenge on the North Melbourne Giants who had ended their season in 1995, eliminating them easily in two straight games in the quarter-finals. Parkinson added 19 points in game one and 6 points in Game 2.

The Magic then eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in two straight games, Parkinson was limited by the 36ers during the series, scoring only 7 points in game one and 3 points in game two but it was enough to help propel the Magic past Adelaide and onto a Grand Final matchup with crosstown rival the Melbourne Tigers.

The Tigers would claim Game 1, limiting the impact of Parkinson (who scored 6 points) as Andrew Gaze delivered his best game of the series, scoring 35 points and collecting 8 rebounds. The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne’s highest-attended NBL game ever.

In the third and deciding game the Magic delivered the final blow a 30 point blowout victory, 107-70 with Parkinson contributing 9 points.

The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three game series.

1997
After winning the championship in 1996, the Magic returned the majority of their roster for the 1997 season, the only major changes being import Brian Tolbert replacing the exiting Billy McCaffrey and 18-year-old Frank Drmic replacing a retiring Darren Lucas. The changes didn’t seem to impact the Magic’s winning ways, with the team finishing the year on top of the NBL ladder with the best record in franchise record (22-8).

The team delivered a balanced scoring attack again, with five players averaging double figures and only four points separating the team’s leading scorer from its fifth-leading scorer. Leading the way in points per game was Tony Ronaldson (16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists), closely followed by young stars Sam MacKinnon (15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists) and Chris Anstey (13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and a team-leading 1.6 steals and 1.8 blocks). Parkinson added 5.7 points per game and at the end of the season, veteran Mike Kelly (12.6 points) was named the NBL’s Best Defensive Player, and Brian Goorjian took home the Coach of the Year trophy.

Finishing first on the ladder saw the Magic earn a first-round bye in the playoffs before facing the fourth-placed Perth Wildcats, who had eliminated Brisbane in the elimination finals. In game one, Chris Anstey (19 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals) and Tony Ronaldson (18 points) led the Magic to victory in Perth (92-82). With game two being in Melbourne, the Magic upped their defensive intensity, shutting down the Wildcat’s to win by 27 points (96-69), with Sam MacKinnon (21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists) leading the way on the scoreboard.

The Magic returned to the NBL Grand Final with a rematch against the Tigers set to determine this year’s champions. This Melbourne squad, however, was no ordinary team. After a slow start (6 wins and 5 losses), once the team replaced import Jarvis Lang with Marcus Timmons mid-way through the season, the Tigers made history this season, recording a franchise record of 13 consecutive wins during the regular season, which they had extended to 15 by the time they met the Magic in the Grand Final. Behind big games from Lanard Copeland (29 points and 4 rebounds), Marcus Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), the Tigers blew the Magic off the court to the tune of 37 points in the opening game (111-74), while shutting down Anstey (6 points) on the offensive end.

Goorjian knew the game plan had to change, and in game two, the Magic surprised the Tigers behind a much more physical game, with veteran John Dorge selected to start instead of Anstey. Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 33 minutes) responded with his best postseason game to date, delivering the win for the Magic (84-78) and ending the Tigers’ consecutive win streak at 17.

For the second straight year, Melbourne and South East Melbourne would face off in a third game to decide the championship. Midway through the opening term of game three, the scores were tied, but after the Tigers frontcourt were able to limit Anstey (8 points) and pull out a offensive Tigers run in the second quarter, the game was all but over at half-time. The Tigers never looked back, claiming the team’s second NBL championship (93-83).

Ronaldson (26 points) led the Magic in scoring, while Copeland (26 points) was the top scorer for the victors. Copeland was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.6 points and 3.3 rebounds (56% shooting) over the three game series, yet it was blue-collar Tigers forward Warrick Giddey who the Melbourne Tigers deemed the deciding factor in the game three victory. Giddey recorded zero points, four rebounds, three assists and one block, and if you hadn’t seen the game, you’d probably question why he even bothered showing up. But Giddey delivered three crucial plays in the series’ closing moments that turned the tide. Firstly a hard foul on Sam MacKinnon, which broke the Magic star’s nose. The second was a huge block on Frank Drmic, and finally, a mid-court screen on Mike Kelly that came close to knocking him out of his shoes.

A great Australian sporting rivalry!! pic.twitter.com/qVrlKwROkN

— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 21, 2023

1998
After falling short in the grand final, South East Melbourne coach Brian Goorjian looked to rekindle some of the ‘Magic’and replace import guard Brian Tolbert with Billy McCaffrey, who led the Magic to the 1996 championship. Goorjian also blossoming big man Brett Wheeler (via Adelaide) to the squad as a replacement for the NBA departure of Chris Anstey.

The team would win their first six games in a row before a loss to Brisbane that also saw the team release McCaffrey (10.3 points and 2.9 assists) after realising he was not quite the same player as he was in 1996. Former NBA guard Clinton McDaniel (17.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) would replace him and go on to lead the league in steals.

Tony Ronaldson (18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists) who had led the team in scoring since 1994 did so yet again, while 20-year-old Frank Drmic (14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds) had a breakout season, gaining interest from multiple NBA teams. Alongside Ronaldson, McDaniel and Drmic, Parkinson would average 3.8 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists and the Magic would finished on top of the ladder, recording the third best regular season record of all-time (26-4). Only Adelaide in 1986 (24-2) and Geelong in 1984 (21-2) being able to top it. As a result, Brian Goorjian took home his third Coach of the Year award and Mike Kelly was named the defensive player of the year for the second straight season.

The Magic received a first-round bye thanks to finishing in first place, then faced off against Brisbane in the semi-finals.

The Magic would swiftly eliminate the Steve Woodberry led Bullets in two straight games to reach the NBL Grand Final for the third season in a row, this time going head to head with the Adelaide 36ers.

In game one of the Grand Final series, second seed Adelaide (19-11) delivered the initial blow (100-93) on the back of first-year import Kevin Brooks (24 points and 8 rebounds). Amazingly, game one of the Grand Final was only the second time the 36ers had defeated the Magic since the Eastside Melbourne Spectres and Southern Melbourne Saints had merged to form the Magic in 1992.

The 36ers, who had started the season off slowly, had really found their form come the Grand Final and, in game two, obliterated the Magic, who at that point had lost only one home game for the season, at Melbourne Park 90-62. The 36ers held the Magic to less than 15 points in three of the game’s quarters. Brooks (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks) and Martin Cattalini (20 points and 6 rebounds) were brilliant for the 36ers in a game decided by turnovers and free throws, with South East Melbourne finishing with 26 turnovers and 6 of 8 from the free throw line to Adelaide’s 14 turnovers and 25 of 33 from the stripe.

The win saw Adelaide capture their first NBL championship since 1986 with Kevin Brooks being named Grand Final MVP in what was to be the last NBL season played during the winter months. This season also saw the end of the South East Melbourne Magic, who merged with the North Melbourne Giants the following year to become the Victoria Titans. With the Titans combining two NBL rosters many of the older Magic players Dorge (aged 36) and Parkinson (aged 31) would be left without a roster spot and retire at seasons end.

Andrew Parkinson played ten seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Geelong Supercats, and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 10.6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assists in 265 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (811 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.