Ben Purser
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 24/02/90
- Place of Birth: Perth (WA)
- Position: SF
- Height (CM): 201
- Weight (KG): 94
- Junior Assoc: WA - Perry Lakes
- College: Augusta (2010–2011)
- NBL DEBUT: 14/10/11
- AGE AT DEBUT: 21
- LAST NBL GAME: 28/03/13
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 23
- NBL History: Perth 2012-13
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Ben Purser was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Ben Purser made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
A former Perth Wildcats development player, Purser debuted for the Hawks in the SBL in 2008 and played a season of college basketball in the United States for Augusta State University in 2010/11.
He joined the Wildcat’s as a development player in 2011, where he appeared in 24 NBL games over two seasons with the team.
In the SBL, Purser has helped the Hawks reach three grand finals while winning one championship.
After runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2011, Purser led the Hawks to victory in 2018 behind a Grand Final MVP performance.
Ben Purser played two seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1.2 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 23 | Perth | 22-6 (2) | 14 | 65.0 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 17 | 24% | 0 | 5 | 0% | 3 | 6 | 50% | 28% | 24% | 4 |
| 2011-12 | 22 | Perth | 19-9 (2) | 10 | 43.0 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 47% | 0 | 4 | 0% | 6 | 7 | 86% | 55% | 47% | 6 | Totals | 24 | 108 | 31 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 32 | 34.4% | 0 | 9 | 0.0% | 9 | 13 | 69.2% | 41% | 34% | 6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 23 | Perth | 22-6 (2) | 14 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 24% | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0% | 0.2 | 0.4 | 50% | 28% | 24% | 4 |
| 2011-12 | 22 | Perth | 19-9 (2) | 10 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 47% | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0% | 0.6 | 0.7 | 86% | 55% | 47% | 6 | Total | 24 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 34.4% | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.4 | 69.2% | 41% | 34% | 6 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Perry Lakes 2009-21
He is also a four-time SBL All-Defensive Five honouree, a one-time All-Star Five recipient, and in 2009 he won the Most Improved Player award.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Scott joined Marso-Carmo Suzuki NYKK for the 2004–05 Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A season, playing his first season in Hungary and producing 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.9 steals per game across 25 games.
Scott returned to Marso-Carmo Suzuki NYKK early in the 2005–06 season before departing after 11 games with averages of 14.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game, and he moved to Cyprus in December 2005 to play for AEK Larnaca.
Scott went back to Marso-Carmo Suzuki NYKK for the 2006–07 season and played 30 games in Hungary, averaging 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, before stepping up to France when he signed with JA Vichy on September 6, 2007 and later parted ways with the club on January 31, 2008 after nine LNB Pro A games in which he averaged 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds.
Scott stayed in France by joining Vendée Challans Basket in February 2008 and then played the 2008–09 season with Denek Bat Urcuit, and after linking with Rouen Métropole Basket for the 2009–10 LNB Pro A campaign he appeared in one game before a right knee injury ended his stint, finishing with 1 point and 3 rebounds in 16 minutes in that lone outing while sharing the roster with players such as Eric Chatfield, Souarata Cisse and Pierric Poupet.
Scott continued in France with Avenir Serrelous Horsarrieu in 2010–11 before moving to Mexico in April 2012 to join Pioneros de Los Mochis, where he played 32 games in CIBACOPA and averaged 22.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Scott returned to Puerto Rico after the following season and played for Caciques de Humacao in the BSN in 2013, recording 8.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game across 21 games before being released on May 28, 2013, and later that year he went back to Mexico by joining Pioneros de Quintana Roo for the LNBP season and played 10 games between September 26 and November 4 while averaging 11.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game before finishing the 2013–14 campaign with Panteras de Aguascalientes and posting 16.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in 17 games, then closing his international career in Puerto Rico with Brujos de Guayama in March 2014 and averaging 5.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 11 games.
COLLEGE
Purser played college basketball at Augusta State University during the 2010–11 season before not returning for a second year of NCAA eligibility.
In 2010–11, Purser suited up for an Augusta State team that went 30–4 overall and 15–3 in Peach Belt Conference play, finishing 1st in the PBC East Division, with Dip Metress as head coach.
Across 34 games, Purser made 11 starts and averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 20.9 minutes per game for the Jaguars.
Augusta State won the Peach Belt Conference championship and the PBC tournament title in that 2010–11 campaign, matching the program’s 30-win mark for the season.
Early in the season, Purser appeared in the team’s lone exhibition at Georgia on November 4, 2010, pulling down a team-high seven rebounds while Travis Keels led Augusta State with 12 points and George Johnson added 11 points and two steals.
On January 3, 2011, Purser delivered a career-best 21 points off the bench against North Georgia, becoming the fifth different Augusta State player to lead the team in scoring in a five-game stretch, with Keels adding a career-high 18 points, Johnson scoring 15 points with three three-pointers, Franck Ndongo posting 12 points, and Tye Beal handing out seven assists.
That North Georgia win featured Augusta State shooting 62.2% from the field and getting a season-high 46 bench points, while holding its turnovers to nine in the game.
Augusta State’s 2010–11 season earned an NCAA Division II Tournament berth, and the Jaguars hosted the Southeast Regional, beating UNC Pembroke 80–66 in the regional quarterfinals before defeating Queens to advance to the regional championship game.
In the Southeast Regional final, Anderson edged Augusta State 75–73 in overtime, with Anderson blocking a potential game-tying shot with two seconds left in the extra period, ending the Jaguars’ season one win short of the Elite Eight.
During that NCAA tournament run, the Jaguars were ranked No. 3 nationally in the final poll referenced in the program’s NCAA tournament summary, reflecting the level of Augusta State’s 30-win season.
Purser is listed on Augusta State’s 2010–11 roster as a Perth, Australia product, and his season is commonly summarized as a one-year NCAA Division II stint before he returned to Australia to pursue his next level opportunity.
AWARDS
- SBL Most Improved Player (2009)
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