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 with 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 | 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 | 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)
HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PLAYER?
Whilst we try to source as much information as we can for every player who has ever played in the NBL some information on a player profile may be missing. If you have additional information on a player you'd like us to add to a profile, please send it to us using the enquiry form below.
Submissions are then sent to info@aussiehoopla.com
-
ARE THE HAWKS “TIRED” OF TATUM’S VOICE?
Larry Bird believed players began tuning out coaches after three years. Pat Riley reportedly put the limit at five, while Steve Kerr admitted his Golden State players were tired of hearing him in his fourth season. Now Justin Tatum is in his fourth season with Illawarra, and the Hawks have gone from NBL champions to the bottom of the ladder. Could they be experiencing the same problem? Justin Tatum transformed Illawarra from one of the NBL's worst teams into champions. But ahead of today's clash…
READ MORE -
COULD BRIAN GOORJIAN HAVE SAVED THE MELBOURNE TIGERS?
In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers were fighting for survival when they identified an opportunity to attract supporters from their biggest rivals. Their plan to honour Brian Goorjian was blocked by the Victoria Giants, potentially changing the course of Melbourne basketball history. In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers devised a plan that could have changed the future of their club. The Tigers were emerging from financial administration, crowds were falling and the club had been forced to abandon its home at Vodafone Arena, now known as John…
READ MORE -
GOLD COAST NBL EXPANSION SET TO BECOME A REALITY?
A new funding proposal, a crucial November meeting and renewed interest from the NBL could finally provide a pathway for professional basketball to return to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast's long-running push to return to the NBL has reached another critical stage, with Mayor Tom Tate preparing to meet Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie in November to discuss the future of the proposed $1 billion Gold Coast Arena. After years of negotiations, changing timelines and funding setbacks, the city's hopes of securing an NBL…
READ MORE -
Paul Rees on NBL titles, battles with Brian Goorjian and small town success
Four-time NBL champion and 1994 Grand Final MVP Paul Rees joins the podcast to reflect on his journey from small-town basketball to a 17-season NBL career with the Brisbane Bullets, North Melbourne Giants and Adelaide 36ers. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Rees about winning championships with North Melbourne and Adelaide, playing under Brett Brown and Phil Smyth, representing Australia at the 1994 World Championship, and battling Brian Goorjian and some of the NBL’s best teams throughout…
READ MORE -
MELBOURNE UNITED NEEDS TO DECIDE: Are they the Tigers or not?
Jensen Bradtke wearing his father Mark’s famous No. 50 should be one of the great stories of NBL27. Instead, it has again exposed a question Melbourne United has never properly answered: when does Melbourne Tigers history belong to United, and when doesn’t it? Seeing BRADTKE and No. 50 together on a Melbourne basketball jersey again should be nothing other than a celebration. Jensen Bradtke is beginning his first season with Melbourne United, wearing the same number his father Mark wore through one of the great…
READ MORE -
The Next Step: Breakout player candidates for NBL27
Every NBL pre-season, there is plenty of attention on players around the league who could take the next step in their professional basketball journey. A breakout can happen in different ways. For some players, it’s getting more opportunity. For an established player, it can mean building on what they have already achieved and elevating their game to another level. For others, it may simply take a new home where their skills can be maximised. Below are four players who I think are ready to break…
READ MORE -
Mario Donaldson on THAT 1994 NBL Dunk Contest and his time playing with Sydney & Canberra
Former Sydney Kings and Canberra Cannons import Mario Donaldson joins the podcast to revisit his time in the NBL, including competing in the famous 1994 NBL Dunk Contest, the highs and lows of his seasons in Sydney and Canberra, and the success he found playing around the world. Host Dan Boyce chats with Donaldson about arriving in Sydney in 1994 and playing alongside Leon Trimmingham, helping the Kings return to the playoffs and establishing himself as one of the league’s best outside shooters. Visit dunk.com.au…
READ MORE -
Mitch McCarron on What Went Wrong in Adelaide, United’s 2021 Championship & Overachieving in Cairns
Former NBL champion and Australian Boomer Mitch McCarron joins the podcast to reflect on retiring from professional basketball at just 32, what went wrong during his three seasons with the Adelaide 36ers, and narrowly missing out on representing Australia at an Olympics or World Cup. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with McCarron about the injuries which ultimately ended his NBL career, his transition into coaching and player relations, and why he continues to play basketball with Eltham…
READ MORE