BIO: Ben Thompson was born in Dubbo (NSW) before later moving to Queensland where he family resided in Calamvale. He began playing basketball as a junior with the Southern Districts Spartans basketball program where many who saw a young Benny Thompson predicted he would be a star as they watched his rise through the junior ranks in Queensland – and that’s exactly what he was. One of the most gifted players coming out of the state in his time, Thompson could do it all. He could score with the best of them, he could shoot from the perimeter, had athleticism to burn in his younger years, could defend and was the ultimate competitor.

Thompson would go on to have a long career in the NBL with the Brisbane Bullets, West Sydney Razorbacks, Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers but would also win championships for fun in the mid to late 2000s in the QABL. Thompson received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1996. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Ben Thompson made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 19 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

Following the previous season’s quarterfinal defeat to Melbourne, Brisbane moved on from Mike Mitchell (to North Melbourne), Andrew Goodwin (to North Melbourne), Luke Gribble, Ryan Stolberg and Shaun Guy, while captain Leroy Loggins, Steve Woodberry, Mike McKay, Rodger Smith, Mark Dalton, Robert Sibley and Aaron Honeyman returned under second-year head coach David Ingham. Leonard White (via Pau-Orthez), Andrew Ramsay (via Geelong), Toby Zaremba (via Gold Coast), John Szigeti (via Gold Coast) and rookie Ben Thompson (via AIS) were added, although Ramsay did not appear in an NBL game.

Thompson made his NBL debut in Brisbane’s second game on April 19, scoring 2 points in six minutes as defending champion South East Melbourne defeated the Bullets 99-77 at the Brisbane Convention Centre, with Loggins (15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) and Woodberry (15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) leading Brisbane.

Thompson (6.9 points across 29 games) appeared in 27 of Brisbane’s 30 regular-season games and both quarterfinals during his rookie season. His three non-appearances all came during the opening six rounds before he became a regular in the rotation, with no injury reported during those early absences. Thompson had spent the previous year on scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport before joining Brisbane.

White (16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals across 3 games) began the season as one of Brisbane’s imports but was cut after the opening three games, with Dwayne McClain (via Gold Coast) brought in as his replacement. McClain (16.8 points, 8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals across 21 games) had played the final six games of Gold Coast’s 1996 season before the financially troubled Rollers folded and became one of Brisbane’s main scorers following his arrival.

Thompson’s best game came against North Melbourne at the Melbourne Sports & Entertainment Centre on May 31, where Thompson (18 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 1 block) made 6-of-10 shots, three of six three-pointers and three of four free throws in 34 minutes as Brisbane defeated the Giants 102-97, with Woodberry (30 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) and McClain (24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) leading the Bullets.

On September 19, Thompson (10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) made five of 11 shots as Brisbane edged Adelaide 86-85 at the Brisbane Convention Centre, with Loggins (30 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Woodberry (22 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block) leading the Bullets.

McClain suffered an injury against Townsville on September 13 after playing only 7:39, keeping him out of Brisbane’s final four regular-season games and both quarterfinals.

Woodberry (21.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2 steals across 32 games) narrowly led Brisbane in scoring and joined Loggins (21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.9 steals across 32 games) on the All-NBL Second Team, with Loggins also representing Brisbane at the NBL All-Star Game and winning the three-point shootout at 39 years of age. McKay (18.6 points and 5 rebounds across 7 games) was productive across seven appearances, while Smith (9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 steals across 32 games) and Dalton (8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds across 32 games) provided the other major contributions. Brisbane finished the regular season fifth with a 15-15 record, winning the head-to-head tie-breaker over Canberra.

Brisbane opened its quarterfinal series at the Perth Entertainment Centre on October 4, where Thompson (4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block), Loggins (32 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks) and Woodberry (23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals) led the Bullets, while Ricky Grace (18 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals), Todd Lichti (15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Andrew Vlahov (14 points and 12 rebounds) helped Perth escape with an 81-79 win.

Game two moved to the Brisbane Convention Centre on October 7, where Thompson (8 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, and 1 block), Woodberry (21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block) and Dalton (16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) led Brisbane, while Grace (25 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals), Vlahov (21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) and David Van Dyke (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Perth to an 88-71 victory and completed the two-game sweep.

1998
After four consecutive first-round playoff exits, Brisbane released head coach David Ingham and brought Brian Kerle back to the club after he had previously coached the Bullets to championships in 1985 and 1987. Mike McKay (to Canberra), Dwayne McClain, Mark Dalton (to Wollongong), Robert Sibley and Leonard White departed, while captain Leroy Loggins, Steve Woodberry, Rodger Smith, John Szigeti, Aaron Honeyman and Ben Thompson returned. Kerle added import Chuck Kornegay, Mark Nash, CJ Bruton (via Indian Hills CC), Ryan Stolberg and Ben Castle.

The high cost of playing home games at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, combined with falling attendances, also led the Bullets to move into the smaller 4,000-seat Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from the beginning of the season.

Thompson (6.3 points across 13 games) returned for his second NBL season but did not make his first appearance of 1998 until May 2 against Newcastle. He then appeared in each of Brisbane’s final ten regular-season games and three of their four playoff games.

Thompson’s best and highest-scoring game came against South East Melbourne on May 10, where Thompson (21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals) made 9-of-14 shots in 37 minutes. Woodberry (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists) provided the other major scoring contribution, but the Magic defeated Brisbane 107-77 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Thompson (13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks) then produced another strong performance in Brisbane’s final regular-season game against Adelaide on June 7, making three of four three-pointers as the Bullets won 101-89. Woodberry (24 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 block) recorded a triple-double and Bruton (15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) provided further support, while John Rillie (19 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) led Adelaide. The victory left Brisbane fourth with a 16-14 record and gave the Bullets home-court advantage over Melbourne through the head-to-head tie-breaker.

Woodberry (26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals across 34 games) led Brisbane in scoring, led the NBL in free-throw percentage at 92.2 percent and earned All-NBL First Team honours. Loggins (17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals across 26 games) remained another major scoring option, while Kornegay (16.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks across 32 games) provided the interior presence. Bruton (15.4 points, 4 assists, and 1.8 steals across 34 games) became a key part of the backcourt and Nash (9.8 points and 8.2 rebounds across 34 games) added further size and rebounding.

Thompson did not play as Brisbane opened the elimination finals at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre with a 93-80 victory over defending champion Melbourne. Woodberry (24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block) and Nash (20 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) led Brisbane, while Andrew Gaze (34 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) was Melbourne’s best.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Thompson (3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block) played 4:28 as Brisbane overwhelmed the Tigers 114-81. Loggins (27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Nash (16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) led the Bullets, while Lanard Copeland (22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) was Melbourne’s leading scorer. The sweep moved Brisbane beyond the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Brisbane returned home for the opening game of the semifinals against minor premier South East Melbourne, where Thompson (0 points and 1 steal) played 55 seconds. Woodberry (46 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 assist) produced the highest-scoring game of his NBL career and Kornegay (19 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) provided support, while Tony Ronaldson (26 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Mike Kelly (25 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led the Magic to a 106-98 victory.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Thompson (0 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist) played 12:58 as Woodberry (28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) and Bruton (15 points and 4 assists) led Brisbane. Sam Mackinnon (30 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block) and Ronaldson (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) led South East Melbourne to a 90-84 victory, completing the semifinal sweep and ending Brisbane’s season one round short of the Grand Final.

WEST SYDNEY RAZORBACKS
1998/99
In 1998/99, Thompson averaged 4.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists as the Razorbacks finished in eighth place (12-14).

1999/00
In 1999/00, Thompson averaged 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, playing a key role in the Razorbacks rotation, helping the team finish in a sixth place (12-16).

PERTH WILDCATS
2000/01
The 2000/01 season saw Thompson average 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists and play a key role in helping the Wildcats to a third place finish in the regular season (21-7).

2001/02
During the 2001/02 season Thompson averaged 10 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists and helped the Wildcats finish the regular season in a second place (17-13).

2002/03
In 2002, club legend and captain Andrew Vlahov retired after 12 seasons, leaving Ricky Grace as the only remaining Wildcat from the team’s early championships in the 1990s. Following Vlahov’s retirement, Grace became captain of the Wildcats’ (a role he continued until his retirement) before the closure of the Perth Entertainment Centre saw the Wildcats return to their old home, the Superdrome (now HBF Stadium), for the 2002/03 season.

Vlahov’s retirement created a enormous gap in both leadership and frontcourt that seemed impossible to fill. However, as a result of the unexpected demise of the Victoria Titans, Vlahov’s fellow Australian Boomers teammate Tony Ronaldson would join the team and capably fill his role. Big man Brett Wheeler would also move across from Victoria to Perth and fill the shoes of the recently departed Paul Rogers, who had decided to return to his hometown 36ers.

The team would start the year with a 5-1 record, losing only to Wollongong, with the team hardly missing a step despite losing Vlahov and Rogers. Import Rob Feaster (19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists) would lead the team in scoring, while the recently acquired Wheeler (12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds) led the team in rebounds, and Ricky Grace (18.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists) led both the team and league in assists.

Thompson added 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists as the new-look squad delivered a balanced offensive attack with seven players, all scoring in double figures (James Harvey 14 ppg, Stephen Black 12.6 ppg, Tony Ronaldson 12 ppg, and Matthew Burston 11.6 ppg). As a result, the Wildcats were unbeatable at home, finishing with a 14-1 home record and ending the regular season on a four-game winning streak. Perth and Sydney ended the season with equal records (22-8) but due to the Kings having the head-to-head advantage (2-1), the Wildcats finished in second place, with the Kings claiming top spot.

The Wildcats balanced roster saw a number of players recognised at the 2003 NBL awards night. Stephen Black earned the Sixth Man of the Year award, and Matthew Burston won the league’s Most Improved Player award, having leapt from 2.3 ppg in 6 minutes of game time to 11.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg and averaging 21 minutes per game. Grace’s continued form saw him named to the All-NBL First team for the fourth time.

The Qualifying Finals saw Perth matchup against their former teammate Rogers and the Adelaide 36ers. Perth would win games one and three behind big games from Grace, who came up big in Perth’s wins in game one (29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists) and game three (32 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists).

Perth’s semi-final matchup would be against fourth-seed Illawarra, who they swiftly eliminated in two straight games with the one-two punch of Grace and Wheeler really hitting its stride. Game one saw Grace (24 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists) and Wheeler (21 points and 7 rebounds) destroy the Hawks 121-90 at home before a similar result saw Grace (26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists) and Wheeler (27 points and 14 rebounds) eliminate the Hawks in Perth for game two (113–84). The win saw Perth reach their seventh Grand Final in 17 years.

The Kings had followed a similar playoff path to the Wildcats, defeating Melbourne (2-1) in the Qualifying Finals before convincing wins over Townsville (2-1) resulted in the two squads who had led the competition all season facing off in the Grand Final.

The Kings lineup, which featured league MVP Chris Williams, Shane Heal and Matt Nielsen, guided Sydney to a narrow victory at home for the opening game, overcoming the phenomenal play of Grace (15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists), who recorded the second triple double ever in a grand final series. With Williams (26 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals) shooting 12/23 from the field, the Kings claimed the opening game (98-94).

Even with game two being held in Perth and Feaster (40 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal) doing everything he could, including scoring 30 points in 4th quarter, the same result followed. Behind a near triple double from Shane Heal (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists), a big defensive effort from Nielsen (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks), and another stellar performance from Williams (24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), this time shooting a even higher percentage (10/17 shooting), Sydney won their first NBL championship (117-101). Williams would be a unanimous choice for named Finals MVP.

2003/04
In the days following their grand final loss to Sydney, Perth choose not to renew Alan Black’s contract and parted ways with him for a second time (he was sensationally sacked in 1990 after just one season as a coach before being brought back in 1998 to replace the outgoing Adrian Hurley. After the change, Perth struggled to retain a lot of the roster which had reached the 2003 NBL Grand Final under Black, with only five players returning for 2003/04. Team captain Ricky Grace, James Harvey, Tony Ronaldson, Matthew Burston and Ben Thompson remained as the club’s core group after losing Brett Wheeler (Sydney) and last season’s leading scorer Rob Feaster (Victoria) after both were asked to take 30% pay cut. They were then replaced with import tandem Reed Rawlings and John Jackson. Young guns Travis Lane and Liam Rush were also signed to fill out the team’s second unit.

Past Wildcat legend Mike Ellis was brought in as head coach and struggled to retain the previous season’s roster, which had reached the Grand Final under Black. Only five players would return, Ricky Grace (team captain), James Harvey, Tony Ronaldson, Matthew Burston and Ben Thompson. Brett Wheeler (Sydney) and last season’s leading scorer Rob Feaster (Victoria) both signed with other clubs after being asked to take a 30% pay cut and replaced with young talent Travis Lane (Sydney) and rookie Liam Rush. Imports Reed Rawlings and John Jackson were both added to round out the roster.

After losing the first two games of the season, Reed Rawlings (12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds) was replaced by Rashad Tucker, who performed well in his debut, but it was when Ricky Grace went down with a injury that Tucker took control of the team and the point guard spot and setting a NBL record for single-season triple-doubles, notching up six during his first year with the Wildcats.

This season also saw James Harvey (20.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) develop into one of the league’s most potent offensive weapons, his scoring increasing by 6 points per game, becoming the team’s leading scorer. while Thompson averaged 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

In Ellis’ lone season as coach of the Wildcats, the team would record their first losing season (15 wins, 18 losses) since 1986, finishing in the seventh spot after a season destroying team’s at home (13-3) but failing to win on the road (2-15). In a year where the league’s top eight team’s would make the playoffs thanks to a early format of the play-in tournament, the Wildcat’s faced sixth-placed Cairns in a qualification game. There, former Perth guard Anthony Stewart (30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists) led Cairns to victory (103-96) and ended the Wildcats’ season.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2004/05
The Breakers entered their second NBL season looking to improve on their tenth-place finish in their first year during their debut season. The Breakers moved Frank Arsego, who had replaced Jeff Green mid-season, into a permanent position as the team’s head coach. The next move was locking in the Breakers’ leading scorer and MVP from the previous season, Mike Chappell, and replacing import Casey Frank with Shawn Redhage, who had been dominating the state league (SEABL).

Ben Melmeth would return to his hometown of Newcastle to play for the Hunter Pirates. He was replaced with fellow Aussie big man Ben Pepper, whose former team, the Victoria Giants, had vacated the league due to financial issues.

To begin the season, Paul Henare was made co-captain, alongside last year’s ‘skipper’ Pero Cameron, and despite falling short in their opening game (a re-match of the team’s first ever game against Adelaide, which they lost 94-106) they started the season by splitting the first games six games and sit within the middle of the were pack with a 3-3 record.

Although Redhage (12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists) made a impressive start to the season, a form slump in November, which saw the team lose six of its seven games, led to Redhage’s court time being reduced and eventually his release after 13 games.

While Redhage would go on to sign with Perth and become one of the NBL’s all-time greats, his replacement came in the form of Marcus Timmons (9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals). A clear mistake had been made there, however, as shortly after taking the court, it was clear Timmons was no longer the player he was back when he joined the Melbourne Tigers mid-season in 1997 and led them to a championship.

Chappell (18 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists) would lead the team in scoring for a second consecutive season, while Aaron Olson would boost his scoring from 10.8 points per game to 15.5 points per game and win the club’s MVP award at the end of the season.

Thompson appeared in 31 games and averaged 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, while the Breakers finished in eleventh place (9-23), failing to improve on their debut season.

2005/06
With the Breakers still searching for their first winning season, they chose not to re-sign Mike Chappell, the Breakers’ leading scorer from the past two seasons and appointed a new head coach Andrej Lemanis. Lemanis had played in the NBL during the 1980s and 1990s and spent the previous five seasons as a assistant coach with the Townsville Crocodiles.

Lemanis inherited a Breakers squad who had seen both its national team players, Pero Cameron (Gold Coast) and Dillon Boucher (Perth), leave for better opportunities on other NBL team’s.

Lemanis looked to build around its young turning core group, which included Aaron Olsen, Ben Pepper, Lindsay Tait and Paul Henare, who was named team captain with the departure of co-captain Pero Cameron.

Rugged defender Ben Thompson and New Zealand born Adrian Majstrovich (both via Perth) were added to the roster, as was the import duo of Rich Melzer and Brant Bailey.

The Breakers started the season poorly (1-5) and quickly made the decision to replace Bailey (18.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) with Brian Green (18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals).

Melzer (18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) would lead New Zealand in scoring while the Breakers continued to see strong development from young gun Aaron Olson (17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) and Ben Pepper (14.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) was a force inside the paint. Thompson averaged 6.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, appearing in 17 of the Breakers’ games.

Lemanis’ first season in charge was not particularly memorable. During the season, the Breakers endured a team-worst eleven straight losses, but after making the personnel changes, the team split their final twelve games of the season and finished the regular season tenth out of eleven team’s (9-23).

Ben Thompson played ten seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, West Sydney Razorbacks, Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 7.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 267 NBL games.