Mario Donaldson
September 7, 2026
Bob Turner
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 25/9/53
- Place of Birth: Oakland, California (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 197
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: University of California, Santa Barbara (1973–1976)
NBL CAREER OVERVIEW
NBL DEBUT
24/02/79
Age 25
LAST NBL GAME
7/06/80
Age 26
TEAM HISTORY
- Newcastle1979-80
CHAMPIONSHIPS
None
BIO: Bob Turner was born in Oakland, California (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Bob Turner made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 25 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.
As one of the founding clubs of the NBL, the Newcastle Falcons played a pivotal role in the formation of the league and were responsible for organising its inaugural season. Each of the other eight teams paid the Falcons a $300 participation fee, with Newcastle becoming widely regarded as the birth place of the NBL.
Led by player-coach Bob Turner, the Falcons hosted the very first NBL game at Burwood Stadium—a 78–62 loss to Nunawading. A second defeat followed away to St Kilda (107–81), but Round 2 brought a breakthrough as the Falcons recorded their first win, defeating Brisbane 97–69 at home. That victory sparked the team’s best stretch of the season, with three consecutive wins.
Import Dave Ankeney (25.3 points) led the team in scoring , supported by Dan Riley (19.4) and Turner himself (11.8). Despite a strong home presence, Newcastle struggled on the road (2–7), ultimately finishing in sixth place with an 8–10 record.
1980
The 1980 season saw a coaching change, with Dean Donnollon taking over from Bob Turner as head coach. Turner remained with the team in a reduced playing role, averaging just 3.7 points across limited minutes. The Falcons also added new import Carl Whitfield, who formed a strong scoring duo with returning star Dave Ankeney.
Ankeney (20.0 points) again topped the team in scoring, while Whitfield (19.3), Dave Cook (15.6), and Dan Riley (10.6) rounded out the core contributors. Donnollon also suited up for two games during the season. After an 8-win debut season, the Falcons took a step forward in 1980, finishing with a 13–9 record and ending the year on a five-game winning streak. They narrowly missed the playoffs—just one win short of a top-four finish.
In 1981, the year he won the NBL coach of the year award, he transitioned to a non-playing coach as well as Newcastle’s director of coaching.
Bob Turner played two seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 7.2 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists in 39 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 26 | Newcastle | 13-9 (6) | 22 | 0 | 82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 35 | 70 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 12 | 17 | 71% | 53% | 50% | 14 |
| 1979 | 25 | Newcastle | 8-10 (6) | 17 | 21 | 200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 90 | 181 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 19 | 35 | 54% | 51% | 50% | 17 | Totals | 39 | 21 | 282 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 125 | 251 | 49.8% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 31 | 52 | 59.6% | 51% | 50% | 17 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 26 | Newcastle | 13-9 (6) | 22 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 71% | 52.9% | 50% | 14 |
| 1979 | 25 | Newcastle | 8-10 (6) | 17 | 1.2 | 11.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.1 | 5.3 | 10.6 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.1 | 2.1 | 54% | 50.9% | 50% | 17 | Total | 39 | 0.5 | 7.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 6.4 | 49.8% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 59.6% | 51% | 50% | 17 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Shoalhaven 1976-1978
Turner joined Shoalhaven Tigers for the 1976 NSW state league season as a player-coach, and the club finished as runners-up that year.
Turner returned to Shoalhaven for the 1977 NSW state league season, again serving as player-coach in what was his second season with the Tigers, with Bobinagy’s Australian Basketball Monthly preview noting that Shoalhaven added American forward Mike Jackson and 6-foot-9 UCSB centre Dennis Marschall to a line-up that also included Ray Hannet.
By 1978, Turner’s work at Shoalhaven had helped establish the Tigers as a major force in New South Wales basketball, and he also moved into a wider role in the sport when he was appointed NSW Director of Coaching that year while finishing his two-season tenure with the club from 1976 to 1978.
COLLEGE
Turner played college basketball at the University of California, Santa Barbara, As a freshman he was at UCSB before entering the varsity statistical record as a sophomore in the 1973-74 season under head coach Ralph Barkey.
In 1973-74 UCSB finished 16-10 overall and 7-5 in PCAA play, placing third in the conference, and Turner appeared in 2 games as a guard while averaging 3.0 points, shooting 75.0 percent from the field, and scoring 6 total points.
As a junior in 1974-75 he moved into a larger role for an 18-8 UCSB team coached by Ralph Barkey, with the Gauchos playing as an independent and averaging 78.0 points per game as a team while allowing 72.3.
Turner played 24 games in 1974-75 and averaged 3.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 73.3 percent at the free-throw line.
His senior season came in 1975-76 when UCSB again played under Ralph Barkey and posted a 17-9 record as an independent while averaging 76.8 points per game and allowing 73.8.
Turner played 24 games in 1975-76 and averaged 3.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 91.7 percent at the line.
Across his three recorded varsity seasons at UCSB he played 50 games and averaged 3.3 points per game, with his scoring rising from 3.0 as a sophomore to 3.2 as a junior and 3.5 as a senior.
Turner was part of three straight winning UCSB teams during that span, including the 16-10 PCAA campaign in 1973-74 and back-to-back independent seasons of 18-8 and 17-9 in 1974-75 and 1975-76.
He played in Ralph Barkey’s backcourt as a guard and finished his college career as the captain of the UCSB basketball team before graduating in 1976.
AWARDS
- Coach of the Year (1981)
COACHING HISTORY
Coached Newcastle Falcons for four years (1979-1982). During that time the team narrowly missed reaching the Final Four three of the year years.
Signed a three-year deal to coach Canberra Cannons in 1983. Turner would replace Ian Ellis.
Bob Turner's appointment in Canberra would see him become the NBL’s first full-time coach.
Turner left the Cannons after 1986 to form a sports marketing agency, and then took up a new challenge to help the NBL win over Sydney, taking on the Kings in 1989.
Related
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