BIO: Brad Davidson was born in Mildura (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Grafton basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Brad Davidson made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 22 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.

Townsville entered 1997 after a 9-17 season and added rookie guard Brad Davidson following two seasons with Suncoast in the Queensland state league, where he had won two Golden Hands awards for steals. Cameron Dickinson (to Sydney) and David Blades (retired) left the Suns, while the league’s contraction made Simon Kerle (via Geelong) and Tony De Ambrosis (via Gold Coast) available to join returning captain Derek Rucker, Clarence Tyson, Jason Cameron and Grant Kruger under fifth-year coach Mark Bragg.

Davidson made his NBL debut against Melbourne at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on April 12, scoring 3 points with 1 steal in 9:27 and making his only three-point attempt. Tyson (24 points and 10 rebounds) and Rucker (23 points, 6 rebounds, and 12 assists) led Townsville, while Andrew Gaze (37 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals) carried Melbourne to a 115-113 victory.

Davidson (1.9 points across 27 games) spent his rookie season in a low-minute backcourt role behind Rucker, averaging 7.5 minutes while providing another outside shooting option from the bench. Townsville recovered quickly from its opening defeat, winning its next three games to reach 3-1, before remaining in the finals race throughout the season and improving to 10-8 by late July.

His highest-scoring performance came at the AIS Arena on September 6, when Davidson made 4-of-6 field goals and three of four three-pointers to score 11 points in 10:26. Rucker (28 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 1 steal) and Tyson (17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks) led Townsville, while Troy Pilon (23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) delivered one of his strongest games for Canberra as the Cannons won 101-98. Tyson suffered a season-ending knee injury during the game, a major blow with Townsville sitting 14-10 and needing only one victory from its final six games to secure the franchise’s first finals berth.

Rucker (25.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 2.6 steals across 30 games) remained Townsville’s offensive leader, finishing second in the NBL in scoring and assists and third in steals before earning All-NBL First Team honours and the club MVP award. Tyson (22 points and 13.7 rebounds across 25 games) led the league in rebounding and joined Rucker on the All-NBL First Team, while Kerle (16.7 points and 4.1 assists across 30 games), Cameron (12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 30 games) and De Ambrosis (11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds across 28 games) provided the main support around them.

With Tyson unavailable, Townsville added Chris Sneed (15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2 steals across 3 games) for the closing stretch, but the Suns were unable to find the victory they needed and carried a five-game losing streak into their final game against Perth.

Davidson (3 points) made his only field-goal attempt, a three-pointer, in 3:31 against the Wildcats on September 26. Rucker (36 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) and Sneed (16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) led Townsville, while Todd Lichti (25 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals) paced Perth to a 102-100 victory, completing the Suns’ six-game losing streak and leaving Townsville eighth with a 14-16 record, one win short of its first NBL finals appearance.

1998
After falling one win shy of a maiden playoff berth in 1997 when Clarence Tyson went down late, Townsville entered 1998 intent on breaking through under sixth-year coach Mark Bragg, retaining Derek Rucker, Simon Kerle, Jason Cameron, Grant Kruger, Keiron Mitchelhill, and Brad Davidson while veteran Shane Froling exited (retired) and Tyson remained sidelined, with Ray Owes (via Geelong) and rookie Travis Lindstrom added and Tony De Ambrosis (via Gold Coast) joining during the season to bolster the frontcourt rotation.

Townsville opened with a statement road win over Perth (89–87) as Derek Rucker (34 points and 6 assists) controlled proceedings, Ray Owes (19 points and 13 rebounds) impressed first-up, and Simon Kerle (14 points and 38 minutes) balanced the perimeter while Brad Davidson (6 points and 20:39 minutes) drilled two early threes, with Ricky Grace (21 points and 8 assists) the Wildcats’ best before the Suns slipped to 2–6 by early March.

Rucker’s fireworks headlined the first half when he detonated against Brisbane (116–98) with Derek Rucker (51 points and 11 threes) supported by Simon Kerle (26 points and 7 threes) and Ray Owes (12 points and 11 rebounds) as Brad Davidson (0 points and 5:05 minutes) saw limited action, but had a front row seat to see Rucker and Bullets star Leroy Loggins (39 points and 5 threes) put on a show. Townsville flipped the script in rematch with Brisbane (103–102), thanks to Derek Rucker (23 points and 10 assists), Simon Kerle (20 points and 3 threes), Ray Owes (12 points and 9 rebounds), and Tony De Ambrosis (14 points and 7 rebounds) with Brad Davidson (3 points and 10:11 minutes) notching up a three, while Steve Woodberry (28 points and 6 rebounds) led the hosts.

Momentum spiked with a marquee road rout of Melbourne (114–96) as Derek Rucker (26 points and 15 assists) orchestrated, Tony De Ambrosis (21 points and 9 rebounds) produced his season best. A week later the Furnace rocked during a 113–108 thriller over Sydney with Simon Kerle (35 points and 11-of-11 FT) starring alongside Derek Rucker (29 points and 11 assists). Brad Davidson (3 points and 5:58 minutes) hit a corner three, but again saw limited minutes.

Brad Davidson (3.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.9 steals) improved on his rookie season, which included a nice cameo where Davidson (5 points in 10:30 mins) delivered one of his better games, in a 98–113 loss to Illawarra where Elliott Hatcher (36 points and 6 threes) and Owes (37 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 steals) lit up the scoreboard.

Streaky form ultimately proved decisive as a three-game slide to close the regular season left Townsville ninth at 12–18. Derek Rucker (27.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.7 steals) led the league in assists and finished second in both scoring and steals, Ray Owes (19.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.7 assists) topped the NBL in rebounding and ranked third in blocks, and both were named All-NBL First Team with Rucker also earning club MVP honours, while Simon Kerle (18.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals) supplied consistent perimeter scoring, Jason Cameron (7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Grant Kruger (7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.5 steals) provided steady frontcourt depth.

TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES
1998/99
The summer switch arrived with a full reset in Townsville. Inaugural coach Mark Bragg departed after six seasons and Ian Stacker came north from South East Melbourne. A trademark dispute retired the “Suns” label and ushered in the region-first “Crocodiles,” the same banner Stacker’s under-22s carried to FIBA gold in 1997. Sam Mackinnon followed his new coach north—sparking headlines and tension with Brian Goorjian—and quickly profiled as a cornerstone. Only four holdovers returned (Simon Kerle, Brad Davidson<, David Pennisi, Jason Cameron) as Stacker rebuilt around Robert Rose (via Canberra), Andrew Goodwin (via North Melbourne), James Harper (via South Florida) and the returning Michael Pennisi.

Townsville’s first game under the Crocodiles name was a 91–84 home win over Brisbane. The new core clicked immediately—Mackinnon (18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), David Pennisi (18 points, 5 rebounds), Rose (16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists), Harper (15 points, 12 rebounds), and Kerle (14 points) all scoring in double figures.

A rough run followed before the reset arrived back at the Furnace, a win over Wollongong (93–80), where Mackinnon (26 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists) delivered his best game of the season, with Kerle (21 points) and Rose (20 points) in support. Davidson (0 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists) also received some valuable court time.

Momentum rolled straight into the Crocs’ best offensive performance of the season—120 points against Canberra. Kerle exploded (33 points, 5 assists), the bigs bullied the paint (Goodwin 19, Harper 19 and 13 boards), and Brad Davidson (11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal), produced one of his best games of the season.

Rose (33 points with six threes, 11 rebounds) dropped a season high scoring night during a loss to Brisbane (97–105). In that game, Davidson (9 points, 3 assists, 2 steals) again saw action off the bench and chipped in some timely perimeter buckets.

While Rose (21.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals) led the team in most categories, and earned All-NBL Second Team honours, Mackinnon (16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.0 blocks) blossomed into a two-way star, earning All-NBL Third Team recognition. Other key contributors included Goodwin (14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds) and Harper (10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks) gave the Crocs balance.

Davidson (7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists) saw his role grow larger as the season went on, with the Crocs going on to finish 12–14 (seventh), and fall just short of their first playoff berth.

1999/00
The Townsville Crocodiles entered the 1999/00 season focused on building upon the promising foundation set by head coach Ian Stacker and versatile forward Sam Mackinnon, both in their second year with the franchise. Maintaining strong roster continuity, Townsville retained its talented local core, featuring veteran import guard Robert Rose, improved forward Andrew Goodwin, sharpshooter Brad Davidson, and reliable role player David Pennisi. Notable departures included import centre James Harper and seasoned guard Simon Kerle, replaced by elite defender Mike Kelly (who previously teamed with Stacker and Mackinnon at South East Melbourne), experienced forward Pat Reidy (signed from Newcastle), and emerging big man Ben Knight (arriving from Sydney).

Townsville faced a challenging start to their campaign, dropping their opening match 106–95 against the Victoria Titans—Stacker and Mackinnon’s former club. However, the Crocodiles swiftly bounced back with authority, embarking on an impressive four-game winning streak highlighted by victories against Illawarra (99–88), Sydney (98–88), Cairns (103–75), and Adelaide (131–127). These early wins underscored Townsville’s substantial improvement and hinted at the squad’s true potential.

A key component to their surge was the remarkable rise of Andrew Goodwin, whose scoring increased significantly from 14.7 to 18.0 points per game, alongside averages of 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Goodwin’s standout year earned him the NBL’s Most Improved Player award and made him the team’s top scorer. He was ably supported by Mackinnon, whose all-around production (17.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.1 blocks) continued to impress, and Rose, who remained a major contributor (17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.8 steals). Mike Kelly provided crucial outside shooting, leading the league by hitting 43.9% from three while averaging 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while Pat Reidy (14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists) offered versatility to the starting lineup.

From the bench, Ben Knight contributed important size and energy, averaging 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds en route to capturing the NBL Sixth Man of the Year award. Brad Davidson also provided steady guard play and reliable backcourt depth, averaging 7.1 points and 2.7 assists.

Townsville closed out the regular season with an outstanding 22–6 record—the best in club history at the time—featuring a remarkably balanced performance both at home (11–3) and away (11–3). Their consistency secured them second place on the NBL ladder, granting a valuable first-round playoff bye. Coach Ian Stacker’s efforts were recognised league-wide, culminating in him winning the NBL Coach of the Year award.

In the semi-finals, the Crocodiles matched up against the experienced Perth Wildcats. The opening game in Perth was tightly contested, featuring Mike Kelly’s outstanding 29-point performance in a gripping duel against Wildcats star Ricky Grace (24 points, 6 assists). However, Townsville narrowly fell, 104–101, returning home facing elimination.

The Crocodiles responded brilliantly in Game two, convincingly defeating Perth 101–78 behind dominant performances from Mackinnon (23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals), Reidy (22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists), and Rose (21 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists—just one assist short of a triple-double). The win set the stage for a winner-take-all third game.

Unfortunately for Townsville, Perth’s experience and depth proved decisive in Game three. Despite Rose’s spirited 33-point effort, the Wildcats’ balanced attack led by Ricky Grace (21 points, 11 assists), Anthony Stewart (21 points), Paul Rogers (20 points, 12 rebounds), and Andrew Vlahov (15 points, 17 rebounds) was overwhelming. Perth secured a 104–84 victory, ending Townsville’s memorable season before defeating the Victoria Titans in the Grand Final.

2000/01
Townsville rolled into 2000/01 with almost the entire core intact, Ian Stacker back on the clipboard and the group of Robert Rose, Sam Mackinnon, Pat Reidy, Mike Kelly, Andrew Goodwin, Brad Davidson, Peter Crawford and David Pennisi all returning after the 2000 playoff breakthrough, with the only notable exit being Ben Knight (to Cairns) who was replaced by import Dujuan Wiley.

The Crocodiles launched the season by thumping Cairns 120–85, powered by Mackinnon (35 points, 10 rebounds) and Goodwin (24 points, 8 rebounds), while Rose (13 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) nearly posted a triple-double. Brad Davidson (5 points, 4 assists, 1 steal in 13:30) started his season slowly, but would become a much more important piece of the rotation by seasons end.

A 4–1 open gave way to turbulence with defeats to Adelaide (105–121) and Perth (108–121) and then a Giants double, sliding to 5–4, and around then severe bone bruising ended Mackinnon’s year after 16 games, prompting Stacker to waive Wiley (7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks in 16 games) on 20 January and sign David Hinton (9.8 points, 6.0 rebounds in 19 games) on 2 February, who promptly drilled a clutch three with 16 seconds left on debut to almost force overtime.

The addition of Hinton (9.8 points and 6 rebounds) synced with a blistering eleven-game tear capped by a 126–63 evisceration of Brisbane in Round 22, where Davidson was lethal from deep (18 points, 4-of-6 3PT, 7 assists, 4 rebounds in 38:49) and while Rose authored an 18–14–10 triple-double, Mike Kelly flirted with one himself (8 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds). Andrew Goodwin (22 points) and Pat Reidy (18 points) were also among the games top scorers.

A night later in Round 23, Rose unleashed his season best at Wollongong—93–88—dropping 40 points with 11 rebounds and 5 assists, with Davidson (10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 rebounds in 30:18) playing huge minutes to help ice the road win.

Townsville closed the regular slate at 22–6—then a club record and equal-best in the league—slotting second on percentage behind the Victoria Titans and hitting the finals riding that eleven-game heater, with Davidson (10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals across 37 games) completing a career year that featured 100 made threes and the NBL’s No. 2 three-point percentage.

Rose (22.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks) rose the the occastion after the exit Mackinnon (17.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.1 blocks across 16 games). He would take home league MVP and All-NBL First Team selection while finishing fourth in both scoring and assists and fifth at the stripe. Other key contributors included Reidy (17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists), Kelly (16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists), who ranked top-five in 3PT%, and Goodwin (16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds).

The Crocodiles first playoff opponent would be Sydney, who came away victorious in the first game of the Qualifying Finals (109-127) despite Rose’s 20 points. In game two, Townsville squared things up (121–113) on the back of Reidy (25 points), Kelly (18 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Rose (17 points, 9 assists), and then closed things out in game three (122–114). Rose (22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists), Goodwin (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Davidson (15 points), who splashing a number of timely threes, finishing the game as top scorers.

The next hurdle was Victoria. The Titans protected home court in Game 1 (106–97), where Rose (26 points) and Reidy (19 points), couldn’t overcome Titans duo Tony Ronaldson ( (22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Darryl MacDonald (20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists). Townsville then hit back in the game two (98–82) as Goodwin (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Kelly (16 points, 7 assists) leading the way.

Behind Rose (21 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) and Reidy (20 points) Townsville would get the game three win (101–97), notching up the Croc’s first (and only) Grand Final appearance.

In the Grand Final against Wollongong, the opener saw Rose (26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists) battle through foul trouble, while Hawks stars Melvin Thomas (24 points, 14 rebounds) and Mat Campbell (19 points) notched up a win for the Hawks (104–101). Goodwin (29 points, 8 rebounds) and Davidson (18 points on 7-of-11 FG, 4-of-5 3PT, plus 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 42:22), playing well in the loss.

Back at The Swamp, the Crocs levelled 114–97 with Kelly outstanding (21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), Goodwin (22 points, 13 rebounds) controlling the glass. Davidson (13 points on 5-of-8 FG and 3-of-4 3PT, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals in 39:23) was key to creating space with his outside shooting to get the win, while Wollongong’s points came from Damon Lowery (25 points, 4-of-6 3PT) and Charles Thomas (20 points).

Less than 24 hours later game three was held, the decider swinging the Hawks’ way (97–94). In the loss, Rose (30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals in 46:59) produced a monster game, with Kelly (21 points, 7 rebounds) and Goodwin (22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks on 7-of-11 FG and 7-of-7 FT) also finishing with solid numbers. Davidson (2 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal in 30:05) saw plenty of game time in this one, but struggled to put points on the board like the had in previous playoff games. The Hawks’ best being Charles Thomas (23 points with four triples) and Glen Saville (18 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals).

Brad Davidson played thirteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Townsville Suns, Hunter Pirates, Singapore Slingers, Townsville Crocodiles, Cairns Taipans and Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 393 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 28th in total assists
– 33rd in total steals