NBL EXPERIENCE

Brad Williamson made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Brisbane entered the 2003/04 season with Damien Ryan, Randy Rutherford, Simon Kerle, Troy Pilon, Andrew Lattimer, Glen Siegle, Lloyd Lewis and Robert Sibley exiting the team after the Bullets had missed the playoffs the previous year.

Kevin Freeman, Wade Helliwell, Ben Castle, Daniel Egan and Bobby Brannen returned from the previous season’s group, while Joey Wright added Stephen Black (via Perth), Derek Rucker (via West Sydney), Michael Hill (via Canberra), Paul Rees (via Adelaide), Ben Walker and rookie Brad Williamson.

The Bullets opened the season with a 97-88 road loss to Melbourne before rebounding the next night with a 106-96 win over Victoria.

Williamson (0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds across 4 games) saw limited court time as a rookie, joining a deep Brisbane roster that quickly moved from outside the playoffs into one of the league’s strongest regular-season teams.

Black (21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) immediately became Brisbane’s leading scorer and was named to the All-NBL First Team, while Freeman (20.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2 assists) gave the Bullets another elite offensive piece before injuries limited his season.

Brannen (18.8 points and 9.6 rebounds) and Rucker (18.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.9 steals) gave Brisbane four major scoring options, with Rucker returning to the Bullets after earlier starring for the club in the early 1990s.

Castle (10.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals) delivered his best defensive season and was named NBL Best Defensive Player, while Hill (10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), Helliwell (9 points and 5.9 rebounds across 16 games), Egan (7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds), Rees (4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds), Darragh, Nasalo, Lennon, Jeka and Williamson filled out Wright’s rotation.

Brisbane’s two leading offensive players were Black and Freeman, but the Bullets’ depth and defensive improvement were what lifted the team into the top four.

The Bullets closed the regular season with back-to-back wins, defeating Wollongong 118-112 before edging Sydney 94-93 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Brisbane finished fourth with a 22-11 record, going 12-4 at home and 10-7 on the road, while Wright was named NBL Coach of the Year.

The quarterfinals sent Melbourne to Brisbane, where the Bullets defeated the Tigers 112-101 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in front of 3,424 fans to advance to the semifinals.

The semifinals opened in Sydney, where the Kings defeated Brisbane 104-100 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in front of 6,005 fans to take control of the series.

Game two moved to Brisbane, where the Kings ended the Bullets’ season with a 101-96 win in front of 4,213 fans before going on to win the 2004 NBL championship.

Williamson’s rookie season came in a small development role on a Brisbane team that jumped from missing the playoffs to fourth place, ending with a 101-96 semifinal loss to Sydney.

2004/05
Brisbane entered the 2004/05 season with Wade Helliwell, Ben Walker, Paul Rees, Damien Lennon and Lee Jeka exiting the team after the Bullets had reached the semifinals the previous year.

Kevin Freeman, Stephen Black, Derek Rucker, Bobby Brannen, Michael Hill, Daniel Egan, Ben Castle, Adam Darragh, Peni Nasalo and Brad Williamson returned from the previous season’s group, while Joey Wright added Bryant Matthews, Simon Kerle, Jason Eversteyn and Miles Pearce.

Williamson (1 point, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists across 5 games) remained on the edge of the rotation in his second NBL season, seeing limited minutes on a Brisbane roster loaded with experienced scorers and veteran guards.

Freeman (20.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across 13 games) was productive when available, while Black (19 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists) again gave Brisbane a high-level local scoring guard.

Rucker (17.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals), Matthews (17.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals), Brannen (17.3 points and 10.5 rebounds) and Kerle (12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) gave the Bullets one of the deeper offensive groups in the league.

Brisbane’s two leading offensive players were Freeman and Black, with Rucker, Matthews and Brannen giving Wright enough scoring and rebounding to keep the Bullets in the top half of the ladder despite Freeman missing a large part of the season.

Egan (9.8 points and 7 rebounds), Hill (8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds), Castle (5.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2 assists), Darragh, Eversteyn, Nasalo, Pearce and Williamson filled out the rest of the rotation.

The Bullets finished fifth with a 17-15 record, edging Melbourne and Perth in a three-way head-to-head tiebreaker after all three teams finished level on wins and losses.

Brisbane opened the elimination finals at home, defeating Hunter 113-99 at the Brisbane Convention Centre in front of 2,628 fans.

The next elimination final sent Brisbane to Adelaide, where the Bullets defeated the 36ers 125-110 to move into the semifinals against Sydney.

The semifinals opened at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, where the Kings defeated Brisbane 113-79 to take control of the series.

Game two moved back to Brisbane, where the Bullets pushed harder but still fell short, losing 111-105 in front of 4,000 fans as Sydney completed the sweep.

Williamson’s second season remained a development year behind Brisbane’s veteran rotation, ending with a 111-105 semifinal loss to Sydney.

2005/06
Brisbane entered the 2005/06 season with Kevin Freeman, Bryant Matthews, Simon Kerle, Ben Castle, Jason Eversteyn, Adam Darragh and Miles Pearce exiting the team after the Bullets had reached the semifinals the previous year.

Stephen Black, Derek Rucker, Bobby Brannen, Michael Hill, Daniel Egan, Brad Williamson and Peni Nasalo returned from the previous season’s group, while Joey Wright added Mark Bradtke (via Melbourne), Lanard Copeland (via Melbourne), Sam Mackinnon (via West Sydney), Adam Gibson, Callum Baynes, Michael Shaw, Daniel George and Brad Kelleher.

Williamson (3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) moved into a slightly larger role in his third season with Brisbane, giving the Bullets another local guard off the bench as the roster shifted around a more experienced core.

Black (18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Rucker (16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists) again gave Brisbane its two leading backcourt scorers, while Brannen (16.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) remained a strong frontcourt scorer.

Bradtke (15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) added size and experience after arriving from Melbourne, while Mackinnon (13.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks) gave Brisbane one of the league’s best all-round forwards.

Hill (12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists), Copeland (9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists), Egan (5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds), Williamson and Gibson filled out Wright’s main rotation as Brisbane returned to the playoffs.

Brisbane finished sixth with a 17-15 record, earning a home elimination final against seventh-placed Perth.

The elimination final was played in front of 3,996 Bullets fans, where Brisbane fell short in a sudden-death 86-91 loss to the Wildcats.

Bradtke (22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) led the way for Brisbane, while Matt Shanahan (22 points) and Tony Ronaldson (20 points and 8 rebounds) were best for Perth.

Williamson’s third season with Brisbane saw him take another small step forward off the bench, but the Bullets’ season ended with a 86-91 elimination final loss to Perth.

2006/07 – THE GREATEST NBL TEAM OF ALL-TIME?
Brisbane continued to develop its roster in 2007, adding the country’s best backcourt player in CJ Bruton (via Sydney) to the existing combo of two of Australia’s greatest frontcourt talents, Sam MacKinnon and Mark Bradtke. Signing Bruton also led to the Bullets moving on from long-term import duo Derek Rucker and Bobby Brannen. Ebi Ere, Bruton’s backcourt partner for the Kings championship in 2004, and do-it-all forward Dusty Rychart (via Adelaide) were signed as import replacements and, with the roster having a number of scoring options, chose not to re-sign Lanard Copeland (to Adelaide) and Daniel Egan (to Townsville) and brought in defensive stopper Dillon Boucher (via Perth) who Bullets front office felt was responsible for the Wildcats eliminating the team from the playoffs the previous season, after shutting down leading scorer Stephen Black.

The Bullets began the season by winning the NBL Preseason Blitz (Coffs Harbour), with Bruton being named MVP of the tournament. In contrast, Brisbane began the regular season with a largely indifferent record (3-3), which by the season’s mid-way point was a respectable, but not at all earth-shattering 10 wins and 5 losses. Reigning champions Melbourne (11-4) sat on top of the ladder, although Brisbane had managed to defeat them in their first matchup of the season (98-85). From here, the Bullets reached a level that has many considering this team to be the greatest of all time. Brisbane wouldn’t lose for the remainder of the regular season, heading into the playoffs on a 18 game winning streak. During this time, seven of the team’s victories come in wins by 30 points or more, including a run of three games against Adelaide, New Zealand and Singapore, where they won by 32, 34, and 32, respectively.

Mackinnon (18.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks) would deliver perhaps the greatest season of all time, becoming the first player in NBL history to win both the Best Defensive Player and Most Valuable Player award in the same season. Making Brisbane even tougher to stop is the fact that besides MacKinnon, they had five guys who could take over a game at any time in Ere (17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), Rychart (15.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals), Bruton (14 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists), Black (13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists) and Bradtke (10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists).

Joey Wright would be named coach of the year before leading Brisbane to a seven-point win over Sydney (91-84) in the first game of the semi-finals. Ere (22 points) led the Bullets in scoring. Game two moved to Sydney, where Ere (23 points) would again finish as the game-high scorer, but it was Bruton (21 points) that sealed the series, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter to eliminate his former club from the playoffs (93-86).

Melbourne (25-8) had finished second on the ladder and defeated Cairns (2-0) to meet Brisbane in the Grand Final. Playing at home, Brisbane extended their winning streak to 21, narrowly defeating Melbourne by three points (98-95). Stephen Black (24 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) top scoring, alongside Sam Mackinnon (18 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks), who came close to racking up a triple-double. Chris Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) would lead the Tigers in the loss.

Melbourne would end the streak in game two, defeating Brisbane (105-91) thanks to a huge game from Anstey (31 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and the Tigers dominating the Bullets on the glass (59 to 44 rebounds).

Brisbane returned home for game three where they had only lost one game for the entire season and made sure Anstey (9 points and 13 rebounds) wouldn’t have a repeat performance. MacKinnon, Bradtke and Rychart were instrumental in keeping him off the scoreboard, limiting him to 4 of 15 shooting. Black (22 points) again finished as the game’s high scorer, with MacKinnon (19 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals) filling every other column of the stat sheet to give the Bullets a 20 point victory (113-93).

In game four, Brisbane defied the odds and defeated Melbourne by nine points (103-94), despite the Tigers shooting a better percentage from the field, beyond the arc and winning the rebound battle. However, Melbourne finishing with 26 turnovers, compared to Brisbane’s 14 was the true indicator of the championship. Rashad Tucker (17 points and 12 rebounds) would lead the Tigers in scoring, while the Bullets held Anstey (16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks) well below his usual scoring averages again, making him shoot 6 from 15 from the field. Bruton (22 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals) and Dusty Rychart (21 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals) were instrumental at both ends of the floor, while MacKinnon (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals), who may have had his quietest game of the series, was awarded the Finals MVP.

MacKinnon would become the first player to ever be selected to the All-NBL First team, win the regular season and finals MVP awards, be the defensive player of the year and win a championship in the same season (Until Chris Anstey would repeat the effort in the following season). Williamson would appear in 38 games and average 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists for the season.

2007/08
After winning the 2006/07 NBL championship, Brisbane entered the 2007/08 season with Mark Bradtke (retired), Stephen Black (to Cairns), and Cameron Tragardh (to Wollongong) exiting the team.

Sam Mackinnon, Ebi Ere, Dusty Rychart, CJ Bruton, Michael Hill, Adam Gibson, Brad Williamson, Dillon Boucher, Chris Goulding, Steven Broom and David Gurney returned from the championship group, while Joey Wright added Craig Bradshaw, Justin Brown and Rhys Martin.

Williamson (8.1 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) delivered the best scoring season of his NBL career, moving into a bigger role as Brisbane tried to defend its title with a different frontcourt and stalwarts Bradtke and Mackinnon battling injuries.

Ere (26 points, 6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) became Brisbane’s leading scorer, led the NBL in points per game and earned All-NBL First Team honours.

Bruton (19.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists) also took on a larger offensive load and was named to the All-NBL Second Team, while Rychart (16.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) remained the Bullets’ main interior scorer.

Mackinnon (14 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists) was still productive when available, but injuries limited the reigning MVP and saw Brisbane forced to rely more heavily on second unit players Bradshaw (13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds), Gibson (11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4 assists), and Hill (7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists).

The Bullets finished third with a 20-10 record, going 13-2 at home and 7-8 on the road while remaining one of the league’s highest-scoring teams. Off the court, the season also became Brisbane’s final campaign before ownership problems led to the club’s license being returned to the NBL after the season. Despite this, Brisbane opened the playoffs at the Brisbane Convention Centre, defeating New Zealand 106-89 in front of 2,787 fans to move into a semifinal matchup with Melbourne.

The semifinals opened at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, where Melbourne defeated Brisbane 116-98 behind Sean Lampley (17 points), David Barlow (17 points) and Daryl Corletto (16 points), while Bruton (29 points), Rychart (20 points and 11 rebounds) and Hill (13 points) led the Bullets.

Game two moved to Brisbane, where Melbourne completed the sweep with a 115-112 overtime win behind Chris Anstey (26 points and 13 rebounds), Dave Thomas (26 points) and Lampley (23 points and 7 rebounds), while Ere (19 points), Bradshaw (19 points) and Bruton (19 points) were Brisbane’s best.

Williamson’s final Brisbane season became the strongest individual year of his Bullets career, but the club’s title defence ended with a 115-112 semifinal loss to Melbourne.

TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES
2008/09
Townsville entered the 2008/09 season with Galen Young, Greg Vanderjagt (to Gold Coast), Drew Williamson (to West Sydney), Ben Pepper, Bradley Sheridan, Anthony Stewart and Chris Cedar exiting the team after the Crocodiles had returned to the playoffs the previous year.

Corey Williams, Rosell Ellis, John Rillie, Kelvin Robertson, Daniel Egan and Michael Cedar returned from the previous season’s group, while Trevor Gleeson added Brad Williamson (via Brisbane), Russell Hinder (via Sydney), Cameron Tovey (via Sydney), Steven Broom (via Brisbane) and Steve Costanzo (via Townsville Heat).

Broom’s season was ended by a shoulder injury before he was able to play, while Anthony Susnjara later joined the roster as Townsville worked through another year where depth and availability shaped the rotation.

The Crocodiles opened the season with a 82-109 road loss to Adelaide before bouncing back with a 91-89 road win over South.

Townsville’s two leading offensive players were Williams (18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.1 steals), who earned All-NBL Second Team honours for the second straight year, and Ellis (14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.8 steals). Williamson (10.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) made the most of his first season in Townsville, stepping into a bigger offensive role after leaving Brisbane and finishing as one of the club’s main perimeter scorers. Lifting his production into double figures made him an important part of the Crocodiles’ scoring balance and he also led the NBL in free throw percentage at 88.5 percent.

Other key contributors that season were Rillie (12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), Hinder (9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists), Robertson (9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), Cedar (8.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists), Egan (8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds) and Tovey (7.4 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) giving Gleeson a deep bench.

The Crocodiles built their playoff push around strong home form, recording key wins over Adelaide 128-105, Cairns 123-92, Gold Coast 115-92 and South 101-98 as they stayed in the top-six race.

Townsville closed the regular season with a 87-103 road loss to Melbourne, finishing fifth with a 17-13 record after Perth won the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two 17-13 teams.

The Crocodiles finished 12-3 at home and 5-10 on the road, with their Townsville Entertainment Centre form keeping the team inside the playoff bracket.

The elimination finals opened in Perth, where Townsville upset the Wildcats 103-96 at Challenge Stadium behind Rillie (34 points) and Williams (28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals), while Shawn Redhage (22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists), Luke Loughton (19 points) and Matthew Knight (10 points and 11 rebounds) led Perth.

The semifinals opened against South, where the Dragons defeated Townsville 94-81 at Hisense Arena as Mark Worthington (27 points), Jason Smith (25 points) and Adam Gibson (18 points) led South, while Rillie (20 points) was the Crocodiles’ best.

Game two moved to Townsville, where the Crocodiles stayed alive with a 82-77 win over South in front of 4,505 fans, forcing a deciding game three against the minor premiers.

Game three returned to Hisense Arena, where South ended Townsville’s season with a 101-78 win before going on to win the 2009 NBL championship.

Williamson’s first season in Townsville became the strongest scoring year of his NBL career, but the Crocodiles’ run ended with a 101-78 semifinal loss to South.

2009/10
Townsville entered the 2009/10 season with Rosell Ellis, John Rillie (to New Zealand), Daniel Egan, Anthony Susnjara and Steven Costanzo exiting the team after the Crocodiles had reached the semifinals the previous year.

Corey Williams, Brad Williamson, Russell Hinder, Kelvin Robertson, Michael Cedar, Cameron Tovey and Keegan Tudehope returned from the previous season’s group, while Trevor Gleeson added Peter Crawford (via Perth), Stephen Hoare (via Melbourne), Rolan Roberts, Jeff Dowdell, Chris Cedar and development player Todd Blanchfield.

The Crocodiles opened the season with a 82-79 road win over Gold Coast before losing their home opener to Perth 89-91.

Williamson (10.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists) remained one of Townsville’s main perimeter scorers, giving the Crocodiles another reliable local option in his second season with the club.

Williams (18.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) led Townsville in scoring, won the NBL Most Valuable Player award and earned All-NBL First Team honours.

Crawford (10 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) returned to his hometown club after five seasons in Perth, while Hinder (9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) remained the team’s captain and frontcourt leader.

Roberts (9.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) added size and rim protection, while Cedar (8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists), Hoare (7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), Tovey (6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) and Robertson (4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) filled out Gleeson’s main rotation.

Townsville’s two leading offensive players were Williams and Williamson, with Crawford, Hinder and Roberts giving the Crocodiles enough balance to remain in the top four race throughout the season.

By January, Townsville had emerged as one of the league’s form teams, putting together four straight wins and beating fellow pacesetters Perth and Gold Coast as the ladder tightened near the top.

The Crocodiles closed the regular season with a 102-87 home win over Adelaide before losing to Perth 92-73 in their final game, finishing third with a 16-12 record after the tiebreaker placed Wollongong second, Townsville third and Gold Coast fourth.

Townsville finished 10-4 at home and 6-8 on the road, with its home form helping secure another postseason appearance.

The semifinals opened in Wollongong, where the Hawks defeated Townsville 87-68 in front of 4,451 fans behind Tragardh (26 points and 7 rebounds) and Davidson (17 points, 9 rebounds, 7 blocks, 5 assists, and 3 steals), while Williams (12 points) was held below his usual impact for the Crocodiles.

Game two moved to the Townsville Entertainment Centre, where Williams (23 points), Hinder (16 points) and Tovey (15 points) led the Crocodiles to a dominant 82-53 win, while Rhys Martin (15 points) and Tragardh (11 points and 5 rebounds) were Wollongong’s best.

The series returned to Wollongong, where Rhys Martin (16 points), Gruber (15 points and 5 rebounds), Tragardh (14 points and 6 rebounds), Campbell (14 points and 4 assists) and Saville (12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals) led the Hawks to a 88-76 win, while Williams (27 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists), Cedar (14 points) and Roberts (10 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals) were Townsville’s best.

Williamson’s second season in Townsville ended with the Crocodiles’ 88-76 game three semifinal loss to Wollongong.

Williamson’s second season in Townsville ended with the Crocodiles’ 88-76 game three semifinal loss to Wollongong.

2010/11
Townsville entered the 2010/11 season with Corey Williams (to Melbourne), Rolan Roberts, Stephen Hoare (to Gold Coast), Cameron Tovey (to Perth), Kelvin Robertson and Jeff Dowdell (to Adelaide) exiting the team after the Crocodiles had reached the semifinals the previous year.

Peter Crawford, Brad Williamson, Russell Hinder, Michael Cedar, Todd Blanchfield, Chris Cedar and Keegan Tudehope returned from the previous season’s group, while Trevor Gleeson added Luke Schenscher (via Perth), Nathan Crosswell (via Melbourne) and rookie Ben Allen. To round out the roster imports Will Blalock and Gabe Freeman were also signed for bal handling and offensive firepower.

After a mediocer start to the season (6-5 record) farewelled Gabe Freeman (9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) after their 91-86 home win over struggling Gold Coast (3-7). He would be replaced with former Crocodile, Rosell Ellis (6.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals).

Townsville’s two leading offensive players were Schenscher (13.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks), who had returned to Townsville after winning a championship with Perth, and Crawford (13 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals). At the end of the regular season, Schenscher would earn All-NBL Second Team honours and the club MVP award, while Crawford was named to the All-NBL Third Team.

Williamson (5.6 points and 2.5 rebounds) moved into a smaller role in his final NBL season, giving Townsville a veteran wing option after two stronger scoring years with the Crocodiles.

Other key contributors this season included Cedar (10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists), who produced the best season of his career, Blalock (10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) and Hinder (8 points and 5.7 rebounds).

The Crocodiles finished second with a 17-11 record, going 13-1 at home and 4-10 on the road, while Gleeson was named NBL Coach of the Year.

The semifinals opened at the Townsville Entertainment Centre, where Townsville defeated Cairns 76-73 in front of 4,234 fans behind Schenscher (15 points and 14 rebounds).

Game two moved to Cairns, where the Taipans responded with a 74-57 win in front of 5,345 fans to force a deciding game three.

The series returned to Townsville, where Cairns ended the Crocodiles’ season with a 93-83 win in front of 5,151 fans before advancing to the Grand Final series against New Zealand.

Williamson played his final NBL game when the Crocodiles’ season ended with a 93-83 game three semifinal loss to Cairns.

Brad Williamson played eight seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Brisbane Bullets and the Townsville Crocodiles. He averaged 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 192 NBL games.