BIO: Brett Flanigan was born in Moss Vale (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Moss Vale basketball program. Flanigan received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1981. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Brett Flanigan made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

The Hawks’ season began on a challenging note, with the departure of team captain Gordie McLeod to the Sydney Supersonics and import Alonzo Weatherly returning to the USA.

McLeod’s exit marked the loss of a long-serving and pivotal figure whose leadership had been a cornerstone for the team.

To fill the gap, the Hawks brought in import Jerry Steurer (23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals) to pair with veteran forward Jim Slacke (11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists).

They also had the services of Michael Jones (32.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists), the former NBL MVP, who returned to the club after a season’s absence and went on to lead both the team and the league in scoring.

Despite the impressive contributions of Jones and the addition of Steurer, McLeod’s absence was sorely felt.

The Illawarra Hawks opened their season with a loss to the Newcastle Falcons (95-113), marking the beginning of an eight-game losing streak.

They finally broke the streak with a narrow victory against Devonport (102-100) in Round 8, which stood as their only road win of the season.

Local talent such as Tim Morrissey (7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game), Simon Cottrell (7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds), and Brett Flanigan (3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) stepped up their production, but despite these efforts, the Hawks struggled to find cohesion and consistency.

Throughout the season, the team faced several more losing streaks, including a significant stretch where they dropped six consecutive games from March 5 to April 23.

Even with Jones’ league-leading scoring performance, the Hawks could not overcome the challenges on and off the court.

The absence of McLeod’s leadership and playmaking left a void that the team could not fill, resulting in the worst finish in club history.

The Hawks managed only four wins from 22 games, concluding the season with a disappointing 4-18 record.

Brett Flanigan played four seasons the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 2 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 99 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (821 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.