Brett Wheeler
July 23, 2020
Brian Tolbert
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 20/06/74
- Place of Birth: Detroit, Michigan (USA)
- Position: PG
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 82
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Eastern Michigan (1992-1996)
- NBL DEBUT: 11/04/97
- AGE AT DEBUT: 22
- LAST NBL GAME: 11/01/97
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 22
- NBL History: South East Melbourne 1997
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Brian Tolbert was born in Detroit, Michigan (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Brian Tolbert made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 22 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game.
After finishing second with a 19-7 record before defeating the Melbourne Tigers in three games to win the 1996 championship, South East Melbourne retained the majority of Brian Goorjian’s title-winning roster. Billy McCaffrey (not retained) and Darren Lucas (retired) were the major exits, while import Brian Tolbert (via Eastern Michigan) and Matthew Moore (via Newcastle) were added to a group that returned Tony Ronaldson, Sam MacKinnon, Chris Anstey, Mike Kelly, John Dorge, Andrew Parkinson, Jason Smith and Frank Drmic, who moved into a larger role. Tolbert arrived after being named the 1996 MAC Tournament MVP and scoring 20 points as Eastern Michigan defeated Duke 75-60 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
South East Melbourne opened the season at the Perth Entertainment Centre on April 11, where Tolbert (22 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) made his NBL debut as the defending champions defeated Perth 104-84.
Tolbert (12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists across 35 games) appeared in every game during his only NBL season and led South East Melbourne in assists as the Magic again produced one of the league’s deepest rotations. He finished the season with 427 points, 126 rebounds and 131 assists while making a team-high 51 three-pointers.
Tolbert’s best scoring game came against Wollongong at the Whitlam Centre on May 3, where he made four three-pointers and finished with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal as South East Melbourne defeated the Hawks 123-106.
He equalled his season-high at Melbourne Park on September 6, finishing with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists and making four three-pointers as the Magic defeated Brisbane 88-82.
During the season, Shaquille O’Neal trained with the reigning champion Magic during his 1997 Australian tour.
Ronaldson (16 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists across 35 games) again led South East Melbourne in scoring, while MacKinnon (15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals across 35 games) and Anstey (13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.8 blocks across 33 games) continued their development into two of the league’s best young players. Kelly (12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals across 35 games) was named NBL Best Defensive Player, while Goorjian shared Coach of the Year honours with Melbourne coach Lindsay Gaze.
Drmic (8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds across 35 games), Dorge (7 points and 6 rebounds across 22 games), Parkinson (5.7 points across 32 games) and Smith (5.6 points across 34 games) rounded out the main rotation.
South East Melbourne closed the regular season at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on September 28, where Tolbert (2 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) appeared as the Magic defeated Newcastle 108-99 and finished first on the ladder with a franchise-best 22-8 record.
Finishing first earned the Magic a first-round bye before the semifinals opened in Perth, where Tolbert (9 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists), Anstey (19 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals) and Ronaldson (18 points) led South East Melbourne to a 92-82 win, while Lichti (20 points and 4 rebounds) and Grace (19 points and 4 assists) were Perth’s best.
Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Tolbert (19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) made 8-of-11 field goals alongside MacKinnon (21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) as South East Melbourne defeated Perth 96-69 and completed the sweep, while Grace (16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) and Van Dyke (13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) were Perth’s best.
The Grand Final matched South East Melbourne with the Melbourne Tigers for the second straight year. Melbourne had started the season 6-5 before replacing import Jarvis Lang with Marcus Timmons midway through the year, with the change sparking a franchise-record 13-game regular-season winning streak which had reached 15 games entering the Grand Final. Tolbert (9 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists) contributed in game one, but Melbourne overwhelmed the Magic 111-74 behind Copeland (29 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists), Timmons (24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) and Gaze (23 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 9 steals), while Drmic (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists) was South East Melbourne’s leading scorer.
Goorjian changed his starting lineup for game two, inserting Dorge to add more physicality and moving Anstey to the bench. Tolbert (8 points and 1 rebound) contributed in 16 minutes, while Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks) and Drmic (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) helped South East Melbourne defeat Melbourne 84-78 and end the Tigers’ 17-game winning streak, while Copeland (28 points) and Gaze (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) led Melbourne.
A great Australian sporting rivalry!! pic.twitter.com/qVrlKwROkN
— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 21, 2023
For the second straight year, the championship came down to game three at Melbourne Park. Tolbert (5 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) played 22 minutes as Ronaldson (26 points and 8 rebounds) led South East Melbourne, while Copeland (26 points and 6 rebounds), Gaze (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists), Bradtke (21 points and 11 rebounds) and Timmons (20 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led Melbourne. Warrick Giddey (0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) delivered three crucial plays, a hard foul which broke MacKinnon’s nose, a block on Drmic and a mid-court screen on Kelly, before Melbourne defeated South East Melbourne 93-83 and Copeland was named Grand Final MVP after averaging 27.6 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 56 percent across the series.
Brian Tolbert played one season in the NBL. He averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 23 | South East Melbourne | 22-8 (1) | 35 | 1,217 | 427 | 126 | 131 | 28 | 98 | 39 | 8 | 106 | 95 | 161 | 393 | 41% | 51 | 166 | 31% | 54 | 79 | 68% | 50% | 47% | 23 | Totals | 35 | 1217 | 427 | 126 | 131 | 28 | 98 | 39 | 8 | 106 | 95 | 161 | 393 | 41.0% | 51 | 166 | 30.7% | 54 | 79 | 68.4% | 50% | 47% | 23 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 23 | South East Melbourne | 22-8 (1) | 35 | 34.8 | 12.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 11.2 | 41% | 1.5 | 4.7 | 31% | 1.5 | 2.3 | 68% | 50% | 47% | 23 | Total | 35 | 34.8 | 12.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 11.2 | 41.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 30.7% | 1.5 | 4.7 | 68.4% | 50% | 47% | 23 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 23 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
|---|
COLLEGE
Tolbert played college basketball at Eastern Michigan during the 1992-93 season and stayed with the program through 1995-96, completing a four-year career in the Mid-American Conference under head coach Ben Braun and graduating prior to 1997.
In 1992-93, Eastern Michigan finished 13-17 overall and 8-10 in MAC play, and Tolbert appeared in 30 games as a freshman guard while averaging 2.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game.
During that 1992-93 season, he shot 42.9% from the field and 66.7% at the free-throw line, and his early role was built around spot minutes, energy on the glass for a perimeter player, and defensive pressure while he adjusted to Division I pace and physicality.
As a sophomore in 1993-94, Tolbert moved into a featured scoring role on a 15-12 Eastern Michigan team that went 10-8 in the MAC, and he averaged 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as one of the primary creators in the backcourt.
In 1994-95, Eastern Michigan improved to 20-10 overall and 12-6 in conference play with a third-place MAC finish, and Tolbert started as a junior and produced 17.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while leading the team in scoring at 509 total points and earning second-team All-MAC recognition during that season.
That 1994-95 campaign extended into the postseason with a run to a 32-team tournament, and Eastern Michigan’s year ended on the road with an 86-85 loss at Bradley on March 16, 1995, closing a season in which Tolbert’s perimeter scoring load consistently sat at the top of the scouting report for opposing defenses.
Tolbert’s senior season in 1995-96 became the signature year of his college career as Eastern Michigan went 25-6 overall and 14-4 in MAC play, won the MAC regular-season title and MAC Tournament championship, and reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed in the Southeast region.
In 1995-96, Tolbert started for a high-powered offense that ranked among the national leaders in scoring, and he averaged 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while finishing as a first-team All-MAC selection and being named the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
In the MAC title game on March 9, 1996, Tolbert’s 10 points during a decisive 13-2 run swung the contest as Eastern Michigan pulled away to beat Toledo 77-63 for its third MAC championship in nine years, with Tolbert punctuating the surge with a three-pointer, a mid-range jumper, and a layup created off a broken-floor sequence.
In the NCAA Tournament first round on March 14, 1996, Tolbert scored 20 points as Eastern Michigan beat Duke 75-60 in Indianapolis, a result that sent the Eagles into the second round and remains one of the program’s defining tournament wins.
Eastern Michigan’s season ended in the NCAA Tournament second round on March 16, 1996 with a 95-81 loss to top-seeded Connecticut, and Tolbert delivered a game-high 36 points on 14-of-24 shooting that included 7-of-13 from three-point range, giving him 56 points across the two NCAA Tournament games and leaving him credited as the tournament’s top scorer for that weekend’s results from Eastern Michigan’s run.
Across his four seasons at Eastern Michigan, Tolbert finished with 1,726 career points and 412 rebounds, developed from a low-usage freshman into a high-volume senior scorer, and ended his career with 204 made three-pointers, cementing his place among the school’s all-time perimeter producers while anchoring an NCAA Tournament team that added a major March win to the program’s modern history.
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