Aussie Hoopla 2017/18 Rookie of the Year
February 19, 2018
Christian Jurlina
- Nationality: AUS/CRO
- Date of Birth: 9/05/94
- Place of Birth: Sydney (NSW)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 196
- Weight (KG): 91
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Norths
- College: Whitworth University (2017)
- NBL DEBUT: 7/10/17
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 3/01/19
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 24
- NBL History: Sydney 2018 | Cairns 2019
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Christian Jurlina was born in Sydney (NSW).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Christian Jurlina made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
In 2018, Cairns chose to go in a new direction, parting ways with long-time coach Aaron Fearne after eight years of him patrolling the sidelines. Mike Kelly was brought in as his replacement and was tasked with rebuilding a roster that had already lost key players Cameron Gliddon (to Brisbane), Mitchell McCarron (to Melbourne), Jarrad Weeks (to New Zealand), and Stephen Weigh (retired).
With only a short time before the season kicked off, Kelly bolstered the roster by adding free agent Rob Loe (via New Zealand) and a new import trio consisting of Melo Trimble, Devon Hall, and DJ Newbill, while Nathan Jawai, Alex Loughton, and Jarrod Kenny were retained for their experience and leadership.
Cairns started the season with a dominant victory over Brisbane (88-70) in their opening game, but consistency soon became an issue. The team endured a six-game losing streak between 21 October and 9 November 2018. Despite these struggles, the Taipans managed some impressive wins later in the season, including a surprise victory over Perth (81-79) and a dominant win over Brisbane (109-80), but an inability to consistently win at home (3-11) or away (3-11) saw them finish the season dead last.
While wins were few and far between, Melo Trimble (21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals) and DJ Newbill (14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals) formed a powerful one-two punch this season. Trimble earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and was named the Taipans’ club MVP at the end of the season.
Alongside them, a healthy Nathan Jawai (10.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who saw his minutes and production nearly double compared to the previous season, and Devon Hall (8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists) were also key contributors.
Christian Jurlina had limited opportunities in the 2018/19 season, appearing in only a few games. Despite his best efforts, Jurlina was unable to make a significant statistical impact, finishing the season without registering any points, rebounds, or assists in his appearances.
The lack of pre-season preparation and large roster turnover prevented the Taipans from building momentum, leading to one of the worst records in franchise history (6-22).
Christian Jurlina played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Cairns Taipans..
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 24 | Cairns | 6-22 (8) | 3 | 3.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 23 | Sydney | 11-17 (7) | 1 | 2.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Totals | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 24 | Cairns | 6-22 (8) | 3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 23 | Sydney | 11-17 (7) | 1 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Total | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3 | 0.0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Norths (2012–2014), Sydney (2017), Cairns (2018–2019), Manly Warringah (2020–2021), Mandurah (2022), Joondalup (2023–2024)
Jurlina joined Norths for the 2012 Waratah League season, playing with the North Sydney Bears senior club while also progressing through New South Wales representative basketball.
Christian Jurlina remained with Norths across the 2013 and 2014 Waratah League seasons, with Norths winning the 2014 Waratah League championship after defeating Sydney 100–85 in the grand final.
Christian Jurlina joined Sydney for the 2017 Waratah League season, returning to the Comets after completing his college career at Whitworth University.
Christian Jurlina joined Cairns for the 2018 QBL season, joining the Marlins as a forward and opening the season as one of the club’s new senior additions.
Christian Jurlina remained with Cairns for the 2019 QBL season, continuing with the Marlins after moving north with Fabijan Krslovic, with the pair both part of the Cairns state-league group while pursuing wider professional opportunities.
Christian Jurlina joined Manly Warringah for the 2020 Waratah League season, earning Waratah 1 Men All Star Five forward honours and winning the championship after Manly Warringah defeated Sutherland 83–73 in the grand final.
Christian Jurlina remained with Manly Warringah for the 2021 Waratah League season, earning another Waratah 1 Men All Star Five forward selection as Manly Warringah shared the Waratah 1 Men title with the Centre of Excellence after the season was abandoned in August.
Christian Jurlina joined Mandurah for the 2022 NBL1 West season, recording 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in an 84–77 win over Perth and adding 18 points in a 105–86 win over South West during Mandurah’s playoff push.
Christian Jurlina joined Joondalup for the 2023 NBL1 West season, his second NBL1 West season, joining a roster that included CJ Turnage, Jonathan Wade, Bryan Michaels, Jordan Wellsteed and Quintin Dove.
Christian Jurlina remained with Joondalup for the 2024 NBL1 West season, with the club re-signing him after its 2023 grand final run, and he recorded 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals against South West before adding 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals late in the regular season.
COLLEGE
Christian Jurlina played four seasons of NCAA Division III basketball at Whitworth Pirates from 2013–14 through 2016–17, becoming one of the program’s most consistent scorers and a two-time First Team All-Northwest Conference selection.
As a freshman in 2013–14, Jurlina made an immediate impact off the Whitworth bench and scored a career-high 29 points in an 87-58 victory over Willamette University, showcasing his scoring ability early in his collegiate career.
Jurlina continued his development in his sophomore and junior seasons, averaging double-digit scoring and rebounding figures, and was named First Team All-Northwest Conference in consecutive seasons (2015–16 and 2016–17), reflecting his status as one of the league’s premier forwards.
In the 2015–16 season, Jurlina led Whitworth in scoring at 14.8 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.4 percent from three-point range and 80.4 percent from the free-throw line across 29 games, starting 28 of them.
That same season, he made 41.4 percent of his three-pointers and earned First Team All-NWC honours by leading the Pirates in both scoring and rebounding, demonstrating his two-way offensive reliability.
During the 2016–17 campaign, Jurlina again posted strong numbers with 14.6 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, 46.2 percent field-goal shooting, and 36.2 percent from deep, starting all 28 games for Whitworth and anchoring the Pirates’ frontcourt.
Across his college career, Jurlina was a four-year varsity contributor, regularly featuring in Whitworth’s rotation and drawing league-wide recognition for his scoring consistency, physical play, and leadership on both ends of the court.
In addition to his All-Conference selections, Jurlina produced multiple high-scoring performances, such as 14 points in a win over sixth-ranked George Fox and 19 points in a key victory over Puget Sound, helping the Pirates maintain competitive positioning in Northwest Conference standings.
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