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.
The Kings reshaped their roster after finishing seventh the previous season, with Julian Khazzouh (to Lebanon), Jeromie Hill (to Sunshine Coast), Greg Whittington (to Sioux Falls), Aleks Maric (to Bahrain), Craig Moller (to Melbourne) and Josh Powell (to Venezuela) departing. Captain Kevin Lisch, Brad Newley, Jason Cadee and Tom Garlepp returned for Andrew Gaze, who recruited Todd Blanchfield, Perry Ellis, Travis Leslie, Isaac Humphries, Dane Pineau, Amritpal Singh and several young local players.
After completing four seasons at Whitworth University and returning to Australia to play with the Sydney Comets, the Sydney-born forward signed his first professional contract with the Kings (via Sydney Comets) in September.
Jurlina (0 points and 1 rebound) made his only NBL appearance of the season against Melbourne at Hisense Arena on December 11, playing 2:08 and attempting one field goal as Sydney lost 95-69. Newley (18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Ellis (16 points and 5 rebounds) were Sydney’s leading performers, while Chris Goulding (23 points and 6 rebounds) led Melbourne. It was also Jurlina’s best game of the season by default.
Jurlina (0 points across 1 game) remained outside Sydney’s regular rotation for the remainder of the year. No injury was reported as the reason for his lack of appearances, with his role limited to the end of the roster rather than being interrupted by injury.
Sydney’s roster continued to change around him, with Lisch missing most of the season because of a calf injury and Leslie later released as Randle (via Bahçeşehir) and Tyler (via China) joined the Kings. Tyler (13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds across 11 games) was subsequently released with eight games remaining. Sydney publicly framed the move around giving its young big men more opportunities, while contemporary commentary suggested Tyler’s departure also improved the chemistry within the group. As the move was directed towards the frontcourt, it did not create a meaningful role for Jurlina.
Randle (19.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists across 19 games) led the NBL in scoring and assists and was selected to the All-NBL Second Team, while Ellis (14.8 points and 5.8 rebounds across 27 games), Newley (11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists across 27 games) and Cadee (11.1 points and 3.3 assists across 28 games) were Sydney’s other major contributors. Humphries (6.9 points and 3.7 rebounds across 26 games) won NBL Rookie of the Year as the Kings finished seventh with an 11-17 record.
Jurlina (to Cairns) moved north after the season, joining the Cairns Marlins for the 2018 QBL campaign before becoming a Taipans development player for 2018/19.
2018/19
After playing with Sydney the previous season, Christian Jurlina (via Sydney) moved north and joined Cairns as a development player while also playing with the Cairns Marlins. The Taipans had replaced Aaron Fearne with Mike Kelly and lost Cameron Gliddon (to Brisbane), Mitchell McCarron (to Melbourne), Jarrad Weeks (to New Zealand) and Stephen Weigh (retired), with Rob Loe (via New Zealand), Lucas Walker (via Perth), Jarrod Kenny (via Perth), Dexter Kernich-Drew (via Perth), Mitch Young (via Brisbane) and imports Melo Trimble, Devon Hall and DJ Newbill (via New Zealand) joining the rebuilt roster. Cairns opened with an 88-70 win over Brisbane before losing 14 consecutive games.
Jurlina (0 points across 3 games) remained a development player and saw only 3:56 of court time during the season. He did not record a point, rebound, assist, steal or block, with his limited opportunities coming as a result of his development-player role rather than injury.
With no counting statistics in any of his appearances, Jurlina’s most substantial playing opportunity came against Brisbane on January 3, where he played 2:29 as Cairns finally ended its 14-game losing streak with a 109-80 victory. Hall (24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal), Jawai (18 points and 4 assists) and Kenny (15 points and 6 rebounds) led Cairns, while Patterson (27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) was Brisbane’s leading scorer.
Trimble (21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals across 27 games) earned All-NBL Second Team honours and was named Cairns’ MVP, while Newbill (14.3 points and 4 rebounds across 27 games), Jawai (10 points and 5.2 rebounds across 27 games), Hall (8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds across 28 games), Loe (7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 28 games), Loughton (6.5 points across 25 games) and Walker (6.1 points and 4 rebounds across 26 games) were the team’s other major contributors.
Jurlina did not feature in Cairns’ final game against Sydney, where Trimble (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Loughton (17 points and 3 rebounds) led the Taipans while Bogut (12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 blocks) helped the Kings win 89-84, leaving Cairns last with a 6-22 record.
The project best-game file confirms Kuany’s November 9 performance, Young’s October 21 game and Krslovic’s February 2 performance. Cairns’ official historical roster also confirms Krslovic and Jurlina were development players, while Kuany and Young were full-roster players. Contemporary coverage confirms Kuany’s lack of regular-season opportunities and his 10-point December performance, while the detailed game records confirm Young’s 7-point, 6-rebound high and Cairns’ 6-22 finish.
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 | 4 | 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 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 1 | 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 | 1 | 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 | 1.0 | 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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