BIO: Craig Fitzsimmons was born in Wilmar, Minnesota (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Craig Fitzsimmons made his NBL debut with the Forestville Eagles on 14/2/1981. He scored 16 points in his first game.

As a rookie, Fitzsimmons averaged 8.1 points with the Forestville Eagles who finished with a record of 6-16.

PERTH WILDCATS
1984
With the demise of the Forestville Eagles, Fitzsimmons played state league basketball for the next three seasons, before being recruited by the Perth Wildcats In 1984. The Wildcats struggled under with new head coach Lynn Massey and finished on the bottom of the ladder finish with only three wins. Captain Mike Ellis averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game and won the club MVP for the second time while Fitzsimmons added 19.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

1985
Jay Brehmer became the Wildcats’ fourth coach in four seasons when he joined the team in 1985, bringing with him a number of fresh faces to the squad. US imports Dan Clausen (via Adelaide) and Roland Brooks joined the team as well as local talent Adam Brennan and Sandy Caldwell, who would both play key roles as rookies. Perth began the season by winning their first three games in a row, taking a number of team’s by surprise in the process. Once the team began playing opponents on the road, however, they quickly fell back to earth and sat on 4 wins and 4 losses only a month later.

The team was led by Dan Clausen who racked up big numbers in every statistical category. He led the team in points (25.7 ppg), rebounds (15.7 rpg) and blocks (2.4 bpg) while ranking second in assists (3.4 apg), steals (1.4 spg), making him a clear choice for the club MVP award. Roland Brooks (23.2 points and 10.0 rebounds) and Mike Ellis (17.7 points and 6.0 assists) supported Clausen admirably but Perth’s inability to win outside of Western Australia (compiling a 4-9 record on away games) they finished the season in eighth place, falling well short of making the NBL playoffs. Fitzsimmons averaged 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, while Perth finished with a 13–13 record, which at the time, was the best result in franchise history.

1986
The Wildcats had retained almost their entire roster and looked to improve on their 13-win season, which had set a club record. The only changes being Glen Dunsmore and Robbie Dempster being replaced with local guard guard Trevor Torrance and 29-year-old Alan Black (via Nunawading).

Perth started the season with five wins and five losses before losing import Roland Brooks (18.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals) to a season-ending injury.

During the 1986 season, local businessman Bob Williams was invited to attend a game by the state government. Williams agreed and, after one game, liked what he saw and signed on as the club’s major sponsor. His company ‘Interstuct’ appeared across the front of the team’s uniform. At the end of the 1986 season, Bob Williams was called to a meeting by the WA state government. Williams was told that the WABF was bankrupt and that there was to be no Government assistance. Unless Bob Williams bought the licence from the state government, the Wildcats would cease to exist in the NBL. Williams left the meeting not only as the major sponsor but as the Wildcats, and the NBL’s first private owner and president of the WABF.

Losing Brooks, the team’s second leading scorer and rebounder, proved too much to recover from, resulting in Perth struggling to be competitive against the rest of the league and finishing in twelfth place (8–18).

The team was led by Dan Clausen (21.3 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), captain Mike Ellis (16.2 points and 6.6 assists), newcomer Alan Black (12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists) and Fitzsimmons also contributed 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

1987
Many changes occurred in 1987. Most significantly, the team moved from the small confines of Perry Lakes Stadium to what was known in those days as the Perth Superdrome (now HBF Stadium). The Superdrome was capable of housing 5,000 people, compared to the 800-seat Perry Lakes Stadium. New owner Bob Williams moved quickly in turning the Wildcats’ basketcase to contenders, a team who, at that point, had never had a winning season. His first move was to recruit Cal Bruton as player/coach and provide him with a budget to ‘build me a team’, which Bruton set to work on immediately.

Bruton recruited star imports James Crawford (Canberra) and Kendal Pinder (Sydney), who would become one of the league’s best frontcourt duos. Bruton also bought a professionalism to the team demanded by their new owner. For example, the players wore suits with the team’s’ logo in public.

The new talent paid off immediately as the Wildcats’ recorded their best season to date. While Bruton (16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals) juggled the role of player/coach, he also led the team in assists. Alongside him, Crawford (33.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.3 blocks) would lead the team in scoring, steals and blocks, Pinder (23.5 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals) led the team in rebounds and captain Mike Ellis (9.4 points, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals) defended the best guard on every opposition team. Fitzsimmons also contributed 3.4 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

The team finished the regular season in fourth position (19–7), making the finals for the first time in franchise history. Crawford, who also led the league in field goal percentage and was selected to the All-NBL First Team, guided the Wildcat’s past Canberra in the elimination finals and then first placed Adelaide in the semifinals. Perth, after never having made the playoffs, suddenly found themselves in the Grand Final series against the Brisbane Bullets.

With the series featuring future Hall of Fame members on both squads and two coaches who couldn’t stand each other (Brian Kerle versus Cal Bruton), the Grand Final was can’t miss action.

Game one saw Perth’s ‘run, stun and have some fun’ style of play, which Bruton had implemented, outclassed by Brisbane’s solid fundamentals. In front of a sell-out home crowd, the Bullets defeated the Wildcat’s by just one point. Two days later, the series moved to Brisbane, where the Bullets continued their winning ways, taking home the championship in two games.

GEELONG SUPERCATS
1988
Geelong suffered at the hands of financial difficulties and ownership problems during the latter part of the 1980′s, with it reaching its apex in 1987 when these issues resulted in a mass exodus of the team’s top talent. The Cats lost their five highest-scoring players from 1987 when Greg Giddings, Ian Davies, Mark Leader, Mark Dalton and Brad Dalton all left the club. Geelong used whatever the finances they had to recruit imports Sam Foggin and Ray Shirley (both via North Melbourne), Craig Fitzsimmons (via Perth) and entice Geelong local Bruce Hope (via Sydney) to return and help field a competitive roster.

After starting the season 0-4, the axe swung on import Ray Shirley (19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Leonard Mitchell (24.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks) brought in as his replacement.

After starting the season 0-4, the axe swung on import Ray Shirley (19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Leonard Mitchell (24.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks) brought in as his replacement. New recruit Hope (13.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) managed to play in only ten games as he battled through injuries as it become evident that the combination of the reduction in the player salary cap and high volume of player turnover were too difficult to overcome and Geelong failed to win a game for the entire season.

Fitzsimmons managed to put up averages of 13 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists as Geelong finished with the worst season in NBL history (0-22).

At the end of the 1988 season a group of local businessmen gathered to save the club and injected the team with some much needed financial assistance. As a result, the team was then rebranded from Cats to Supercats and granted a license to ensure Geelong’s ongoing participation in the NBL.

1989
At the end of the 1988 a group of local business men fought together to save the club, injected the team with some much needed financial assistance. The team was rebranded from Cats to Supercats Barry Barnes, who had been replaced by Brian Goorjian at Eastside Melbourne, was named head coach. Barnes had been a mentor to up and coming guard Shane Heal, who after winning Rookie of the Year with Brisbane, joined Barnes in Geelong for the 1989 season. Naturalised big man Jim Bateman (via Illawarra) was also signed to provide some addition scoring punch. The team was led by new import duo Daren Rowe (14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists) and Aubrey Sherrod (14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists). New recruits Bateman (17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists) and Heal (14.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists) also impressed in their first seasons with the Supercats. Fitzsimmons appeared in only ten games this season, averaging 1.7 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as Geelong improved from going winless the season prior to a 5-19 record in 1989 despite all of the off-court distractions.

Craig Fitzsimmons played seven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Forestville Eagles, Perth Wildcats and Geelong Supercats. He averaged 10.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 143 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (823 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.