Erik Wickstrom
September 12, 2022
Damien Chapman
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 16/07/76
- Place of Birth: Daylesford (VIC)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 185
- Weight (KG): 76
- Junior Assoc:
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 16/04/96
- AGE AT DEBUT: 19
- LAST NBL GAME: 13/06/97
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 20
- NBL History: Melbourne 1996-97
- Championships: 1
- Melbourne (1997)
BIO: Damien Chapman was born in Daylesford (VIC)
NBL EXPERIENCE
Damien Chapman made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 19 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.
With the Tigers having Mark Bradtke back full-time and able to retain all of their core group except for Stephen Whitehead (to Sydney) Melbourne were able to return to their winning ways after their posting their worst season in eight years. Chapman was added to help fill the void of Whitehead but would see minimal court time, appearing in only 11 games and averaging 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.
Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history.
Melbourne would ride the coattails of their ‘Big Three’ through the playoffs, first defeating eighth seed Brisbane (14-12), then eliminating Canberra (2-0) before losing to South East Melbourne (19-7) in the Grand Final.
1997
After appearing in 11 games as a rookie during Melbourne’s run to the 1996 Grand Final, Damien Chapman returned for his second season as the Tigers moved on from Dave Simmons and added Jarvis Lang. Melbourne retained the nucleus of Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Warrick Giddey, Ray Gordon and Blair Smith around him as Lindsay Gaze looked to respond to the previous season’s Grand Final loss to South East Melbourne.
Chapman (1 point and 1 rebound across 2 games) saw only eight minutes of court time during the season. His best scoring game was a two-point appearance, accounting for his only field goal and all of his scoring for the year. His final NBL appearance came on June 13, making 1997 his second and final season in the league.
The Tigers endured a difficult opening to the season. Lang’s knee problems restricted the import and Melbourne was also stripped of a win over Adelaide after Bradtke returned from the Philadelphia 76ers without the required clearance. With Melbourne sitting at 3-9 and pressure mounting on Lindsay Gaze, Lang was released and Marcus Timmons was signed after a single trial practice. Melbourne then surged through the second half of the season, closing the regular season with 14 consecutive victories to finish second at 19-11. Gaze (30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) appeared in every game and won his seventh NBL MVP award, with Copeland (23 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists), Bradtke (20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks) and Timmons (17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks) providing the other major contributions.
Melbourne defeated North Melbourne 107-99 in game one of the semifinals behind Gaze (39 points), Bradtke (25 points and 15 rebounds) and Copeland (20 points), while David Stiff (24 points and 13 rebounds) led the Giants. The Tigers completed the sweep with a 112-105 victory in game two and advanced to face South East Melbourne in a Grand Final rematch.
Melbourne opened the Grand Final with a 111-74 victory behind Copeland (29 points and 6 rebounds), Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds) and Gaze (23 points and 9 assists). South East Melbourne answered four days later with an 84-78 win behind Anstey (21 points and 8 rebounds), while Copeland (28 points) led Melbourne and forced a deciding third game.
Melbourne won game three 93-83 behind Copeland (26 points and 6 rebounds), Gaze (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists), Bradtke (21 points and 11 rebounds) and Timmons (20 points and 13 rebounds), overcoming Ronaldson (26 points and 8 rebounds) as Chapman finished his NBL career as a member of the 1997 championship team.
Damien Chapman played two seasons the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.5 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 13 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 | 21 | Melbourne | 19-11 (2) | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 25% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 25% | 0% | 2 |
| 1996 | 20 | Melbourne | 21-5 (1) | 11 | 24 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 64% | 1 | 3 | 33% | 3 | 8 | 38% | 61% | 68% | 7 | Totals | 13 | 32 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 53.3% | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 54% | 57% | 7 |
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 | 21 | Melbourne | 19-11 (2) | 2 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 25% | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 25% | 0% | 2 |
| 1996 | 20 | Melbourne | 21-5 (1) | 11 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 64% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 33% | 0.3 | 0.7 | 38% | 61% | 68% | 7 | Total | 13 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 53.3% | 0.0 | 25.0% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 37.5% | 54% | 57% | 7 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Ballarat (2004)
Damien Chapman joined the Ballarat Miners for the 2004 SEABL season and appeared in 26 games during the campaign.
Related
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