Damien Matacz
- Nationality: IRE/AUS
- Date of Birth: 24/02/79
- Place of Birth:
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 206
- Weight (KG): 105
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Northern Michigan (1998–2002)
- NBL DEBUT: 12/10/02
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 23/09/07
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 28
- NBL History: Perth 2003 | Singapore 2008
- Championships: 0
- None
NBL EXPERIENCE
Damien Matacz made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
Matacz was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, and moved to the United States in the mid-1990s to attend Greenville High School in Greenville, Michigan. At Greenville, he earned all-conference honours with the basketball team in 1997 which led to a him receiving a scholarship to play for Northern Michigan University
Damien Matacz played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Singapore Slingers. He averaged 2.2 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | 29 | Singapore | 6-24 (12) | 2 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 3 | 33% | 44% | 0% | 3 |
| 2002-03 | 24 | Perth | 22-8 (2) | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 67% | 1 | 1 | 100% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 76% | 0% | 6 | Totals | 4 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 60.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 2 | 5 | 40.0% | 0% | 0% | 6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | 29 | Singapore | 6-24 (12) | 2 | 8.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.5 | 1.5 | 33% | 44% | 0% | 3 |
| 2002-03 | 24 | Perth | 22-8 (2) | 2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 67% | 0.5 | 0.5 | 100% | 0.5 | 1.0 | 50% | 76% | 0% | 6 | Total | 4 | 5.5 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 60.0% | 0.2 | 100.0% | 0.3 | 0.3 | 40.0% | 0% | 0% | 6 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Wanneroo/Joondalup Wolves (1999, 2001–2009, 2011–2013, 2015–2019)
Matacz first played in the WA state league for Wanneroo in 1999, appearing in 14 games and scoring 129 points at 9.2 points per game.
He returned to Wanneroo in 2001 and continued with the Wolves through 2009, winning club MVP honours in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2007 during that stretch.
Matacz rejoined the Wolves in 2011 and helped Wanneroo win the SBL championship with an 88–83 grand final win over Perry Lakes, scoring 15 points in the title game.
The 2012 season came under the Wanneroo Wolves name before the club later used the Joondalup name, and Matacz was named SBL MVP, earned SBL All-Star Five honours, won another club MVP award, and helped the Wolves claim the men’s minor premiership.
In 2013, he won his sixth club MVP award and played in another SBL grand final, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-15 shooting in a 77–74 loss to Lakeside before retiring from the SBL at season’s end.
Matacz came out of retirement with Joondalup in 2015 and helped the Wolves win the SBL championship with a 105–75 grand final victory over South West Slammers.
He remained with Joondalup in 2016, reached his 300th SBL game, and continued as part of a Wolves program that returned to the grand final before losing 96–84 to Cockburn.
Matacz continued with Joondalup in 2017 as the Wolves reached a third straight men’s SBL grand final and lost 103–70 to Perth Redbacks.
The 2018 season included his 350th SBL appearance, with his career at that point including the 2012 league MVP award, six club MVP awards and key roles in the 2011 and 2015 championships, while Joondalup reached another grand final and lost 94–87 to Perry Lakes.
Matacz played his final SBL season with Joondalup in 2019, when the Wolves claimed the men’s minor premiership and reached a fifth straight grand final before losing 92–80 to Geraldton, and he retired in September with 385 SBL games and 6,412 points after going on to pass the 300-game mark during his WA state league career.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Canterbury Rams (2004) | Ireland - UCC Demons (2004–2005), Ireland national team (2008–2009) | Germany - TB Weiden (2005–2006) | Switzerland - BBC Martigny-Ovronnaz (2006) | Spain - Rhino's Xiria de Carballo (2007)
Matacz joined the Canterbury Rams for the 2004 New Zealand NBL season, playing 18 games and averaging 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Matacz also played in New Zealand, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland.
Damien Matacz joined UCC Demons for the 2004–05 Irish Superleague season in Ireland, averaging 21 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 assists in 22 games as Demons won the 2005 Superleague championship.
Damien Matacz scored 16 points for UCC Demons in the 91–81 Superleague final win over Abrakebabra Tigers on 20 March 2005, with Demons crowned champions for the first time since 1989.
Damien Matacz joined TB Weiden for the 2005–06 2. Basketball Bundesliga season in Germany, averaging 12.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13 games.
Damien Matacz joined BBC Martigny-Ovronnaz in 2006 in Switzerland, playing two games after his TB Weiden stint.
Damien Matacz agreed with Rhinos Xiria de Carballo for the 2007–08 Liga EBA season in Spain before the club filled the role with Arturas Kaubrys before the season began.
Damien Matacz represented Ireland in the 2008 Emerald Hoops International Series, adding early baskets in Ireland’s 78–75 loss to Iceland on 23 August 2008.
Damien Matacz represented Ireland in EuroBasket Division B qualifying in 2009, averaging 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists across four games.
COLLEGE
Damien Matacz played college basketball at Northern Michigan from 1998 to 2002, spending four seasons with the Wildcats in NCAA Division II competition.
Northern Michigan’s men’s basketball records credit Matacz with 113 career games, 1,355 total points and 715 total rebounds, numbers that place him 13th on the program’s career scoring list and ninth on its career rebounding list.
Matacz’s early Northern Michigan seasons coincided with strong team results under head coach Dean Ellis, including a 21–8 record in 1998–99 (2,090 points scored, 1,965 allowed) and a 24–6 record in 1999–00 (2,286 scored, 2,016 allowed), and that 1999–00 season also shows him collecting 182 rebounds across 30 games (6.1 per game).
In 2000–01, Northern Michigan went 16–13 (2,107 scored, 2,069 allowed) and Matacz produced 477 points in 29 games (17.0 per game), with the program also listing him as a GLIAC North Division first-team all-conference selection for 2001.
Matacz followed with a 2001–02 season in which Northern Michigan finished 14–12 (1,830 scored, 1,765 allowed), and the program’s records show him totaling 206 rebounds in 26 games (7.9 per game) while again earning GLIAC North Division first-team all-conference recognition in 2002.
During the 2000–01 campaign, Matacz was noted as Northern Michigan’s only returning starter when the Wildcats played an exhibition at Michigan State on 7 November 2000, and he led Northern Michigan with 17 points in that game.
AWARDS
- SBL MVP (2012)
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