NICKNAME/S: The Silent Assassin

BIO: Darnell Mee was born in Cleveland, Tennesee (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Darnell Mee made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 25 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game.

Mee averaged 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists during his debut NBL season. During that time, his play was limited by a serious knee injury which he battled through all season. Playing alongside NBL legend Rob Rose, the Cannons would record a 16-10 record before going on to eliminate Leon Trimmingham and the Sydney Kings in the quarter-finals.

Once into the semi finals, Canberra defeated Melbourne Tigers in game one (98–87) in front of a home crowd at AIS Arena. The Cannons fell short in both games two and three, both played in Melbourne, with the Tigers eliminating Canberra and moving on to face South East Melbourne in the NBL Grand Final.

At season’s end the Cannons felt he never lived up to his NBA expectations and wasn’t offered a contract for the following season.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
1998
At the end of 1997, the 36ers replaced head coach Dave Claxton, who was only signed by the club at the last moment due to unexpectedly losing Mike Dunlap. He was only signed for one season and was subsequently replaced by rookie coach and former player Phil Smyth. Smyth had been hired without any head coaching experience. In fact, his only previous coaching experience being a specialist coach at the Australian Institute of Sport during his playing days in Canberra.

During the off-season, local product Brett Maher engaged in serious talks with the Sydney Kings and almost moved to the nation’s capital to form a all-Australian backcourt with Aaron Trahair. Ultimately, he decided to re-sign with the Adelaide 36ers, who then recruited 205 cm centre Paul Rees (via North Melbourne).

Shortly after, Smyth signed Canberra Cannons guard Darnell Mee who had just spent a season in France after rehabilitating the knee that limited his productivity in his first NBL season.

Once signed, Mee recommended his former teammate Kevin Brooks to the 36ers, and they signed the former NBA forward to a two-year deal. After his first training session with the team, Brooks’ teammates thought he wouldn’t last a week in the NBL with a shooting style that saw him release the ball almost from behind his head. However, they soon found Brooks (19.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists) was for real as he went on to lead the team in points per game with Brett Maher (17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) and Mee (14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists) providing the additional scoring punch.

The 36ers’ gamble on Smyth’s playing experience translating into coaching success also paid off, with Adelaide recording the most wins since 1988 and finished in second place (19–11).

Brett Maher’s led the 36ers into the playoffs for the first time as captain and delivered a emphatic punch to Perth’s playoff chin. The 36ers seized a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three semi-final series behind a sensational 36-point career-high game by Maher, who also led the Sixers with six assists (shooting 74 percent, including 7-of-11 three-pointers). Darnell Mee was his usual effective self, adding a game-high 14 rebounds to his 16 points as he terrorised Perth’s backcourt and set a aggressive defensive tone from the outset. Adelaide would defeat Perth just as easily as it had in game one, winning 117–110 to set up a Grand Final matchup against the South East Melbourne Magic.

Adelaide was not expected to defeat the Brian Goorjian led Magic, who had compiled a 26-4 record during the regular season and then swept the Brisbane Bullets in the semifinals. In game one, Brooks finished game-high scorer with 24 points (10/18 shooting), and 8 rebounds as the 36ers stunned all, delivering a 100-93 defeat to the defending champs on their home court. Amazingly, game one of the Grand Final was only the second time the 36ers had defeated the Magic since the Eastside Melbourne Spectres and Southern Melbourne Saints had merged to form the Magic in 1992.

The 36ers, who had started the season off slowly, had really found their form by the time of the Grand Final series and, come game two, obliterated the Magic at home (90-62). Adelaide held the Magic to less than 15 points in three of the game’s quarters. Kevin Brooks (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks) was again the star, with Martin Cattalini (20 points and 6 rebounds) also a key contributor in a game decided by turnovers (the Magic finished with 26 turnovers compared to the 36ers’ 14) and free throws (The 36ers shot 25 from 33 from the free throw line compared to the Magics 6 from 8).

Adelaide collected their first NBL championship since 1986, and Kevin Brooks was named Grand Final MVP in what was the last winter season for the National Basketball League.

After 40 games for the Nuggets in the NBA. Darnell Mee carved out a nice career over here in Australia. @nblhistory @NBL @Adelaide36ers @nuggets pic.twitter.com/PV4onfwJQP

— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 11, 2023

1998/99
The NBL’s move to summer didn’t stop the defending champions, Adelaide, as they finished the 1998-99 regular season with their first minor premiership since 1988 with a 18–8 record. Adelaide was able to return with almost their entire championship team from 1998, the only key change being John Rillie, who left for more playing opportunities in West Sydney. The team replaced Rillie with David Stiff, who was able to pair with Mark Davis as the team’s ‘two-headed’ centre.

Captain Brett Maher (19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals) led the team in most categories, alongside high scoring forward Martin Cattalini (14.9 points and 7.0 rebounds) and import duo Kevin Brooks (17.3 points and 6.1 rebounds) and Darnell Mee (14.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals), who both elevated their games in the second season.

The 36ers made their way into the grand final undefeated in the postseason, eliminating Perth in the Qualifying Finals and Wollongong in the semifinals, both in two straight games. Once into the Grand Final, Adelaide faced off against the Victoria Titans, a team comprised mostly from the roster of the South East Melbourne Magic roster whom they defeated in the previous year’s grand final.

The opening matchup delivered a battle of the point guards with McDonald (23 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals) and 36ers import Darnell Mee (25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks) led both team’s in scoring. Mee was able to come out on top in this one, with Adelaide winning the game (104-94) and Mee also forcing McDonald into making 8 turnovers.

The Titans would even the series in game two, winning 88-82. Brett Maher led Adelaide with 25 points, but the Titans’ defence saw the remainder of the 36ers struggle, with no one else able to score more than 12 points and the team shooting 39% from the field. Tony Ronaldson (22 points), Brett Wheeler (18 points, 9 rebounds) and McDonald (12 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists) doing most of the damage for the Titans.

With the 36ers finishing in first place during the regular season the deciding game would be held in Adelaide where more than 7,000 Sixers fans willed the team over the line to become back-to-back NBL champions. Martin Cattalini (19 points and 9 rebounds) led the 36ers in scoring while Brett Maher (15 points and 7 rebounds) was named Grand Final MVP. Ben Pepper (15 points) top scored for the Titans who shot a woeful 26/78 from the field (38%) in the deciding game.

Adelaide became three-time NBL champions and the first team to win back-to-back titles since Perth in 1990 and 1991. Captain Brett Maher was voted the Grand Final MVP, and coach Phil Smyth claimed his second championship win in just two years of coaching in the NBL.

1999/00
Coming off winning back-to-back championships, Adelaide seemed primed for a NBL dynasty and bolstered their roster by signing Paul Maley. Maley, who had contemplated retiring after his experience with the Victoria Titans, was thought to be everything the team needed to achieve a three-peat, but then, economic factors impacted the 36ers’ season in a way no one could have predicted.

The NBL wasn’t in as good a financial shape as the 36ers, and in a cost-cutting move aimed at assisting struggling NBL clubs, the league reduced the league salary cup from $70,000 to $625,000. This reduction in cap resulted in the team being unable to re-sign star Kevin Brooks for the same money without breaching the cap, considering it also had added Maley only a few weeks earlier. Although the league applied for consideration on this, it was denied, and Brooks was forced to make a move to Sydney to play with the Kings.

Days later, high-scoring forward Martin Cattalini agreed to play in France for ASVEL Villeranne, which would have been ‘double whammy’, but prior to the season tipping off, he backflipped and re-signed with Adelaide in the hopes that a big year would result in being selected for the 2000 Olympics to be held in Sydney.

The season kicked off the season with a 109–89 win over Perth at home, with the 36ers fielding a starting lineup of team captain Brett Maher (20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists), team leading scorer Martin Cattalini (20.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists), Darnell Mee (13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks) who filled almost every category on the stat sheet and veterans Paul Rees (7.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists) and Maley (12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists).

As a result of winning the 1999 NBL championship, the 36ers were again invited to participate in the McDonald’s Cup, held at the 12,000 seat Fila Forum in Milan, Italy which was scheduled during the first month of the regular season. After losing their first game 90–79 to Brazilian side CR Vasco da Gama (who went all the way to meet the San Antonio Spurs in the final), the team won the 5–6 place playoff 91–84 over Lebanese team Hekmeh BC.

After returning to Australia, Adelaide never skipped a beat. They won three straight games before heading to Townsville, a game where Maher nailed five from five threes, scored 15 points in the first quarter, and finished with a career-high 40 points as Adelaide lost its first game of the season in overtime.

Maley missed a number of games due to a recurring back injury which saw David Stiff enter the starting lineup, where he responded with a career-high 35-point game (70% from the field) in a 111-103 win over Wollongong.

On 6 February 2000, the 36ers participated in the league’s first ‘open air’ game where 10318 fans gathered to see the Titans deliver a rare loss (83-75) at Melbourne Park.

Mee finished the season averaging 13.6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game as they again finished minor premiers with a 22–6 record.

Both Adelaide and Townsville (who finished second) were given first-round byes as Victoria beat Melbourne and Perth defeated West Sydney in the Elimination Finals. Perth then upset Townsville, knocking them out in three games, and the 36ers faced off against a Brian Goorjian led team for the third year in a row.

The Titans, who had discarded Paul Maley (12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game) to see him become a valuable bench contributor for Adelaide, entered the series as favourites. The Titans would win game one 101-86 in Melbourne, with Ronaldson leading the team with 26 points and 5 rebounds and MacDonald filling the box score with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, before the series moved to Adelaide for game two and three.

Game two saw the 36ers return to their high-scoring offence, which had proven unstoppable over the past two seasons. Martin Cattalini’s 24 points and 7 rebounds, combined with Darnell Mee all-around brilliance, collecting 22 points,7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, the 36ers evened the series with a 95-72 win.

With many pencilling in another Titans elimination from the 36ers, the team rallied behind MacDonald, who again impacted the game from every angle, finishing with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. His counterpart Darnell Mee seemed equally up to the task and finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, but the remaining 36ers squad struggled to score through the impenetrable Titans defence, and with Victoria winning the decider 89-93 the Titans celebrated as though they’d shaken King Kong off their back.

Not surprisingly, Victoria had nothing left for Perth in the Grand Final and lost in two straight games.

2000/01
In 2001, Mee averaged 18.9 points and 6.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists and helped guide the 36ers to a sixth-place finish in the regular season behind a 16-12 record.

After the 2000-01 season, despite a commitment for three more years with the 36ers, Darnell Mee left Adelaide for a European offer which disappointed the 36ers at the time and probably not the last image Mee would want remembered for as a Sixer.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2002/03
In November, 2002, the Cairns Taipans signed Darnell Mee to play out the remainder of the season after cutting Ron Kelley. As fate would have it, Mee arrived in Australia just as Cairns was drawn to play Adelaide in Adelaide.

Mee averaged 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists during a lacklustre season where the Taipans limped home to a eighth-place finish with a 13-17 record.

WOLLONGONG HAWKS
2003/04
In 2003/04, Mee averaged 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists as the Hawks finished with a record of 25-8 and in second place during the regular season.

2004/05
The Hawks returned to the NBL Grand Final in 2004/05, where they lost to the crosstown rival and defending league champion Sydney Kings without winning a single game. Saville had a career-best season in 2004/05, as he was a key factor in the Hawks’ push to the Grand Final, averaging a career-high 17.8 points as well as 9.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game and Ballinger (17 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) and Darnell Mee (14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists) added the additional scoring punch.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2005/06
The 2005/06 season saw Mee return to Cairns and average 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He was a major part of the Taipans fifth place finish in the regular season behind a 18-14 record.

2006/07
During the 2006/07 season Mee averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5 assists and helped the Taipans finish with a record of 17-16 and end the regular season in sixth place.

2007/08
In 2007/08, Mee averaged 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists as the Taipans finished with a record of 16-14 and in sixth place during the regular season.

2008/09
This was a dark period for Cairns started the season in financial strife and by December 2008, saw themselves placed into voluntary administration. As a result, coach Alan Black was sacked and imports Larry Abney and Dave Thomas were let go. The rest of the team had to agree to a blanket 45 percent pay cut for the rest of the season. Less than 12 months later, the Taipans were again in financial trouble – at the time, the club was almost $350,000 over budget and had only recorded a profit in one of the previous four months.

In response, Basketball Australia and Cairns Regional Council vowed to continue supporting the cash-strapped Taipans.

Taipans CEO Mark Beecroft stepped in as head coach for the remainder of the season while Cattalini finished the season with averages of 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Team captain Martin Cattalini (15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) and Darnell Mee (7.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists) led the team that remained against all the odds, and surprisingly, Cairns finished with a reasonable record of 11-19 to end the season.

During his 362-game NBL career with the Cannons, 36ers, Hawks and Taipans, Mee would also be the first player to be named Defensive Player of the Year five times – impressively at three different clubs.

He maintains the record of just one of two players that have recorded triple-doubles in consecutive NBL matches.

Darnell Mee played twelve seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Canberra Cannons, Wollongong Hawks, Adelaide 36ers and Cairns Taipans. He averaged 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 362 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 47th in total points
– 12th in total assists
– 10th in total steals
– 14th in total blocks
– 43rd in steals per game.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (814 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.