Dickel (13.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists) and Jason Smith (20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists) formed quite a duo, with Smith leading the team in scoring while having a career-high scoring season himself.

Anstey (16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks) returned a vastly improved player from the NBA, but coach Goorjian surprised many by bringing Anstey off the bench this season, favouring Brett Wheeler (13 points and 8 rebounds) in the starting lineup as he looked to replicate the success of the double-headed centre that was Anstey and John Dorge during the Magic’s 1996 championship run. Darren Smith would also play a key role for the Titans this season, averaging 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.

Later, young players Marcus Wright and Pero Vasiljevic, originally signed as development players, were elevated into the roster during the season as a result of mid-season injuries to Ben Pepper, and the Titans finished the year in first place with a franchise-best record of 22-6. Anstey, who was named Titans MVP that season and the fact he did it all from the bench, made him a easy choice for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

This saw them face off against long-time rivals, the sixth-placed Adelaide 36ers and behind a season high scoring performance from Anstey (27 points and collected 16 rebounds) took out game one (101-96). The Sixers, behind star duo Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks, would then rebound to win games two (96-83) and three (115-103). Mee (22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists) and Brooks (25 points and 7 rebounds) put up big numbers over the three-game series.

As a result of finishing first, the Titans being the highest placed loser in the Qualifying Finals allowed them to proceed to the semi finals. There they would face the Townsville Crocodiles, led by 37 year old Robert Rose, who had just become the league’s oldest winner of the NBL’s MVP award. Thanks to veteran players Tony Ronaldson (22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) and Darryl McDonald (20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) stepped up and delivered a game one win for Victoria (106-97). a injury to Anstey in the early moments of game two saw him miss the remainder of the series, which saw the Titans lose both game two (98-82) and three (101-97). A major factor was Anstey suffering a injury in the early moments of game two which kept him out of both games.

In a twist of fate, the Crocodiles roster was made up of a number of players discarded by Brian Goorjian in recent years. In addition to Rose, both Pat Reidy and Mike Kelly were Titans cast-offs, both playing huge roles in eliminating the Titans. Reidy (19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) was a equal game high scorer (with Rose and Andrew Goodwin) in game two, while Kelly (17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) was the clear difference maker in the deciding game three.

The Titans falling short of the Grand Final was also the first time a Brian Goorjian team hadn’t reached a NBL Grand Final since 1996 (seven years).

2001/02
After the Titans failed to reach the Grand Final in 2001, the first time a Brian Goorjian team hadn’t reached a NBL Grand Final in seven years. It was decided the triple big man rotation of Chris Anstey, Brett Wheeler, and Ben Pepper wasn’t working, and as a result, Pepper was not re-signed. As a result of Darryl McDonald becoming a naturalised Australian, the team used its second import spot to sign power forward Jamahl Mosely as his replacement. Mark Dickel remained the team’s second import, as New Zealand players were not considered local players until 2003. The Titans’ next moves were replacing Glen Siegle with young guard Nathan Crosswell who had been playing for the Melbourne Tigers state league squad.

Anstey would move into the starting lineup this season, and alongside team captain Tony Ronaldson, Jason Smith, Brad Sheridan and McDonald guide the team to a first place regular season finish for the second year in a row.

The team featured six players scoring in double-figures that year with team captain Ronaldson (19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds) leading the team in scoring, Anstey (16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks) filling each section of the box score each night (he be named Titans club MVP at the end of the season) and Mosely (11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds), who had a dominant season off the bench and became the first import player to win the league’s sixth man of the year award. As well as Jason Smith (18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds), Darryl McDonald (12.0 points and 7.3 assists), Mark Dickel (11.6 points) rounded out perhaps the most well rounded scoring attacks in league history, with Smith also contributing 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.

The first stage of the playoffs saw Victoria take on sixth-placed Melbourne and, after winning game one (113-107), went on to lose games two (105–107) and three (103-97). As a result of finishing first, they progressed to the next stage as a result of being the highest-ranked losing team in the Qualifying Finals. This time, facing third-ranked Adelaide this time, the Titans lost game one in Melbourne 92-99, evened the series with a 86-81 win in Adelaide, then lost game three 103-92. The loss would become the last game for the Victoria Titans franchise, with the team falling into financial strife shortly after. The team would sell their licence to a group comprising a number of former North Melbourne Giants staff headed by Peter Fiddes and rebranding to the Victoria Giants.

VICTORIA GIANTS
2002/03 – TITANS BECOME GIANTS
After Victoria Titans folded in mid-2002, a group fronted by businessman Peter Fiddes was granted a licence in their place, and with new ownership primarily made up of former North Melbourne personnel, still upset about the Giants/Magic merger in 1998, re-branded the team to the Giants.

The team was put together on a shoestring budget and could not retain head coach Brian Goorjian nor the majority of the team’s higher-profile talent. The club was able to re-sign veteran Darryl McDonald and import Jamahl Mosely to new (reduced) deals but lacked the financial backing to re-sign much of the local talent losing Chris Anstey, Jason Smith and Mark Dickel to more lucrative European contracts and Tony Ronaldson and Brett Wheeler to the Perth Wildcats.

The Giants had been able to re-sign some of the Titans’ younger talent, Nathan Crosswell, Darren Smith and Marcus Wright and committed to giving them increased minutes and becoming a club focused on giving young Aussie talent a pathway to the NBL. This saw the team fill the remaining roster spots with young players who had been playing in the state leagues, giving them their first big break into the national league. Nik Mirich, who had just graduated from George Mason University, was signed, both Lindsey Tait and Miles Pearce were recruited from the semi-professional New Zealand NBL and Rhys Carter (AIS), David Cooper (Dandenong Rangers) and 36-year-old David Biwer (Nunawading) who had all been playing in the SEABL state league rounded out the bench.

The team would be led by former North Melbourne backup guard Mark Wright, who helped the Giants win a championship in 1989. First year coach Wright and the Giants and budget roster had been picked to finish last on the ladder and began the season with a 95-85 loss to the Wildcats in Perth. The team would surprise everyone by beating the West Sydney Razorbacks 122–106 in their home opener before reeling off demolition of their crosstown rivals Melbourne, defeating them 130–102.

The team were led by Jamahl Mosely (21.2 points, 9.5 rebounds) and team captain Darryl McDonald (14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists and a league leading 2.4 steals), while mid-season addition Pero Vasiljevic (16.5 points, 8.3 rebounds) and Nathan Crosswell (15.1 points, 2.9 assists) grabbed the increased playing opportunities by the horns and moved into the starting lineup. Smith would also add 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

By round nine, Victoria was sitting on a respectable four win, five loss record and were in the middle of the NBL ladder.

The wheels truly fell off from here, however, as the Giants lost the next seven games in a row, culminating with the release of import forward Dusty Rychart (16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds) was viewed as underperforming. The team quickly signed former Magic star Adonis Jordan as his replacement, whose presence didn’t change anything in the win-loss column. The Giants (9-21) went on to finish second from the bottom of the ladder (above Brisbane).

Darren Smith played eight seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Hobart Devils, Victoria Titans, Sydney Kings and Victoria Giants. He averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 201 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (832 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.