NICKNAME/S: D-Mac

BIO: Darryl McDonald was born in Harlem, New York (USA).

FAMILY: Darryl is the father of both Derrick McDonald (8 NBL games) and Durrell McDonald (1 NBL games).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Darryl McDonald made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 29 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game.

After finishing 13-13 and falling to Perth in the quarterfinals the previous season, North Melbourne entered 1994 with its financial problems having become public. A group of new investors saved the Giants at the eleventh hour and changed the club’s look, moving away from its traditional maroon uniforms and adopting colours similar to the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.

Brett Brown returned for his second season as head coach with Pat Reidy, Paul Maley, Paul Rees, Larry Sengstock, Rod Johnson, Darryl Pearce and Mark Leader forming the experienced core. High-scoring import Jason Reese (to Canberra) departed, while Brown added point guard Darryl McDonald (via CBA) and John Stelzer (via Canberra). With an ageing roster and McDonald arriving in the NBL after several seasons in North America, the media and betting agencies largely wrote off the Giants, with most tipping them to finish last.

McDonald made his NBL debut against Perth at the Glasshouse on April 7, finishing with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Maley (21 points and 7 rebounds) and Reidy (17 points and 10 rebounds) led North Melbourne’s other contributors, but Ricky Grace (29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists) recorded a triple-double as the Wildcats won 112-95.

McDonald (17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4.5 steals across 33 games) immediately transformed North Melbourne’s backcourt, appearing in every game while giving the Giants an elite playmaker and disruptive defender.

The first sign North Melbourne had been underestimated came during the ‘Doomsday Double’. McDonald finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals at the Perth Entertainment Centre on April 21 as Maley (25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) and Reidy (22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) helped the Giants avenge their opening-round loss with a 121-90 victory. Former Giant Scott Fisher (25 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Perth.

Two nights later at the Clipsal Powerhouse, McDonald added 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals as Maley (32 points and 11 rebounds) and Rees (13 points and 3 rebounds) helped North Melbourne hold off Adelaide 84-83. Robert Rose (13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) was Adelaide’s best as the Giants became the first team since 1986 to complete the Perth-Adelaide road double. The victories formed part of a nine-game winning streak following North Melbourne’s opening loss.

McDonald’s best game of the season came against Newcastle at the Glasshouse on May 13, where he produced a remarkable triple-double with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 14 assists, 11 steals, and 1 block as North Melbourne defeated the Falcons 128-99. Reidy (23 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Johnson (21 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) provided the main support, while McDonald’s 11 steals remained his career high and left him only three rebounds short of a quadruple-double.

Two weeks later, McDonald delivered his highest-scoring game of the season against Geelong, finishing with 30 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 steals as North Melbourne defeated the Supercats 131-105 at the Glasshouse. Reidy added 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block and Rees finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block, while Ray Borner (27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) was Geelong’s best.

McDonald came close to an even rarer stat line in Townsville on September 9, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists, 9 steals, and 3 blocks as North Melbourne defeated the Suns 132-96. Reidy (25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Rees (22 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 assist) led the support as McDonald finished just one steal short of a quadruple-double.

Reidy (19.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals across 33 games) and Maley (19.4 points and 6.7 rebounds across 25 games) were North Melbourne’s two leading scorers, while Johnson (12.7 points across 33 games), Rees (12.5 points and 5.6 rebounds across 33 games), Sengstock (9.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals across 33 games) and Leader (8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 33 games) completed Brown’s deep veteran rotation. Reidy earned All-NBL Third Team honours and Brown was named NBL Coach of the Year, while McDonald led the league with 4.5 steals per game, earned All-NBL First Team honours, won the Good Hands Award and finished runner-up to Andrew Gaze in MVP voting and Darren Lucas in Best Defensive Player voting.

North Melbourne finished second with a 19-7 record after having been widely tipped to finish at the bottom of the ladder. The 1994 season also became the first in NBL history to pass one million spectators during the regular season.

The quarterfinals opened at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, where McDonald finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals. Maley (26 points and 6 rebounds) and Johnson (20 points) led North Melbourne’s scoring, but Greg Hubbard (32 points and 7 steals) powered Sydney to a 131-109 victory and a 1-0 series lead.

Game two moved to the Glasshouse, where McDonald responded with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Reidy (28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) made 11-of-12 shots and Maley added 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Leon Trimmingham (22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led Sydney as North Melbourne won 112-91 and forced a deciding game.

McDonald played all 48 minutes in game three, making 7-of-10 shots and finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Maley (33 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals) and Reidy (24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals) led the support, while Trimmingham (31 points and 10 rebounds) was Sydney’s best as the Giants won 104-95 and advanced to the semifinals.

South East Melbourne had eliminated Perth to set up an all-Melbourne semifinal, with McDonald producing 20 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 8 steals, and 1 block in game one at Melbourne Park. Reidy (22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Maley (17 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) helped North Melbourne take control, while Andrew Parkinson (21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led the Magic as the Giants won 108-87.

Game two moved to the Glasshouse, where McDonald finished with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Rees (17 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) and Reidy (12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) helped North Melbourne survive, while Parkinson (22 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) led South East Melbourne. Adonis Jordan’s three-point heave in the closing moments missed its mark and the Giants escaped 79-76 to complete the semifinal sweep and advance to the Grand Final.

Game one of the Grand Final was played at the Clipsal Powerhouse, where McDonald recorded another triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Maley (25 points and 12 rebounds) and Rees (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led the support, while Robert Rose (33 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 steals) dragged Adelaide back from a 14-point deficit inside the final six minutes and Mark Davis returned despite the shoulder injury he suffered during the semifinals. The game went to overtime before McDonald nailed the game-winning shot to give North Melbourne a 95-93 victory and a 1-0 series lead.

Game two returned to the Glasshouse, where McDonald finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Maley added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Rees made all seven of his field-goal attempts on his way to 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Rose again led Adelaide with 31 points and 7 rebounds. North Melbourne led 51-41 at halftime and pulled away during the third quarter for a 117-97 victory, completing a 2-0 sweep and claiming its second NBL championship, with Rees named Grand Final MVP.

1995
After winning the 1994 championship, North Melbourne entered Brett Brown’s third season with almost its entire title roster intact, with Darryl McDonald, Pat Reidy, Paul Rees, Paul Maley, Larry Sengstock, Rod Johnson, Darryl Pearce, Mark Leader and John Stelzer all returning. The only major setback came in the final weeks before the season when Maley (back injury) was ruled out for the year, forcing Brown to find a late replacement before the Giants signed former Ohio State forward Chris Jent (via Houston Rockets), who had won the 1994 NBA championship only months earlier.

North Melbourne opened the season on April 22 against Gold Coast, where McDonald (17.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 10.4 assists, and 3.8 steals) finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block as the Giants defeated the Rollers 118-97. Jent (25.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 steals) immediately justified the late move, becoming the first reigning NBA champion to play in the NBL and finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists in his debut.

McDonald’s first dominant road performance came in Adelaide on May 21, where he finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks as North Melbourne defeated the 36ers 112-85 and collected one of its strongest wins of the first half of the season.

On July 2, McDonald delivered another all-around game against eventual champion Perth, finishing with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, and 2 blocks as the Giants defeated the Wildcats 109-100 and remained among the teams fighting for top spot during a season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all spent time leading the ladder.

McDonald’s best regular-season game came in Brisbane on September 16, where he finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 15 assists, and 9 steals as North Melbourne defeated the Bullets 122-109, closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak and finished third with a 18-8 record.

Jent led North Melbourne in scoring after replacing Maley, while Reidy (20.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals) remained a major scoring and rebounding option on the wing. McDonald led the NBL in assists and steals for a second consecutive season, earned All-NBL First Team honours and won the Good Hands Award.

Rees (14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) anchored the middle, Johnson (11.5 points) gave the Giants another scoring option, while Sengstock (5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds), Pearce (5.7 points) and Leader (4.6 points and 3.0 rebounds) completed Brown’s veteran rotation. Sengstock retired at season’s end as the NBL’s only five-time champion at the time.

The quarterfinals opened in Brisbane, where Jent (34 points and 7 rebounds), Reidy (25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals), Johnson (20 points and 4 assists) and McDonald (7 points, 6 rebounds, 19 assists, and 6 steals) led North Melbourne to a 115-105 win, while Leroy Loggins (42 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block), Mike Mitchell (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals) and Shane Heal (16 points, 12 assists, and 5 steals) kept Brisbane within reach.

Game two moved to Melbourne, where McDonald (32 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) delivered his best scoring game of the season as North Melbourne completed the sweep with a 130-99 win. Reidy (28 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists), Jent (21 points and 5 rebounds) and Rees (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 blocks) also dominated, while Loggins (25 points and 8 rebounds), Mitchell (22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals) and Heal (14 points and 5 assists) led Brisbane.

The semifinals opened against South East Melbourne, where McDonald (11 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) controlled the offence as North Melbourne held the Magic to 77 points and took game one 98-77.

Game two moved to South East Melbourne, where McDonald (17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) filled the stat sheet again, but the Magic responded with a 98-79 win and forced a deciding game.

Game three remained in Melbourne, where McDonald (14 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, and 8 steals) again drove North Melbourne’s pressure defence as the Giants defeated South East Melbourne 107-92 and moved into the Grand Final for a second consecutive season.

The Grand Final series opened at the Perth Entertainment Centre, where Jent (29 points and 7 assists), Johnson (21 points and 3 assists), Reidy (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists) and McDonald (18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals) powered North Melbourne to a 104-97 win over Perth, while James Crawford (24 points and 9 rebounds) led the Wildcats.

Game two moved to Melbourne, where Perth trailed 53-45 at halftime and faced elimination before lifting its defensive pressure in the second half. Andrew Vlahov (29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the Wildcats, while Jent (28 points and 8 rebounds) and McDonald (17 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) kept North Melbourne close before Perth won 97-88 and levelled the series.

Game three returned to Perth, where the Wildcats scored 30 points while holding North Melbourne to 15 in the opening quarter, limited the Giants’ leading scorer to 5-of-14 shooting and forced North Melbourne to shoot 29-of-77 from the field. Crawford (32 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 5 blocks) made 15-of-18 shots and powered Perth to a 108-88 win, with Vlahov named Grand Final MVP after averaging 24 points across the series. McDonald (17 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) finished his season in the 108-88 loss.

Some oldschool NBL Dunk Comp highlights #straightfromthetapes pic.twitter.com/8GqXQ3x4wm— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) May 23, 2024

1996
After falling one win short of back-to-back championships, North Melbourne returned most of its roster for Brett Brown’s fourth season, with Darryl McDonald, Pat Reidy, Paul Rees, Paul Maley, Rod Johnson, Larry Sengstock, Matthew Shanahan and John Stelzer all remaining in place. Mark Leader and Darryl Pearce both retired, while Chris Jent (to New York Knicks) exited after his one-season stint with the Giants. Australian Boomers guard Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) joined the roster, while Maley returned from the back injury that had ruled him out for the entire 1995 season.

North Melbourne opened the season in Sydney on April 12, where McDonald (17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10.0 assists, and 3.9 steals) finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, and 2 steals, but the Kings defeated the Giants 102-97. Four days later, McDonald recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block as North Melbourne defeated Melbourne 105-85 at Melbourne Park, giving the Giants their first win of the season.

McDonald delivered one of his strongest early-season games on May 3 against Brisbane, where he played 53 minutes and finished with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals, and 2 blocks as North Melbourne defeated the Bullets 102-95.

On June 7, McDonald finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 14 assists, and 3 steals as the Giants defeated Gold Coast 114-98, then followed it six days later with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 7 steals, and 1 block as North Melbourne edged Townsville 95-92.

McDonald helped North Melbourne escape against Perth on September 7, finishing with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks as the Giants defeated the Wildcats 100-97. A week later, he added 25 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and 5 steals, but Newcastle defeated North Melbourne 118-107.

On September 21, McDonald finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals, but South East Melbourne defeated North Melbourne 114-105. His best regular-season scoring game came a week later in Perth, where McDonald finished with 30 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 9 steals, and 1 block as the Giants defeated the Wildcats 99-93. The win came one night after a 92-70 loss in Adelaide and left North Melbourne seventh with a 15-11 record in a tight ladder where only two games separated third place and eighth.

Reidy (20.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals) led North Melbourne in scoring, while McDonald again led the NBL in assists, earned All-NBL First Team honours, won the Good Hands Award and was named NBL All-Star Game MVP.

Maley (17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals) returned to the lineup after missing the previous season, Jensen (14.6 points) gave the Giants another perimeter scorer, and Rees (14.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks) remained the main interior presence. Johnson (9.1 points and 1.3 steals), Shanahan (5.0 points), Sengstock (4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds) and Stelzer (2.1 points) completed Brown’s rotation.

The quarterfinals opened at the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre, where South East Melbourne defeated North Melbourne 96-82 behind Andrew Parkinson (19 points). McDonald (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) and Reidy (19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) led the Giants, but the Magic took control of the series.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Tony Ronaldson (25 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Mike Kelly (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) led South East Melbourne to a 87-77 win and completed the sweep. Reidy (17 points and 14 rebounds) led North Melbourne, while McDonald (13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) played 46:55 minutes in the 87-77 loss.

1997
After finishing seventh with a 15-11 record and being swept by South East Melbourne in the 1996 quarterfinals, North Melbourne entered Brett Brown’s fifth season with Darryl McDonald, Pat Reidy, Paul Rees, Rod Johnson, Matthew Shanahan and Stephen Hoare returning from the previous season’s group. Tonny Jensen (to Newcastle), Paul Maley (back injury) and Larry Sengstock (retired) exited, while John Stelzer did not return after playing his final NBL game in 1996. Brown added David Stiff (via Hobart), Mike Mitchell (via Brisbane), Andrew Goodwin (via Brisbane), Matthew Reece (via Newcastle) and Cameron Jackson as North Melbourne’s financial pressure continued to shape the roster, leaving the Giants to play the season with the league minimum of 11 players.

North Melbourne opened the season against Sydney on April 11, where McDonald (14 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals), Reidy (24 points) and Mitchell (23 points and 12 rebounds) led the Giants to an 85-81 win, while Isaac Burton (19 points and 6 rebounds) was Sydney’s leading scorer. North Melbourne followed with wins over Canberra, Newcastle and Sydney again to open the season 4-0.

McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 3.3 steals across 35 games) remained the key to North Melbourne’s offence and defence and appeared in every game, playing all 30 regular-season games and all five playoff games. He led the NBL in assists and steals for the fourth consecutive season, won the Good Hands Award, finished runner-up in MVP voting and earned All-NBL Second Team honours.

On May 23, McDonald (25 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 steals) directed North Melbourne past Townsville 122-114, with Mitchell (27 points) and Reidy (24 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists) helping the Giants, while Clarence Tyson (25 points and 12 rebounds) led Townsville.

McDonald’s season-high scoring game came against Melbourne at Melbourne Park on June 21, where he made 11-of-16 shots and finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, but the Tigers defeated North Melbourne 115-104. Rod Johnson (19 points and 4 rebounds) and Reidy (16 points) provided support for the Giants, while Andrew Gaze (35 points) led Melbourne.

North Melbourne’s greatest injury setback came when Rees (4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds across 11 games) suffered a severe knee injury which kept him out for most of the season. Despite the Giants being forced to operate with one of the league’s shortest rotations, they remained in the top half of the ladder throughout the year.

Reidy (20.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals across 35 games) led North Melbourne in scoring, while Mitchell (15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals across 32 games) gave the Giants another reliable import option. Stiff (13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 35 games) stepped into a major frontcourt role in Rees’ absence, while Johnson (10.8 points across 35 games), Goodwin (10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds across 35 games) and Shanahan (7.7 points across 35 games) filled out Brown’s main rotation. North Melbourne finished third with an 18-12 record.

The elimination finals opened at the AIS Arena on October 3, where McDonald (11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals), Reidy (25 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Goodwin (23 points and 11 rebounds) led North Melbourne, but Robert Rose (22 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) helped Canberra defeat the Giants 104-93 and take the opening game of the best-of-three series.

Game two moved to the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre, where McDonald (20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals) recorded a triple-double as Reidy (26 points and 4 assists) and Goodwin (20 points and 7 rebounds) helped North Melbourne defeat Canberra 108-98 and level the series, while Mario Donaldson (25 points) led the Cannons.

Game three remained in Melbourne, where McDonald (14 points, 7 rebounds, 14 assists, and 7 steals) controlled the game at both ends as Reidy (20 points and 11 rebounds) and Stiff (14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks) helped North Melbourne defeat Canberra 102-75 and advance to the semifinals, while Rose (23 points and 9 rebounds) led the Cannons.

The semifinals opened against Melbourne at the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre, where Stiff (24 points) helped keep North Melbourne within reach before the Tigers won game one 107-99.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Melbourne defeated North Melbourne 112-105 to complete the sweep and end the Giants’ season.

A little 90's Nth Melb Giants v Sydney Kings. Enjoy!! pic.twitter.com/3VdqfONAJN— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) May 14, 2023

1998
After being eliminated by Melbourne in the 1997 semifinals, North Melbourne moved into what became its final Giants season with the club’s financial problems still growing. Mike Mitchell, Paul Rees (to Adelaide), Rod Johnson (to Canberra), Stephen Hoare (to West Sydney) and Matthew Reece all exited the team, while Brett Brown retained McDonald, Pat Reidy, David Stiff, Andrew Goodwin and Matthew Shanahan. Paul Maley also returned after missing the previous season with a back injury, with Ben Pepper (via Newcastle), David Close (via Canberra), rookie David Smith (via AIS) and new import Darnell Hoskins added to round out the roster.

North Melbourne opened the season with a loss to Wollongong (109-96) with McDonald missing the game through injury. With the Giants’ star import sidelined for the opening 13 games, Brown added Nate Driggers to cover the backcourt while the team tried to stay afloat early. McDonald (12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.3 steals) remained North Melbourne’s floor leader when healthy, but without him the Giants lost their first five games before defeating Melbourne 102-82 on February 27 behind Reidy (22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Hoskins (29 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists).

Driggers (6 points and 3.3 rebounds) played seven games before being released after failing to provide the cover needed during McDonald’s absence. Hoskins (17 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) briefly looked like he might settle the import spot when Hoskins (40 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Reidy (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists) led North Melbourne to a 97-91 win over Sydney on March 14. Despite that breakout game, Hoskins played his final game on March 29 and was released as Brown continued reshaping the roster, with NBL legend Butch Hays (8.9 points and 3.4 assists) brought out of retirement on April 3 to steady the group before McDonald returned.

McDonald (10 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists) finally made his season debut against Adelaide on April 4 as North Melbourne defeated the 36ers 115-99, with Reidy (20 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Maley (19 points and 4 rebounds) leading the way as the Giants collected only their fourth win of the year.

McDonald (15 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, and 1 steal) produced one of his best passing games at the Perth Entertainment Centre on April 26 as North Melbourne pushed the Wildcats to the final possession before falling 103-102, with Reidy (29 points and 6 rebounds) and Stiff (19 points and 10 rebounds) having big games in the loss.

McDonald (20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals) delivered another strong all-round game against South East Melbourne on May 23, but North Melbourne lost 93-89 at Melbourne Park despite Reidy (20 points and 4 rebounds) and Pepper (14 points and 6 rebounds) helping keep the Giants close.

McDonald’s best game of the season came in North Melbourne’s final home game on June 5, where he finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals as the Giants defeated Perth 109-103. Pepper (22 points and 7 rebounds) and Maley (22 points and 8 rebounds) helped North Melbourne claim one of its strongest wins of the season.

Reidy (17.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) led North Melbourne in scoring, while Pepper (13.7 points and 8.2 rebounds) gave the Giants a new interior focal point after arriving from Newcastle. Maley (12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) returned from injury and became one of the team’s steadier scorers, while Stiff (11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals), Goodwin (10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds), Smith (7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals), Shanahan (6.4 points) and Close (6.1 points) filled out Brown’s rotation. Smith also earned Rookie of the Year, one of the few positives from a difficult season.

North Melbourne closed the season the next night at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, falling 115-113 to Sydney to finish 10th with a 9-21 record, including only one road win. McDonald (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) played 41:11 minutes in the loss, while Stiff (24 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Pepper (18 points and 12 rebounds) led the Giants in their final game.

At the end of the season, North Melbourne merged with South East Melbourne after several years of financial instability. The new club was launched as the Victoria Titans with McDonald, Pepper, Smith and Maley being retained.

VICTORIA TITANS
1998/99
After the NBL’s move to summer, interest in the league had declined, and financially, it had become difficult for Melbourne to sustain three separate clubs. In an effort to boost sponsorship and membership numbers, the South East Melbourne Magic merged with the North Melbourne Giants, who had struggled financially for a number of years.

The team was re-branded to the Victoria Titans and, with the majority of the front office being former Magic owners, a decision was made to retain Brian Goorjian as head coach, leaving Giants coach Brett Brown without a job. Selecting a team generated criticism as Goorjian’s appointment coincided with the decision not to offer Pat Reidy (to Newcastle), then a member of the Australian national team, a spot on the roster.

The Titans completed their roster by signing five players from the Giants roster, Darryl McDonald, Ben Pepper, David Smith, Nathan Taylor and Paul Maley, and five players from the Magic roster, Jason Smith, Frank Drmic, Brett Wheeler, Mike Kelly and Tony Ronaldson, while Brad Sheridan (via AIS) also joined the new club.

Victoria opened its inaugural season against Melbourne at Melbourne Park on October 10, where McDonald (16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) led the Titans, but the Tigers defeated Victoria 99-80. Pepper (15 points and 10 rebounds) and Ronaldson (13 points and 4 rebounds) were the other main contributors as the result showed the lack of cohesion that combining two teams had created.

McDonald (11.1 points, 5 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.4 steals) would lead the NBL in assists and steals this season, helping Victoria bounce back the following week with a win against Canberra where he finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals as the Titans defeated the Cannons 110-94. Ronaldson (28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Wheeler (20 points and 6 rebounds) also had big games.

A month later, McDonald suffered an injury after playing the first 4:42 minutes against West Sydney, keeping him out of action for two months. He returned on January 29 in an 86-85 loss to Brisbane, finishing with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists.

McDonald’s best regular-season scoring game came in Canberra on February 5, where he finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks as Victoria defeated the Cannons 99-88, with Ronaldson (26 points and 5 rebounds) and Jason Smith (14 points) leading the support.

McDonald produced one of his best playmaking games against Sydney on February 27, finishing with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, and 4 steals as Victoria defeated the Kings 98-87 at Melbourne Park, with Ronaldson (27 points and 6 rebounds) and Pepper (15 points and 5 rebounds) helping the Titans continue their late-season push.

Ronaldson (16.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists), who was named team captain of the new franchise, responded by leading Victoria in scoring and earning club MVP honours. Pepper (12.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks) finished second in scoring and led the team in rebounds and blocks, while Jason Smith (11.2 points and 4.1 rebounds), Wheeler (11 points and 5.9 rebounds), Drmic (10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds), Kelly (10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals) and Maley (7.2 points) gave Goorjian seven double-figure scorers as Victoria finished fourth with a 16-10 record, lost only three games at home and entered the playoffs on a four-game winning streak.

Victoria opened the Qualifying Finals at Melbourne Park by defeating Wollongong 96-65 behind Ronaldson (20 points and 4 rebounds), Jason Smith (18 points), Wheeler (15 points and 6 rebounds), Pepper (12 points and 16 rebounds) and Maley (12 points and 5 rebounds), while McDonald (3 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) played 35:31 minutes as the Titans took control of the series.

Game two moved to the WIN Entertainment Centre, where Victoria defeated Wollongong 91-82 and completed the sweep behind Ronaldson (20 points and 4 rebounds), Jason Smith (19 points and 5 rebounds), Wheeler (14 points and 8 rebounds) and Pepper (11 points and 6 rebounds), while McDonald (7 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, and 5 steals) pushed the Titans into the semifinals.

The semifinals opened at Melbourne Park, where Victoria ground out an 80-77 win over Melbourne behind Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists), Maley (16 points) and McDonald (11 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists), while Marcus Timmons (31 points and 9 rebounds) led the Tigers.

Game two stayed at Melbourne Park, where Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds), Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) and McDonald (13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals) led Victoria to a 94-87 win over Melbourne, completing the sweep and sending the Titans into a Grand Final series against Adelaide.

The Grand Final series opened in Melbourne, where McDonald’s highest-scoring game of the season came with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals, but Adelaide won 104-94 behind Brett Maher (31 points) and Darnell Mee (25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), with Mee also forcing McDonald into 8 turnovers. Ronaldson (19 points and 4 rebounds) and Pepper (18 points) were Victoria’s next-best scorers.

Game two moved to Adelaide, where Maher (25 points) came out firing for the 36ers, but Victoria’s defence held the rest of Adelaide’s offence down and levelled the series with an 88-82 win. Ronaldson (22 points), Wheeler (18 points and 9 rebounds), Jason Smith (15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and McDonald (12 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists) led the Titans, while Adelaide shot 39 percent from the field and no other 36ers player scored more than 12 points.

Game three remained in Adelaide, where more than 7,000 36ers fans saw Martin Cattalini (19 points and 9 rebounds) lead Adelaide and Maher (15 points and 7 rebounds) named Grand Final MVP as the 36ers completed back-to-back championships. Pepper (15 points) and Ronaldson (15 points and 6 rebounds) led Victoria, who shot 26-of-78 from the field, while McDonald (4 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) played 46:47 minutes in the 80-69 loss.

1999/00
After falling short in the Grand Final for the second year in a row (Magic ’98, Titans ’99) Brian Goorjian looked to add local youth to his roster in a attempt to go one step further… a proven Goorjian strategy. This saw veteran import players Paul Maley and Mike Kelly shown the door and replaced with 23 year old big man Nathan Taylor, who had previously played for the team when they were the North Melbourne Giants, and elevated 20 year old development player Glen Siegle elevated into the full roster. The remainder of the Titans roster all returned, as the team looked to go one step further than last season and win the NBL championship. The remainder of the Titans roster all returned, as the team looked to go one step further than last season and win the NBL championship.

In their second as the Titans, Victoria finished the season strong thanks to a breakout season from Jason Smith, who boosted his numbers from 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 29 minutes to 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 40 minutes per game and named the Titan’s club MVP at the end of the season. In addition to Smith leading the team in scoring, Victoria would deliver a well-balanced offensive attack, with six players scoring in double figures. Tony Ronaldson contributed 16.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, Darryl McDonald averaged 13.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and while leading the led the league in both assists (7.8 apg) and steals (3.1 spg) again.

Once again, the Titans built their season around a strong home record (11-3) and finished the season in fourth place. This saw Victoria (20-8) and Melbourne (14-14) face off in the elimination finals where the Tigers took game one (101-94). The Titans evened the series (78-70) in game two, setting up a third and deciding game. In game three, Victoria overcome a offensive explosion from Melbourne’s Andrew Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists), but again, the Titans defence proved highly successful in generating turnovers (Gaze himself had 7), and Victoria closed out the series (2-1). MacDonald (29 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steal) led the Titans in scoring in the win (105-96).

This set-up a rematch with the aforemention Adelaide, who had picked up the discarded Paul Maley (12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds) midseason, to see him become a valuable bench contributor. Adelaide, who had finished the season in first place (and had the wood of the Titan’s it was believed) and entered the in the semifinals as favourites. Ronaldson (26 points and 5 rebounds) and MacDonald (24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks) would lead the Titans to a game one win in Melbourne (101-86), before the series moved to Adelaide for games two and three.

Game two saw the 36ers return to the same high-scoring offence that had proven unstoppable during the past two seasons. Martin Cattalini (24 points and 7 rebounds) and Darnell Mee (22 points,7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals) delivered big games, allowing the 36ers to even the series with a win (95-72). With many expecting Victoria to come up short against Adelaide yet again, the team rallied behind MacDonald (24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals), who again impacted the game from every angle. While his counterpart Mee (22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) filled the stat sheet, his 36ers teammates struggled to score through the impenetrable Titans defence. This resulted in Victoria winning the game three (93-89) and finally overcoming the 36ers, igniting a Titans celebration on court, which some felt was premature considering the grand final series was still to come.

Not surprisingly, Victoria had nothing left for Perth in the Grand Final, and the Wildcat’s defeated the Titans in two straight contests, a six-point win in game one (84-78) followed up with a similar outcome in game two (83-76). Perth were led by league MVP Paul Rogers (24 points and 20 rebounds), who connected on 10 of 16 shots and racked up a 20/20 game in game one. Marcus Timmons (27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals) couldn’t miss in game two, going 9/15 from the field and being voted the NBL Finals MVP.

2000/01
After three years in the NBA, Chris Anstey returned to play for Brian Goorjian and the Titans. Although Anstey’s signature was a major coup, Victoria also suffered a major loss with Frank Drmic (to Brisbane) signing elsewhere, before Drmic exercised a European out clause, returned to Australia and joined Sydney. To fit Anstey in, Victoria released Nathan Taylor (to Melbourne), replaced David Smith with Jason Smith’s older brother Darren Smith and signed Kiwi guard Mark Dickel to replace Drmic.

Dickel had just graduated from UNLV and was signed as an import, with New Zealand players not considered local players in the NBL until 2003.

Victoria opened the season at Melbourne Park on October 20, where McDonald (16 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) helped the Titans defeat Brisbane 101-75. Jason Smith (15 points and 4 steals), Ronaldson (17 points and 7 rebounds), Dickel (12 points and 7 assists) and Wheeler (7 points and 11 rebounds) gave Victoria a balanced start as the Titans began the season with a home win.

McDonald (15.4 points, 5 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 2.7 steals) again controlled the Titans’ offence, leading the NBL in assists and steals while remaining one of the league’s most disruptive defensive guards.

McDonald’s best scoring game came against West Sydney on November 17, where he finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals. Ronaldson (14 points and 6 rebounds), Dickel (13 points and 6 assists), Wheeler (11 points and 7 rebounds) and Jason Smith (25 points and 6 rebounds) helped Victoria continue its strong start.

McDonald also delivered one of his best games against Melbourne on November 4, finishing with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 block. Jason Smith (31 points and 7 rebounds), Ronaldson (22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Dickel (11 points and 6 rebounds) all contributed as Victoria’s backcourt and wing scoring carried the Titans against their cross-town rival.

McDonald produced his best playmaking game against Melbourne on March 10, finishing with 23 points and 14 assists while making 9 of 11 shots. Ronaldson (31 points and 5 rebounds), Jason Smith (28 points) and Dickel (10 points and 6 assists) gave Victoria another high-scoring performance late in the regular season.

Jason Smith (20.5 points and 5.4 rebounds) put up career-high scoring numbers and led Victoria offensively, while Anstey (16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2 blocks) returned a vastly improved player from the NBA and was named Titans MVP despite coming off the bench. Ronaldson (16.3 points and 5.7 rebounds), Dickel (13.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists) and Wheeler (13 points and 8 rebounds) rounded out the starting group, while Darren Smith (6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds), Brad Sheridan (6 points), Ben Pepper (4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds), Pero Vasiljevic (3.7 points) and Glen Siegle (2 points) provided depth as Victoria finished first with a 22-6 record.

Mid-season injuries to Pepper, Anstey and Darren Smith saw development players Marcus Wright and Vasiljevic elevated into bigger roles, but the Titans still finished on top of the ladder, with Anstey winning Sixth Man of the Year and Goorjian again entering the playoffs with one of the league’s deepest teams.

Victoria opened the Qualifying Finals at Melbourne Park against Adelaide, where Anstey (27 points and 16 rebounds) delivered his best scoring game of the season as the Titans defeated the 36ers 101-96. Jason Smith (26 points and 7 rebounds), Ronaldson (23 points and 5 rebounds), Wheeler (14 points and 9 rebounds) and McDonald (15 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals) helped Victoria take game one.

Game two moved to Adelaide, where the 36ers responded with a 96-83 win behind Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks, forcing a deciding game. Wheeler (18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks), McDonald (13 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 1 block), Dickel (13 points and 5 assists) and Ronaldson (11 points) were Victoria’s main contributors.

Game three remained in Adelaide, where the 36ers defeated Victoria 115-103 and took the series behind Mee and Brooks, who carried Adelaide through the three-game battle. Ronaldson (22 points and 7 rebounds), McDonald (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block), Dickel (12 points and 7 assists) and Wheeler (12 points and 11 rebounds) led the Titans, but Victoria advanced as the highest-ranked losing team due to finishing first during the regular season.

Victoria moved into a semifinal series against Townsville, led by 37-year-old Robert Rose, who had become the oldest MVP winner in league history. Game one opened in Melbourne, where Ronaldson (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists), McDonald (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists), Wheeler (17 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Dickel (16 points and 6 assists) led the Titans to a 106-97 win.

Game two moved to Townsville, where Anstey was injured in the opening moments and the Crocodiles levelled the series with a 98-82 win. Pat Reidy (19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists), Rose (19 points) and Andrew Goodwin (19 points) led Townsville, while Ronaldson (17 points and 8 rebounds), Dickel (16 points and 6 assists) and McDonald (9 points, 7 assists, and 1 steal) were Victoria’s main contributors.

Game three stayed in Townsville, where Dickel (33 points) delivered his highest-scoring game of the season and Ronaldson (14 points) tried to keep Victoria alive, but Kelly (17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) proved the difference for the Crocodiles as Townsville won 101-97 and ended the first-place Titans’ season before the Grand Final. McDonald (19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) played 45:05 minutes in the 101-97 loss.

2001/02
After Victoria missed the 2001 Grand Final, the first time a Brian Goorjian team had failed to reach the championship series in seven years, the Titans moved away from their three-centre rotation by not re-signing Ben Pepper. Darryl McDonald’s naturalisation opened a second import position for head coach Brian Goorjian to sign power forward Jamahl Mosley, while Glen Siegle was replaced by Nathan Crosswell (via Melbourne’s state league team) and Mark Dickel remained an import because New Zealand players were not considered local players until 2003. Chris Anstey moved into the starting lineup alongside captain Tony Ronaldson, Jason Smith, Brad Sheridan and McDonald.

Victoria opened the season against Melbourne on October 13, where McDonald (19 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals) led the Titans, while Dickel (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Ronaldson (19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists) provided support before the Tigers won 109-103.

McDonald (12 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.3 steals across 35 games) remained Victoria’s starting point guard and controlled one of the league’s deepest offences, finishing second in assists and leading the NBL in steals while earning All-NBL Third Team selection.

McDonald’s best all-around game came against Sydney on December 26, where he finished with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks as Victoria defeated the Kings 100-89. Ronaldson (19 points and 4 rebounds) and Darren Smith (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) helped the Titans collect the win.

On January 16 in Ballarat, McDonald (16 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) directed the offence as Victoria defeated Canberra 102-89, with Ronaldson (24 points and 5 rebounds) and Jason Smith (22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) leading the scoring.

McDonald matched his season-high scoring total against Townsville on March 15, finishing with 23 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals as Victoria defeated the Crocodiles 125-120. Anstey (26 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Jason Smith (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) helped the Titans hold off Townsville.

His final regular-season appearance came against Wollongong on March 22, where McDonald (11 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) helped Victoria defeat the Hawks 103-95. Jason Smith (24 points and 6 rebounds) and Anstey (16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks) led the Titans before Victoria completed the schedule in first place with a 21-9 record, securing the minor premiership for the second consecutive season.

Ronaldson (19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds) led Victoria in scoring and was selected to the All-NBL Third Team, while Jason Smith (18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds) remained the Titans’ leading perimeter threat despite appearing in only 21 games. Anstey (16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks) was named Titans MVP and earned All-NBL First Team selection, while Dickel (11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists) provided another playmaker alongside McDonald. Mosley (11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds) became the first import to win the NBL Best Sixth Man award, with Darren Smith (8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds), Sheridan (8.1 points), Brett Wheeler (7.3 points and 6.2 rebounds) and Crosswell (5.3 points) completing the main rotation as Goorjian was named NBL Coach of the Year.

Victoria opened the qualifying finals against sixth-placed Melbourne, where McDonald (9 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 steals, and 2 blocks) impacted every area as the Titans won game one 113-107. Jason Smith (27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Anstey (19 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Victoria’s scoring.

Game two remained in Melbourne, where McDonald (11 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) and Jason Smith (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) led Victoria, but Copeland (41 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Timmons (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) carried the Tigers to a 107-105 win.

Game three saw Melbourne eliminate the top-seeded Titans with a 103-97 win behind Copeland (37 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Timmons (21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks). Anstey (32 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), Ronaldson (24 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block) and McDonald (8 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists) led Victoria, who still advanced as the highest-ranked losing team from the qualifying finals.

The semifinal series opened in Melbourne, where McDonald (5 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 steals), Ronaldson (27 points and 5 rebounds) and Jason Smith (19 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) led Victoria, but Farley (25 points and 4 rebounds) and Maher (23 points and 8 rebounds) carried Adelaide to a 99-92 win.

Game two moved to Adelaide, where McDonald (13 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists), Anstey (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Jason Smith (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Victoria to an 86-81 win. Farley (24 points) and Maher (15 points) were Adelaide’s leading scorers as the Titans forced a deciding game.

Game three remained in Adelaide, where Farley (33 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists), Maher (16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Rees (16 points and 9 rebounds) led the 36ers, while Ronaldson (26 points and 6 rebounds), Jason Smith (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Dickel (14 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists) carried Victoria. McDonald (11 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) played 33:13 minutes in the 103-92 loss.

The defeat became the final game played by the Victoria Titans, with financial strife leading the club to sell its licence to a group headed by Peter Fiddes, which rebranded the franchise as the Victoria Giants for the following season.

VICTORIA GIANTS
2002/03
Darryl McDonald remained with Victoria for the 2002/03 NBL season after the Titans folded in mid-2002 and a group headed by businessman Peter Fiddes received a licence to operate the rebranded Giants. The ownership group was primarily made up of former North Melbourne personnel, while McDonald and Jamahl Mosley accepted reduced contracts as the club assembled its roster on a limited budget.

Victoria could not retain head coach Brian Goorjian or much of the roster that had finished first the previous season. Chris Anstey, Jason Smith and Mark Dickel accepted contracts in Europe, while Tony Ronaldson and Brett Wheeler joined Perth, leaving McDonald as captain of a team coached by former North Melbourne guard and 1989 championship player Mark Wright.

Nathan Crosswell, Darren Smith and Marcus Wright were retained and given expanded roles as the Giants placed a greater emphasis on developing younger players. Nik Mirich arrived after completing his college career at George Mason, Lindsey Tait and Miles Pearce were recruited from the New Zealand NBL, and Rhys Carter, David Cooper and 36-year-old David Biwer were added from the AIS, Dandenong Rangers and Nunawading respectively.

The Giants opened with a 95–85 road loss to Perth before defeating the West Sydney Razorbacks 105–95 in their home opener, with McDonald recording 9 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. He followed with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists as Victoria defeated the Melbourne Tigers 130–102, then produced a season-high 16 assists, along with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, during a 135–129 overtime win against Brisbane.

Victoria held a 4–5 record after its first nine games before losing nine consecutive contests. Dusty Rychart, who averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds across 14 games, was released and replaced by Pero Vasiljevic, who produced 16.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.0 block over 16 appearances, while former Giants guard Adonis Jordan joined the roster and averaged 19.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 13 games.

Injuries further reduced the Giants’ depth, with Darren Smith suffering medial and cruciate ligament damage that ended his season after 17 games in which he averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals. Mosley missed time with a finger injury and Marcus Wright was sidelined by a leg injury, with both players absent for approximately a month.

McDonald scored a season-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting against the Sydney Kings on December 26, adding 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in a 98–91 loss. His other defensive highlights included 9 steals with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists against Brisbane, followed by 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals in a 114–100 victory over Canberra.

He delivered 16 points, 15 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks in Victoria’s 99–97 road win over Adelaide on February 22. The performance was one of six double-doubles during the season and came during a closing stretch in which the Giants won four of their final ten games.

McDonald played all 30 games and averaged 14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 0.7 blocks in 40.5 minutes per game. He shot 43 per cent from the field, 35 per cent from three-point range and 58 per cent at the free-throw line, finishing with totals of 435 points, 172 rebounds, 225 assists, 73 steals and 22 blocks.

His 2.4 steals per game led the NBL and marked the eighth time he had topped the league in the category, while his 7.5 assists ranked second behind Perth guard Ricky Grace’s 8.0. Mosley led Victoria with 21.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, while Crosswell averaged 15.1 points and 2.9 assists after moving into the starting lineup.

The Giants finished tenth with a 9–21 record, including a 6–9 home record and a 3–12 mark on the road, and missed the playoffs after scoring 2,945 points and allowing 3,225. Victoria ended its season with a 118–88 loss to Perth, and McDonald recorded 22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals in 40:07 minutes.

MELBOURNE TIGERS
2003/04
In 2003/04 McDonald averaged 7.7 points and 3.2 rebounds, and helped guide the Tigers to a fifth place finish in the regular season with a 20-13 record.

2004/05
During the 2004/05 season, McDonald averaged 7.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists alongside Melbourne Tigers legends Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland and Mark Bradtke, helping to guide the Tigers to a 17-15 record and a sixth place finish in the regular season. The team would defeat Perth 108-88 in the first round of the elimination finals before losing to the Townsville Crocodiles in the second elimination final, 100-112. This game would be the last for Tigers legends Andrew Gaze and his father Lindsey who had decided would both retire at the end of the season.

With Gaze, Copeland, Bradtke and Lindsay Gaze all retired and McDonald not yet talking to new coach Al Westover he was offered a contract to play with Wollongong. After agreeing to play for the Hawks he was later called by Westover who told him to wait until the Tigers could make a offer before deciding. Upon learning the Tigers were about to ink a deal with former NBA talent Chris Anstey he chose to remain with the Tigers instead.

2005/06
In 2005, the Tigers were forced into rebuilding mode as legendary figures Andrew Gaze and his father Gaze retired while Tigers stalwarts Mark Bradtke and Lanard Copeland headed to Brisbane. By a stroke of luck, Chris Anstey, who after three seasons in Europe had decided he wanted to return to play in Australia, began talking to the Tigers, who were now the only NBL team in Melbourne.

With Anstey on board and McDonald, Rashad Tucker, Dave Thomas, Stephen Hoare and Daryl Corletto returning the team then looked to add a batch of young talent to help usher in a new era of Tigers success adding Tom Greer, Braith Cox and Matt O’Hea. McDonald would go on to average 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7 assists a game to compliment Anstey, who was named the Philips Most Valuable Player of the 2005/06 Philips Championship season.

Together the Tigers finished with a 25-7 record which was also the best record ever recorded in team history and included a impressive 15-1 home record. After eliminating the Perth Wildcats in the semifinals in two straight games McDonald and the Tigers would go on to defeat the defending triple-champions, the Sydney Kings in three straight games.

2006/07
During the 2006/07 season Darryl McDonald averaged 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for a Melbourne Tigers team that lost to Brisbane in the NBL Finals – a loss that motivated him to return for one last season the following year.

2007/08
In his final NBL season Darryl McDonald averaged 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and at age forty-three he was playing 22 minutes per game off the bench and played a key role in the Tigers capturing the 2008 championship. McDonald would play his last game only a few months prior to his 44th birthday (also his jersey number at the time) as the oldest NBL player of all-time.

In his final NBL game Dmac became the first NBL player to play alongside his own son, Derrick McDonald.

A little known fact is that after retiring from the Tigers he was called by then Brisbane coach Joey Wright who offered him a chance to play with the Bullets as a backup to Adam Gibson. The offer included a three year deal where he would transition to the coaching staff after playing. Although McDonald was prepared to sign the deal, the Bullets fell into financial strife shortly after and were removed from the league prior to the 2008/09 season.

Darryl McDonald played fifteen seasons across four NBL teams. This included the North Melbourne Giants, Victoria Titans, Victoria Giants and Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7 assists in 523 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 10th in total games played.
– 26th in total points
– 42nd in total rebounds
– 1st in total assists
– 1st in total steals
– 46th in total blocks
– 13rd in assists per game.
– 14th in steals per game.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Brisbane Bullets Assistant Coach Darryl MacDonald started historic NBL career 30 years ago today! 🫡#RIVERCITYSTRONG pic.twitter.com/C69pZpN6iX

— Brisbane Bullets (@BrisbaneBullets) February 12, 2024