Phil Hamer
October 16, 2026
Dave Ankeney
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 1/05/53
- Place of Birth: Pennsylvania (USA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 185
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Clarion (1970-1974)
- NBL DEBUT: 24/02/79
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 26/06/83
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 30
- NBL History: Newcastle 1979-80, 1982-83
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Dave Ankeney was born in Pennsylvania (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Dave Ankeney made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 25 years of age. He scored 28 points in his first game.
The Newcastle Falcons were instrumental in the creation of the NBL, serving as one of the league’s original teams and taking charge of coordinating its inaugural season. Each of the other eight clubs contributed a $300 entry fee to Newcastle, reinforcing the city’s status as the spiritual home of the NBL. Dave came to Australia on a teaching exchange and was a part of the Falcon’s inaugral season.
Under the guidance of player-coach Bob Turner, the Falcons hosted the very first game in league history at Burwood Stadium—a 78–62 defeat to Nunawading. They also dropped their second match against St Kilda (107–81), but rebounded in Round 2 with a resounding 97–69 home victory over Brisbane, which kicked off their best run of the year—a three-game winning streak.
American import Dave Ankeney topped the scoring charts for Newcastle with 25.3 points per game, backed by Dan Riley (19.4) and Turner (11.8). While the Falcons proved tough to beat at home, their form dipped away from Newcastle, where they went 2–7. The team closed out their inaugural NBL campaign in sixth place with an 8–10 record.
1980
The 1980 campaign brought a change on the sidelines, as Dean Donnollon replaced Bob Turner as head coach. Turner stayed on in a limited on-court capacity, contributing 3.7 points per game in reduced minutes. The Falcons also welcomed new American import Carl Whitfield, who quickly developed into a key offensive partner alongside returning scorer Dave Ankeney.
Ankeney once again led the way with 20.0 points per game, with Whitfield (19.3), Dave Cook (15.6), and Dan Riley (10.6) rounding out the main offensive contributors. Donnollon also made two brief appearances as a player during the season. Following their 8-win inaugural year, the Falcons showed marked improvement in 1980, finishing with a 13–9 record—including a five-game winning streak to close the season—and falling just one win short of a top-four playoff berth.
remained teaching in Newcastle after his NBL career.
Dave Ankeney played four seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 15.9 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 83 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 30 | Newcastle | 13-9 (7) | 25 | 0 | 266 | 40 | 60 | 18 | 22 | 31 | 0 | 47 | 98 | 104 | 185 | 56% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 58 | 75 | 77% | 60% | 56% | 23 |
| 1982 | 29 | Newcastle | 17-9 (5) | 18 | 0 | 160 | 38 | 51 | 10 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 69 | 51 | 93 | 55% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 58 | 69 | 84% | 64% | 55% | 17 |
| 1980 | 27 | Newcastle | 13-9 (6) | 22 | 0 | 439 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 165 | 330 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 109 | 140 | 78% | 55% | 50% | 32 |
| 1979 | 26 | Newcastle | 8-10 (6) | 18 | 22 | 456 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 162 | 323 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 131 | 176 | 74% | 56% | 50% | 37 | Totals | 83 | 22 | 1321 | 78 | 111 | 28 | 50 | 31 | 0 | 94 | 316 | 482 | 931 | 51.8% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 356 | 460 | 77.4% | 58% | 52% | 37 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 30 | Newcastle | 13-9 (7) | 25 | 0.0 | 10.6 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 7.4 | 56% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 2.3 | 3.0 | 77% | 60.3% | 56% | 23 |
| 1982 | 29 | Newcastle | 17-9 (5) | 18 | 0.0 | 8.9 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 5.2 | 55% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 3.2 | 3.8 | 84% | 63.6% | 55% | 17 |
| 1980 | 27 | Newcastle | 13-9 (6) | 22 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 7.5 | 15.0 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 5.0 | 6.4 | 78% | 55.4% | 50% | 32 |
| 1979 | 26 | Newcastle | 8-10 (6) | 18 | 1.2 | 25.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 9.0 | 17.9 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 7.3 | 9.8 | 74% | 56.1% | 50% | 37 | Total | 83 | 0.3 | 15.9 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 11.2 | 51.8% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 77.4% | 58% | 52% | 37 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 37 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
Ankeney played for Central Charlestown in NSW state league in 1977.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Dave Ankeney spent 1977 playing in Europe.
COLLEGE
Ankeney played college basketball at Clarion, As a freshman in 1970-71 he played on the freshman side and had a 21-point game in a 76-66 preliminary win over Grove City while Ron Galbreath’s varsity team finished 16-9 overall and 7-1 in the PSAC West before exiting in the NAIA District 18 semifinals.
In 1971-72 Ankeney stepped up to the varsity program under Galbreath and helped Clarion post an 18-7 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the PSAC West, good for second in the division and a place in the NAIA District 18 championship game.
As a sophomore he emerged as one of Clarion’s better scorers, finished among the top 20 scorers in the conference, scored 22 points in a January 1972 game, and later knocked down two free throws to tie Indiana at 62-62 during another close conference contest.
In 1972-73 he was part of Clarion’s first unit alongside Don Wilson and Lou Myers, and the Golden Eagles went 19-6 overall and 8-2 in PSAC West play to finish first in the division before falling in the NAIA District 18 semifinals.
Ankeney averaged 10.7 points per game as a junior, and one of his documented performances that season was a 14-point outing against Indiana in a Clarion win.
In 1973-74 he moved into his senior season as one of Clarion’s main offensive options, led the team in scoring at 15.0 points per game, and earned first-team All-PSAC Western Division honours while Galbreath’s team finished 18-8 overall and 6-4 in conference play, good for third in the PSAC West, before another NAIA District 18 semifinal exit.
His senior year included a game in which he converted 13 of 14 free throws, and in another late-season win he scored 18 points as Clarion balanced its attack around him, Lou Myers, Carl Grinage, and Terry Roseto.
Across his varsity years at Clarion he developed from a freshman-team scorer into an all-conference senior guard, contributing to winning seasons of 18-7, 19-6, and 18-8 and helping the program remain a consistent contender in the PSAC West and NAIA District 18 under head coach Ron Galbreath.
Related
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