BIO: Dave Nelson was born in Montclair, New Jersey (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Dave Nelson made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 23 years of age. He scored 30 points in his first game.

In 1981, Nelson averaged 24.3 points with the Cannons finishing in seventh place with a record of 12-10.

1982
In 1982, Nelson averaged 20.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists, playing a key role in the Cannons rotation, helping the team finish with a 8-18 record.

1983
The 1983 season marked a fresh chapter for the Canberra Cannons, with Bob Turner (via Newcastle) signing a three-year deal to become the team’s new head coach. Under Turner’s direction, the Cannons were rebuilt around a trio of American imports—Wade Kirchmeyer, Herb McEachin, and Dave Nelson—and forged into one of the NBL’s most competitive and balanced squads.

Nelson (19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists) was a reliable scoring option all season long, offering versatility as both a slasher and spot-up shooter. His consistent output gave the Cannons a steady offensive presence to complement the interior strength of Kirchmeyer (20.9 points, 9.4 rebounds) and the two-way athleticism of McEachin (15.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks). With Australian Boomers star Phil Smyth (14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.6 steals) controlling the backcourt, the Cannons were able to blend import firepower with local leadership.

Canberra finished the regular season with a 16–6 record—good for fourth overall and second in the NBL’s Western Division, behind only Geelong (18–4). The strong campaign positioned them well heading into the newly implemented NBL Finals format, which included a divisional round-robin for the top eight teams.

In the round-robin phase, the Cannons were unstoppable. Nelson helped guide Canberra to three straight victories—against Nunawading (89–81), Geelong (86–81), and St. Kilda (104–85)—securing a spot in the semifinals. There, the Cannons faced the Coburg Giants and held off a determined challenge with an 80–75 win at Kilsyth Stadium. Nelson scored 18 points on 50% shooting from the field and was perfect from the free throw line (4-of-4), proving once again to be a clutch contributor on both ends of the floor.

In the Grand Final, Canberra faced reigning champions West Adelaide in a dramatic and physical contest. Nelson chipped in with 10 points, rounding out a balanced scoring attack that included McEachin (18 points), Kirchmeyer (17), and Smyth (16). The Cannons held on to claim a 75–73 win and their first-ever NBL championship. Despite the firepower of Leroy Loggins (23 points) and Al Green (18), West Adelaide couldn’t break through the Cannons’ well-organised defense and composed offence.

Nelson’s efforts throughout the season were vital to Canberra’s title run, as his combination of scoring, rebounding, and composure under pressure provided the Cannons with a reliable second option all year long. His 1983 campaign remains one of the most underappreciated yet impactful seasons in franchise history.

1984
As the team prepared for their run at back-to-back championships, they suffered a major setback after the league decided to introduce a rule where team’s could no longer play with more than two imports. With Canberra choosing to re-sign imports Dave Nelson and Herb McEachin, Kirchmeyer was forced to chase opportunities overseas.

In a bid to replace Kirchmeyer, known as the team’s ‘Enforcer’ and part of the ‘Bruise Brothers’ frontcourt that featured Nelson and McEachin, Andy Campbell of the West Adelaide Bearcats was signed, as well as promising young talent Mark Dalton. Dalton had just spent three years developing his game at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he was mentored by Cannons star Phil Smyth who operates as a assistant coach there during the NBL off-season.

Another move involved the team having to replace their leading scorer Wade Kirchmeyer with Dave Nelson (23.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who capably replaced his scoring ability, leading the team in points per game. Alongside fellow import Herb McEachin (21.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.3 steals) and Dalton (15.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.0 steals) delivering a impressive debut season, the Cannons would finish with a record of 16-7 and in fifth place during the regular season. Dalton would finish runner-up to Andrew Gaze for the league’s rookie of the year award.

Under the guidance of head coach Bob Turner and the on-court leadership from Phil Smyth (14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.0 steals) the Cannons defeated Geelong (87–81) in the Preliminary Final before narrowly getting past Coburg in the semi final (108–107) to set up a grand final against Leroy Loggins and the Brisbane Bullets.

The Grand Final would be played at a pre-determined ‘neutral’ venue that season (the last time the NBL held the Grand Final at a neutral location), the ‘Glass House’ in Melbourne. There the Cannons came out victors in another nail-biter, winning the 1984 NBL title by only two points (84–82).

1985
During the 1985 season, Nelson averaged 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists and was a part of the Cannons squad which finished in fourth place (19-7).

BRISBANE BULLETS
1986
Nelson joined Brisbane in 1986, the same year the team moved out of the Chandler Arena (2,700 seats) and into the brand new Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which could seat up to 13,500 fans. The move easily gave the Bullets the largest and newest home arena in the NBL at the time (the next largest venue in the league was The Glass House, which could only seat 7,200). At the time, the Entertainment Centre was not only the NBL’s but also Australia’s largest indoor arena.

Brisbane finished the regular season in third place (17–8) and progressed to their third Grand Final in a row after wins over the Sydney Supersonics and regular postseason rivals, the Canberra Cannons.

The team was led by Leroy Loggins (29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks), who would win the NBL MVP that season, alongside Cal Bruton (16.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) and team captain Sengstock (12.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists). Nelson also contributed 9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.

This season’s Grand Final would be decided in a best-of-three series for the first time ever. Brisbane would face Adelaide in a rematch of last year’s Grand Final, who, behind coach Ken Cole, had lost only two games all year and were unbeaten at home.

In the opening game, over 11,000 fans, a then indoor sports attendance record in Australia, saw the 36ers defeat the Bullets 122–119 in overtime at the Entertainment Centre, Nelson scoring 16 points in the loss. In game two, Brisbane became the only team to defeat the 36ers in Adelaide that year winning 104–83 at the Apollo Stadium. The Bullets would lose the deciding game three in Adelaide (113–91), Delivering Adelaide their first championship. Crucially, Loggins fouled out of both game one and 3 of the Grand Final series, which limited his on-court impact.

CANBERRA CANNONS
1986
Nelson averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists during a lacklustre season where the Cannons finished in fourth place finish during the regular season.

Dave Nelson played eight seasons in the NBL. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 173 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (835 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.