Al Green (NBL Hall Of Famer) Podcast #88
May 21, 2017
David Spear
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth:
- Place of Birth: Adelaide (SA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 194
- Weight (KG): 87
- Junior Assoc: SA - West Adelaide
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 12/02/83
- AGE AT DEBUT: 0
- LAST NBL GAME: 24/09/89
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 0
- NBL History: West Adelaide 1983-84 | Adelaide 1985-86, 1988-89
- Championships: 1
- Adelaide (1986)
BIO: David Spear was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the West Adelaide basketball program.
NBL EXPERIENCE
David Spear made his NBL debut with the West Adelaide Bearcats on 12/2/1983. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
In 1983, player-coach Ken Richardson retired and the Bearcats lost Brad Dalton (to Sydney). They would add Mike Parsons (via Launceston) and national team player Andy Campbell. ‘King’ Ken Cole would take up the head coaching role but struggled to generate the results of previous years, finishing the regular season in third place (17-5).
Al Green (29.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals) would lead the team in scoring once again, while ‘do-it-all’ import Leroy Loggins (24.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals) backed him up offensively while also being tasked to defending the opposing team’s best player each night. Loggins efforts would also see him named in the All-NBL first team at season’s end. Spear appeared in 23 games and averaged 1.3 points, 0 rebounds, and 0.2 assists during his first season in the NBL.
In what was deemed a cost-cutting measure, the NBL chose to play two divisional finals, a three-game round-robin tournament for the top eight team’s, which strangely saw the league’s two best team’s excluded from the playoffs.
The three-game round-robin tournament resulted in the first-placed team in the Western Divison (Sydney) and the first place team in the Eastern Division (Geelong) being eliminated from a playoff spot due to finishing the three game round robin tournament with 2 wins and 1 loss, a equal record to two other team’s who progressed through based on points percentage.
While they made it through to the playoffs, few expected them to survive the rigours of the first round. Cole, widely regarded as the league’s premier motivator, came through on his pre-season prediction that West contend for the championship despite the loss of Richardson and Dalton as Green, Loggins and company led the Bearcats to a victory over Nunawading (84-77). Canberra would eliminate Coburg (80-75) on the other side of the bracket, pitting the two team’s against each other to decide the championship.
In a final which proved a seesaw ride for spectators, Canberra would be crowned champions after defeating West Adelaide by two points (75-73).
1984
In 1984, Spear averaged 5.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, playing a key role in the Bearcats second unit, helping the team finish in a tenth place (11-13).
1985
ADELAIDE 36ERS
1985
In 1985, West Adelaide and Adelaide joined to form one NBL club for the South Australian fans to get behind. The team was built from a combination of both rosters, with the Bearcats head coach Ken Cole being selected over 36ers Mike Osborne to run the merged club. Darryl ‘Ice Man’ Pearce and ‘Mean’ Al Green, who had just gained Australian citizenship and qualified as a local player, would become the team’s starting guards, Moscow Olympian Peter Ali started as small forward and American centre Bill Jones was recruited to anchor the middle.
The season began with the backcourt duo of Green (31.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Pearce (22.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals) leading the way in scoring but it wasn’t until the mid-season addition of import Mark Davis that the team started to look unbeatable. After Davis (27.9 points, 17.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) was added to a side already bursting with depth after the sixth round, the 36ers stormed into the Grand Final. There, Adelaide fell short to Leroy Loggins and the Brisbane Bullets, with the championship being decided in a single game (121-95).
Green was selected to the All-NBL First Team while first-year guard Mike Mckay (12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) was named Rookie Of The Year. Spear appeared in 25 games and averaged 0.6 points, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists for the season.
1986
1986
Coming off a Grand Final loss to Brisbane, Adelaide rebounded with what is considered the greatest season in NBL history. Although the team made only one major change, adding naturalised import Dwayne Nelson to replace the outgoing Karl Luke, the 36ers dominated the season to finish in first place (24-2). Mark Davis would lead the league in rebounding and be selected to the All-NBL First Team. Alongside Davis, Al Green (19.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals), Darryl Pearce (19.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.0 steals), Sixers skipper Bill Jones (19.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.2 blocks), and Mike Mckay (13.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) would round out the starting lineup. Spear would play a backup role Green, appearing in 27 games and averaged 1.3 points, 0.1 rebounds, and 0.2 assists for the season.
This 36ers team was coined ‘The Invincibles’ in the South Australian media due to finishing with the best regular season record of all time. The team’s 24-2 win-loss record — a 92.3 percent success rate — has never been matched since. The two losses both also were on last-gasp buzzer beaters, keeping Cole’s team just a few seconds short of the perfect 26-0 season. Of their 27 total victories that year, 17 were by at least 20 points, and the 36ers’ only two losses to West Sydney (87-89) and Coburg (114-116) were the results of last second buzzer-beaters, effectively meaning they were about six seconds short of the perfect 26-0 regular season. They averaged 117.3 points a game in their winning spree, conceding 96.0, a winning buffer of 21.3 points. And in claiming the regular season championship, they were five wins clear of the 19-7 second-placed Canberra Cannons.
On top of all that, Adelaide was unbeatable at home, winning all 13 games at a sold-out Apollo Stadium. This was extended to 14-0 after Darryl Pearce (28 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists) and Al Green (27 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) led the 36ers over the Illawarra Hawks (116-92) in the semi-final. If you include the 36ers home games from 1985, this extended their home streak to 20-0. Adelaide would then meet Brisbane in a grand final re-match, with the NBL deciding to extend the championship series from single elimination to a three-game series from here onwards.
Adelaide won the opening match (119-122), with their big man doing most of the work, Davis (38 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) recording his second-highest scoring game of the season. Bill Jones (30 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks) and Darryl Pearce (13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) were also key factors in the win.
As the series moved to Brisbane, The 36ers seemingly got ahead of themselves and when they travelled to Brisbane, Cal Bruton (38 points on 15 of 24 shooting) and Larry Sengstock (19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) dished out a 21-point thrashing (84-104). Ali contributed 4 points and 4 rebounds in Adelaide’s largest loss of the season.
The 36ers would return to Apollo Stadium to correct their game two shortcomings and defeat Brisbane (113-91) to bring the second NBL Championship in five years to South Australia. Bullet’s guard Cal Bruton (31 points and 4 rebounds) would finish as the game’s high scorer, with Pearce (27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) top scoring for the 36ers. Al Green (22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block) managed to fill most columns of the box score, and Ali added 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in the championship win.
1988
Spear would missed the 1987 season due to a medial ligament injury and return to the club in 1988. This year saw Darryl Pearce and Peter Ali become co-captains of the squad in 1988, and Adelaide born centre and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) attendee Mark Bradtke make his NBL debut. Bradtke was signed by Ken Cole in 1986 when he was 16 years old and 203 cm tall but due to living in Brisbane at the time, he committed to the AIS for two years before joining Adelaide.
The Sixers had a great start to the season, kicking it off with a 4-1 start that included a 31-point win over Illawarra and had them picked as favourites to win the title in the early stages of the year. During the first month of the season, the 36ers were led by Darryl Peace, who exploded for 48 points, including 11 of 14 three-point attempts, against the Ken Cole coached Falcons in Newcastle in round two, a stat line that remains the highest scoring game in 36ers history.
Bradtke (7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) came off the bench as a backup to Bill Jones (15.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Mark Davis (25.3 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.4 steals). Darryl Pearce (20.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Al Green (20 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals) would provide the offence from the perimeter, and Adelaide (19-5) finished the regular season in first place during for the third year in a row (second under coach Gary Fox). Adelaide would then lose to Canberra (0-2), falling short in the semifinals for the second year in a row.
Spear would appear in 24 games, and 2.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
1989
1989 would be the last year with Gary Fox as coach after the team dropped to sixth on the regular season ladder with a 15–9 record. Due to the emergence of Mark Bradtke, import centre Bill Jones left the team to join former coach Ken Cole in Newcastle. Adelaide replaced him with import forward Orlando Phillips, the 1983 NCAA West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and a former Los Angeles Lakers draft pick.
Also, the team captaincy would be handed over fully to Darryl Pearce as co-captain Peter Ali chose to step down from the role. As the season began, Mark Davis (25.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and rebounding while also being selected in the All-NBL First Team for a fourth time. Phillips (20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) came as advertised, providing the additional scoring needed, and Bradtke (15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) made the most of his new role as starting center, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award.
Spear would contribute 1.4 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists as the 36ers snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. Adelaide (15-9) would face Perth (16-8) in the Elimination Finals, where Cal Bruton (35 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists) finished as the game’s high scorer, but it wouldn’t be enough to get past the 36ers who had five players score over 18 points or more. Mark Davis (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals), Darryl Pearce (25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists), Orlando Phillips (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals), Mike McKay (20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) and second year big man Mark Bradtke (18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) combining for 91 points in the game one win (122-124).
With the series returning to Perth for game two, Perth returned to its regular season form, shooting 51% from the field (42/82), and defeating Adelaide by 20 points (114-94). Pinder (25 points and 14 rebounds) and Bruton (22 points and 5 assists) top scoring for the Wildcats, while Mark Davis (22 points and 20 rebounds) racked up a 20/20 game in the 36ers losing effort.
With Bruton (29 points and 7 rebounds) again leading the team in scoring, Perth came away with the win in game three (112-108) and ended 36ers playoff hopes.
David Spear played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the West Adelaide Bearcats and the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 2 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 140 NBL games.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 0 | Adelaide | 15-9 (6) | 17 | 196.0 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 29 | 10 | 21 | 48% | 3 | 10 | 30% | 1 | 0% | 54% | 55% | 5 | |
| 1988 | 0 | Adelaide | 19-5 (1) | 24 | 213.0 | 58 | 19 | 26 | 4 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 27 | 25 | 57 | 44% | 6 | 17 | 35% | 2 | 3 | 67% | 50% | 49% | 13 |
| 1986 | 0 | Adelaide | 24-2 (1) | 27 | 0.0 | 36 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 30 | 50% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 5 | 6 | 83% | 55% | 52% | 7 |
| 1985 | 0 | Adelaide | 20-6 (2) | 25 | 0.0 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 47% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 47% | 47% | 6 |
| 1984 | 0 | West Adelaide | 11-13 (10) | 24 | 0.0 | 130 | 38 | 27 | 5 | 33 | 16 | 5 | 37 | 44 | 49 | 121 | 40% | 7 | 22 | 32% | 25 | 30 | 83% | 48% | 43% | 19 |
| 1983 | 0 | West Adelaide | 17-5 (3) | 23 | 0.0 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 27 | 48% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 3 | 3 | 100% | 51% | 48% | 6 | Totals | 140 | 409 | 290 | 82 | 90 | 17 | 65 | 37 | 9 | 87 | 128 | 119 | 271 | 43.9% | 17 | 51 | 33.3% | 35 | 43 | 81.4% | 50% | 47% | 19 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 0 | Adelaide | 15-9 (6) | 17 | 11.5 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 48% | 0.2 | 0.6 | 30% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 54% | 55% | 5 |
| 1988 | 0 | Adelaide | 19-5 (1) | 24 | 8.9 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 44% | 0.3 | 0.7 | 35% | 0.1 | 0.1 | 67% | 50% | 49% | 13 |
| 1986 | 0 | Adelaide | 24-2 (1) | 27 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 50% | 0.2 | 0.2 | 83% | 55% | 52% | 7 |
| 1985 | 0 | Adelaide | 20-6 (2) | 25 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 47% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 47% | 47% | 6 |
| 1984 | 0 | West Adelaide | 11-13 (10) | 24 | 0.0 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 40% | 0.3 | 0.9 | 32% | 1.0 | 1.3 | 83% | 48% | 43% | 19 |
| 1983 | 0 | West Adelaide | 17-5 (3) | 23 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 48% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.1 | 0.1 | 100% | 51.0% | 48% | 6 | Total | 140 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 43.9% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 33.3% | 0.1 | 0.4 | 81.4% | 50% | 47% | 19 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 19 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Adelaide 1987 | West Adelaide 1992
In 1987, Spear was given the captaincy of the Adelaide Buffalos composite team in the SEABL, leading it to the state league championship.
Won a second state league championship in 1988 with the West Adelaide Bearcats.
| Season | Team | PTS | AST | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 29% | 45% | 41% | 43% | ||||||
| 2 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 119 | 271 | 43.9% | 17 | 51 | 33.3% |
NBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM | POS | GP | GS | MINS | PTS | TRB | AST | ORB | DRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 0 | Adelaide | 15-9 (6) | 17 | 196.0 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 29 | 10 | 21 | 48% | 3 | 10 | 30% | 1 | 0% | 54% | 55% | 5 | |
| 1988 | 0 | Adelaide | 19-5 (1) | 24 | 213.0 | 58 | 19 | 26 | 4 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 27 | 25 | 57 | 44% | 6 | 17 | 35% | 2 | 3 | 67% | 50% | 49% | 13 |
| 1986 | 0 | Adelaide | 24-2 (1) | 27 | 0.0 | 36 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 30 | 50% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 5 | 6 | 83% | 55% | 52% | 7 |
| 1985 | 0 | Adelaide | 20-6 (2) | 25 | 0.0 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 47% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 47% | 47% | 6 |
| 1984 | 0 | West Adelaide | 11-13 (10) | 24 | 0.0 | 130 | 38 | 27 | 5 | 33 | 16 | 5 | 37 | 44 | 49 | 121 | 40% | 7 | 22 | 32% | 25 | 30 | 83% | 48% | 43% | 19 |
| 1983 | 0 | West Adelaide | 17-5 (3) | 23 | 0.0 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 27 | 48% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 3 | 3 | 100% | 51% | 48% | 6 | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
COACHING HISTORY
Coached the West Adelaide Bearcats to a State League championship in 1996.
Spent five years as coach of South Australia's Under-18 national boys and acted as an assistant with the Emus, Australia’s Under-19 national boys team.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
After retiring Spear remained in Adelaide, where managed his own company.
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