NBL Awards Finalists: The Hits, The Misses, and the Biggest Snubs
February 9, 2025
Dean Vickerman
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 5/07/71
- Place of Birth: Warragul (VIC)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 180
- Weight (KG): 78
- Junior Assoc: VIC - Warragul
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 16/09/90
- AGE AT DEBUT: 19
- LAST NBL GAME: 30/10/92
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 21
- NBL History: Melbourne 1990-92
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Dean Vickerman was born in Warragul (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Warragul basketball program.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Dean Vickerman made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 19 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game.
Off the back of the Tiger’s revamped roster, which led to their first playoff appearance ever, Melbourne re-signed its core group and looked to become a even stronger team in 1990. Although they lost naturalised swingman Eric Bailey (to Gold Coast), they were able to replace him with a even better option in Cecil Exum (via North Melbourne), who had been a big part of the Giant’s championship in 1989 and imports Dave Colbert and Dave Simmons were re-signed.
Andrew Gaze, who had spent the off-seasonplaying with Seton Hall University and narrowly missing out on a contract with the Seattle Supersonics, looked to light up the league.
Gaze (37.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), Colbert (31.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Simmons (27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3) filled every column in the stats sheet every night, as well as combing for 96 points per game.
Melbourne hit a major speed bump when Gaze was diagnosed as having a blood clot in his right shoulder, a issue that almost ended his playing career. As a result, Gaze would miss the Tigers’ last two games of the regular season and all playoff games, but Melbourne still managed to finish in fourth place (17-9). They faced off against fifth-seed Perth in the elimination finals, where Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze’s absence, but it wasn’t enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn’t score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100).
In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers’ player and ended Melbourne’s season behind a ten point win (123-113). Vickerman would see limited playing opportunities with the Tigers, appearing in only one game for the entire season.
1991
Melbourne had become a formidable team by 1991, and had it not been for a blood clot that derailed Andrew Gaze’s season, could have seen a deep playoff run from the Tigers. This year would see the trio of Gaze (38.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.7 steals), David Cobert (24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Dave Simmons (24.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks) get the chance to see how far they could go with a full season together. Melbourne was also boosted by the emergence of Stephen Whitehead (9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals), who would double his production with a shift to the team’s starting lineup.
The Tigers made history this season when they faced off against Illawarra and recorded the highest scoring game in NBL history (Jul 27). The game saw 344 points scored, and the Tigers come out as victors (186-158). Gaze (59 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals), Colbert (42 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists) and Simmons (36 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists) doing the bulk of the scoring for Melbourne and Patric Fairs (41 points and 10 rebounds) and Greg Hubbard (36 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists) top scoring for Illawarra, who shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort.
Once into the playoffs, Melbourne would lose game one (115-129) and game two (96-132) to Adelaide in the elimination finals. The scoring brilliance of Gaze, combined with the Tigers’ regular season success, was enough to earn him the NBL Most Valuable Player award for the first time. Gaze would then take home the NBL MVP award in seven of his next eight seasons. Vickerman would continue to see limited opportunities to play, appearing in 11 games and averaging 0.7 points, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists for the season.
1992
1992 began with the Tigers replacing forward David Colbert with former NBA guard Lanard Copeland, who paired with Andrew Gaze in the backcourt to become one of the most exciting backcourt duos in NBL history. Gaze (33.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists) would again lead the league in scoring, with Copeland (28.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) NBA pedigree showing he was one of the best imports in the league.
Melbourne replaced the interior presence of Colbert with Robert Sibley (via Brisbane), which then resulted in Brisbane signing free agent Colbert in a talent swap for both team’s.
Sibley (11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) fitted into the frontcourt nicely, and talented young swingman Stephen Whitehead (13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) saw a boost in his numbers for the third straight season.
With the revamped roster, the Tigers became a much faster lineup, finishing the regular season in the third spot, their highest place finish ever (15-9).
Once into the postseason Melbourne would eliminate Perth (2-1) in the quarterfinals, and then the Sydney Kings (2-1) in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final series for the first time in franchise history. Facing off against crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Magic, Gaze (26 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and the Tigers came out firing and comfortably defeated the Magic (116-98) in the first game of the series. That would be the last of the heroics, however, as the Magic would win the series’ next two games and claim the 1992 NBL championship (2-1).
Vickerman appeared in only four games for the season, scoring a total of 10 points for the season.
Dean Vickerman played three seasons the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.1 points, 0.1 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 21 | Melbourne | 15-9 (3) | 4 | 12.0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 60% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 2 | 3 | 67% | 78% | 0% | 5 |
| 1991 | 20 | Melbourne | 16-10 (5) | 11 | 29.0 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 17% | 0 | 4 | 0% | 4 | 6 | 67% | 27% | 17% | 6 |
| 1990 | 19 | Melbourne | 17-9 (4) | 1 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 26% | 0% | 1 | Totals | 16 | 44 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 27.8% | 2 | 6 | 33.3% | 7 | 11 | 63.6% | 42% | 33% | 6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 21 | Melbourne | 15-9 (3) | 4 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 60% | 0.5 | 0.5 | 100% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 67% | 78% | 0% | 5 |
| 1991 | 20 | Melbourne | 16-10 (5) | 11 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 17% | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0% | 0.4 | 0.5 | 67% | 27% | 17% | 6 |
| 1990 | 19 | Melbourne | 17-9 (4) | 1 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.0 | 2.0 | 50% | 26% | 0% | 1 | Total | 16 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 27.8% | 0.0 | 33.3% | 0.1 | 0.4 | 63.6% | 42% | 33% | 6 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Frankston 1993
| Season | Team | PTS | AST | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 20% | 28% | 45% | 0% | ||||||
| 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 5 | 18 | 27.8% | 2 | 6 | 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 21 | Melbourne | 15-9 (3) | 4 | 12.0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 60% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 2 | 3 | 67% | 78% | 0% | 5 |
| 1991 | 20 | Melbourne | 16-10 (5) | 11 | 29.0 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 17% | 0 | 4 | 0% | 4 | 6 | 67% | 27% | 17% | 6 |
| 1990 | 19 | Melbourne | 17-9 (4) | 1 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 26% | 0% | 1 | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
COACHING HISTORY
After moving on from a playing career, Vickerman began coaching as an assistant for the North Melbourne Giants alongside his Brett Brown, who had coached him as a playing at the Melbourne Tigers.
The following year, a head coaching oppourtunity presented itself with the Rockhampton Rockets in the state league. He spent two seasons with the Rockets, before then moving to New South Wales to join the Sydney Panthers as an assistant coach.
2002 saw Vickerman become head coach of the Wellington Saints, coaching them for just over one season before walking out on the club four games in the 2003 season due to the club's financial uncertainty.
In 2004, Vickerman guided Melbourne University to a Big V title before joined the Melbourne Tigers as an assistant coach for the 2004/05 and 2005/06 NBL seasons.
In 2006, he took up a role with the Singapore Slingers as an assistant coach, coaching the countries men's national team while he was there also.
Then between 2007 and 2013, he served as an assistant coach for the New Zealand Breakers under coach Andrej Lemanis, before taking over the reigns after he became head coach of Australia's national men's team.
Vickerman would win a championship his first season as Breakers coach with a team mainly built by Lemanis, but lacklustre results in the seasons after that saw him released in 2016.
He spent one season as an assistant coach for the Sydney Kings, coaching under former teammate Andrew Gaze, before earning the chance to lead Melbourne United, replacing Dean Demopolous as their head coach.
Related
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