Matt Zauner
July 23, 2020
Dene MacDonald
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 11/08/71
- Place of Birth: Wollongong (NSW)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 198
- Weight (KG): 100
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Illawarra
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 14/07/89
- AGE AT DEBUT: 17
- LAST NBL GAME: 27/09/97
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: Wollongong 1989-97
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Dene MacDonald was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. During his time in the NBL he was known as a ever reliable player for the Hawks for nine seasons who was a solid three-point shooter while more often than not, found himself defending the oppositions top frontcourt players.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Dene MacDonald made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
In 1989, MacDonald averaged 3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists as the Hawks finished with a record of 7-17 during the regular season.
1990
In 1990, MacDonald averaged 2.3 points and 1 rebounds, and helped guide the Hawks to a eighth place finish in the regular season with a 13-13 record.
1991
The 1991 season saw MacDonald average 3.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists during a season where the Hawks struggled against the competition.
On the 27th of July, 1991 MacDonald was a part of the highest scoring game in NBL history when the Illawarra Hawks lost to the Melbourne Tigers 186-158 in a game where a total of 344 points were scored. MacDonald contributed 13 points himself and added 6 rebounds, and 2 assists to the stat sheet as well. Remarkably the Hawks shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort.
The Hawks managed only six wins this season, finishing with a 6-20 record.
1992
During the 1992 season, MacDonald averaged 3.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists and helped the Hawks finish with a record of 13-11 and ended the regular season in eighth place.
1993
During the 1993 season, MacDonald averaged 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists and was a part of the Hawks squad which finished in sixth place with a record of 15-11.
1994
In 1994, MacDonald averaged 5.9 points and 4 rebounds, and helped guide the Hawks to a tenth place finish in the regular season with a 13-13 record.
1995
After three consecutive years of being eliminated in the first round of the NBL playoffs, head coach Alan Black knew his job was on the line if the team was unable to advance past the Quarterfinals. Black was able to re-sign star import Melvin Thomas and have veterans Chuck Harmison, Mick Corkeron and Dene MacDonald return but lost Butch Hays and Craig Adams, who both signed with Newcastle. Black bolstered his roster by replacing Hays with pass-first point guard Andre LaFleur, who had connected on more assists than any other player in the league over the prior three seasons, former Perth Wildcats star Kendal Pinder, young talent Glen Saville and Illawarra junior Terry Johnson.
Five games into the season, offcourt issues arose surrounding Pinder (9.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists), who was released from the team after facing criminal charges. However, with his absence and injuries to Mick Corkeron (9.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists), the Hawks witnessed the explosion of young point guard Terry Johnson. Johnson, who had failed to make his with the Giants two years earlier. Off court issues saw the Giants question Johnson’s commitment to the sport which resulted in him spending a year playing with Cairns in the state league. Johnson (11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) respnded by tripling his numbers from 1993 to finish as the competition’s leading three point shooter at 48 percent (34 of 71) and runner-up to Tonny Jensen (Newcastle) for the Most Improved Player award.
Melvin Thomas led the team in almost every category, posting 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks and formed quite the duo with LaFleur, who finished with averages of 21.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.9 steals. MacDonald finished the season with averages of 5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
Illawarra (14-12) finished seventh and faced off against second-placed South East Melbourne in the Quarterfinals. In game one, the Hawks delivered a upset, defeating the Magic behind a 29 point outburst from 37 year old veteran Chuck Harmison (12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists). The Hawk’s flying start was stemmed once the series moved to Melbourne. There, the Magic claimed victory in both games two (92-89) and three (93-75) to deliver a fourth straight Quarterfinals exit for Illawarra in as many years.
1996
In 1996, the Hawks lost head coach Alan Black and Melvin Thomas, their leading scorer and rebounder from the past four seasons to the deeper wallets of rivals Sydney. Although many felt the void left by Thomas would be a difficult one to replace, new import Marcus Timmons surprised everyone by being one of the premier forwards in the competition. He led the team in almost every category, leading the team in points (21.9 ppg), rebounds, (12.3 rpg), steals (2.3 spg) and blocks (1.0 bpg). His import partner Andre LaFleur however started to show signs of slowing down, his numbers dropping to 18.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game.
Under new head coach Brendan Joyce, The Hawks would struggle to find wins during the year and finished in 10th place with a record of 9-17.
MacDonald would finish the year with 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
1997
After finishing 10th with a 9-17 record and missing the playoffs in 1996, Illawarra entered the 1997 season without leading scorer and rebounder Marcus Timmons (to Melbourne), while Andre LaFleur was not re-signed, Greg Hubbard retired and long-time captain Chuck Harmison retired after the previous season. Terry Johnson, Matt Zauner, Glen Saville, Mat Campbell, Dene MacDonald and Marc Brandon returned under head coach Brendan Joyce, with Zauner taking over as captain. Joyce added imports Clayton Ritter and Bryan Edwards, Eric Cooks (via Ballarat), Lachlan Armfield and Jason Brettell, who returned to the Hawks after not playing in the NBL in 1996.
MacDonald (0 points and 1 assist) played 8:51 as Illawarra opened the season at Beaton Park on April 12 with a 112-96 loss to Newcastle. Ritter (25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) and Johnson (23 points and 2 steals) led the Hawks, while David Simmons (22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) was Newcastle’s best.
MacDonald (1.1 points across 29 games) saw his role reduced to 8.9 minutes per game during his ninth season with Illawarra, appearing in 29 of the Hawks’ 30 games. After averaging 4.2 points in 16.8 minutes the previous year, he shot 22 percent from the field and 17 percent from three in 1997 while continuing to provide defensive depth from the bench. No injury was reported during the season and no confirmed reason was found for his only absence.
MacDonald’s best scoring game came against eventual champion Melbourne at Beaton Park on May 2, where MacDonald (7 points) made his only three-point attempt and both free throws as Illawarra snapped a three-game losing streak with a 121-103 victory. Ritter (28 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Saville (25 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals) led the Hawks, while Lanard Copeland (29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks) was Melbourne’s leading scorer.
Edwards (18.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.5 steals across 13 games) produced strong individual numbers but was not the fit Joyce wanted at point guard and was replaced midway through the season by Dylan Rigdon (19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists across 15 games). Ritter (23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals) led Illawarra in scoring, topped 40 points twice and won the Hawks’ Most Valuable Player award, while Saville (13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals) continued his emergence and was selected for the NBL All-Star Game. Zauner (12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds), Johnson (9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds), Cooks (8.9 points and 6.5 rebounds) and Campbell (8.7 points) provided the other major contributions. Zauner’s impending free agency also developed into a contract dispute with Joyce, with the captain benched for a stretch after the All-Star break before eventually re-signing for the following season.
MacDonald’s 29 appearances took him to 194 games for Illawarra, with the Hawks later noting that total still ranked 11th on the club’s all-time games played list. His son Fletcher later described him as “a tough player who prided himself on the defensive end.”
Illawarra missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season and finished 11th with a 7-23 record. The Hawks closed the season at Beaton Park on September 27 with a 115-90 win over Brisbane, the final NBL game of MacDonald’s nine-season, 194-game career.
Dene MacDonald played nine seasons the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 194 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 26 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 29 | 257 | 32 | 26 | 24 | 11 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 21 | 11 | 50 | 22% | 5 | 29 | 17% | 5 | 6 | 83% | 30% | 27% | 7 |
| 1996 | 25 | Illawarra | 9-17 (10) | 26 | 438 | 109 | 56 | 42 | 20 | 36 | 16 | 0 | 31 | 42 | 39 | 102 | 38% | 20 | 55 | 36% | 11 | 19 | 58% | 49% | 48% | 14 |
| 1995 | 24 | Illawarra | 14-12 (7) | 26 | 661 | 145 | 81 | 54 | 22 | 59 | 32 | 0 | 27 | 56 | 59 | 140 | 42% | 21 | 65 | 32% | 6 | 16 | 38% | 49% | 50% | 17 |
| 1994 | 23 | Illawarra | 13-13 (10) | 25 | 709 | 148 | 100 | 60 | 34 | 66 | 28 | 3 | 58 | 74 | 62 | 153 | 41% | 5 | 32 | 16% | 19 | 34 | 56% | 44% | 42% | 20 |
| 1993 | 22 | Illawarra | 15-11 (6) | 27 | 760 | 179 | 114 | 45 | 32 | 82 | 36 | 4 | 34 | 77 | 76 | 150 | 51% | 13 | 40 | 33% | 14 | 25 | 56% | 55% | 55% | 16 |
| 1992 | 21 | Illawarra | 13-11 (5) | 25 | 500 | 81 | 74 | 46 | 22 | 52 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 69 | 29 | 80 | 36% | 10 | 37 | 27% | 13 | 25 | 52% | 44% | 43% | 9 |
| 1991 | 20 | Illawarra | 6-20 (11) | 24 | 350 | 75 | 50 | 40 | 20 | 30 | 16 | 2 | 27 | 39 | 22 | 67 | 33% | 6 | 25 | 24% | 25 | 35 | 71% | 45% | 37% | 13 |
| 1990 | 19 | Illawarra | 13-13 (8) | 10 | 78 | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 56% | 2 | 3 | 67% | 3 | 6 | 50% | 61% | 63% | 8 |
| 1989 | 18 | Illawarra | 7-17 (11) | 2 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 67% | 1 | 1 | 100% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 76% | 0% | 6 | Totals | 194 | 3774 | 798 | 514 | 321 | 167 | 347 | 149 | 11 | 220 | 393 | 309 | 761 | 40.6% | 83 | 287 | 28.9% | 97 | 168 | 57.7% | 48% | 46% | 20 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 26 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 29 | 8.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 22% | 0.2 | 1.0 | 17% | 0.2 | 0.2 | 83% | 30% | 27% | 7 |
| 1996 | 25 | Illawarra | 9-17 (10) | 26 | 16.8 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 3.9 | 38% | 0.8 | 2.1 | 36% | 0.4 | 0.7 | 58% | 49% | 48% | 14 |
| 1995 | 24 | Illawarra | 14-12 (7) | 26 | 25.4 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 5.4 | 42% | 0.8 | 2.5 | 32% | 0.2 | 0.6 | 38% | 49% | 50% | 17 |
| 1994 | 23 | Illawarra | 13-13 (10) | 25 | 28.4 | 5.9 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 6.1 | 41% | 0.2 | 1.3 | 16% | 0.8 | 1.4 | 56% | 44% | 42% | 20 |
| 1993 | 22 | Illawarra | 15-11 (6) | 27 | 28.1 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 5.6 | 51% | 0.5 | 1.5 | 33% | 0.5 | 0.9 | 56% | 55% | 55% | 16 |
| 1992 | 21 | Illawarra | 13-11 (5) | 25 | 20.0 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 36% | 0.4 | 1.5 | 27% | 0.5 | 1.0 | 52% | 44% | 43% | 9 |
| 1991 | 20 | Illawarra | 6-20 (11) | 24 | 14.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 33% | 0.3 | 1.0 | 24% | 1.0 | 1.5 | 71% | 45% | 37% | 13 |
| 1990 | 19 | Illawarra | 13-13 (8) | 10 | 7.8 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 56% | 0.2 | 0.3 | 67% | 0.3 | 0.6 | 50% | 61% | 63% | 8 |
| 1989 | 18 | Illawarra | 7-17 (11) | 2 | 10.5 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 67% | 0.5 | 0.5 | 100% | 0.5 | 1.0 | 50% | 76% | 0% | 6 | Total | 194 | 19.5 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 40.6% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 28.9% | 0.4 | 1.5 | 57.7% | 48% | 46% | 20 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 20 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Illawarra 1989, 1998
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