BIO: Dillon Stith was born in Bedford, Virginia (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Dillon Stith made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 27 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

After falling to Perth in the 2019 Grand Final series, Melbourne reshaped its roster, with Casper Ware (to Sydney), Josh Boone (to Illawarra), Daniel Trist (to South East Melbourne) and Craig Moller (to Sydney) departing. United added Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, Shea Ili (via New Zealand), Jack Purchase, Melo Trimble (via Cairns) and Shawn Long (via New Zealand), while David Barlow, Alex Pledger, Tohi Smith-Milner and Casey Prather returned. After Prather suffered a knee setback immediately before the season and required minor surgery, Dillon Stith (via McKinnon Cougars) was signed as his injury replacement after winning the Big V Championship Men title and league MVP award with McKinnon.

Melbourne opened the season with a 91-88 loss to South East Melbourne and lost four of its first five games before recovering with six consecutive wins. Stith (2 points across 8 games) was used as an injury-replacement and training-player option, appearing eight times between October and December. .

Stith’s best game came two days into the season against Perth at RAC Arena, where he finished with 6 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in 17 minutes as a depleted Melbourne pushed the defending champions to the final possession before losing 94-93. Trimble (25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists), McCarron (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Lual-Acuil Jr (14 points, 4 assists, and 2 blocks) led United, while Bryce Cotton (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists), Terrico White (20 points) and Nick Kay (18 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals) led Perth.

Trimble (19.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals) led Melbourne in scoring, alongside Long (18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds), captain Goulding (17 points) and McCarron (8.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists). Stith’s final appearance came against Perth on December 21 before Melbourne eventually won its final three regular-season games and finished fourth with a 15-13 record.

Stith did not appear during Melbourne’s semifinal series against Sydney. United lost game one 86-80 behind Trimble (34 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Long (23 points and 10 rebounds), while Tate (23 points and 5 rebounds), Newley (17 points and 5 rebounds) and Cooks (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Sydney. Melbourne responded with a 125-80 victory in game two behind Long (26 points and 11 rebounds), Trimble (21 points and 2 steals) and Kidd (18 points and 4 rebounds), before Sydney won the deciding game 89-87.

2020/21
After making his first NBL appearances with Melbourne the previous season as a training player and short-term injury replacement, Dillon Stith again found an opportunity with United during the 2020/21 campaign. Melbourne had undergone a significant offseason reshuffle, mutually terminating the remaining year of Casey Prather’s contract before adding Jack White from Duke University and Japanese international Yudai Baba. Chris Goulding, David Barlow, Mason Peatling and Sam McDaniel were retained, Scotty Hopson was signed as the club’s lone import and Jock Landale completed the roster on a one-year deal after COVID-related travel restrictions ended his planned move to Lithuania.

Stith was called into an undermanned United squad as an injury replacement and made an immediate impact in his first appearance of the season against Illawarra on 10 February. Melbourne entered the game without Goulding, Shea Ili and Jo Lual-Acuil and needed contributions from deep in its roster. Stith checked into the game late in the opening quarter and scored five quick points, helping United produce a franchise-record 36-point first quarter. He finished with five points, a rebound and a steal as Melbourne held off the Hawks 91-88 to improve to 6-0. It remained his highest-scoring performance of the season.

Stith appeared seven times for Melbourne, averaging 1.4 points per game in just over five minutes per appearance. His role remained directly connected to United’s injury situation. By late February, both Stith and Samuel Short were officially listed on the active roster as injury replacements while White was sidelined for four to six weeks with a fractured and dislocated finger, Goulding remained out with a calf injury and Ili was returning from an ankle problem. Baba was also managing a corked calf during the same period.

There is no verified injury to Stith himself during the season. His limited number of games was instead the result of his injury-replacement status and Melbourne gradually regaining its regular players. His seventh and final appearance came against Sydney on 19 March, when he played six minutes in United’s 103-75 loss. He did not return to the rotation after that game.

Melbourne suffered another major setback on 2 April when White ruptured his Achilles against Cairns shortly after returning from his finger injury. White was ruled out for the rest of the season and ultimately replaced on the roster by veteran David Andersen. United nevertheless remained the league’s benchmark, with Landale averaging 16.4 points and 7.8 rebounds and Goulding contributing 15.7 points per game as Melbourne secured the minor premiership with a 28-8 record.

Stith did not feature during the postseason, but Melbourne continued on to face South East Melbourne in a semi-final series played entirely at Qudos Bank Arena because of Victoria’s COVID lockdown. The Phoenix forced a deciding third game before United came from 17 points down to win 84-74, led by Landale’s 27 points. Melbourne then swept Perth in the Grand Final. Border restrictions meant the Wildcats hosted Games 1 and 2 despite Melbourne being the higher seed, before United returned to John Cain Arena and clinched the championship with an 81-76 victory in Game 3. Landale recorded 15 points and nine rebounds in the deciding game and was awarded the Larry Sengstock Medal as Grand Final MVP.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2024/25
Stith had spent the years leading up to 2024 competing in Australia’s state leagues, steadily building his résumé as a reliable frontcourt presence. After securing Australian citizenship and gaining eligibility to play as a local, he signed a two-year deal with the Cairns Taipans ahead of the 2024/25 season, with the second year structured as a team option.

Heading into the 2024/25 season, Cairns entered a transitional phase following the departure of key imports Patrick Miller and Tahjere McCall. Other notable exits included Bul Kuol (to Sydney), Lat Mayen (to Adelaide), Bobi Klintman (NBA Draft), and Josh Roberts, leaving several holes across the roster.

To retool, the Taipans added new imports Rob Edwards, Pedro Bradshaw, and Tanner Groves, elevated rising star Taran Armstrong to the starting point guard role and team captain, and welcomed in fresh faces Kyle Adnam (via Illawarra), Jackson Makoi (via Sydney), and Kyrin Galloway (via Adelaide). Sam Waardenburg returned to anchor the frontcourt, while development signings Alex Higgins-Titsha and Kody Stattmann (via South East Melbourne).

After an encouraging start that saw Cairns begin the season 3–1, a string of injuries and close defeats triggered a 10-game skid across November and December. Despite some strong individual efforts from Edwards, Armstrong, and Groves, the Taipans struggled to execute in tight contests and maintain consistency at both ends.

Dillon Stith was signed as a late-season depth addition to provide energy and toughness off the bench. Though his role was limited, he made the most of his opportunities with physicality on the boards and a willingness to compete defensively. Stith gave Cairns extra frontcourt coverage during a period in which Groves and Bradshaw both missed time due to injury.

By the end of December, Cairns had fallen to 3–16 and found themselves at the bottom of the NBL ladder. With Armstrong and Groves both having missed multiple weeks and only Galloway appearing in all 28 games, the team leaned heavily on bench contributors. Temporary additions like Stith, Deshon Taylor (3 games), and Tad Dufelmeier Jr (4 games) were all used to help steady the rotation.

January brought a modest resurgence, with Cairns posting a 4–3 record during the month. Edwards delivered several 30-point performances, including a 35-point night against Brisbane. Armstrong returned to form, highlighted by a triple-double in Round 28. Although Stith played sparingly, his efforts in limited minutes were appreciated during the team’s stronger run of form.

Cairns closed the season with a 5–5 record across their final 10 games, ultimately finishing 8–21 and last on the ladder with the NBL’s lowest points percentage (92.49%). Following the season, head coach Adam Forde and the club agreed to part ways, ending a three-year tenure.

Dillon Stith averaged 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds across 14 games in limited action. His standout performance came early in the season against Brisbane on September 14, where he scored 16 points in just 10 minutes of action. He also tallied 4 rebounds in a strong rebounding game against New Zealand and showed activity with 3 rebounds and a steal in a February outing against Tasmania. Stith’s hustle and professionalism added needed depth during a tough campaign.

Sam Waardenburg (14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists) was a steady two-way contributor all year, earning Club MVP, Defensive Player, and Members’ Choice MVP honours at the end of the season. Tanner Groves (13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Pedro Bradshaw (10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds) were both servicable while youngsters Kyrin Galloway (7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks), Akoldah Gak (6.3 points, 5.6 rebounds), and Alex Higgins-Titsha (6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds) delivered a breakout season, making the most of Cairns’ injury woes.

Dillon Stith played three seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Melbourne United and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 1.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 29 NBL games.