NICKNAME/S: The Sniper

BIO: Drew Williamson was born in Thornleigh (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sturt basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Drew Williamson made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles at 22 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

2006/07
Drew Williamson contributed across 35 games during the 2006/07 NBL season as part of Townsville’s second unit, offering defensive energy and perimeter support throughout the Crocodiles’ playoff campaign.

Robert Rose (to Cairns) and import Casey Calvary exited the roster prior to the season, with the team bringing in Daniel Egan (via Brisbane) and American import Jelani Gardner (via France).

Gardner (15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists) was later released mid-season, and E.J. Rowland (12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals) was signed to take over as the team’s import guard for the second half of the season.

Brad Newley (22.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists), Larry Abney (21.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), and John Rillie (19.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists) led a strong offensive core that powered the Crocodiles to a 19–14 record and a fifth-place finish on the NBL ladder. Additional contributors included Kelvin Robertson (10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists), Daniel Egan (10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds), and Greg Vanderjagt (6.0 points, 5.5 rebounds). Michael Cedar also played a supporting role, averaging (4.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.5 assists). Williamson added (2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals) per game and featured regularly as a defensive option on the perimeter.

Townsville’s playoff run opened with a 106–93 win over the Singapore Slingers. Larry Abney (30 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals), John Rillie (26 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists), Brad Newley (19 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists), and E.J. Rowland (13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists) led the Crocodiles. Daniel Egan (14 points, 4 rebounds) contributed efficiently, while Williamson (0 points, 2 rebounds) played 16 minutes off the bench. Singapore were led by Mike Helms (20 points, 8 rebounds) and Ben Knight (21 points, 17 rebounds).

In the quarter-final against the Sydney Kings, Townsville were eliminated following a 122–89 defeat at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Williamson (3 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal) provided valuable hustle in 23 minutes. The Kings were paced by Mark Worthington (28 points, 6 rebounds), B.J. Carter (20 points), and Russell Hinder (17 points, 6 rebounds). For Townsville, Kelvin Robertson (21 points) top scored, with support from E.J. Rowland (17 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Abney (14 points, 7 rebounds).

Williamson’s ability to defend across multiple positions and contribute in short bursts helped fortify Townsville’s bench unit during a season that saw the club return to the playoffs and push into the quarter-finals.

2009/10
Williamson averaged 5.5 points and 1.9 rebounds during the 2009/10 season and helped guide the Wildcat’s to a first place finish (17-11) in the regular season. The Wildcats defeated the fourth placed Gold Coast Blaze in two straight games in the semifinals with Williamson playing minimal minutes, scoring a total of three points in the two game series. This sent the team into the NBL Grand Final to face the Wollongong Hawks.

Perth claimed game one comfortably with a 75–64 win at home with Williamson contributing four points. The series then moved to Wollongong for game two, where the Hawks returned the favour, defeating Perth 75–63 and setting up a deciding Game 3. Williamson saw ten minutes of action but failed to score. Back on their home court Perth comfortably defeated Wollongong in the decider, 96–72 despite Williamson struggling offensively, playing ten minutes but missing all four shot attempts. His Wildcats teammate Kevin Lisch was named Finals MVP after averaging 18 points and 4 rebounds over the three game series.

Drew Williamson played six seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Townsville Crocodiles, Sydney Spirit and Perth Wildcats. He averaged 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 190 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (854 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.