NICKNAME/S: The Ace

BIO: Emery Atkinson was born in Miami, Florida (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Emery Atkinson made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 25 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game.

With Brisbane looking to go ‘younger, bigger and faster’ with their roster to compete with the likes of Adelaide’s Mark Davis and Perth’s James Crawford, the decision was made to release US born players Cal Bruton and Dave Nelson in favour of incoming import Emery Atkinson and giving more playing time to young local talent.

Atkinson (15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals), quickly became a fan favourite in Brisbane, whose athletic dunks had Bullets fans on their feet throughout the season. Despite standing at only 196cm (6ft 5′) he played at centre for the Bullets and was one of the best rebounders ever at his size.

The Bullets were led offensively by star Leroy Loggins (28.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.9 steals), who became the first player to win back-to-back NBL Most Valuable Player awards, sharing the award with Mark Davis of the Adelaide 36ers. Behind Loggins’s brilliance, Brisbane finished with 20 wins and 6 losses and finished in second place (behind Adelaide) during the regular season.

Beyond Loggins, the Bullets had built a roster so full of talent that the team’s second-leading scorer, Atkinson, became one of the first import players ever to come off the bench. Veterans Ron Radliff (15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.9 steals) and team captain Larry Sengstock (12.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) supported the two imports offensively, while 25-year-old John Dorge (11.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks), 21-year-old Robert Sibley (11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists), and 19-year-old Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) all made huge contributions despite their inexperience.

Ending the season with a 20-6 record, the Bullets finished in second place (Adelaide claimed the top spot) and, as a result, received a first-round bye. There, they would face the Illawarra Hawks after they defeated the North Melbourne Giants in the elimination finals. With Illawarra advancing, the Bullets easily won game one of the semi finals (109-87) before losing game two in a nail-biter (77-78). Brisbane rebounded in game three (100-82), earning a spot in the 1987 NBL Grand Final after winning game three 100-82.

Brisbane made it to the NBL grand final for a league-record fourth consecutive season and would face off against the Perth Wildcats, who had just upset the defending champions Adelaide on the other side of the semi final bracket.

Perth was led by player/coach and former Bullets’ favourite Cal Bruton. Bruton’s exit had also come on the back of a very public falling out with coach Brian Kerle. In a surprise move, Brisbane elevated teenage point guard Darren Perry (10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) into the starting lineup for the playoffs and alongside Atkinson, who came up big in the opening game. In 28 minutes of court time, he scored 22 points (on 10/16 shooting) and hauled in 9 rebounds as the Bullets took game one in Perth by a single point alongside Loggins (17 points and 5 rebounds) as the Bullets were able to defeat Perth in a low scoring, ‘grind-it-out’, 80-79 victory. Kendall Pinder (27 points and 15 rebounds) and James Crawford (23 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks) led the way for the visitors.

In game two, although Pinder (25 points, 15 rebounds) and Crawford (22 points, 11 rebounds) still proved hard to stop, Brisbane’s frontcourt of Sengstock (8 points and 6 rebounds), John Dorge (7 points and 10 rebounds) and Emery Atkinson (12 points and 4 rebounds), made it almost impossible for the Wildcats’ guards to score inside. The Wildcats guard rotation of Bruton (9), Mike Ellis (6) and Alan Black (2) combined for just 17 points and after the Bullets won a tightly fought first half (47-44), they owned the Wildcat’s in the second.

Brisbane outscored Perth by 16 points, with Loggins (36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) doing most of the damage on the scoreboard.

With the final score reading 106-87 and Brisbane winning their second championship, Loggins, who averaged 26.5 points over the two games, was named Grand Final MVP.

1988
Brisbane began their 1988 campaign with high hopes of defending their title and securing a third NBL championship in four seasons. With Brian Kerle returning as head coach, the club stuck with the core group that delivered the 1987 championship. The only changes came at the end of the bench, where rookies Shane Heal (17) and Simon Kerle replaced outgoing role players James Carr and Paul Webb.

Brisbane was again among the league’s top-tier sides and held second position with just two rounds to go in the regular season. A costly 97–105 loss at home to the Canberra Cannons, however, saw them finish in a tie with North Melbourne at 18–6. With both sides splitting their head-to-head matchups, the Giants were awarded second place on points differential (+9), bumping the Bullets down to third.

Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals) led the way once again, earning his seventh consecutive All-NBL First Team selection while also topping the league in free throw accuracy at 85.6%. Emery Atkinson (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks) added versatility in the frontcourt, and veterans Larry Sengstock (11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) continued to be pillars of consistency on both ends.

One of the season’s breakout stars was 17-year-old Shane Heal (15.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), who quickly made a name for himself as one of the NBL’s most exciting prospects. Backing up Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) and playing 27 minutes a night, Heal claimed the NBL Rookie of the Year award.

Finishing third meant Brisbane missed the semi-final bye and were drawn into a knockout quarterfinal against the sixth-seeded Perth Wildcats. The game, played at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, saw the Bullets come in as firm favourites.

Leroy Loggins delivered a monster effort with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals in 45 minutes. Larry Sengstock chipped in with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Emery Atkinson added 12 points and 8 boards in a solid two-way display.

Despite those performances, Brisbane faltered from beyond the arc, shooting just 2-of-16 from deep. Perth, meanwhile, were clinical—hitting 52% from the floor. Former Bullets legend Calvin Bruton was superb, finishing with 31 points, 4 assists, and a perfect 9-of-9 at the line. Inside, James Crawford (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks) controlled the paint, shutting down Brisbane’s inside game.

The 98–113 defeat knocked Brisbane out in the quarterfinals and brought an end to their season, denying the club a fifth straight Grand Final appearance.

The Bullets didn’t re-sign Atkinson after his second season, at the time coach Brian Kerle noted “it was one of the toughest decisions he had to make as a coach”.

CANBERRA CANNONS
1989
Atkinson led the Canberra Cannons in scoring and rebounding in 1989. He averaged 18.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and play a key role in helping the Cannons to a second-place finish in the regular season with a 17-7 record.

1990
During the 1990 season Atkinson averaged 22.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists and helped the Cannons finish with a record of 16-10 and end the regular season in seventh place.

1991
During the 1991 season, Atkinson averaged 21.2 points, 9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists and was a part of the Cannons squad, which finished in ninth place with a record of 9-17.

Emery Atkinson played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Brisbane Bullets and the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 19 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 128 NBL games.

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