BIO: Erik Wickstrom was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Broadmeadows basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Erik Wickstrom made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

For his rookie season, Erik Wickstrom joined a Supercats squad that had recently moved on from imports Everette Stephens and Daren Rowe, as well as veterans Vince Hinchen and Ray Borner (to Canberra), while reshaping the roster with youth and new talent.

Head coach Jim Calvin, in his third year, added Joey Wright, Jeff Arnold, Andrew Svaldenis (Adelaide), and David Graham (South East Melbourne) to a core of returnees including Cecil Exum, Simon Kerle, Jason Joynes, and Justin Cass.

The season opened with a 102–112 home loss to Canberra where Wickstrom received his first taste of NBL court time (0 points in 2 minutes), while Jeff Arnold (35 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 block) and Canberra’s Fred Cofield (39 points, 4 assists, and 11-of-12 FT) put on an offensive showcase.

Geelong rebounded with wins over Adelaide (117–93), Townsville (87–85), and Gold Coast (116–106) to begin 3–1. However, the early momentum faded as the Supercats struggled with consistency, dropping out of playoff contention in the second half of the season.

The import duo of Joey Wright (22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists) and Jeff Arnold (19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.0 block) led the team offensively while Simon Kerle (18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists), David Graham (15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists), Andrew Svaldenis (10.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), and Cecil Exum (10.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals) provided key support. Wickstrom (2.6 points and 0.8 rebounds) offered depth in limited minutes through 16 games.

Geelong ended the year 9–17, missing the playoffs for a third straight season under Jim Calvin.

MELBOURNE TIGERS
1996
With the Supercars in financial crisis, Wickstrom signed with Melbourne for his second season in 1996. With the Tigers having Mark Bradtke back full-time and able to retain all of their core group except for Stephen Whitehead (to Sydney) Melbourne were able to return to their winning ways after their posting their worst season in eight years. Wickstrom was added to help fill the void of Whitehead and appeared in 22 games, averaging 0.6 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists.

Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history.

Melbourne would ride the coattails of their ‘Big Three’ through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring.

The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. Wickstrom saw minimal playing time in the semifinals, playing only two minutes and failing to score.

Moving on to the grand final series, Melbourne would face South East Melbourne (19-7) who finished in second place during the regular season. Melbourne was too good in game one (100-89), with Gaze (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) delivering his best game of the series in front of a packed Melbourne crowd. Mark Bradtke (24 points and 15 rebounds) and Lanard Copeland (23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) were also brilliant, scoring whenever Gaze didn’t, and the Tigers ‘Big Three’ combining for 82 points.

The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne’s highest-attended NBL game ever. Gaze (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) led the Tigers in scoring in the loss, while the Magic were led by Tony Ronaldson (28 points) and Mike Kelly (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals).

The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne’s field goal percentage be the game’s deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout.

The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series.

1997
After joining Melbourne from Geelong in 1996 and appearing in 22 games during the Tigers’ run to the Grand Final, Erik Wickstrom returned for his second season with the club. Melbourne chose not to re-sign Dave Simmons following its game-three loss to South East Melbourne and brought in Jarvis Lang, while Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Warrick Giddey, Ray Gordon, Blair Smith and Damien Chapman were among the returning players.

Wickstrom (0.3 points and 0.3 rebounds across 8 games) remained a deep reserve, playing only 28 minutes across the season. His best scoring game was a two-point appearance, accounting for all two points he scored during 1997.

Lang’s ongoing knee problems contributed to Melbourne’s difficult opening and the Tigers were also stripped of a victory over Adelaide after Bradtke returned from his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers without receiving the required clearance. Melbourne dropped to 3-9 before Lang was released and former Illawarra forward Marcus Timmons was signed after one trial practice. The change helped ignite one of the biggest turnarounds in club history, with the Tigers closing the regular season on a 14-game winning streak and finishing second at 19-11. Gaze (30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) played every game, won his seventh NBL MVP award and led the league in scoring, while Copeland (23 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists), Bradtke (20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks) and Timmons (17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks) formed Melbourne’s other major contributors.

The Tigers continued their run in the semifinals, defeating North Melbourne 107-99 behind Gaze (39 points), Bradtke (25 points and 15 rebounds) and Copeland (20 points), while David Stiff (24 points and 13 rebounds) was the Giants’ best. Melbourne completed the sweep with a 112-105 victory in game two to earn another Grand Final meeting with South East Melbourne.

Melbourne dominated game one 111-74 behind Copeland (29 points and 6 rebounds), Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds) and Gaze (23 points and 9 assists), before the Magic responded with an 84-78 victory in game two behind Anstey (21 points and 8 rebounds), with Copeland (28 points) Melbourne’s leading scorer.

In the deciding game, Ronaldson (26 points and 8 rebounds) led South East Melbourne, but Copeland (26 points and 6 rebounds), Gaze (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists), Bradtke (21 points and 11 rebounds) and Timmons (20 points and 13 rebounds) led Melbourne to a 93-83 victory and Wickstrom’s first NBL championship.

1998
Fresh from the 1997 NBL championship, Melbourne kept the group that completed its title run together under Lindsay Gaze. Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Marcus Timmons, Warrick Giddey, Ray Gordon, Blair Smith, Daniel Egan, Brett Jefferies, Brett Rainbow and Erik Wickstrom all returned. Wickstrom entered his third season with the Tigers after appearing in eight games as a deep reserve during the championship year and collecting his first NBL title.

Wickstrom (1.4 points across 5 games) remained at the end of Melbourne’s rotation, playing only 12 minutes and scoring seven points for the entire NBL season. He also played for Melbourne during the 1998 VBA season, helping the Tigers win a second consecutive VBA State Championship.

Wickstrom’s best and highest-scoring NBL game came against North Melbourne at Melbourne Park on May 30. Wickstrom (4 points) made his only field-goal attempt, a three-pointer, and one of two free throws in 2:39 as Melbourne recorded its biggest victory of the season, defeating the Giants 119-85. Gaze (29 points and 6 rebounds) and Timmons (25 points and 7 rebounds) led the Tigers, while Andrew Goodwin (16 points and 8 rebounds) was North Melbourne’s best.

Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals across 32 games) again carried Melbourne’s offence, leading the NBL in scoring, earning All-NBL First Team honours and winning his eighth and final NBL Most Valuable Player award. Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 26 games) remained the Tigers’ other major perimeter scorer, while Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals across 32 games) was the only member of Melbourne’s established core to increase his production from the previous season. Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks across 30 games) remained the main interior presence, with Smith (6 points and 3.6 rebounds across 32 games) and Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4 assists across 32 games) among the other regular contributors.

Melbourne won only four of its opening ten games before recovering late and entering the postseason on a four-game winning streak. The Tigers finished fifth with a 16-14 record, level with Brisbane but placed behind the Bullets after losing the season series 2-1.

The elimination finals opened at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 12, with Wickstrom not entering the game as Brisbane defeated Melbourne 93-80. Gaze (34 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Timmons (16 points and 7 rebounds) led the Tigers, while Steve Woodberry (24 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Chuck Kornegay (15 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks) powered Brisbane.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park on June 14, with Wickstrom again not taking the court. Copeland (22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Bradtke (20 points and 6 rebounds) led Melbourne, while Leroy Loggins (27 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) made four three-pointers as Brisbane won 114-81, completing the two-game sweep and ending the Tigers’ championship defence.

1998/99
With the NBL changing its schedule to become a summer sport in 1998, the Tigers were able to pull together one last run from its aging roster. Gaze (33.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists), Lanard Copeland (25.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists), Marcus Timmons (20.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks) and Bradtke (17.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 blocks) combined to average a ridiculous 97 points per game. Wickstrom also contributed 1.5 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year’s playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time.

In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field.

Erik Wickstrom played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Melbourne Tigers and the Geelong Supercats. He averaged 1.3 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 66 NBL games.