NICKNAME/S: Bomber

BIO: Graham Kubank was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sturt basketball program. Kubank received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (1984, 1985).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Graham Kubank made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game.

Once again the Hawks were forced to re-tool their starting line-up after losing Tim Morrissey to Canberra after his breakout season and imports Jerry Steurer and Marlon Redmond who were not re-signed. Local product Graham Kubank was brought in as Morrisey’s replacement and Greg May and Learando Drake signed as the team’s new import duo.

May (27.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) and Drake (26 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.8 blocks) didn’t disappoint, filling the stat sheet in every column most games and naturalised import Jim Slacke (19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks) helped form a formidable frontline for Illawarra. However, the Hawks would struggle against other team’s with a brutal schedule. Round 14 for example saw the Hawks travel through three states in three days. Friday night the Hawks lost to Perth by 15 points, Saturday they travelled to Adelaide and lost by 75 points and then Sunday morning it was off to Melbourne to play St Kilda where somehow the Hawks came away with a one point victory.

Illawarra failed to build on their history making postseason appearence from last year, the Hawks finished the season with both a losing record at home (6-7) and away (4-9). Team captain Gordie Mcleod (10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 10.2 assists, and 2.8 steals) led the league in assists. Kubank (10.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2 assists) impressed during his debut season, narrowly missing out on rookie of the year award to Mike McKay (Adelaide).

1986
In 1986, Kubank averaged 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, playing a key role in the Hawks rotation, helping the team finish in fifth place (15-11).

ADELAIDE 36ERS
1987
The Adelaide 36ers entered the 1987 season with most of their key players returning, including Mark Davis (26.1 points, 17.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals), Al Green (23.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists), Darryl Pearce (20.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists), Bill Jones (14.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks), and Mike McKay (14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists). Graham Kubank (2.5 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) provided additional depth for the team under the leadership of new head coach Gary Fox.

Adelaide started the season strong with a win over Westside Melbourne (131-105). However, the team soon hit a rough patch, going through a three-game losing streak that began with a narrow loss to North Melbourne (103-106) and ended with a close defeat to Perth (104-106). The 36ers quickly bounced back, embarking on a five-game winning streak that started with a victory over Brisbane (127-111) and ended with a win against Eastside (98-87).

Kubank played a reserve role throughout the season, coming off the bench to contribute in spot minutes. Adelaide then went on to win eight consecutive games, starting with a hard-fought victory over Canberra (118-115) and concluding with a win over Sydney (108-103), before suffering a loss to Hobart (108-112).

The 36ers’ biggest win of the season came on July 17, when they defeated West Sydney (147-99), while their most disappointing loss occurred against Illawarra (108-90) on June 25. Kubank’s contributions, though limited statistically, helped provide depth and stability to the 36ers’ bench throughout the season. Adelaide finished the regular season with a league-best 21-5 record, securing their final victory over Geelong (128-97).

In the playoffs, Adelaide earned a first-round bye and advanced to the semi-finals against Perth. Kubank continued to provide backup minutes as the 36ers narrowly won Game 1 (99-98). However, the team was defeated in Game 2 (99-101) and lost the deciding Game 3 (103-93), falling short of defending their championship and losing the series 2-1.

Though his minutes were limited, Graham Kubank’s role in providing depth was crucial for the 36ers as they dominated the regular season. His contributions off the bench allowed Adelaide to maintain a strong rotation and finish with the best record in the league.

1988
Darryl Pearce and Peter Ali would be named co-captains of the squad in 1988, the same year Adelaide born centre and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) attendee Mark Bradtke would make his NBL debut. Bradtke was signed by Ken Cole in 1986 when he was 16 years old and 203 cm tall but due to living in Brisbane at the time, he committed to the AIS for two years before joining Adelaide.

The Sixers had a great start to the season, kicking it off with a 4-1 start that included a 31-point win over Illawarra and had them picked as favourites to win the title in the early stages of the year. During the first month of the season, the 36ers were led by Darryl Peace, who exploded for 48 points, including 11 of 14 three-point attempts, against the Ken Cole coached Falcons in Newcastle in round two, a stat line that remains the highest scoring game in 36ers history.

Bradtke (7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) came off the bench as a backup to Bill Jones (15.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Mark Davis (25.3 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.4 steals). Darryl Pearce (20.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Al Green (20 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals) would provide the offence from the perimeter, and Adelaide (19-5) finished the regular season in first place during for the third year in a row (second under coach Gary Fox). Adelaide would then lose to Canberra (0-2), falling short in the semifinals for the second year in a row.

Kubank would appear in only one game, failing to score.

Kubank wasn’t offered a contract to return and spent the next few seasons playing for Townsville in the state league. Kubank spent the 1989 and 1990 seasons with Townsville, hoping to be a part of the team’s NBL club when it entered the league. This was interrupted by the delays of Townsville’s entry into the league and the 36ers offering Kubank another chance to play for Adelaide in 1991.

1991
Despite Adelaide having their worst season ever in 1990, head coach Don Shipway was able to avoid being fired and looked to rebuild around the squad’s young talent. He began with replacing 37-year-old club legend Al Green with 29 year old, former NBA player Butch Hays as the team’s import point guard, signing him to a two year deal. The 36ers also added 19-year-old Adelaide product Brett Wheeler, who at 208cm provided the extra size the team needed to support Bradtke.

Butch Hays (24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists) and Mark Davis (23.0 points and 14.7 rebounds) would lead the team as Kubank contributed 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists alongside the all-star pair, helping the 36ers return to the playoffs. Finishing in fourth place (16-10) during the regular season, Adelaide faced off against Melbourne in the elimination finals. Adelaide would defeat Melbourne (2-0) to reach the semi finals only to then be eliminated by the defending and eventual champions Perth (0-2).

1991 was also the last season the 36ers would play out of the 3,000 seat Apollo Stadium.

1992
Adelaide had played at the Apollo Stadium since the team’s inception in 1982, but by the early 1990s, ticket demand was far too great to remain there, and the team moved into the 8,000 seat Clipsal Powerhouse prior to the 1992 season. During the off-season, the team was able to retain import point guard Butch Hays and captain Mark Davis but saw local favourite and former captain Darryl Pearce sign with the North Melbourne Giants.

The venue quickly became a fortress for the 36ers, with every game played in front of a sell-out crowd. The increased fan support saw Adelaide open the year with a 106-84 victory over the North Melbourne Giants. After this initial success, however, the team failed to win again across their next seven games, including losses to perennial easy beats like Hobart and Newcastle.

The 36ers would then face a major hurdle after the league’s mid-season break to accommodate the Barcelona Olympics. After the Boomers finished the tournament in fourth place, Bradtke returned with the announcement that he had accepted a lucrative deal (reportedly worth $200,000) to finish the season playing for Spanish team Juver Murcia. In his 17 games prior to the break, Bradtke had clearly become the best local big man in the competition. In his last game wearing a 36ers jersey, he scored acareer-high 43 points, grabbed 25 boards against Geelong at home and averaged 20.1 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists for the season.

The 36ers, although never looking like a playoff team, were never able to fill the gap left by Bradtke and limped home to a 11-13 record, finishing in the ninth spot.

Davis (23.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks) again led the team with his spectacular all-around game, with Kubank also contributing 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

Despite the disappointing season, two positives came from this season. The first was the rookie debuts of local teenagers Brett Maher (2.2 points in 8 minutes per game), who went on to play a record 525 games for the 36ers, and 18-year-old Paul Rogers, who appeared in five games but later became a big part of the 36ers and the Australian national team. Mark Davis also played his last season as a import, obtaining his Australian citizenship this year and qualifying as a local player until his retirement.

Bradtke, who had signed with the Spanish club for only one season, had a agreement to play with Adelaide if he returned in 1993. Upon his return to Australia, Bradtke made it known he did not want to play the final year of his contract in Adelaide, amongst rumours the Melbourne Tigers were actively recruiting him. After negotiations between the two parties broke down, the 36ers gave permission for Bradtke to leave if a team would buy out his remaining contract. However, the NBL stepped in and vetoed the buyout, effectively letting Bradtke leave for Melbourne without the 36ers receiving any compensation. After the fact it became clear Bradtke had decided to move to Melbourne to be closer to then girlfriend (and future wife), pro-tennis player Nicole Provis.

TOWNSVILLE SUNS
1993
In 1993, the Townsville Suns entered the NBL and recruited Kubank to be team captain for their inaugural season. Under head coach Mark Bragg Townsville went winless during their first month of NBL competition. It wasn’t until their fifth game before they recorded their first-ever NBL win, a victory over the Newcastle Falcons. Over the course of the season, Kubank would average 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists but further success didn’t come easy for the new team who finished dead last with a record of 4–22.

In 1993, the Townsville Suns entered the NBL with head coach Mark Bragg and Kubank as team captain, leading the way.

Townsville struggled to be competitive during their first season, failing to record even a single victory in their first month of competition. In their fifth game, they recorded their first-ever NBL win, a victory over the Newcastle Falcons.

Throughout the season, Kubank would average 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, while import duo Ricky Jones (28.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 blocks) and Rimas Kurtinaitis (24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 steals) led the team in scoring. Kurtinaitis would make NBL history, becoming the first import to play in the NBL that was not from the USA.

Although many Townsville fans remember the team’s first season fondly, it didn’t see a lot of on-court success, with Townsville finishing dead last behind a 4–22 record.

1994
After struggling through their debut season the Townsville Suns improved from four wins to six in 1994 and were able to avoid finishing last (that honour went to Hobart). Kubank would average 9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

Graham Kubank played eight seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, Adelaide 36ers and Townsville Suns. He averaged 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 173 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (811 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.