BIO: Greg Vanderjagt was born in Kempsey (NSW) Vanderjagt received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2002. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2002, 2003).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Greg Vanderjagt made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles at 19 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.

Vanderjagt started his NBL career with the Townsville Crocodiles in 2003/04, averaging just 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in his first 31 games.

2004/05
After missing the playoffs the previous year, the Townsville Crocodiles restructured their roster ahead of the 2004/05 NBL season. Head coach Ian Stacker moved on from key veterans Andrew Goodwin (retired), Peter Crawford (to Perth), and Mike Kelly (to Wollongong), ushering in a new core featuring imports Robert Brown and Casey Calvary, sharpshooter John Rillie (via West Sydney), centre Derek Moore (via Adelaide), and AIS graduate Brad Newley. Second-year big man Greg Vanderjagt returned to provide depth behind Moore and Calvary.

Vanderjagt (2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds across 30 games) played limited minutes in a frontcourt rotation headlined by Calvary and Moore, but remained ready when called upon. His size and effort gave the Crocs a reliable backup option in certain matchups, particularly against taller opposition. In a January 5 matchup against the Melbourne Tigers, Vanderjagt pulled down 4 rebounds in just 7 minutes, while also contributing defensively. Later that month, he appeared in Townsville’s thrilling 122–120 win over Brisbane, helping spell Calvary and Moore during a high-tempo shootout.

The Crocodiles’ roster changes produced immediate success. With Rillie (18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists), Calvary (17.8 points and 7.9 rebounds), and Brown (16.9 points and 6.5 rebounds) leading the way, Townsville climbed to third place on the ladder with a 19–13 record. Newley, who averaged (16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), made history by claiming both Rookie of the Year and Best Sixth Man honours, while also being named MVP of the All-Star Game held in Townsville. Vanderjagt’s teammate Brown was the top scorer for the World All-Stars in that same showcase and won the Dunk Contest.

In the semi-finals, Townsville faced the second-seeded Illawarra Hawks. Game 1 saw the Crocs fall 100–84 after shooting just 13% from beyond the arc and committing 19 turnovers. Vanderjagt was limited to under three minutes as the Crocs’ starting unit logged heavy minutes. Rillie and Newley led the scoring with 15 and 17 points respectively. Back home for Game 2, Vanderjagt again saw brief action in a tense 109–105 loss that ended Townsville’s season. Calvary (20 points, 12 rebounds), Newley (22 points, 6 rebounds), and Robertson (16 points) kept the game close, but the Hawks were lifted by key performances from Glen Saville and Mike Kelly.

2005/06
The Crocodiles entered the season with significant roster changes. Pat Reidy retired, while Derek Moore and import Robert Brown exited the team. Larry Abney was signed to replace Brown, bringing athleticism and rebounding, while veteran guard Damon Lowery (via Wollongong) was added for experience. Development player Michael Cedar was elevated to the main roster to inject youthful energy.

Townsville opened their season with a decisive win over West Sydney (111–97) at the State Sports Centre, led by the potent offence of Brad Newley (24 points), Casey Calvary (20 points), and Larry Abney (24 points and 9 rebounds). Although they dropped a road game to Cairns (90–105), they bounced back to defeat both Adelaide (108–100) and Perth (124–108), then sealed an 11-point win over the Breakers (122–113) to move to 4–1 and looked the goods early.

From here, however, the wheels fell off. A home loss to Brisbane (94–107) was followed by a 128–94 defeat at the hands of the Sydney Kings. Further losses to Hunter (99–104) and Melbourne (72–97) dropped the Crocodiles to 4–4.

By the end of Round 9, Townsville had lost six of seven, falling to ninth on the ladder—a position they would fail to recover from.

Memorable games from the remainder of the season included a Round 11 victory over Cairns (115–99), behind standout performances from Brad Newley (24 points), Larry Abney (20 points), and Robert Rose (16 points). In one of his best games of the year, Newley poured in a career-high 34 points in a 116–112 loss to the Breakers in Waitakere.

The team’s final win of the season came with three games remaining, a 101–93 home win over Adelaide. Larry Abney (22 points, 14 rebounds), Brad Newley (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists), and Greg Vanderjagt (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) starred for the Crocs in that outing.

Townsville closed the season with consecutive road losses to Perth (117–84) and Hunter (109–104), before falling at home to rivals Cairns (90–107). They finished with a 9–23 record and missed the playoffs.

Newley was selected to participate in the 2006 NBL All-Star Game in Adelaide and earned All-NBL Second Team honours at season’s end.

Veteran guard John Rillie (15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) continued to provide leadership and versatility, while Robert Rose (8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) remained a key contributor, though showing signs of decline from his 2000 MVP form. He would retire at the conclusion of the season.

Supporting roles were filled by Kelvin Robertson (7.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks), Greg Vanderjagt (6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks), and Damon Lowery (5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.0 blocks), while younger players Cameron Tragardh (3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists) and Michael Cedar (2.6 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) showed promise for the future.

After another disappointing season in 2005–06, Townsville head coach Ian Stacker’s contract was not renewed. The Crocodiles again failed to make the playoffs.

2006/07
Greg Vanderjagt returned to the Townsville Crocodiles for the 2006/07 NBL season, serving as a key contributor off the bench in the frontcourt rotation. The team saw major offseason changes with Robert Rose (to Cairns) and import Casey Calvary both departing the roster. Daniel Egan (via Brisbane) was added to strengthen the forward rotation, and American guard Jelani Gardner (via France) joined the backcourt. Gardner (15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists) was released midway through the season, replaced by EJ Rowland (12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals).

Vanderjagt (6.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, 0.6 blocks) featured in 28 games, providing depth behind starters Larry Abney and Daniel Egan. His size and rebounding were valuable assets, particularly in stretches where the Crocodiles needed a physical interior presence. Townsville’s frontcourt, anchored by Abney (21.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), was a consistent strength across the season.

Brad Newley (22.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) led the team in scoring, while John Rillie (19.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists) rounded out the club’s elite trio. Together with Abney, they powered the Crocodiles to a 19–14 regular season record, earning fifth place on the ladder and a spot in the playoffs.

In the elimination final, the Crocodiles defeated the Singapore Slingers 106–93 at the Townsville Entertainment Centre. Rillie starred with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, with Newley adding 23 points. Vanderjagt contributed valuable minutes off the bench to help secure the win.

In the quarter-final round, Townsville were eliminated by the Sydney Kings in a 122–89 loss at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Vanderjagt (2 points, 2 rebounds) shot 1-of-3 from the field and added 0.9 assists across 18 minutes of action. Despite the loss, the Crocodiles had shown strong growth during the season and returned to the postseason after missing out the year prior.

Across the season, Vanderjagt maintained his role as a reliable rotation big. While not among the team’s primary scoring options, his rebounding and rim protection contributed to the team’s interior stability. The Crocodiles’ key contributors also included Kelvin Robertson (10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists), Daniel Egan (10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds), and Michael Cedar (4.3 points).

Vanderjagt (6.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, 0.6 blocks) closed out a solid campaign in which he provided important bench minutes for a playoff-bound Townsville team, anchoring the second unit with dependable size and rebounding in the paint.

2007/08
he played his last season with the Crocodiles in 2007/08 NBL season, leaving the club after appearing in 153 games. Greg Vanderjagt played 10 seasons in the NBL.

Greg is one of the few true 7 footers that have laced up the boots for the Suns/Crocodiles. Vanderjagt played 209 games for the Crocodile’s, ranking him fifth in most games played for the club behind Peter Crawford (292 games), Robert Rose (258), Kelvin Robertson (243) and Michael Cedar (219).

Greg features on a number of career records for the now defunct Townsville Crocodiles team. He ranked 9th in most rebounds, 9th in blocks and 7th in offensive rebounds before retiring.

Greg Vanderjagt played ten seasons in the NBL. He averaged 5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 243 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.