Aussie Hoopla 2017/18 Rookie of the Year
February 19, 2018
James Hunter
- Nationality: AUS/NZL
- Date of Birth: 19/06/92
- Place of Birth: Nowra (NSW)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 208
- Weight (KG): 113
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Sydney
- College: Gillette CC (2011-2012) / Washington State (2012-2014) / South Dakota (2014-2015) /
- NBL DEBUT: 8/10/17
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 22/10/17
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 25
- NBL History: New Zealand 2018
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: James Paton Hunter was born in Nowra, New South Wales but spent much of his childhood living with his grandmother in Taumarunui, New Zealand.
He attended Cranbrook School in the eastern suburbs of Sydney where he was selected to represent Australia as part of the Australian Schoolboys’ basketball team which traveled to the United States to compete in tournaments throughout North Carolina over a two-week period.
He was also selected for the NSW Schoolboys State team and competed in the School Sport Australia Basketball Championship.
Hunter also played rugby during his time at Cranbrook and holds a New Zealand passport that he obtained as a teenager.
NBL EXPERIENCE
James Hunter made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 25 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
After a injury decimated season, New Zealand looked to rebuild in Paul Henare’s second year as coach. Kevin Dillard, who joined the team for the last nine games, was retained and it was hoped that the on court success witnessed during the last month of the season would be able to be extended across NBL18. The major move of the off-season saw the Breakers cut ties with Corey Webster after multiple situations where the two parties no longer saw eye to eye. This led to Webster first signing a two-year deal with Perth, then after turning the heads of some European team’s whilst playing in the 2017 NBA Summer League, requested a release prior to the NBL season starting. The remainder of the roster was retained and with league expanding the number of import a team can sign from two to three, added backcourt duo DJ Newbill and Édgar Sosa.
New Zealand finished the regular season in fourth place (15–13) and went on to face Melbourne and former coach Dean Vickerman in the semifinals. United handed the Breakers back-to-back defeats in the semifinals, following a overtime loss in Game 2 (88–86). Club legend Kirk Penney played (10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) his final NBL game in the game two loss, finishing with a 17-point effort.
During his season spent as a development player, Hunter appeared in only two games, scoring a total of five points.
James Hunter played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games.
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.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 25 | New Zealand | 15-13 (4) | 2 | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 67% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 63% | 0% | 5 | Totals | 2 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 66.7% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0% | 0% | 5 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 25 | New Zealand | 15-13 (4) | 2 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 67% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.5 | 1.0 | 50% | 63% | 0% | 5 | Total | 2 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 66.7% | 0.3 | 0.0% | 50.0% | 0% | 0% | 5 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Sydney 2009-11, 2020 | Knox 2019 | Maitland 2023
Was a part of the Maitland Mustangs squad who lost the NBL1 East Grand Final in 2023 to the Sutherland Sharks (80-83). Hunter racked up 20 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Hunter was a member of the New Zealand national team that finished in fourth place at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Manawatu (2015), Southland (2017-18)
In 2015 James Hunter played in New Zealand for the Manawatu Jets and averaged 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 0.1 assist across 8 games.
In 2017 Hunter another season in New Zealand, this time for the Southland Sharks where he averaged 7.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists across 18 games.
Hunter returned to play for the Southland Sharks in 2018 and averaged 10.2 points, 5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists across 20 games.
Related
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