NICKNAME/S: Dolla, Dolla Dolla Beal

BIO: Jermaine Beal was born in Dallas, Texas (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jermaine Beal made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 25 years of age. He scored 11 points in his first game.

Having been defeated by the New Zealand Breakers in the previous two Grand Final series and then losing star import Kevin Lisch (to France), the Wildcats revamped their roster, looking to bring a new-look squad and style that would deliver the team a sixth championship.

Team changes included the departure of Rob Beveridge, Kevin Lisch (who would follow Beveridge to Illawarra), and Cameron Tovey. The Wildcats then reloaded, first by appointing Trevor Gleeson as head coach and signing two new imports: small forward James Ennis, who had just been selected as the 50th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and shooting guard Jermaine Beal. Hard-nosed point guard Damian Martin was named team captain, and Perth’s core group of Shawn Redhage, Jesse Wagstaff, Matthew Knight, and Greg Hire all returned. Tom Jervis, as well as guards Drake U’U and Erik Burdon, were also signed to bolster the team’s bench.

A search to replace a former NBL MVP is never easy, but when Wildcats managing director Nick Marvin and head coach Trevor Gleeson witnessed his ability firsthand at the NBA Summer League, they knew they had a star.

Ennis opened the season with 25 points and 4 rebounds on debut, a three-point victory over arch-rivals Adelaide—the most points scored by a Wildcat on NBL debut at the time. Ennis would earn Player of the Month honours in his first month as a Wildcat as Perth began the season with an 8-0 start.

Beal’s first three games with the Wildcats, however, saw him make just six shots from his 34 field goal attempts. By Round Three, however, Beal’s scoring ability was on full display in back-to-back road games: first, a 19-point effort against the New Zealand Breakers, and then a 24-point night against the Sydney Kings. He continued this hot streak through November, where he hit five three-pointers in the first quarter of an 87-47 win over the Wollongong Hawks. He also finished with a game-high 21 points in a game that saw the Wildcats equal their best start to an NBL campaign at 6–0.

On December 6, he scored a season-high 30 points and equaled a club record with eight three-pointers in a 95–91 win over the Breakers.

Injuries to Knight forced the club to sign Jarrad Prue and Jeremiah Trueman as short-term injury replacements in October and January, but the Wildcats were still the clear pacesetters for the league. By the league’s mid-season break for the All-Star Game, they sat in first place with a 12-1 record, and it was clear that Perth possessed the league’s best import duo that season. James Ennis (21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) and Jermaine Beal (15.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists) perfectly complemented the league’s best defender Damian Martin (7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals) and best villain Shawn Redhage (13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists). To no surprise, Perth finished the season on top of the ladder and reached the postseason for their 28th year in a row.

Once into the postseason, the Wildcats eliminated the Wollongong Hawks first in straight sets, while on the other side of the bracket, their historic rivals Adelaide eliminated Melbourne in three games to see both teams progress to the 2014 Grand Final.

The Grand Final would see first-placed Perth face second-ranked Adelaide, with Game One held in Perth. Wildcats star import James Ennis (30 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Perth in points, rebounds, and assists, resulting in Perth claiming the win (92-85) and taking a 1-0 series lead. Beal also contributed 19 points in the win.

Game Two saw Beal (19 points) again lead the Wildcats in scoring, but it wasn’t enough to stop the 36ers from forcing a deciding third game in front of their largest crowd of the season. 8,127 fans helped rally the 36ers to an 89-84 win behind the high scoring of Gary Ervin (23 points) and an all-round game from Adam Gibson (18 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists) to even the series (1-1).

In response, 13,498 of Perth’s ‘Red Army’ showed up to see Perth defeat Adelaide and win their sixth NBL title. With James Ennis subdued by foul trouble, the Wildcats’ most experienced duo, Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin, were relied upon to pick up the slack. Redhage scored 10 of his 16 points in the first term to help his team settle into the contest, while Martin produced a superb defensive effort on 36ers star Gary Ervin, limiting Adelaide’s Game Two hero to just four points while adding 14 points and six rebounds to the stat sheet. Greg Hire (9 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jermaine Beal (15 points and 4 assists) provided key contributions to help Perth bury the demons of successive Grand Final defeats in the past two seasons.

While Anthony Petrie (20 points) gave his all for the 36ers, he lacked the support from fellow starters Adam Gibson (8 points) and Daniel Johnson (9 points), both of whom had been influential in the first two games of the series.

After his huge opening game, Ennis struggled to make an impact in Games Two and Three, and Beal went on to win Finals MVP after averaging 17.6 points per game, shooting 48% from beyond the three-point line.

In 33 games, Beal also made 101 three-pointers, which set the record for the most three-pointers made by a player in a season in the NBL’s 40-minute era (since 2009) and remained the highest total until 2018. Beal was named to the league’s All-NBL Second Team as well.

2014/15
In 2014, the reigning NBL champions saw close to their entire roster return for a chance to repeat as NBL champions. Perth was able to re-sign both Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin (both on three-year deals) and have Jermaine Beal, Damian Martin, Matthew Knight, Greg Hire, and Tom Jervis return. Although the team lost star import James Ennis to the NBA, they were able to replace him with another star in DeAndre Daniels (14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds) as their second import.

This season, Redhage relinquished the captaincy to Damian Martin and saw Perth struggle through injuries all season. Most impacted was the team’s front court, as Knight (6 games) and Hire (19 games) both missed games during the season, and Redhage suffered from a stress fracture in his right foot, which saw him miss the Wildcats’ entire finals campaign.

With the departure of Ennis, Beal (16.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) became Perth’s main offensive weapon despite another slow start to the season. In the season opener against the New Zealand Breakers, he went 2-of-17 from the field, and on November 23 against Melbourne United, he went 0-of-10 from the field. Despite this, coach Trevor Gleeson was confident Beal would deliver, and Beal then recorded some of his biggest games. These included a game-high 25 points to go with four assists and four steals in an 83–64 win over the Wollongong Hawks, as well as his best two performances of the season in back-to-back games: scoring 29 points against the Townsville Crocodiles on November 14, then notching up 27 points against the Sydney Kings on November 16. On February 15, he scored 24 points in an 89–87 double-overtime loss to the Breakers. Beal was crucial in helping send the game into both overtime periods and then put the Wildcats ahead 87–86 with two clutch free throws in the dying moments of the second overtime. The Breakers won the game with a buzzer-beating half-court shot from Cedric Jackson. Beal finished among the league’s top five scorers through the regular season, finishing with 450 points, leading the league with 69 made three-pointers, and winning the club’s MVP award at the end of the season.

The Wildcats’ banged-up roster still managed to finish in fourth place (16–12), with Matthew Knight earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and Damian Martin named the NBL’s Best Defensive Player for the fifth consecutive year at the end-of-season awards.

Perth was then swiftly eliminated by Cairns in the semifinals. Even with Beal scoring 20 points in Game One and 21 points in Game Two, the Wildcats had no answer for the Taipans and star guard Scottie Wilbekin. Wilbekin tallied 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game One (71-64) and then backed it up with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in Game Two (80-68).

Beal played in 30 games, averaging 16.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists and was awarded the Perth Wildcats Club MVP at the end of the season.

2015/16
After finishing fourth with a 16-12 record during an injury-riddled 2014/15 season before being swept by Cairns in the semifinals, coach Trevor Gleeson entered 2015/16 confident he had assembled a team capable of winning Perth’s seventh championship. DeAndre Daniels (to NBA), Drake U’U (opted out) and Earnest Ross (released) departed, with Ross having suffered a torn Achilles during the previous season. Perth added Casey Prather (via Bakersfield), Nathan Jawai (via Andorra) and Hugh Greenwood (via New Mexico), but Greenwood (to Adelaide Crows) asked to be released one month into his three-year contract after deciding to leave basketball and pursue an AFL career. His unexpected departure forced Perth to revise its recruiting strategy, with Jarrod Kenny (via Hawke’s Bay) signed to replace him in the backcourt.

Jawai’s arrival allowed an injury-free Matthew Knight to move to his natural power forward position and Shawn Redhage to move into a bench role. After winning Perth’s club MVP award in 2014/15, the returning guard entered the option year of the one-year deal with a second-year option he had signed in July 2014. Perth opened its season in Adelaide on October 10, where Beal (18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led the Wildcats to a 79-66 victory. Jawai (11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Jesse Wagstaff (11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists) provided support, while Daniel Johnson (18 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) was Adelaide’s best.

Beal (15.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists across 33 games) remained one of Perth’s main offensive weapons and finished second on the team in scoring. His production became less consistent during the second half of the season, recording seven single-digit scoring games after having only one the previous season.

Beal produced one of his best early-season performances in Wollongong on October 25, finishing with 25 points and 7 assists as Perth defeated Illawarra 106-99. Knight (22 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Wagstaff (18 points and 9 rebounds) helped the Wildcats to the road win, while A.J. Ogilvy (21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) was Illawarra’s best.

Back in Wollongong on November 11, Beal (26 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) made six three-pointers and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as Perth overturned a late deficit by winning the final period 31-13 and defeating Illawarra 99-96. Prather (19 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals) and Knight (16 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 block) provided support, while A.J. Ogilvy (25 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led the Hawks.

Beal’s best game of the season came against Melbourne at Perth Arena on December 10, where he was held scoreless in the opening quarter before scoring 33 points during the second and third periods and finishing with 40 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals as Perth dismantled United 113-83 and moved to the top of the ladder. Beal made 14-of-26 shots and 10-of-19 three-pointers, breaking Perth’s club record of eight three-pointers previously shared by himself, Ricky Grace, Anthony Stewart and Mike Ellis. He also became the second NBL player to score 40 points after being held scoreless in the first quarter and the first Wildcat to reach 40 points since 2007. Prather (20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Knight (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists) provided support, while Daniel Kickert (23 points and 1 steal) was Melbourne’s best.

Prather (16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 27 games) finished as Perth’s leading scorer despite missing time through injury and was awarded the Wildcats’ club MVP. Knight (11.6 points and 7.9 rebounds across 33 games) and Jawai (10.3 points and 4.1 rebounds across 32 games) gave Perth a healthy and physical frontcourt, with Knight earning All-NBL Second Team honours. Damian Martin (5.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals across 24 games) suffered a broken jaw and lost teeth following an errant elbow from Townsville forward Brian Conklin during the opening month but returned by the end of October despite initially being ruled out for three weeks and played his 200th game for the Wildcats in February.

Wagstaff (9.3 points and 4 rebounds across 34 games), Tom Jervis (6.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks across 34 games), Redhage (6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds across 34 games) and Kenny (4.6 points across 34 games) provided Perth with further depth. Redhage played his 350th NBL game in January while averaging under 10 points for the first time in his career. Perth and Melbourne battled for top spot throughout the season, with the Wildcats holding first place for four rounds and United for 14.

Back tightness then kept Beal out of Perth’s February 10 trip to Sydney, with Gleeson resting him because of the short turnaround before the final game against Adelaide. It was the only game he missed across Perth’s 34-game season and the first missed game of his NBL career. He returned for the regular-season finale against Adelaide at Perth Arena on February 14, where Beal (15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) helped Perth win 100-84. Prather (15 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal) returned from hamstring soreness and Jervis (14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) provided support, while Mitchell Creek (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led Adelaide. The victory left Perth second with an 18-10 record and sent the Wildcats to the playoffs for the 30th consecutive season, a streak unmatched by any other Australian or American professional sports league.

Perth opened its semifinal series against Illawarra at Perth Arena on February 19, where Prather (19 points) and Beal (18 points) led the scoring and Jervis (14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block) provided an important contribution from the bench as the Wildcats won 80-68. Tim Coenraad (23 points) and Kirk Penney (17 points) led Illawarra, while A.J. Ogilvy (14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) controlled the glass. Kevin Lisch (2 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal) played only eight minutes before suffering a sprained ankle.

Game two moved to Wollongong on February 21, where Prather (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals), Beal (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Knight (15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) led Perth, but Oscar Forman (21 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks), A.J. Ogilvy (20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) and Penney (18 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal) helped Illawarra win 104-87 and force a deciding game.

Game three returned to Perth Arena on February 26, where Beal (17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal), Wagstaff (17 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Knight (15 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 steal) led the Wildcats. Prather (15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) added a thunderous one-handed slam over A.J. Ogilvy (9 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) early in the fourth quarter, while Penney (18 points, 5 assists, and 1 steal) led Illawarra and Lisch (11 points and 1 steal) returned from his ankle injury. Perth won 89-74 to take the series 2-1 and advance to the Grand Final against defending champion New Zealand.

The Grand Final opened at Perth Arena on March 2, where Jawai (15 points, 1 steal, and 1 block) provided the Wildcats with an inside presence, Knight (14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) contributed at both ends and Prather (11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks) supplied athleticism and defence. Martin (9 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists) controlled the backcourt, Kenny (8 points and 1 steal) provided support from the bench and Beal (7 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) helped Perth defeat New Zealand 82-76. Corey Webster (19 points and 2 steals) and Cedric Jackson (14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led the Breakers.

Game two moved to Auckland on March 4, where Beal (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Perth in scoring and Wagstaff (13 points) provided support, but Cedric Jackson (13 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals) produced a near triple-double and Thomas Abercrombie (12 points and 5 rebounds) helped New Zealand win 72-68 and level the series. Beal made a crucial turnover during the final seconds as Perth missed an opportunity to steal the game on the road.

The deciding game returned to Perth Arena on March 6 in front of 13,090 members of the “Red Army”, where Prather (19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) led the scoring and Beal (14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) provided support, while Thomas Abercrombie (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals) was New Zealand’s leading scorer. Martin (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block), who held Cedric Jackson (0 points) scoreless, was named Grand Final MVP as Perth won 75-52 and claimed its seventh NBL championship.

BRISBANE BULLETS
2016/17
Brisbane returned to the NBL for the first time since 2008/09 with Australian Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis appointed head coach and Adam Gibson (via Adelaide) named captain. With the reborn club building an entirely new roster, Daniel Kickert (via Melbourne), Tom Jervis (via Perth), Anthony Petrie (via Adelaide), Torrey Craig (via Cairns), Shaun Bruce (via Cairns), Mitchell Young (via Townsville), Reuben Te Rangi (via New Zealand), Matt Kenyon and Cameron Bairstow (via Chicago) were added. Beal (via Perth) completed Brisbane’s roster on August 12, signing a one-year deal with an option for a second season after helping Perth win the 2016 NBL championship and then winning the Belgian championship with Telenet Oostende. “I’m excited to play in Brisbane. The club has a lot of history and has won NBL championships in the past,” Beal said.

Brisbane opened the season against defending champion Perth at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on October 6, where Beal (14 points and 4 rebounds) had just two points at half-time before scoring 12 points in the third quarter, while Craig (16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Gibson (11 points) helped the Bullets recover from a 13-point deficit to win 72-65. Jameel McKay (18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks) led Perth.

Beal (11.2 points across 23 games) started all 23 games he played, averaging 13.7 points in Brisbane’s nine wins compared with 9.6 points in 14 losses while shooting 31.2 percent from three-point range. He played every Brisbane game through January 19 and did not miss any games through injury, with his five games absent coming after he was released from the team.

Beal’s best game came against Melbourne United at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on December 17, where Beal (20 points, 7 assists, and 1 steal) made 9-of-12 shots as Bairstow (16 points and 8 rebounds) and Petrie (15 points) helped Brisbane snap a three-game home losing streak with a 100-90 win. Chris Goulding (24 points and 6 assists) led Melbourne.

His season-high scoring game came against Adelaide on October 16, where Beal (21 points) made four three-pointers and all five of his free throws as Craig (22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) and Bairstow (15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists) helped Brisbane take the 36ers to overtime. Jerome Randle (34 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led Adelaide to a 96-93 win.

Beal (20 points) was also important in Brisbane’s 105-87 win over Adelaide at Titanium Security Arena on November 19, with Craig (34 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Petrie (23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks) helping the Bullets improve to 6-4. Nathan Sobey (24 points) led Adelaide, while Bairstow missed the game with general soreness.

Returning to Perth Arena as an opposition player for the first time on December 1, Beal (17 points and 4 assists) received a warm reception before scoring 11 first-quarter points, including three three-pointers, as Brisbane opened a 21-point lead. Gibson (17 points and 4 rebounds) and Bairstow (17 points and 5 rebounds) helped the Bullets defeat Perth 90-75 and move to the top of the ladder, while Casey Prather (22 points) led the Wildcats.

Brisbane also added Shanghai Sharks forwards Wang Tong (via Shanghai) and Yan Peng (via Shanghai) as development players in October as part of the NBL’s developing relationship with Chinese basketball, with the pair selected for the opportunity by former Australian Boomers coach Brian Goorjian. Brisbane product Isaih Tueta (via New Zealand) was rushed into the side in late December after injuries depleted the roster, while Jeremy Kendle (via Bendigo) began training with the Bullets as additional guard cover before a low-grade calf strain delayed his addition. Kendle (11 points across 7 games) signed as an injury replacement on January 11.

Brisbane’s injury problems increased the pressure on its remaining senior players. Bairstow (12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds across 13 games) tore the ACL in his left knee during an overtime loss to Illawarra on December 19 and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Petrie (7.1 points and 3.1 rebounds across 18 games) required surgery after suffering cartilage damage in his left knee and was also ruled out for the season, while Gibson (9.8 points and 3.8 assists across 21 games) suffered a calf injury against Illawarra on January 13 and missed Brisbane’s final seven games.

With Brisbane missing Bairstow, Petrie and Gibson, Beal’s form declined during January. Beal (7 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals) struggled from the field in an 84-82 loss to New Zealand on January 15, while Kickert (24 points) and Craig (19 points and 8 rebounds) led Brisbane and Kevin Dillard (28 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals) led the Breakers.

Beal’s final appearance came in Adelaide on January 19, where Beal (0 points and 2 rebounds) missed all four of his field-goal attempts and finished without an assist as Kickert (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Craig (10 points and 4 blocks) led Brisbane. Randle (22 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals) led Adelaide to a 101-68 win. Two days later Brisbane released Beal from the remainder of his contract because of his declining form and production, with Lemanis saying, “We have not been able to get the best out of Jermaine, and he has not been contributing to the level that he wants to and it has become frustrating for both parties.”

Following Beal’s release, Kendle became part of Brisbane’s permanent roster, while development player Tom Fullarton was elevated to a full contract. Beal had averaged 11.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.7 steals while making 83-of-224 field goals, 34-of-109 three-pointers and 58-of-69 free throws across his 23 games.

Craig (15.2 points and 8 rebounds across 28 games) led Brisbane in scoring and rebounding, won the NBL’s Best Defensive Player award and was named to the All-NBL Second Team. Kickert (12.8 points and 4 rebounds across 28 games) also earned All-NBL Second Team honours and became the first player in NBL history to record a 50-40-90 season, shooting 54.4 percent from the field, 45.9 percent from three and 95.1 percent from the free-throw line. Jervis (7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds across 28 games), Bruce (5.9 points across 28 games) and Young (5.5 points across 28 games) were Brisbane’s other main contributors.

Five games after Beal’s release, Brisbane’s season ended against Illawarra at WIN Entertainment Centre on February 11, where Craig (30 points and 18 rebounds) and Jervis (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) led the Bullets, while Oscar Forman (26 points) led the Hawks to a 106-79 win that left Brisbane eighth with a 10-18 record.

Jermaine Beal played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 14.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 119 NBL games.