Liam Rush
July 23, 2020
Justin Bailey
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 10/06/77
- Place of Birth: New Brunswick, New Jersey (USA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 80
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Hartford (1995–1999)
- NBL DEBUT: 14/10/06
- AGE AT DEBUT: 29
- LAST NBL GAME: 10/02/07
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 29
- NBL History: West Sydney 2007
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Bailey was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and grew up in nearby Piscataway, where he attended Piscataway Township High School, leading the school’s basketball team to a 23–2 record and a Group IV state championship as a junior in 1993/94.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Justin Bailey made his NBL debut with the West Sydney Razorbacks at 29 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game.
Justin Bailey played one season in the NBL. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 29 NBL games.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 29 | West Sydney | 5-28 (12) | 29 | 899 | 431 | 102 | 85 | 18 | 84 | 43 | 2 | 80 | 85 | 139 | 296 | 47% | 43 | 106 | 41% | 110 | 135 | 81% | 60% | 54% | 29 | Totals | 29 | 899 | 431 | 102 | 85 | 18 | 84 | 43 | 2 | 80 | 85 | 139 | 296 | 47.0% | 43 | 106 | 40.6% | 110 | 135 | 81.5% | 61% | 54% | 29 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | 29 | West Sydney | 5-28 (12) | 29 | 31.0 | 14.9 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 10.2 | 47% | 1.5 | 3.7 | 41% | 3.8 | 4.7 | 81% | 60% | 54% | 29 | Total | 29 | 31.0 | 14.9 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 10.2 | 47.0% | 1.5 | 3.7 | 40.6% | 3.8 | 4.7 | 81.5% | 61% | 54% | 29 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 29 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Harbour Heat (2012)
Bailey joined Harbour Heat for the 2012 New Zealand NBL season, playing in New Zealand.
In 2012, Justin Bailey played in New Zealand for the Harbour Heat and averaged 18.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists across 16 games.
Justin Bailey played all 16 games for Harbour Heat in the 2012 New Zealand NBL season and averaged 2.1 steals per game.
Justin Bailey won New Zealand NBL Player of the Week honours for Round 10 in 2012 after scoring 33 points on 2 May against the Manawatu Jets and 18 points on 5 May against the Manawatu Jets.
Harbour Heat finished with a 3–13 record in the 2012 New Zealand NBL season.
COLLEGE
Bailey began his college career in 1995/96, joining the Hartford Hawks as a freshman.
He averaged 12.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 28 games in his first season, earning himself North Atlantic Conference All-Rookie Team honours.
Over four NCAA seasons at Hartford from 1995–96 through 1998–99, Bailey played 110 games and finished with 1,786 career points, producing a 16.2 points per game career average while shooting .465 from the field, .362 from three-point range, and .831 at the free throw line.
In 1995–96, Bailey’s freshman year output (12.1 points per game) came with a .441 field-goal percentage, .344 three-point percentage, and .777 at the line, while also adding 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game across his 28 appearances as he worked into a featured scoring role for the Hawks.
As a sophomore in 1996–97, Bailey played all 28 games and again averaged 12.9 points and 3.3 rebounds, with his season shaped by a preseason ankle injury that moved him into a key bench role, and he finished the year shooting .473 overall, .421 from three, and .807 on free throws, with his .421 three-point percentage ranking among the best single-season marks in program history.
Bailey’s junior season in 1997–98 became his statistical leap, as he earned first-team All-North Atlantic Conference honours after averaging 20.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 27 games, while also posting 3.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game and leading the league in free throw percentage at 83.8% and steals at 2.19 per game.
During 1997–98 he also claimed Hartford’s Vin Baker Award as the team’s top scorer, and his volume at the stripe was a major part of that jump, with 140 made free throws in the season placing him among Hartford’s best single-season totals.
As a co-captain in 1998–99, Bailey repeated the 20-point scoring standard, averaging 20.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 27 games and earning second-team All-America East Conference honours, while also contributing 2.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game and lifting his free throw percentage to .872 for the season.
Bailey again won Hartford’s Vin Baker Award as the Hawks’ leading scorer in 1998–99, and his 171 made free throws that season ranks among the top single-season totals in school history, while his combined 1,086 points as a junior and senior made him only the second Hartford player in the Division I era to average 20 or more points per game in consecutive seasons.
By the end of his Hartford career, Bailey held major program marks including Hartford’s career record for steals (218) and free throws made (501), and he is also listed among the school’s career leaders in three-point makes and three-point percentage (.362), alongside finishing as one of Hartford’s highest career scorers with 1,786 points.
His college résumé was later recognised by the school with induction into the University of Hartford Athletics Hall of Fame, reflecting the scale of his four-year production and the program records he set during the 1995–99 period.
COACHING HISTORY
Justin Bailey moved into basketball coaching and development following his playing career.
Bailey became Director of Basketball and Boys Premier Coach at Long Bay College before joining the Otago Nuggets as an assistant coach for the 2020 New Zealand NBL season, helping the Nuggets win the championship.
He later returned to the Nuggets coaching staff and in 2025 joined the Auckland Tuatara as an assistant coach.
Related
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