Matt Zauner
July 23, 2020
Justin Withers
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 28/04/70
- Place of Birth: Canberra (ACT)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 201
- Weight (KG): 105
- Junior Assoc: ACT - Canberra
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 21/04/89
- AGE AT DEBUT: 18
- LAST NBL GAME: 14/06/98
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 28
- NBL History: Illawarra 1989-92 | Canberra 1993-94 | Sydney 1995-97 | Wollongong 1998
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Justin Withers was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Justin Withers made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game.
On the 27th of July, 1991 Withers was a part of the highest scoring game in NBL history when the Illawarra Hawks lost to the Melbourne Tigers 186-158 in a game where a total of 344 points were scored. Withers contributed 21 points himself (shooting 10/20 from the field) and added 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals to the stat sheet as well. Remarkably the Hawks shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort.
1996
In 1996 Withers averaged 5.6 points and 2.2 rebounds, and helped guide the Kings to a fifth place finish in the regular season with a 16-10 record.
1997
After finishing fifth with a 16-10 record before being eliminated by Canberra in the 1996 quarterfinals, Sydney entered Alan Black’s second season needing to replace captain Shane Heal (to Minnesota), while Neil Turner and Dean Uthoff also departed. Isaac Burton, Melvin Thomas, Bruce Bolden, Stephen Whitehead, Justin Withers, Brad Williams, Brad Rosen and Danny Williams returned from the previous season’s group, while Aaron Trahair (via Perth), Cameron Dickinson (via Townsville), Matthew Nielsen (via AIS) and rookie Ben Knight were added. Bolden was named captain in Heal’s absence. Hobart, Geelong and Gold Coast also exited the NBL following 1996, reducing the competition to 11 teams and redistributing players across the remaining clubs.
Withers did not make his first appearance of the season until July 12, when he finished with 2 points and 2 rebounds in 9:56 as Sydney snapped a four-game losing streak with a 109-85 win over Brisbane at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and improved to 10-10. Thomas (28 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) and Burton (21 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals) led the Kings, while Steve Woodberry (25 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) was Brisbane’s best.
Withers (1.2 points across 5 games) remained on Sydney’s roster but saw his role reduced significantly after appearing in 25 games the previous season. He was used only intermittently through the remainder of 1997, playing 28 minutes across five appearances.
Withers’ best and highest-scoring game came against Perth at the Perth Entertainment Centre on August 16, where Withers (4 points and 1 rebound) made his only three-pointer of the season in 4:38 as the Wildcats defeated Sydney 97-92. Burton (31 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) and Nielsen (21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led the Kings, while Todd Lichti (23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) was Perth’s best.
Burton (20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3 steals across 30 games) led Sydney in scoring and the NBL in steals, while Thomas (18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 30 games) led the Kings in rebounding. Whitehead (12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 30 games) became the team’s third-leading scorer, captain Bolden (11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds across 25 games) remained an experienced frontcourt presence and Trahair (11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals across 22 games) was brought in to help replace Heal in the backcourt. Dickinson (10.8 points across 30 games) supplied perimeter scoring, Nielsen (9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds across 29 games) established himself in the rotation and was named NBL Rookie of the Year, while Rosen (5.1 points across 26 games) provided further backcourt depth.
Withers did not appear as Sydney closed the season against Canberra at the AIS Arena on September 27. Burton (31 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 steals) and Thomas (25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) led the Kings, but Robert Rose (37 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists) carried the Cannons to a 98-95 victory. The loss completed a three-game losing streak and left Sydney second-last in tenth place with a 12-18 record, outside the playoffs.
WOLLONGONG HAWKS
1998
After finishing 11th with a 7-23 record in 1997 and missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season, the Hawks entered 1998 with Brendan Joyce remaining as head coach. Dylan Rigdon and Terry Johnson (to Newcastle) departed, while Clayton Ritter, Eric Cooks, Mat Campbell, Matt Zauner and Glen Saville returned. Joyce signed defensive-minded import guard Elliot Hatcher and added Cameron Dickinson (via Sydney), Mark Dalton (via Brisbane), Justin Withers (via Sydney) and Matthew Oyston. After being limited to five appearances for Sydney the previous season, Withers returned to the club where he had begun his NBL career and won Rookie of the Year in 1989. The 1998 campaign was the NBL’s final winter season and the club’s last as Illawarra before changing to the Wollongong Hawks, while also being its final season at Beaton Park’s Snakepit before moving to WIN Entertainment Centre for 1998/99.
Illawarra opened the season against North Melbourne at Beaton Park on January 30, where Withers (4 points and 4 rebounds) played almost 15 minutes in his first game back with the Hawks as Illawarra won 109-96. Saville (28 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks) and Ritter (25 points and 9 rebounds) led the Hawks, while Pat Reidy (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) was North Melbourne’s best.
Withers (2.4 points across 16 games) was used intermittently in a reserve role, appearing in 15 of Wollongong’s 30 regular-season games before playing in the second game of the elimination finals. Alongside the import combination of Ritter and Hatcher, he provided experienced depth as Wollongong made a significant improvement on the previous season.
Withers’ highest-scoring game came against South East Melbourne at Melbourne Park on May 6, where he made three of seven field goals, including two three-pointers, and scored 8 points in just over eight minutes. Hatcher (18 points) and Ritter (13 points and 8 rebounds) led Wollongong, while Mike Kelly (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) was South East Melbourne’s leading scorer as the Magic defeated the Hawks 116-73.
Ritter (24.6 points and 8.1 rebounds across 32 games) was named captain, led Wollongong in scoring and rebounding, won the club MVP award and earned All-NBL Second Team honours. Hatcher (19.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 steals across 32 games) finished second on the team in scoring and led the Hawks in steals, while Campbell (12.6 points across 32 games), Cooks (11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds across 32 games), Saville (10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals across 32 games), Dickinson (6.4 points across 31 games) and Dalton (5 points and 3.2 rebounds across 24 games) provided the other major contributions. Illawarra doubled its win total from seven to 14, finished sixth with a 14-16 record and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1995.
Illawarra opened its elimination series against Perth at Beaton Park on June 12, with Withers not entering the game. Campbell (27 points and 5 rebounds) and Cooks (16 points and 8 rebounds) led the Hawks, while Scott Fisher (37 points) and Todd Lichti (18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led Perth to a 95-85 victory in the final NBL game played at the Snakepit.
Game two moved to Challenge Stadium, where Withers (7 points and 2 rebounds) made all three of his field-goal attempts, including his only three-pointer, in 8:42. Hatcher (34 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals) and Ritter (17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) led Wollongong, while Scott Fisher (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists), Todd Lichti (21 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) and Ricky Grace (17 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals) led Perth to a 120-97 victory. The loss completed a 2-0 sweep, eliminated Wollongong in the first round and marked Withers’ final NBL appearance.
Justin Withers played ten seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, Canberra Cannons, Sydney Kings and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 222 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 28 | Wollongong | 14-16 (6) | 16 | 108 | 39 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 12 | 40 | 30% | 6 | 17 | 35% | 9 | 10 | 90% | 44% | 38% | 8 |
| 1997 | 27 | Sydney | 12-18 (10) | 5 | 28 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 22% | 1 | 4 | 25% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 30% | 0% | 4 |
| 1996 | 26 | Sydney | 16-10 (5) | 25 | 387 | 139 | 56 | 8 | 13 | 43 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 51 | 54 | 119 | 45% | 18 | 49 | 37% | 13 | 19 | 68% | 54% | 53% | 10 |
| 1995 | 25 | Sydney | 10-16 (10) | 26 | 480 | 179 | 79 | 23 | 31 | 48 | 11 | 5 | 38 | 57 | 68 | 178 | 38% | 13 | 55 | 24% | 30 | 50 | 60% | 44% | 42% | 18 |
| 1994 | 24 | Canberra | 7-19 (11) | 26 | 946 | 358 | 227 | 36 | 55 | 172 | 18 | 10 | 68 | 114 | 149 | 326 | 46% | 25 | 72 | 35% | 35 | 57 | 61% | 51% | 50% | 30 |
| 1993 | 23 | Canberra | 12-14 (9) | 22 | 852 | 394 | 208 | 48 | 72 | 136 | 19 | 8 | 34 | 84 | 145 | 304 | 48% | 29 | 79 | 37% | 75 | 100 | 75% | 56% | 52% | 35 |
| 1992 | 22 | Illawarra | 13-11 (5) | 26 | 1,016 | 483 | 227 | 36 | 79 | 148 | 22 | 17 | 60 | 105 | 177 | 415 | 43% | 25 | 89 | 28% | 104 | 140 | 74% | 50% | 46% | 32 |
| 1991 | 21 | Illawarra | 6-20 (13) | 26 | 924 | 487 | 171 | 45 | 60 | 111 | 29 | 14 | 78 | 120 | 200 | 405 | 49% | 23 | 71 | 32% | 64 | 95 | 67% | 54% | 52% | 31 |
| 1990 | 20 | Illawarra | 13-13 (8) | 26 | 777 | 449 | 132 | 46 | 43 | 89 | 21 | 12 | 54 | 84 | 185 | 345 | 54% | 36 | 92 | 39% | 43 | 62 | 69% | 60% | 59% | 35 |
| 1989 | 19 | Illawarra | 7-17 (11) | 24 | 560 | 310 | 127 | 16 | 59 | 68 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 71 | 130 | 247 | 53% | 3 | 9 | 33% | 47 | 74 | 64% | 55% | 53% | 22 | Totals | 222 | 6078 | 2844 | 1250 | 261 | 421 | 829 | 132 | 74 | 385 | 705 | 1122 | 2388 | 47.0% | 179 | 537 | 33.3% | 421 | 609 | 69.1% | 54% | 51% | 35 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 28 | Wollongong | 14-16 (6) | 16 | 6.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 30% | 0.4 | 1.1 | 35% | 0.6 | 0.6 | 90% | 44% | 38% | 8 |
| 1997 | 27 | Sydney | 12-18 (10) | 5 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 22% | 0.2 | 0.8 | 25% | 0.2 | 0.4 | 50% | 30% | 0% | 4 |
| 1996 | 26 | Sydney | 16-10 (5) | 25 | 15.5 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 45% | 0.7 | 2.0 | 37% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 68% | 54% | 53% | 10 |
| 1995 | 25 | Sydney | 10-16 (10) | 26 | 18.5 | 6.9 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 6.8 | 38% | 0.5 | 2.1 | 24% | 1.2 | 1.9 | 60% | 44% | 42% | 18 |
| 1994 | 24 | Canberra | 7-19 (11) | 26 | 36.4 | 13.8 | 8.7 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 6.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 12.5 | 46% | 1.0 | 2.8 | 35% | 1.3 | 2.2 | 61% | 51% | 50% | 30 |
| 1993 | 23 | Canberra | 12-14 (9) | 22 | 38.7 | 17.9 | 9.5 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 6.2 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 6.6 | 13.8 | 48% | 1.3 | 3.6 | 37% | 3.4 | 4.5 | 75% | 56% | 52% | 35 |
| 1992 | 22 | Illawarra | 13-11 (5) | 26 | 39.1 | 18.6 | 8.7 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 6.8 | 16.0 | 43% | 1.0 | 3.4 | 28% | 4.0 | 5.4 | 74% | 50% | 46% | 32 |
| 1991 | 21 | Illawarra | 6-20 (13) | 26 | 35.5 | 18.7 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 7.7 | 15.6 | 49% | 0.9 | 2.7 | 32% | 2.5 | 3.7 | 67% | 54% | 52% | 31 |
| 1990 | 20 | Illawarra | 13-13 (8) | 26 | 29.9 | 17.3 | 5.1 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 7.1 | 13.3 | 54% | 1.4 | 3.5 | 39% | 1.7 | 2.4 | 69% | 60% | 59% | 35 |
| 1989 | 19 | Illawarra | 7-17 (11) | 24 | 23.3 | 12.9 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 10.3 | 53% | 0.1 | 0.4 | 33% | 2.0 | 3.1 | 64% | 55% | 53% | 22 | Total | 222 | 27.4 | 12.8 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 10.8 | 47.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 33.3% | 0.8 | 2.4 | 69.1% | 54% | 51% | 35 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 35 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
|---|
AWARDS
- NBL Rookie Of The Year (1989)
Related
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