Trey Kell III
January 10, 2023
Malcolm Bernard
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 31/01/94
- Place of Birth: Middleburg, Florida (USA)
- Position: G/F
- Height (CM): 198
- Weight (KG): 88
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Charleston Southern (2012–2014) / Florida A&M (2015–2016) / Xavier (2016–2017)
- NBL DEBUT: 1/10/22
- AGE AT DEBUT: 28
- LAST NBL GAME: 8/10/22
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 28
- NBL History: South East Melbourne 2023
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Malcolm Bernard was born in Middleburg, Florida (USA)
NBL EXPERIENCE
Malcolm Bernard made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 28 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.
After an injury-plagued finish left South East Melbourne sixth with a 15-13 record and outside the NBL22 finals, Simon Mitchell remained as coach, with Mitch Creek, Ryan Broekhoff, Kyle Adnam, Reuben Te Rangi, Dane Pineau and Owen Foxwell returning. Xavier Munford (to Hapoel Tel Aviv), Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa (to New Zealand), Cameron Gliddon (to New Zealand) and Adam Gibson (retired) departed, while Gary Browne (via Piratas de Quebradillas), Trey Kell III (via Olimpia Milano), Alan Williams (via Lokomotiv Kuban), Junior Madut (via Hawaii), Grant Anticevich (via California) and Anzac Rissetto (via Franklin Bulls) joined, before Zhou Qi made a late decision to return.
South East Melbourne signed Malcolm Bernard (via Bendigo) as a nominated injury replacement player after Kell III suffered a cracked rib during a preseason clash with Tasmania. The 198-centimetre guard-forward had averaged 18 points for the Bendigo Braves during the NBL1 South season and was contracted only until Kell III recovered, with Broekhoff also unavailable because of a hamstring injury.
“We felt in the short term we needed to add a player to our roster,” Phoenix CEO Tommy Greer said.
South East Melbourne opened against Tasmania at John Cain Arena without Browne, Kell III, Broekhoff or Qi. Bernard (2 points and 1 steal) played nine minutes from the bench on his NBL debut, while Adnam (30 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Creek (23 points and 6 rebounds) led the Phoenix to an 84-79 victory, with Jack McVeigh (20 points and 5 rebounds) leading Tasmania.
Bernard (4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds across 3 games) came off the bench in each appearance and did not miss any game through an injury, illness or suspension of his own. His limited time with South East Melbourne resulted entirely from his temporary roster status, with his contract ending once Kell III recovered from the rib injury.
His best game came against Illawarra at the WIN Entertainment Centre on October 6, where Bernard (8 points and 3 rebounds) made 3-of-6 field goals and two three-pointers in almost 17 minutes. Madut (21 points and 7 rebounds) and Williams (13 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) led South East Melbourne, while Tyler Harvey (22 points and 5 rebounds) carried Illawarra to an 85-72 victory.
Bernard’s final appearance came against Cairns at John Cain Arena on October 8, where Bernard (4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals) played almost 19 minutes. Creek (27 points and 4 rebounds) and Williams (18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) helped South East Melbourne lead by ten points during the fourth quarter, but Keanu Pinder (19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Cairns as the Taipans forced seven turnovers during the closing stages and won 85-76.
Kell III, Broekhoff and Qi returned against New Zealand on October 15, ending Bernard’s three-game injury-replacement stint. Creek (23.4 points and 7 rebounds across 29 games) produced the highest-scoring season of his career, earned All-NBL First Team honours and won the Phoenix MVP award, while Williams (16.6 points and 9.9 rebounds across 28 games) led the NBL in rebounding. Browne (12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.5 steals across 20 games) led the league in assists, while Kell III (12.5 points and 3.8 rebounds across 24 games) missed five regular-season games through rib and knee injuries.
South East Melbourne climbed as high as second before falling to fifth with a 15-13 record, then lost the Play-In Qualifier to Perth 106-99.
Malcolm Bernard played one season in the NBL. He averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 29 | South East Melbourne | 15-13 (5) | 3 | 44.9 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 46% | 2 | 4 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 54% | 54% | 8 | Totals | 3 | 45 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 46.2% | 2 | 4 | 50.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 54% | 54% | 8 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 29 | South East Melbourne | 15-13 (5) | 3 | 15.0 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 46% | 0.7 | 1.3 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 54% | 54% | 8 | Total | 3 | 15.0 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 46.2% | 0.2 | 50.0% | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.0% | 54% | 54% | 8 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Rockhampton (2018, 2021, 2023), Bendigo (2022), Casey (2023)
Bernard joined Rockhampton for the 2018 QBL season and averaged 26.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as the Rockets reached the playoffs, and his Australian state league career also included the provided Rockhampton 2021 stint before he returned to the Rockets again in 2023.
Bernard joined Bendigo for the 2022 NBL1 South season and spent 2022 averaging 18 points a game for the Braves, finishing the year at 18.3 points, 4.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds a contest as Bendigo reached the semi-finals. He was signed by the Braves on 22 March 2022, produced five 20-point games during the season, scored 24 points with four steals and three assists against Geelong in round 10, then returned from a hamstring injury in the first week of the finals to post 30 points, nine assists, five steals and four rebounds in Bendigo’s win over Knox before the Braves lost their semi-final to Kilsyth by five points.
Bernard joined Casey for the 2023 NBL1 South season and opened with several big scoring performances for the Cavaliers, including 41 points on 15-of-27 shooting with five three-pointers and a perfect 6-of-6 at the foul line against Mount Gambier on 14 April, while he also had 26 points, five rebounds and two assists against North West Tasmania in May.
Bernard rejoined Rockhampton on 20 May 2023 for the remainder of the NBL1 North season and averaged 20.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals across 12 games. He later received Rockhampton’s Defensive Player of the Year award for that stint before moving on at the end of the season.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Argentina - Atlético Argentino de Junín (2017) | Finland - BC Nokia (2018) | Qatar - Al Khor (2019–2020) | Slovenia - Rogaška Crystal (2020–2021), Helios Domžale (2024) | Belgium - Stella Artois Leuven Bears (2021) | North Macedonia - KK Pelister (2023–2024), KK Rabotnički (2024) | Serbia - KK Zlatibor (2024–2025) | Estonia - Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits (2025–2026)
Bernard joined Atlético Argentino de Junín for the 2017–18 Liga Nacional de Básquet season in Argentina, and in three games he averaged 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists before departing on October 2, 2017.
He moved to BC Nokia for the 2018–19 Korisliiga season in Finland, where he averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 14 games before his stint ended in December 2018 following an Achilles tendon injury.
Bernard opened the 2019–20 season with Al Khor in Qatar and produced 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.5 steals across 10 games, with one of his best outings coming on January 29, 2020 when he scored 26 points in a 92–91 overtime win over Qatar SC.
From there he signed with Rogaška Crystal on January 22, 2020 for the Slovenian league season, and across his combined 2019–20 and 2020–21 time with the club he averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 15 games in 2020–21 after making one appearance late in 2019–20.
A move to Belgium followed when he signed with Stella Artois Leuven Bears on March 9, 2021, and he averaged 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10 league games.
Bernard returned to the Adriatic region for the 2023–24 season with KK Pelister in North Macedonia after signing on August 28, 2023, and he posted 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 10 Superleague games.
He then joined Helios Domžale in Slovenia on January 4, 2024, where he averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 18 Liga Nova KBM games and added 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists across three Slovenian Cup games.
Bernard had a brief stop with KK Rabotnički in North Macedonia after signing on November 9, 2024, making one league appearance before moving again later that month.
His next move took him to KK Zlatibor for the 2024–25 Serbian KLS season, signing on November 30, 2024 and averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 18 KLS games, while also earning ABA League 2 Top 8 Round 2 MVP honours in February 2025 after a 27-point, 7-assist, 7-rebound performance against Bosna.
Bernard joined Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits for the 2025–26 season in Estonia, and he averaged 14.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists in Estonian-Latvian League and FIBA Europe Cup play, including 10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists across six Europe Cup games.
COLLEGE
Malcolm Bernard played four seasons of NCAA Division I basketball across three programs — Charleston Southern (2012–13, 2013–14), Florida A&M (2015–16), and Xavier Musketeers (2016–17) — before graduating in 2017 and moving into professional basketball.
At Charleston Southern, Bernard appeared in 58 games over his first two seasons (2012–13 and 2013–14), averaging 2.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game while playing limited minutes as a freshman and increasing his role as a sophomore.
After sitting out the 2014–15 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Bernard transferred to Florida A&M Rattlers for the 2015–16 season, where he posted a breakout year. Starting 26 of 28 games, he averaged 14.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and ranking among team leaders in nearly every major category.
Bernard’s performance at Florida A&M that season earned him All–Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference recognition (second team) as he became one of the most productive all-around guards in the MEAC.
For his final collegiate season in 2016–17, Bernard joined Xavier and started 35 of 38 games for the Musketeers in the Big East Conference, averaging 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 28.0 minutes per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three — a significant jump in three-point efficiency compared to earlier in his career.
Across his entire NCAA career of 124 games (67 starts), Bernard averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, including a career-three-point percentage of 33.3 percent and a free-throw percentage of 63.9 percent.
At Xavier, he provided valuable perimeter spacing and defensive versatility, making 46 three-pointers in Big East play and contributing to the Musketeers’ competitive seasons, including runs toward postseason consideration. His senior year at Xavier was highlighted by improved shooting and consistent all-around work on both ends of the court.
Over his NCAA tenure, Bernard demonstrated steady developmental growth — evolving from a limited rotation player at Charleston Southern into a high-impact starter at Florida A&M and a reliable role player in a major conference at Xavier. His combination of size at 6-5 and multi-category production helped him earn a Division I degree and position him for opportunities at the professional level.
Related
HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PLAYER?
Whilst we try to source as much information as we can for every player who has ever played in the NBL some information on a player profile may be missing. If you have additional information on a player you'd like us to add to a profile, please send it to us using the enquiry form below.
Submissions are then sent to info@aussiehoopla.com