BIO: Mark Wright was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Cobourg basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mark Wright made his NBL debut with the Coburg Giants on 5/2/1984. He scored 10 points in his first game.

As a rookie, Wright averaged 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists as the Giants finished in third place (18-6).

1985
In 1985, Wright averaged 7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, playing a key role in the Giants rotation, helping the team finish in a fifth place (18-8).

1986
A dismal result in the previous season saw coach Owen Hughan replaced with former player Les Riddle. This move also saw Ray Borner (to Illawarra), Chuck Harmison (to Bankstown), Steve Davis (to Nunawading) and Benny Lewis (to St Kilda) all leave the club for opportunities elsewhere. Riddle and the Giants made efforts to find replacements for them, the key moves being imports Willie Simmons and Jim Foster joining the team and adding a young David Graham to fill the void. Losing the majority of the team’s core however, proved too much and the Giants missed the playoffs for the first time since 1981.

Wright averaged 6.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists as the team struggled to remain competitive and finished in eight place (14-12).

Missing the playoffs again and increasing financial difficulties saw the Giants leave Coburg and re-brand to the North Melbourne Giants. This included a move into the CBD to play out of the much larger Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre (The Glasshouse).

1989
Since 1986, the Giants had slowly crept closer and closer to winning their first NBL championship, with it all culminating this season. After missing the playoffs in 1986, Bruce Palmer replaced Les Riddle as coach and turned things around, coming within one game of winning the championship and come 1989, it was all business. The team added naturalised import Cecil Exum from the state league and Ray Borner (via Illawarra) to strengthen the frontcourt alongside Scott Fisher (32.1 points and 12.7 rebounds) and Tim Dillon (29.4 points and 10.0 rebounds), who delivered two of the best statistical seasons in NBL history.

Wright would play in 25 games, averaging 1.4 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1 assists and Fisher would be selected to the All-NBL First Team and win the league’s Most Valuable Player at seasons end.

Both North Melbourne and Canberra would receive a first round bye and automatic entry to the semi finals. Canberra would qualify for the semi finals after eliminating Sydney (2-1), while North Melbourne’s semifinal with Perth culminated with the Giants winning by 55 points at home in game three. The final score line of 165-110 remains the highest score ever recorded in a NBL postseason game. Dillon (40 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists), Fisher (32 points and 14 rebounds) and David Graham (25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) all coming up big for the Giants. Wildcats captain Mike Ellis (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) top scoring for the visitors.

Canberra, who would reach their fourth time in seven years, would host game one, where the trio of Fisher (37 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals), Dillon (24 points and 12 rebounds), and Borner (18 points and 9 rebounds) walked into the AIS Arena and come away with a six point win (111-105).

The Giants returned to Melbourne for game two, and similar to the season prior, the Glasshouse was a sell-out, with 7,200 Giants fans keen to see the North Melbourne go one step further than last year. Fisher (33 points and 12 rebounds) was relentless at the offensive end and finished as the game’s high scorer. Teammates Dillon (21 points and 15 rebounds), Borner (16 points and 7 rebounds), David Graham (16 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals), Exum (10 points and 8 rebounds) and Mark Leader (10 points and 12 rebounds) delivered a balanced offensive attack, the Giants finishing the game with six players scoring in double figures.

North Melbourne ensured that Canberra had no chance of repeating last years result by destroying the Cannons on the glass, with the team having collected 60 rebounds, compared to the Cannon’s 39 at the final siren (111-97).

The Giants 1989 title was the first Grand Final won by a Victorian team in the modern era. Not since the St Kilda Saints won in 1980 during the league’s semi-professional years had a Melbourne team become champions. Fisher, who averaged 35 points and 12 rebounds in the series, was a easy choice for Grand Final MVP honours.

Mark Wright played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Coburg Giants and the North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 5.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 82 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

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.