Mathew Flinn
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 22/01/72
- Place of Birth: Wollongong (NSW)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 191
- Weight (KG): 80
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Illawarra
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 21/08/92
- AGE AT DEBUT: 20
- LAST NBL GAME: 14/01/11
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 38
- NBL History: Illawarra 1992-94 | Townsville 1995 | Wollongong 2011
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Mathew Flinn was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. He went on to represent NSW multiple times as a state representative Player and captained the NSW under 20’s team in 1991.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Mathew Flinn made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 20 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.
After two years as a Development Player for the Hawks, Flinn was named on the playing roster in 1992 and made the play-offs every year for the next three years.
As a Hawks player, Flinn set a NBL record for the longest time between NBL games (1995) and made a comeback in 2014.
TOWNSVILLE SUNS
1995
After two seasons with Illawarra, Mathew Flinn joined a retooled Townsville outfit which farewelled long-time captain Graham Kubank (retired), Jeff Warren (released), and import duo Ricky Jones and Darryl Johnson—and added Derek Rucker (via Newcastle) and Clarence Tyson (via USA) to headline the offense, with veteran Shane Froling (via Brisbane) replacing Kubank’s size and leadership.
The reset was on show immediately in a 106–116 opening loss to Brisbane, where Clarence Tyson (38 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks), Derek Rucker (28 points, 9 assists, 4 steals), and Cameron Dickinson (23 points) set a high-scoring tone. Flinn (0 points, 3 offensive rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) also saw 7:18 in his Suns debut.
Townsville’s first breakthrough arrived after five defeats—a 105–104 nail-biter over Sydney—sparked by Rucker (42 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), with Tyson adding a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Dickinson supplying timely perimeter scoring (26 points).
Momentum swung again with a 108–97 win over Gold Coast as Rucker (32 points, 7 assists), Dickinson (20 points, four threes), and Tyson (17 points, 13 rebounds) combined for 69. Flinn also saw five minutes but recorded no stats in this game. The Suns later recorded an upset win over Melbourne (116–115) behind the brilliance of Rucker (43 points, 10 assists), Dickinson (27 points), and Tyson (20 points, 13 rebounds).
The Suns steadied to split the run home (7–7) and ended the season 9–17, good for eleventh place.
Team captain Derek Rucker (30.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 2.5 steals) led the team offensively, with Clarence Tyson (24.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.7 blocks) and Cameron Dickinson (20.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals) keeping the scoreboard ticking over every night.
Flinn (1.1 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.2 assists) appeared in 10 games over the course of the season—his last NBL campaign before a one-game hometown cameo with the Illawarra Hawks in 2021.
Mathew Flinn played five seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, Townsville Suns and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 3 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 42 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 39 | Wollongong | 15-13 (5) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | |
| 1995 | 23 | Townsville | 9-17 (10) | 10 | 44 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 36% | 1 | 3 | 33% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 46% | 41% | 5 |
| 1994 | 22 | Illawarra | 13-13 (10) | 11 | 92 | 36 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 35 | 37% | 2 | 11 | 18% | 8 | 12 | 67% | 44% | 40% | 8 |
| 1993 | 21 | Illawarra | 15-11 (6) | 13 | 88 | 53 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 45 | 40% | 9 | 20 | 45% | 8 | 9 | 89% | 54% | 50% | 14 |
| 1992 | 20 | Illawarra | 13-11 (5) | 7 | 55 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 45% | 6 | 12 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 59% | 59% | 9 | Totals | 42 | 281 | 126 | 23 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 35 | 35 | 45 | 114 | 39.5% | 18 | 46 | 39.1% | 18 | 23 | 78.3% | 51% | 47% | 14 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 39 | Wollongong | 15-13 (5) | 1 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 1995 | 23 | Townsville | 9-17 (10) | 10 | 4.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 36% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 33% | 0.2 | 0.2 | 100% | 46% | 41% | 5 |
| 1994 | 22 | Illawarra | 13-13 (10) | 11 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 37% | 0.2 | 1.0 | 18% | 0.7 | 1.1 | 67% | 44% | 40% | 8 |
| 1993 | 21 | Illawarra | 15-11 (6) | 13 | 6.8 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 40% | 0.7 | 1.5 | 45% | 0.6 | 0.7 | 89% | 54% | 50% | 14 |
| 1992 | 20 | Illawarra | 13-11 (5) | 7 | 7.9 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 45% | 0.9 | 1.7 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 59% | 59% | 9 | Total | 42 | 6.7 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 39.5% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 39.1% | 0.4 | 1.1 | 78.3% | 51% | 47% | 14 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 14 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Cairns (1996-1997), Illawarra (1998)
Flinn joined Cairns for the 1996 CBA season, playing with the Marlins as a Wollongong-born guard with no known college stop. Cairns finished 16–8 under coach Billy Ross in that CBA season.
Flinn remained with Cairns for the 1997 CBA season, extending his Marlins stint beyond the single 1996 season. Cairns went 24–2 and reached the national final, where the Marlins lost 80–78 to the Suncoast Clippers at Geelong Arena.
Flinn joined Illawarra for the 1998 NSW State Basketball League season. Illawarra finished the regular season at 20–2, tied with Bankstown for the best record in the NSW competition, and Flinn scored 12 points in an 84–59 win over Parramatta on 23 May before adding seven points in a 91–42 win over Sutherland on 4 July.
Flinn stayed in Illawarra’s rotation late in the 1998 NSW State Basketball League season, scoring 21 points in a 106–73 win over Penrith on 19 September. Illawarra entered the finals after its 20–2 regular season, and Flinn scored eight points in the 102–78 semi-final loss to Bankstown on 3 October.
Illawarra advanced through the 1998 NSW State Basketball League preliminary final, with Flinn scoring 17 points in a 97–62 win over Maitland on 10 October. The Hawks defeated Bankstown 79–59 in the grand final on 11 October, with Flinn scoring four points as Illawarra won the 1998 New South Wales State Basketball League championship.
COACHING HISTORY
After finishing his playing career, Flinn moved into coaching and became a PE teacher and Head Basketball Coach at Illawarra Sports High School, where he worked with future NBL players including Tyson Demos, Dan Jackson and Kane Riley-Henderson.
Flinn later joined the Wollongong/Illawarra Hawks coaching staff and spent more than 350 consecutive NBL games as an assistant coach. Across his time with the Hawks as a player and coach he was part of eight playoff appearances and two Grand Final appearances before being promoted to head coach for the 2019/20 season.
As a rookie NBL head coach in 2019/20, Flinn helped recruit and develop Next Star LaMelo Ball during his first season of professional basketball. Ball became the youngest player in NBL history to record a triple-double, won NBL Rookie of the Year and was later selected with the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Illawarra finished the season 5–23. Although Flinn had signed a two-year contract, the Hawks subsequently entered voluntary administration and he was replaced by Brian Goorjian after the club was sold to new ownership.
Following his departure from Illawarra, Flinn joined the Sydney Kings organisation and by 2021 was serving as Director of the Hoops Capital Academy for the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames, while also working across the organisation's basketball and community programs.
In December 2021, Flinn was appointed inaugural head coach of the Darwin Salties men's team ahead of the club's entry into NBL1 North in 2022. Darwin reached the playoffs in each of its three seasons under Flinn. The Salties made the finals in their inaugural 2022 campaign, finished seventh in 2023 before losing to Logan in the opening round, then produced their best season in 2024, finishing second with a 13–4 record before Brisbane eliminated them 103–76 in the semi-finals. The Darwin program withdrew from NBL1 North following the 2024 season.
Flinn returned to the Illawarra Hawks for the 2024/25 NBL season as an assistant coach under Justin Tatum. The Hawks finished on top of the regular-season ladder for the first time in club history and went on to win the NBL25 championship, with Flinn part of the championship-winning coaching staff.
At the same time, Flinn returned to the Illawarra Basketball Association pathway when he was appointed head coach of the Illawarra Hawks men's NBL1 East team for the 2025 season. Taking over a team that had finished 2–18 the previous year, Flinn led Illawarra to a 15–5 record and the NBL1 East minor premiership. The Hawks advanced to the Grand Final before losing 99–91 to the Canberra Gunners. Flinn was also a finalist for the 2025 NBL1 East Coach of the Year award.
Flinn was reappointed as Illawarra's NBL1 East men's head coach for 2026 and improved the team to a 16–4 record and another first-place regular-season finish. He was named the 2026 NBL1 East Men's Coach of the Year. Illawarra reached the preliminary final, where Sutherland defeated the Hawks 85–79 in overtime, ending their bid for a second consecutive Grand Final appearance.
Flinn has continued in the dual role of NBL assistant coach and NBL1 head coach in Wollongong. He remains part of the Illawarra Hawks NBL coaching staff for the 2026/27 season alongside Justin Tatum, Joel Khalu, Sam Gruggen and Tom Cranney.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
Whilst playing and coaching, Flinn studied a Bachelor of Education Degree at Wollongong University in 1997.At the age of 25, Flinn turned his focus to coaching and became a PE Teacher and Head Basketball Coach at Illawarra Sports High School where he trained future NBL players including Tyson Demos, Dan Jackson and Kane Riley-Hendersen.
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