BIO: Matt Zauner was born in Albury (NSW).

FAMILY: Matt’s brother, Brendan Zauner also played 11 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Matt Zauner made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 19 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

In his rookie season, Zauner averaged 1.0 points and 1.4 rebounds, and helped Canberra finish the year in sixth place finish with a record of 11-13.

In 1993, Zauner averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds, and helped guide the Cannons to a ninth-place finish during the regular season with a 12-14 record. The Cannons did not offer him a contract to return in 1994 and Zauner spent the year playing in the state league competition before getting the chance to play with the Gold Coast Rollers in 1995. During a rebuilding season for the Rollers where they managed just five wins for the season, Zauner averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds for the year.

1996 was a breakout season for Zauner who averaged 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Illawarra Hawks. Despite Zauner’s rapid improvement the Hawks struggled, finishing in tenth place with a 9-17 record.

After being named the Hawks team captain to start the 1997 season, Zauner started the year on fire and his play earned him a spot in the NBL All-Star Game for the first time. Zauner, who was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, was now ‘hot property’ around the league after his impressive form over the past two seasons and whilst the Hawks were keen to retain his services Zauner was keen to play the field and test his market value. Hawks coach Brendan Joyce took offence at Zauner’s reluctance to sign and so in a unprofessional move Joyce benched the Hawks captain and most consistent player for a stretch after the All Star break. Zauner finished the season averaging 12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds as the Hawks again failed to make the playoffs behind a 7-23 record.

Zauner chose to resign with the Hawks at the end of the year and returned to the team’s starting five in 1998. The Hawks fielded a much improved roster, re-signing star Clayton Ritter and pairing him with defensive minded guard Elliot Hatcher. With Ritter and veteran forward Eric Cooks receiving the majority of minutes in the frontcourt Zauner saw fewer opportunities than in previous years and as a result averged only 2.8 points and 2.9 rebounds for the year. The Hawks would double their wins from the previous year, improving from seven wins to 14 to finish in sixth place. In the elimination finals the Hawks would go on to face the Perth Wildcats, losing back to back games before being eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.

After two year hiatus Zauner returned to the NBL for the 2001 season, averaging 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Brisbane Bullets who during a rebuilding season finished the year with a 4-24 record.

Matt Zauner played seven seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Canberra Cannons, Gold Coast Rollers, Wollongong Hawks, Illawarra Hawks and Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 151 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (836 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.