BIO: Matthew Burston was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Matthew Burston made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

As a rookie, Burston averaged 0.7 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists as the Wildcats finished in third place with a record of 21-7.

2001/02
In 2001/02, Burston averaged 2.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.1 assists, playing a key role in the Wildcat’s rotation, helping the team finish reach in second place during the regular season with a 17-13 record.

2002/03
In 2002, club legend and captain Andrew Vlahov retired after 12 seasons, leaving Ricky Grace as the only remaining Wildcat from the team’s early championships in the 1990s. Following Vlahov’s retirement, Grace became captain of the Wildcats’ (a role he continued until his retirement) before the closure of the Perth Entertainment Centre saw the Wildcats return to their old home, the Superdrome (now HBF Stadium), for the 2002/03 season.

Vlahov’s retirement created a enormous gap in both leadership and frontcourt that seemed impossible to fill. However, as a result of the unexpected demise of the Victoria Titans, Vlahov’s fellow Australian Boomers teammate Tony Ronaldson would join the team and capably fill his role. Big man Brett Wheeler would also move across from Victoria to Perth and fill the shoes of the recently departed Paul Rogers, who had decided to return to his hometown 36ers.

The team would start the year with a 5-1 record, losing only to Wollongong, with the team hardly missing a step despite losing Vlahov and Rogers. Import Rob Feaster (19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists) would lead the team in scoring, while the recently acquired Wheeler (12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds) led the team in rebounds, and Ricky Grace (18.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists) led both the team and league in assists.

Burston added 11.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as the new-look squad delivered a balanced offensive attack with seven players, all scoring in double figures (James Harvey 14 ppg, Stephen Black 12.6 ppg, Tony Ronaldson 12 ppg).

As a result, the Wildcats were unbeatable at home, finishing with a 14-1 home record and ending the regular season on a four-game winning streak. Perth and Sydney ended the season with equal records (22-8) but due to the Kings having the head-to-head advantage (2-1), the Wildcats finished in second place, with the Kings claiming top spot.

The Wildcats balanced roster saw a number of players recognised at the 2003 NBL awards night. Stephen Black earned the Sixth Man of the Year award, and Matthew Burston won the league’s Most Improved Player award, having leapt from 2.3 ppg in 6 minutes of game time to 11.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg and averaging 21 minutes per game. Grace’s continued form saw him named to the All-NBL First team for the fourth time.

The Qualifying Finals saw Perth matchup against their former teammate Rogers and the Adelaide 36ers. Perth would win games one and three behind big games from Grace, who came up big in Perth’s wins in game one (29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists) and game three (32 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists).

The Wildcats’ semi final matchup would be against the fourth-placed Hawks, who they swiftly eliminated in two straight games with the one-two punch of Grace and Wheeler really hitting its stride. Game one saw Grace (24 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists) and Wheeler (21 points and 7 rebounds) destroy the Hawks 121-90 at home before a similar result saw Grace (26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists) and Wheeler (27 points and 14 rebounds) eliminate the Hawks in Perth for game two (113–84). The win saw Perth reach their seventh Grand Final in 17 years.

The Kings had followed a similar playoff path to the Wildcats, defeating Melbourne (2-1) in the Qualifying Finals before convincing wins over Townsville (2-1) resulted in the two squads who had led the competition all season facing off in the Grand Final.

The Kings lineup, which featured league MVP Chris Williams, Shane Heal and Matt Nielsen, guided Sydney to a narrow victory at home for the opening game, overcoming the phenomenal play of Grace (15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists), who recorded the second triple double ever in a grand final series. With Williams (26 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals) shooting 12/23 from the field, the Kings claimed the opening game (98-94).

Even with game two being held in Perth and Feaster (40 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal) doing everything he could, including scoring 30 points in 4th quarter, the same result followed. Behind a near triple double from Shane Heal (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists), a big defensive effort from Nielsen (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks), and another stellar performance from Williams (24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), this time shooting a even higher percentage (10/17 shooting), Sydney won their first NBL championship (117-101). Williams would be a unanimous choice for named Finals MVP.

2003/04
In the days following their grand final loss to Sydney, Perth choose not to renew Alan Black’s contract and parted ways with him for a second time (he was sensationally sacked in 1990 after just one season as a coach before being brought back in 1998 to replace the outgoing Adrian Hurley. After the change, Perth struggled to retain a lot of the roster which had reached the 2003 NBL Grand Final under Black, with only five players returning for 2003/04. Team captain Ricky Grace, James Harvey, Tony Ronaldson, Matthew Burston and Ben Thompson remained as the club’s core group after losing Brett Wheeler (Sydney) and last season’s leading scorer Rob Feaster (Victoria) after both were asked to take 30% pay cut. They were then replaced with import tandem Reed Rawlings and John Jackson. Young guns Travis Lane and Liam Rush were also signed to fill out the team’s second unit.

Past Wildcat legend Mike Ellis was brought in as head coach and struggled to retain the previous season’s roster, which had reached the Grand Final under Black. Only five players would return, Ricky Grace (team captain), James Harvey, Tony Ronaldson, Matthew Burston and Ben Thompson. Brett Wheeler (Sydney) and last season’s leading scorer Rob Feaster (Victoria) both signed with other clubs after being asked to take a 30% pay cut and replaced with young talent Travis Lane (Sydney) and rookie Liam Rush. Imports Reed Rawlings and John Jackson were both added to round out the roster.

After losing the first two games of the season, Reed Rawlings (12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds) was replaced by Rashad Tucker (17.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.3 steals), who was forced to take over point guard duties when Ricky Grace went down with a injury. During that time set the record for triple doubles in a season, notching up six during his first season with Perth.

This season also saw James Harvey (20.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) develop into one of the league’s most potent offensive weapons, his scoring increasing by 6 points per game, becoming the team’s leading scorer. Burston averaged 13.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.

In Ellis’ lone season as coach of the Wildcats, the team would record their first losing season (15 wins, 18 losses) since 1986, finishing in the seventh spot after a season destroying team’s at home (13-3) but failing to win on the road (2-15). In a year where the league’s top eight team’s would make the playoffs thanks to a early format of the play-in tournament, the Wildcat’s faced sixth-placed Cairns in a qualification game. There, former Perth guard Anthony Stewart (30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists) led Cairns to victory (103-96) and ended the Wildcats’ season.

2004/05
Mike Ellis was replaced as coach by another former player, Scott Fisher prior to the 2004/05 season. In addition, co-owner Luc Longley relinquished his majority share of the Wildcats in April 2004, leaving Andrew Vlahov as the sole owner of the franchise.

After Perth’s leading scorer James Harvey chose to play overseas (Israel) this season, Perth were then forced to rebuild. Tony Ronaldson, Matthew Burston, Liam Rush, Ricky Grace (captain) and Rashad Tucker, who had broken every triple-double record the season prior, all returned from the previous season but lost their leading scorer James Harvey to a lucrative contract overseas (Israel). Perth brought in Townsville product Peter Crawford to fill the scoring void left by Harvey and, looking for ways to bolster the frontcourt, signed import Jaron Brown, who wasn’t a great fit and was replaced by Rosell Ellis before the season started. Matthew Shanahan (via Wollongong), Braith Cox (via state league) and Adrian Majstrovich (via NZNBL) were all later added to round out the team’s second unit.

Tony Ronaldson, Matthew Burston, Liam Rush, Ricky Grace (captain) and Rashad Tucker, who had broken every triple-double record the season prior, all returned from the previous season but lost their leading scorer James Harvey to a lucrative contract overseas (Israel). Perth brought in Townsville product Peter Crawford to fill the scoring void left by Harvey and, looking for ways to bolster the frontcourt, signed import Jaron Brown, who wasn’t a great fit and was replaced by Rosell Ellis before the season started. Matthew Shanahan (via Wollongong), Braith Cox (via state league) and Adrian Majstrovich (via NZNBL) were all later added to round out the team’s second unit.

The Wildcats’ season started out hot, defeating Harvey and the Razorbacks in their opening game (120–97), adding a home win against Cairns in round two (110–93) and then two easy wins over both Hunter (85-72) and Townsville (108–101) to start the season 4-0.

Tucker (17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals) was player of the week in round one, and was putting up impressive numbers once again but concerns around his attitude resulted in Perth sacking him by round nine.

‘After a promising start to the season, Rashad’s form and attitude has become a growing concern .. He has lost the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff and we believe he is a liability in our attempt to achieve our team goals’ said Scott Fisher at the time..

the Wildcat’s then made the move to bring in a bigger import (Ontario Lett) after local centre Matt Burston, who had been averaging 14.8 points and 6 rebounds) suffered a season ending injury after eight games. While Tucker signed a deal with the Melbourne Tigers shortly after, knocking back offers from Brisbane and Townsville.

The Wildcats then replaced Tucker with Ontario Lett as a means to fill the gap left by a season ending injury to centre Burston (14.8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), who managed to play in only 8 games. Tucker would land on his feet, knocking back offers from Brisbane and Townsville to sign a deal to play with Melbourne shortly after.

Shortly after, media reports suggested that Tucker’s attitude and behaviour were overblown and a result of Fisher wanting to replace one of the team’s imports with Lett and after Rosell Ellis, who was originally destined for the chop, exploded with a 38 point and 15 rebound effort against Townsville, the axe was swung on Tucker. In either situation, the move failed to improve the team’s win/loss record. With the team struggling to win on the road again, they finished in seventh place (17-15) record for the second consecutive season.

Rosell Ellis (17.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game) collected the Wildcat’s MVP award after he finished as the Wildcat’s leading scorer and rebounder, as well as being the league’s most effective scorer, shooting 61% from the floor. Peter Crawford (15.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists) impressed during his first year in Perth and collected the NBL Most Improved Player award at the season’s end.

SOUTH DRAGONS
2006/07
In 2006/07, Burston averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds and helped guide the Dragons to a seventh-place finish during the regular season with a 15-18 record.

2007/08
In 2007/08, Burston averaged 11.9 points and 7 rebounds and helped guide the Dragons to a third place finish in the regular season with a 5-25 record.

2008/09
The Dragons retained five players heading into their third season. Ingles, the blue-collar Matt Burston, wing Nathan Herbert, the naturalised Nick Horvath, and import Cortez Groves. The demise of the Sydney Kings saw legendary coach Brian Goorjian open to offers, and the Dragons quickly offered to bring him to Melbourne and replace Shane Heal. Talented point guard Adam Gibson also joined the roster after his team (Brisbane) also exited the league. Other new additions saw Tremmell Darden signed on as the team’s second import, Mika Vukona (via New Zealand) was brought in to add a new found physicality to the squad and Rhys Carter (via West Sydney), who due to having no NBL team’s interested in signing him, asked Goorjian if he could train with the team to keep in shape and his efforts were enough for Goorjian to offer him the backup point guard spot.

The season began with a slow start, a loss to Cairns and then Townsville saw the Dragons start the year with a 2-2 record. Then came a eight game winning streak before Cortez Groves suffered a injury that led to his release.

The South Dragons played through the loss of Groves and were 16-4 at the time Donta Smith was axed from his Chinese team Shanxi Zhongyu to make room for NBA star Bonzi Wells. Goorjian was aware of Smith from his time playing for the Atlanta Hawks, and having dropped 41 and 35 point games in his last few weeks playing in China, his signing was a no-brainer. Despite the NBA resume and hot form from China, Smith started his NBL campaign relatively slowly. Seven games in, Smith still was still coming off the bench and was yet to score over 14 in a game. His talent was never questioned, however, with his ability to fill the stat sheet in other areas ensuring the Dragons finished the season on top of the ladder with a 22-8 record.

Mark Worthington led the team in both points and rebounds (16.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals), while Smith (15 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals) led the team in assists and was the second highest scorer. Burston added 8.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists for the season. Adam Gibson and Joe Ingles would earn the NBL’s Best Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year awards before heading into the playoffs, where the Dragons received a first-round bye (due to finishing top of the ladder) and meeting Townsville in the semifinals. The Dragons defeated Townsville at home in both game one (94-81) and game three (101-78), while on the other side of the bracket, the Melbourne Tigers defeated the NZ Breakers in two straight games, setting up a ‘All Melbourne’ Grand Final.

In game one, the South Dragons downed the Melbourne Tigers 93-81, with the Dragons holding the reigning champions to 36 points in the second half. Mark Worthington top scored for the Dragons with 23 points, while Anstey led the Tigers with 21 points and 9 rebounds.

After leading by 14 points midway through the final quarter of game two, the Tigers fought off a late comeback by the Dragons to win on the Tigers home court (88-83). David Barlow (26 points) and Anstey (21 points and 9 rebounds) finished as the Tigers’ best, and import Donta Smith (18 points and 6 rebounds) top scoring for the Dragons.

In game three, the series became front-page news after a clash between Anstey and Dragons backup point guard Rhys Carter. a incident that saw the Tigers star big man charged with ‘striking – with elbow’ after the altercation with Carter in the third quarter of the grand final series before being ejected from the match (along with Dragons forward Mika Vukona, who was involved in the subsequent on-court melee). The game was a bloodbath after Anstey’s ejection, with the Dragons hammering the defending champions 84-67 at Hisense Arena. The Dragons were led by Donta Smith (18 points), who scored 10 points in the final period.

After the NBL tribunal decided they wouldn’t suspend any players for the melee, game four saw Carter (17 points), who copped the brunt of Anstey’s anger in Game 3, came back with a big game but Anstey (31 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists) also erupted for his team in game four, propelling Melbourne to victory (108-95) and setting up a fifth and final game to decide the NBL championship.

Game five saw 9,000 fans packed Hisense Arena to witness the Dragons beat the Tigers by 21 points (102-81) and become NBL champions. Tremmell Darden (31 points) was the key for the Dragons in this game, scoring 21 points in the final quarter, and Donta Smith (21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists) did the rest, almost notching up a triple-double. Worthington and Mika Vukona were able to limit the impact of limit Anstey (12 points and 3 rebounds) yet again, with Ebi Ere and David Barlow (16 points each) the only Tigers’ players able to make a impact.

Donta Smith was named MVP of the Finals after averaging 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists over the five-game series.

Although initial reports had the Dragons regrouping for a run at back to back titles, in a surprise move, the club announced it would withdraw from the NBL less than two months after hoisting the trophy. Although in a positive financial position, Dragons ownership felt that due to the league’s instability and focus on stablising itself conflicted with their goals of continuing to grow.

“The Dragons’ board of directors believe that more time is required to develop the league as a commercially viable entity,” said co-owner Mark Cowan at the time. “The Dragons aspire to play at the highest level, to the highest standards, in a fully professional league. This is a sad day for our club, but in many ways, its the only way forward for a sport which needs some time to reinvent itself.”

Cowan further addressed the club’s decision in a letter to Dragons members, outlining the testing time that it was for everyone involved across the league.

“The NBL is a mess,” stated Cowan. “In the last two years, team’s in Brisbane and Sydney have collapsed. Singapore pulled out of the league. Cairns and the Sydney Spirit had major financial crises. Fox Sports severely cut its telecasts, and mainstream media interest has waned. Crowds fall every year. Basketball Australia and the NBL owners decided something had to be done, so we handed in our licences on the condition that a reform process would be undertaken.”

ADELAIDE 36ERS
2009/10
The 2009/10 season started with Adelaide failing to re-sign Luke Schenscher (to Perth) and Aaron Bruce (to USA), but luckily, Adelaide was able to replace them with Matthew Burston, Nathan Herbert and Cortez Groves as a result of the South Dragons demise which left all three players without a team to play for. John Gilchrist was signed as a replacement for outgoing import Julius Hodge with the team heading into a new era following the retirement of long-serving club captain Brett Maher (525 games), who captained the club to 3 NBL championships (1998, 1999, 2002).

Adam Ballinger (17.6 points, 5.3 rebounds), in his third season with the club, became a Australian citizen (Jul 2009) and shortly after was appointed club captain of the Adelaide 36ers. He would lead the team in scoring alongside Gilchrist (16.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists), who, after his explosive debut with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, suffered a serious knee injury against Melbourne that forced him to miss the last three games of the season.

Burston would appear in 22 games, contribute 9.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game and lead the team in rebounding.

Groves struggled to give the 36ers much at all after injury, which seemed to have impacted his abilities quite significantly, resulting in him scoring his fewest points in a season across his NBL career (9.8 points) and his time with Adelaide being his last in the NBL. As a coach, Scott Ninnis seemed out of his depth, and the year concluded with the 36ers finishing on the bottom of the NBL ladder for the first time in their history with a 10–18 record. Following the club’s worst ever season, Ninnis was sacked as coach and replaced by former AIS coach Marty Clarke for the 2010/11 NBL season.

MELBOURNE TIGERS
2010/11
The 2010/11 season saw the Tigers finish with their worst record since 1987. This would be the first time the Tigers took the court without Andrew Gaze or Chris Anstey on the roster during what was clearly a rebuilding phase for the team.

With Anstey and Sam MacKinnon having retired the season prior Westover recruited import guards Eric Devendorf and TJ Campbell for scoring punch as well as (unusually) three centers in Luke Nevill, Cam Tragardh and Matt Burston.

The Tigers started the season with a home loss to Sydney (68–84) and remained winless until over a month later when they claimed their first victory over the Gold Coast Blaze (85-82). Melbourne’s slow start (0-4) saw the diminutive TJ Campbell (11.8 points and 2.8 assists) released as the Tigers looked to replace him with either Donta Smith or Corey Williams who coach Westover had been actively trying to sign during pre-season, before he chose to play in Greece. Ultimately they went with the reigning NBL MVP Williams.

The Tigers struggles spilled over into the media when owner Seamus McPeake stormed into the locker-room and threaten to not pay his players due to their poor performance. Melbourne responded by winning only 6 of their next 14 games, resulting Devendorf (14.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists) being axed in a cost-cutting move, and the same thing happening to coach Al Westover shortly after. Assistant coach Darryl McDonald was appointed interim coach of the Tigers for the remainder of the season.

Amidst the turmoil, starting centre Luke Nevill (12.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks) also asked for his release in order to finish the season with BC Triumph Lyubertsy (Russia).

The Tigers slow start resulted in them sitting on the bottom of the ladder for the first seven weeks of the season before they strung together a small run of wins against lower ranked team’s like Sydney, Adelaide and Gold Coast (again). With Corey Williams (17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 per game) leading the team in scoring, the Tigers finished in seventh place (10-18). Their 18 losses set a record for the most a Tigers team had suffered in a season since 1987.

Corey Williams (17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 per game) finished as the team’s leading scorer and Burston averaged 8.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

2011/12
With Trevor Gleeson replacing Alan Westover as coach, the Tigers off-season began with a re-tooling of the roster, which featured a glut of big men. With Corey Williams, Eric Devendorf, Luke Nevill and Wade Helliwell all exiting, coach Trevor Gleeson recruited the entire Cairns Taipans backcourt of Ayinde Ubaka, Ron Dorsey and Daniel Dillon to complement high-scoring forward Cam Tragardh. With Daryl Corletto, Liam Rush, Lucas Walker and Tommy Greer (who was named team captain) the Tigers looked to have turned their lop sided roster around and were primed for a successful season.

It was then the NBA, and its lock-out that saw the Tigers decide to reshuffle the deck.

With NBA free-agent and Australian Boomers player Patrick Mills without a contract, he headed home and negotiated a deal to play with Melbourne while he awaited the NBA’s decision to re-start the season. Mills, who became the first ‘active’ NBA player to compete in the NBL, forced the team to release long-time guard Daryl Corletto (who later signed with New Zealand) to make room for the NBA star.

The Tigers started the season with six wins, and three losses before Mills (averaging 18.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5 assists) up and left to play in China on a much larger contract.

The remainder of the season could be described as tumultuous at best. The peak of this was highlighted by majority owner Seamus McPeake storming into the Tigers’ locker room and unleashing a tirade on the players before firing Ubaka on the spot following Melbourne’s loss to Gold Coast (73-60) at the State Netball and Hockey Centre. Ubaka’s sacking occurred without coach Trevor Gleeson being aware, as both he and captain Tommy Greer were participating in a post-game press conference. Ubaka’s sacking would contravene one of the key agreements of Gleeson’s hiring that he have the final say on all player movements.

Ubaka (12.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists) was immediately snapped up by Wollongong, where he saw out the rest of the season. Shortly after Melbourne signed Myron Allen (9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists) as his replacement.

After the loss to the Blaze and Ubaka’s axing, the Tigers would reel off three straight losses and then finish their campaign by losing seven of their next nine games. The Tigers would miss the playoffs, finishing the regular season with a 11-17 record. Cam Tragardh (16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists) finished the year as Melbourne’s leading scorer, won the Tigers club MVP award and earned a spot on the All-NBL second team.

After the loss to the Blaze and Ubaka’s axing, the Tigers would reel off three straight losses and then finish their campaign by losing seven of their next nine games. The Tigers would miss the playoffs, finishing the regular season with a 11-17 record. Burston would average 5.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.3 assists alongside Cam Tragardh (16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists) who was selected for the All-NBL second team after leading the Tigers in scoring and winning the club’s MVP award.

2012/13
After failing to reach the playoffs, Melbourne replaced head coach Trevor Gleeson with former Tigers star Chris Anstey, who had only retired from playing a mere 18 months earlier. Anstey brought with him another Tigers Legend, Darryl McDonald, who was announced as his assistant.

Anstey’s first signing came in the form of Seth Scott, a 6’10 forward and shortly after signed Nate Tomlinson (Via University of Colorado) and Adam Ballinger (via Adelaide) to replace the outgoing Cam Tragardh and Daniel Dillon who asked to part ways with the Tigers at seasons end.

In the weeks prior to the NBL season, Melbourne was able to sign up-and-coming talent Chris Goulding who unexpectedly became available after demise of the Gold Coast Blaze. Goulding was a highly sought after free agent in 2012, pursued by multiple team’s before deciding to sign with the Tigers. Goulding’s signature resulted in the Tigers having little need for shooting guard Ron Dorsey, who was then released despite having another year on his contract. At the time of signing Goulding Tigers head coach Chris Anstey referred to the young tyro as ‘in our opinion, the absolute best Australian player that didn’t have a contract’.

Anstey and the Tigers then finalised their playing roster by signing Kevin Braswell, who led New Zealand to their first championship on the basis he would be obtaining New Zealand citizenship.

The Tigers retained the previous year’s group of Bennie Lewis, Matt Burston, Liam Rush, Lucas Walker and team captain Tommy Greer and looked to rebound from three straight years of missing the playoffs.

As soon as the season began, it became clear Braswell (10.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.4 steals) was battling persistent knee problems, which saw him released after five games. Having struggled through the start of the season (1-4) Melbourne signed former sixth overall pick in the NBA draft, Jonny Flynn, who had been waived by the Pistons the month prior. Upon his signing, head coach Anstey called Flynn ‘possibly the highest credentialed player in the prime of his career to ever play in the NBL.’

Flynn instantly turned things around for the struggling Tigers, leading the team to a 96-66 route of the Adelaide 36ers and a 23-point turnaround from the loss they suffered to the Sixers in the season opener.

Flynn (17.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists) formed a potent scoring duo with Goulding (15.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists), and Melbourne clawed themselves back from the bottom of the ladder to finish equal with Sydney (12 wins, 16 losses) but missed out on the top four due to the Kings having a two-point lead against the Tigers in head to head matchups.

Seth Scott (11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists) impressed enough to be named to the All-NBL First Team, and Flynn was a part of the All-NBL Second Team.

Burston averaged 4.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists for the season.

2013/14
During the 2013/14 season Burston averaged 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists and helped the Taipans finish with a record of 12-16 and end the regular season in fifth place.

2014/15
In 2015, Cairns become the first regional team to finish the season in first place (21-7) since Geelong achieved the feat in 1984. Cairns also achieved a NBL first when Aaron Fearne utilised the same starting five of Scottie Wilbekin, Cameron Gliddon, Stephen Weigh, captain Alex Loughton and Matt Burston for all 28 games.

The roster did see some change during the season however, with training player Nathan Sobey (1.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.1 assists) being elevated into the squad mid-season after injuries to Corey Maynard (1.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) and Shaun Bruce (3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists).

in the semifinals, they faced off against 4th seeded Perth and behind the all-around brilliance of Wilbekin (28 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists), who was unstoppable in their game one win (71-64). Wilbekin (16 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists)then led Cairns to victory in game two (80-68), progressing to the Grand Final series.

Cairns would face the New Zealand Breakers and, despite having home-court advantage, lost the opening game 86–71. A buzzer-beating fade away from Breakers forward Ekene Ibekwe resulted in a game two loss (83–81) and the Taipans missing out on winning their first NBL championship.

Wilbekin (15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists) would lead the team in scoring and assists, as well as take home the club’s MVP award as Burston finished the season with 7.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1 assists per game.

2015/16
In 2015/16 Burston averaged 5.5 points and 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, and helped guide the Taipans to a sixth-place finish (12-16) during the regular season.

Matthew Burston played sixteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Perth Wildcats, South Dragons, Melbourne Tigers, Adelaide 36ers and Cairns Taipans. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 379 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 44th in total rebounds
– 37th in total blocks

Dan Boyce (811 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.