BIO: Mike Dunigan was born in Chicago, Illinois (USA) and attended Farragut Academy in Chicago, Illinois. As a junior, he averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks per game. As a senior, he averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks per game. The 2008 McDonald’s All-American was rated as one of the top prep centers: No.3 by ESPN.com, No.5 by Scout.com and No.8 by Rivals.com.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mike Dunigan made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 23 years of age. He scored 19 points in his first game.

Before the season began, the state-of-the-art Perth Arena was completed, with the 13,500 seat stadium becoming the new home of the Wildcat’s in 2012.

After undergoing off-season shoulder surgery, Matthew Knight entered the season with the expectation that he was going to be the team’s go-to guy in the paint. Knight embraced the responsibility and excelled in the Wildcats’ season-opening win over the New Zealand Breakers, earning the NBL’s Player of the Week award for a 20-point, nine-rebound effort.

Against the Townsville Crocodiles on October 14, Kevin Lisch played in his 100th consecutive NBL game, which, not coincidentally, was Rob Beveridge’s 100th game for the Wildcats as coach. Shortly after, import Michael Dunigan was brought in as a short-term replacement for Knight while he missed four games to injury and became a fan-favourite with his thunderous dunks and athletic blocks.

The team then faced another hurdle when co-captain Brad Robbins abruptly retired just eight games into the season, citing he had lost his motivation and passion for the game. Not long after, Cameron Tovey also announced he would retire after the 2012/13 season.

Despite the turmoil, Dunigan averaged 13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1 assists, helping the Wildcat’s finish second on the ladder with a 19–9 record. Lisch and Knight were named to the All-NBL first team, and the Wildcats finished second on the ladder with a 22–6 record. Perth swept the Wollongong Hawks in the semifinals to move on to the 2013 NBL Grand Final series, a re-match from last season against the New Zealand Breakers, which would be their third time facing the Breakers in a playoff series in as many years.

Another injury hurdle struck the Wildcat’s when Damian Martin, who joined Redhage as co-captain upon Robbins’ retirement, won his third consecutive Best Defensive Player award before being ruled out of the grand final with a Achilles injury. To cover his loss, Brad Robbins was subsequently rushed back into the team to take Martin’s place, but with the team missing Martin, the Breakers defeated Perth in two straight games, winning their third consecutive championship in 2013.

Mike Dunigan played one season in the NBL. He averaged 13.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1 assists in 4 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.