Below is an up-to-date roster for each NBL team and a list of rumours and potential signings derived from discussions with NBL staff and media.
Players listed as contracted come from information supplied by the National Basketball League.
* = Denotes import player
** = Naturalised Australian
DP = a member of the team’s development roster
SRP = the previously named Asian player exception denoting an Asian player who qualifies as a local in the NBL.
MP = Marquee players listed as known
Click here for Aussie basketballers playing overseas
| ADELAIDE 36ERS 2023/24 BRISBANE BULLETS 2023/24 CAIRNS TAIPANS 2023/24 MELBOURNE UNITED 2023/24 SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 2023/24 PERTH WILDCATS 2023/24 SYDNEY KINGS 2023/24 NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 2003/04 ILLAWARRA HAWKS 2011/12 WOLLONGONG HAWKS 1998-2015 2024/25 | Career Statistics Career Statistics Career Statistics Career Statistics | Per Game Percentile | Career Highs | Advanced Metrics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| s | Column22 | SURNAME | GIVEN | DEBUT | RETIRED | SEASONS | POS | HT(CM) | WT(KG) | GMS | MINUTES | TOTAL PTS | TOTAL REBS | TOTAL AST | TOTAL O/REBS | TOTAL D/REBS | TOTAL STL | TOTAL BLK | TOTAL TO | TOTAL FOULS | FG MADE | FG ATT. | FG% | FG% (100 shots) | 3PT MADE | 3PT ATT. | 3PT% | 3PT% (100 shots) | FT MADE | FT ATT. | FT% | FT% (100 shots) | 2PT MADE | 2PT ATT. | 2PT FG% | 2PT Fg% (100 shots) | PTS PER GAME | REBS PER GAME | AST PER GAME | O/REB PER GAME | D/REB PER GAME | STL PER GAME | BLK PER GAME | TO PER GAME | FLS PER GAME | MIN PER GAME | PTS | REB | AST | O/REB | D/REB | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | REB | AST | O/REB | D/REB | STL | BLK | TO | Tendex Rating (Gms) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1339 | Morrissey, Tim | AUS | Morrissey | Tim | 1981 | 1994 | 13 | FRD | 195 | 90 | 322 | 5765 | 3143 | 1202 | 397 | 537 | 665 | 230 | 79 | 655 | 873 | 1283 | 2618 | 49.0% | 49.0% | 6 | 37 | 16.2% | 0.0% | 571 | 944 | 60.5% | 60.5% | 1277 | 2581 | 49.5% | 49.5% | 9.8 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 17.9 | 67% | 67% | 64% | 76% | 62% | 69% | 67% | 77% | 35 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 8 | -9 | -0.5 | 57.6 | 31954.2 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Illawarra 1981, 83-84 | Canberra 1985-87 | Sydney 1988-94 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1990 | Australia | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 4 | 100% | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 | #N/A | 2 | 1982, 1983, 1984 | Wollongong (NSW) | NSW - Illawarra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1982-84 | 5/01/64 | 21/02/81 | 2/10/94 | 17 | 30 | 0 | BIO: Tim Morrissey was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. Morrissey received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1982. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1982, 1983, 1984). FAMILY: Tim's brother, Ben Morrissey also played 51 games in the NBL. NBL EXPERIENCETim Morrissey made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. The biggest off-season move by the Hawks in 1981 was the decision to move into their new home venue, Beaton Park Stadium, commonly known as 'The Snakepit.'
The Hawks' season began on a challenging note, with the departure of team captain Gordie McLeod to the Sydney Supersonics and import Alonzo Weatherly returning to the USA. McLeod’s exit marked the loss of a long-serving and pivotal figure whose leadership had been a cornerstone for the team. To fill the gap, the Hawks brought in import Jerry Steurer (23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals) to pair with veteran forward Jim Slacke (11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists). They also had the services of Michael Jones (32.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists), the former NBL MVP, who returned to the club after a season's absence and went on to lead both the team and the league in scoring.
The Illawarra Hawks opened their season with a loss to the Newcastle Falcons (95-113), marking the beginning of an eight-game losing streak. They finally broke the streak with a narrow victory against Devonport (102-100) in Round 8, which stood as their only road win of the season. Local talent such as Tim Morrissey (7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game), Simon Cottrell (7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds), and Brett Flanigan (3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) stepped up their production, but despite these efforts, the Hawks struggled to find cohesion and consistency.
Even with Jones' league-leading scoring performance, the Hawks could not overcome the challenges on and off the court. The absence of McLeod’s leadership and playmaking left a void that the team could not fill, resulting in the worst finish in club history. The Hawks managed only four wins from 22 games, concluding the season with a disappointing 4-18 record. | Morrissey's first major tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.0 | 8.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 49% | 52% | 0% | 36% | 1.2 | 82.2 | -0.09 | 8.8% | 9.72 | 16.03 | 1.0 | 309 | 4742 | 15 | 0.350 | 0.139 | 0.050 | 0.028 | 0.009 | 0.074 | 0.101 | 0.350 | 0.027 | Sydney Kings | Illawarra Hawks | Tim Morrissey was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. | The biggest off-season move by the Hawks in 1981 was the decision to move into their new home venue, Beaton Park Stadium, commonly known as 'The Snakepit.'
The Hawks' season began on a challenging note, with the departure of team captain Gordie McLeod to the Sydney Supersonics and import Alonzo Weatherly returning to the USA. McLeod’s exit marked the loss of a long-serving and pivotal figure whose leadership had been a cornerstone for the team. To fill the gap, the Hawks brought in import Jerry Steurer (23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals) to pair with veteran forward Jim Slacke (11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists). They also had the services of Michael Jones (32.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists), the former NBL MVP, who returned to the club after a season's absence and went on to lead both the team and the league in scoring.
The Illawarra Hawks opened their season with a loss to the Newcastle Falcons (95-113), marking the beginning of an eight-game losing streak. They finally broke the streak with a narrow victory against Devonport (102-100) in Round 8, which stood as their only road win of the season. Local talent such as Tim Morrissey (7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game), Simon Cottrell (7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds), and Brett Flanigan (3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) stepped up their production, but despite these efforts, the Hawks struggled to find cohesion and consistency.
Even with Jones' league-leading scoring performance, the Hawks could not overcome the challenges on and off the court. The absence of McLeod’s leadership and playmaking left a void that the team could not fill, resulting in the worst finish in club history. The Hawks managed only four wins from 22 games, concluding the season with a disappointing 4-18 record. | We teamed together for NSW U20's undefeated in 1982 National Champs. | Tim Morrissey made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Tim Morrissey played thirteen seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, Canberra Cannons and Sydney Kings. He averaged 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 322 NBL games. | Morrissey received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1982. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1982, 1983, 1984). | Morrissey's first major tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall. | FAMILY: Tim's brother, Ben Morrissey also played 51 games in the NBL. | 0 | We teamed together for NSW U20's undefeated in 1982 National Champs. Tim Morrissey played thirteen seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, Canberra Cannons and Sydney Kings. He averaged 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 322 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1467 | Carfino, Steve | USA | Carfino | Steve | 1986 | 1990 | 5 | GRD | 188 | 90 | 132 | 4565 | 3089 | 501 | 750 | 105 | 396 | 378 | 37 | 408 | 326 | 1200 | 2610 | 46.0% | 46.0% | 275 | 706 | 39.0% | 39.0% | 414 | 528 | 78.4% | 78.4% | 925 | 1904 | 48.6% | 48.6% | 23.4 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 34.6 | 97% | 68% | 98% | 55% | 74% | 100% | 70% | 93% | 52 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 8 | -14 | -0.4 | 17.3 | 28229.7 | 18.3 | 18.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1986-87 | Sydney 1988-90 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Los Angeles, California (USA) | None | Iowa (1980–1984) | 1984 | 139 | BOS | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28/8/1962 | 25/04/86 | 30/09/90 | 23 | 28 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Mr Magic BIO: Steve Carfino was born in Los Angeles, California (USA) and attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California where he was a High School All-American selection. FAMILY: He is the younger brother of former University of Southern California player Don Carfino. NBL EXPERIENCESteve Carfino made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 23 years of age. He scored 27 points in his first game. Carfino found his way by being recruited by David Atkins, a american coach responsible for bringing many NBL stars to the country in the 1980's and 1990s including Cal Bruton, James Crawford, Ricky Grace, Chuck Harmison, Leroy Loggins, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham and many more.
In both the 1988 and 1989 seasons with the Kings, he was named in the All-NBL second team, and continued to rank among the League leaders in steals and assists. His highest score in the NBL was 52, which he achieved twice, he also notched up 40+ points on five other occasions. Steve Carfino was inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame as a player in 2004. On October 10, 2013, Carfino was named in the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team.
| Steve Carfino was drafted by the Boston Celtics with pick #139 in the 1984 NBA Draft. | 27 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 9.1 | 19.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 5.3 | 51% | 54% | 23% | 20% | 1.2 | 79.3 | 5.45 | 14.5% | 18.75 | 10.20 | 3.1 | 415 | 4340 | 33 | 0.498 | 0.086 | 0.126 | 0.064 | 0.006 | 0.071 | 0.059 | 0.498 | 0.036 | Sydney Kings | Hobart Devils | Steve Carfino was born in Los Angeles, California (USA) and attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California where he was a High School All-American selection. | Carfino found his way by being recruited by David Atkins, a american coach responsible for bringing many NBL stars to the country in the 1980's and 1990s including Cal Bruton, James Crawford, Ricky Grace, Chuck Harmison, Leroy Loggins, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham and many more.
In both the 1988 and 1989 seasons with the Kings, he was named in the All-NBL second team, and continued to rank among the League leaders in steals and assists. His highest score in the NBL was 52, which he achieved twice, he also notched up 40+ points on five other occasions. Steve Carfino was inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame as a player in 2004. On October 10, 2013, Carfino was named in the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team.
| Steve Carfino made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 23 years of age. He scored 27 points in his first game. | Steve Carfino played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Hobart Devils and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 23.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 132 NBL games. | COLLEGECarfino attended the University of Iowa, as a guard, recruited by Lute Olson and finishing his last season under George Raveling. The Hawkeyes played in 3 NCAA Tournaments in Carfino's four seasons. In his final year at Iowa, he was named in the All Big Ten, and was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Hawkeyes for that season. As a Senior, Carfino averaged 11.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. For his career he scored 1007 points on .489 shooting from the floor and .716 from the free throw line. | Carfino attended the University of Iowa, as a guard, recruited by Lute Olson and finishing his last season under George Raveling. The Hawkeyes played in 3 NCAA Tournaments in Carfino's four seasons. In his final year at Iowa, he was named in the All Big Ten, and was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Hawkeyes for that season. As a Senior, Carfino averaged 11.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. For his career he scored 1007 points on .489 shooting from the floor and .716 from the free throw line. | - 36th in assists per game. - 6th in steals per game. | Steve Carfino was drafted by the Boston Celtics with pick #139 in the 1984 NBA Draft. | FAMILY: He is the younger brother of former University of Southern California player Don Carfino. | He is the younger brother of former University of Southern California player Don Carfino. | Early in August 2014, Steve signed a deal with high school team St Patrick's College Strathfield as the head coach of the 1st V basketball team. He now is the head of Basketball at Barker College. | Mr Magic | 0 | Steve Carfino played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Hobart Devils and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 23.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 132 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGECarfino attended the University of Iowa, as a guard, recruited by Lute Olson and finishing his last season under George Raveling. The Hawkeyes played in 3 NCAA Tournaments in Carfino's four seasons. In his final year at Iowa, he was named in the All Big Ten, and was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Hawkeyes for that season. As a Senior, Carfino averaged 11.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. For his career he scored 1007 points on .489 shooting from the floor and .716 from the free throw line. AWARDS- 2x All-NBL First Team COACHING HISTORYEarly in August 2014, Steve signed a deal with high school team St Patrick's College Strathfield as the head coach of the 1st V basketball team. He now is the head of Basketball at Barker College. |
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| 1493 | Ridlen, Marc | USA | Ridlen | Marc | 1987 | 1990 | 4 | PF | 206 | 105 | 109 | 4203 | 2678 | 1376 | 195 | 424 | 952 | 133 | 105 | 417 | 367 | 1109 | 2144 | 51.7% | 51.7% | 21 | 73 | 28.8% | 0.0% | 439 | 642 | 68.4% | 68.4% | 1088 | 2071 | 52.5% | 52.5% | 24.6 | 12.6 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 8.7 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 38.6 | 98% | 100% | 74% | 97% | 100% | 88% | 93% | 97% | 41 | 30 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -15 | -0.4 | 187.7 | 17448.3 | 18.8 | 18.8 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1987-90 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Springfield, Missouri (USA) | None | Drury College | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sydney City 1991-92 | 25/04/87 | 30/09/90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | BIO: Marc Ridlen came to Drury from Springfield (Mo.) Glendale High School and was considered to be a true "diamond in the rough." He was a shining part of the Drury program for the next four years and went on to a most successful professional career in Australia. NBL EXPERIENCEMarc Ridlen made his NBL debut with the Sydney Supersonics on 25/4/1987. He scored 11 points in his first game. In 1986, the Adelaide 36ers, led by coach Ken Cole, produced the most successful season in NBL history (24–2), winning the championship amidst significant controversy. During the campaign, Cole publicly admitted to smoking marijuana and was suspended by Adelaide’s management just prior to the Grand Final. After immense backlash from players and fans, including threats of boycott from the team, Cole was reinstated and led the 36ers to the title. But despite guiding Adelaide to a championship, the club’s board—citing sponsor concerns and public image—terminated his contract immediately after the season.
Still, the offensive firepower of Ridlen and Polk kept Sydney competitive. Ridlen finished the year averaging 30.5 points, 16.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, earning All-NBL Second Team honours despite Sydney missing the playoffs. Polk was a perfect complement, averaging 20.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks, while leading the league in offensive rebounding and ranking second in total blocks (78).
The Supersonics ended their final NBL game with a statement, defeating the Westside Saints 118–98 on September 18. In his final act as a Supersonic, Ridlen tallied 40 points and 26 rebounds, while Polk added 18 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Forrester (17 points), Matthews (17 points), and Hope (16 points), rounded out a dominant team performance. Coach Cole declared the group had “finally put it all together for 48 minutes.”
Owner Mike Wrublewski doubled down on his vision of a big-market powerhouse, replacing inaugural coach Claude Williams with championship winning coach Bob Turner (via Canberra) and appointing Olympians Brad Dalton and Damian Keogh as co-captains to spearhead a tougher, more professional outfit. Sydney kept its primary core intact from the previous season, The high-scoring import duo of Steve “Mr. Magic” Carfino and Marc Ridlen returned, as did local talent Mark Dalton, Ian Davies, Tim Morrissey, and Andrew Svaldenis. In alignment with adding experiance and grit, Ian Robilliard, a hard-nosed wing who returned to the NBL after a brief hiatus. Robilliard joined as a defensive spark and veteran presence.
Damian Keogh (17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals) delivered his best season to date and Tim Morrissey (13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds) blossomed into one of the league’s premier defensive stoppers.
Facing top-seeded Canberra, the Kings dropped a tough Game 1 at Homebush (98–108). Tim Morrissey led the way with a double-double (20 points, 14 rebounds), but it wasn’t enough to counter a stacked Cannons lineup. Emery Atkinson was everywhere (22 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists), while Herb McEachin (21 points) and Tad Dufelmeier (20 points) piled on the pressure. Sydney hung around for most of the night, but poor shooting (2-of-14 3PT) and 15 turnovers proved costly in the end. With their season on the line, Game two saw Sydney respond with a gritty win in Canberra (100–92), powered by Marc Ridlen (29 points, 19 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Steve Carfino (30 points, 5 assists, 4 steals). Tempers flared when Cannons coach Steve Breheny infamously head-butted Damian Keogh (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) on the sideline, summing up Canberra’s frustration. Tim Morrissey added tough points (16 points) while Brad Dalton battled for boards (12 points, 8 rebounds).
Emery Atkinson (30 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) was again a standout for Canberra, but not even his effort could stop the Kings from forcing a deciding Game 3 back in Sydney. After forcing a Game 3 on the road, the Kings finally ran out of miracles in a record-smashing 82–142 loss at the AIS Arena. The Cannons were ruthless, shooting at a blistering clip (57% FG), dominating the glass (52 rebounds), and handing out 26 assists. Simon Cottrell (34 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), Herb McEachin (25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), and Willie Simmons (20 points, 8 rebounds, 8 blocks) led the onslaught. Phil Smyth (16 points, 10 assists, 7 steals) ran the show, while Emery Atkinson (20 points, 15 rebounds) returned to his dominant best.
For Sydney, Tim Morrissey (26 points, 6 rebounds) was the lone bright spot, with Brad Dalton (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Ian Robilliard (11 points) offering brief resistance. The 60-point margin remains the largest loss in Kings franchise history, a humbling end to a rollercoaster playoff run that transformed them from a punchline into a serious contender. Ridlen would be named the Kings' club MVP at the end of the season. | 11 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 10.2 | 19.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 52% | 55% | 2% | 30% | 1.2 | 81.1 | -0.82 | 6.2% | 6.42 | 13.72 | 2.2 | 238 | 4249 | 39 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Supersonics | Marc Ridlen came to Drury from Springfield (Mo.) Glendale High School and was considered to be a true "diamond in the rough." He was a shining part of the Drury program for the next four years and went on to a most successful professional career in Australia. | In 1986, the Adelaide 36ers, led by coach Ken Cole, produced the most successful season in NBL history (24–2), winning the championship amidst significant controversy. During the campaign, Cole publicly admitted to smoking marijuana and was suspended by Adelaide’s management just prior to the Grand Final. After immense backlash from players and fans, including threats of boycott from the team, Cole was reinstated and led the 36ers to the title. But despite guiding Adelaide to a championship, the club’s board—citing sponsor concerns and public image—terminated his contract immediately after the season.
Still, the offensive firepower of Ridlen and Polk kept Sydney competitive. Ridlen finished the year averaging 30.5 points, 16.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, earning All-NBL Second Team honours despite Sydney missing the playoffs. Polk was a perfect complement, averaging 20.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks, while leading the league in offensive rebounding and ranking second in total blocks (78).
The Supersonics ended their final NBL game with a statement, defeating the Westside Saints 118–98 on September 18. In his final act as a Supersonic, Ridlen tallied 40 points and 26 rebounds, while Polk added 18 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Forrester (17 points), Matthews (17 points), and Hope (16 points), rounded out a dominant team performance. Coach Cole declared the group had “finally put it all together for 48 minutes.”
Owner Mike Wrublewski doubled down on his vision of a big-market powerhouse, replacing inaugural coach Claude Williams with championship winning coach Bob Turner (via Canberra) and appointing Olympians Brad Dalton and Damian Keogh as co-captains to spearhead a tougher, more professional outfit. Sydney kept its primary core intact from the previous season, The high-scoring import duo of Steve “Mr. Magic” Carfino and Marc Ridlen returned, as did local talent Mark Dalton, Ian Davies, Tim Morrissey, and Andrew Svaldenis. In alignment with adding experiance and grit, Ian Robilliard, a hard-nosed wing who returned to the NBL after a brief hiatus. Robilliard joined as a defensive spark and veteran presence.
Damian Keogh (17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals) delivered his best season to date and Tim Morrissey (13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds) blossomed into one of the league’s premier defensive stoppers.
Facing top-seeded Canberra, the Kings dropped a tough Game 1 at Homebush (98–108). Tim Morrissey led the way with a double-double (20 points, 14 rebounds), but it wasn’t enough to counter a stacked Cannons lineup. Emery Atkinson was everywhere (22 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists), while Herb McEachin (21 points) and Tad Dufelmeier (20 points) piled on the pressure. Sydney hung around for most of the night, but poor shooting (2-of-14 3PT) and 15 turnovers proved costly in the end. With their season on the line, Game two saw Sydney respond with a gritty win in Canberra (100–92), powered by Marc Ridlen (29 points, 19 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Steve Carfino (30 points, 5 assists, 4 steals). Tempers flared when Cannons coach Steve Breheny infamously head-butted Damian Keogh (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) on the sideline, summing up Canberra’s frustration. Tim Morrissey added tough points (16 points) while Brad Dalton battled for boards (12 points, 8 rebounds).
Emery Atkinson (30 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) was again a standout for Canberra, but not even his effort could stop the Kings from forcing a deciding Game 3 back in Sydney. After forcing a Game 3 on the road, the Kings finally ran out of miracles in a record-smashing 82–142 loss at the AIS Arena. The Cannons were ruthless, shooting at a blistering clip (57% FG), dominating the glass (52 rebounds), and handing out 26 assists. Simon Cottrell (34 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), Herb McEachin (25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), and Willie Simmons (20 points, 8 rebounds, 8 blocks) led the onslaught. Phil Smyth (16 points, 10 assists, 7 steals) ran the show, while Emery Atkinson (20 points, 15 rebounds) returned to his dominant best.
For Sydney, Tim Morrissey (26 points, 6 rebounds) was the lone bright spot, with Brad Dalton (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Ian Robilliard (11 points) offering brief resistance. The 60-point margin remains the largest loss in Kings franchise history, a humbling end to a rollercoaster playoff run that transformed them from a punchline into a serious contender. Ridlen would be named the Kings' club MVP at the end of the season. | Marc Ridlen made his NBL debut with the Sydney Supersonics on 25/4/1987. He scored 11 points in his first game. | Marc Ridlen played four seasons the Sydney Supersonics. This included the Sydney Supersonics. He averaged 24.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 109 NBL games. | Alongside Jerry Everett, Graham Davis and Robert Croker, Ridlen, as a part of the Sydney Comets team that won the 1992 CBA national championship. | COLLEGEA slender 6'6", 190-pound freshman, Ridlen was a force from the very beginning. He played in all 31 games as as freshman, starting eight. The next three years he was the Panthers' starting center. After four years he had scored 1,448 points (now 15th on the all-time scoring list) and grabbed 860 rebounds (now fifth on the rebound list). He was a two-time All-District 16 pick and twice earned NAIA All- American honours (Honorable Mention in 1983 and 1984). Marc was the Panthers' go-to player his final three years and he responded. He led the Panthers to two District 16 titles and two national tournaments. By his senior year he was 6'9", 225-pounds and the Panthers rode his strong back a long way | A slender 6'6", 190-pound freshman, Ridlen was a force from the very beginning. He played in all 31 games as as freshman, starting eight. The next three years he was the Panthers' starting center. After four years he had scored 1,448 points (now 15th on the all-time scoring list) and grabbed 860 rebounds (now fifth on the rebound list). He was a two-time All-District 16 pick and twice earned NAIA All- American honours (Honorable Mention in 1983 and 1984). Marc was the Panthers' go-to player his final three years and he responded. He led the Panthers to two District 16 titles and two national tournaments. By his senior year he was 6'9", 225-pounds and the Panthers rode his strong back a long way | - 43rd in points per game. - 10th in rebounds per game. | 0 | Marc Ridlen played four seasons the Sydney Supersonics. This included the Sydney Supersonics. He averaged 24.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 109 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEA slender 6'6", 190-pound freshman, Ridlen was a force from the very beginning. He played in all 31 games as as freshman, starting eight. The next three years he was the Panthers' starting center. After four years he had scored 1,448 points (now 15th on the all-time scoring list) and grabbed 860 rebounds (now fifth on the rebound list). He was a two-time All-District 16 pick and twice earned NAIA All- American honours (Honorable Mention in 1983 and 1984). Marc was the Panthers' go-to player his final three years and he responded. He led the Panthers to two District 16 titles and two national tournaments. By his senior year he was 6'9", 225-pounds and the Panthers rode his strong back a long way AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Second Team |
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| 1124 | Dalton, Mark | AUS | Dalton | Mark | 1984 | 2000 | 17 | FRD | 198 | 104 | 421 | 9727 | 3950 | 2678 | 870 | 976 | 1702 | 512 | 341 | 868 | 1386 | 1534 | 3436 | 44.6% | 44.6% | 136 | 479 | 28.4% | 28.4% | 746 | 1108 | 67.3% | 67.3% | 1398 | 2957 | 47.3% | 47.3% | 9.4 | 6.4 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 23.1 | 65% | 86% | 78% | 86% | 85% | 88% | 90% | 78% | 32 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 8 | -8 | -0.4 | 164.0 | 18613.3 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 0 | Canberra (1984) | 1 | 0 | Canberra 1984-85 | Geelong 1986-87 | Sydney 1988-95 | Brisbane 1996-97 | Wollongong 1998-00 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1984, 1986 | Australia | 9 | 25 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 10 | 40% | 2.8 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | #N/A | 1 | 1982, 1983, 1984 | Sydney (NSW) | NSW - Manly | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1982-84 | 9/11/64 | 4/02/84 | 11/03/00 | 19 | 35 | 0 |  NICKNAME/S: Tang BIO: Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Dalton attended St. Augustine's College in Brookvale, a suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. He is the brother of two other Australian basketball players, Brad Dalton and Karen Dalton. Dalton received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1982. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. FAMILY: Mark's son Callum Dalton also played 19 games in the NBL. Mark's brother, Brad Dalton also played 290 games in the NBL. NBL EXPERIENCEMark Dalton made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 19 years of age. He scored 11 points in his first game. As Canberra prepared for their run at back-to-back championships, they suffered a major setback after the league decided to introduce a rule where team's could no longer play with more than two imports. With Canberra choosing to re-sign imports Dave Nelson and Herb McEachin, Kirchmeyer was forced to chase opportunities overseas.
Under the guidance of head coach Bob Turner and the on-court leadership from Phil Smyth (14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.0 steals) the Cannons defeated Geelong (87–81) in the Preliminary Final before narrowly getting past Coburg in the semi final (108–107) to set up a grand final against Leroy Loggins and the Brisbane Bullets. The Grand Final would be played at a pre-determined 'neutral' venue that season (the last time the NBL held the Grand Final at a neutral location), the 'Glass House' in Melbourne. There the Cannons came out victors in another nail-biter, winning the 1984 NBL title by only two points (84–82). Dalton appeared in only 26 games that season, and averaged 15.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Doctor David Atkins. The remained relatively intact besides that. Promising forward Tony De Ambrosis, signed with Gold Coast, where there would be more playing opportunities, and Sydney replaced him with young talent Neil Turner and Brad Williams with a eye on developing talent for the future.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. Greg Hubbard (32 points) did the majority of the damage from outside, going eight of nine from outside in just 28 minutes of court time. He wasn't the only King on fire that night however, Mario Donaldson (27 points) went three of four from the outside, and co-captain Damian Keogh (18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds) chipped in with four of five threes and narrowly missed out on recording a triple-double.
During a extremely tight season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league's leadership at some point, the Bullets finished up in eighth place (14-12) under first-year head coach David Ingham. Loggins averaged 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, all career lows at that point, prompting many to think he may retire at season's end. Dalton (4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) also saw a drop in playing time (24.1 minutes per game, down from 29.6 the season prior), with him recording the lowest points and rebounds per game of his career. The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely. Dalton appeared in all of the team's 32 games and averaged 8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2 assists. 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.
There, Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' on offence as he jumped from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game while playing the most amount of game time (46 minutes per game) of his seventeen season career. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. Dalton added 3.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists playing in 28 games over the season. A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the Victoria Titans in two straight games during the Qualifying Finals, but were the recipients of the 'lucky loser' rule. This saw the highest placed loser of the top four team's qualified for the semi finals face the winner of the 2nd vs 3rd bracket. The Hawks went on to face the Adelaide 36ers next, who also defeated them in two straight games in the semifinals, delivering a end to their season.
Melvin Thomas (19.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals) produced another great season and was named the Hawks co-MVP alongside Glen Saville (14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.9 steals). Dalton appeared in 27 games and added 2.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists Over the course of the season, before retiring. | Dalton played for national team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, alongside his brother Mark, where Australia finished seventh. The seventh place finish in 1984 being the Boomers best Olympic result to that date. Mark and his brother Brad also suited up for Australia at the 1986 FIBA World Championships, a year where the Boomers struggled against much stronger competition. Australia finished with a 2-3 record and failed to progress past the initial stages. | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.6 | 8.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 47% | 50% | 9% | 32% | 1.1 | 82.1 | 1.22 | 14.9% | 15.37 | 15.33 | 2.0 | 853 | 7498 | 18 | 0.286 | 0.204 | 0.072 | 0.042 | 0.027 | 0.066 | 0.115 | 0.286 | 0.027 | Wollongong Hawks | Canberra Cannons | Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Dalton attended St. Augustine's College in Brookvale, a suburb on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. He is the brother of two other Australian basketball players, Brad Dalton and Karen Dalton. | As Canberra prepared for their run at back-to-back championships, they suffered a major setback after the league decided to introduce a rule where team's could no longer play with more than two imports. With Canberra choosing to re-sign imports Dave Nelson and Herb McEachin, Kirchmeyer was forced to chase opportunities overseas.
Under the guidance of head coach Bob Turner and the on-court leadership from Phil Smyth (14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.0 steals) the Cannons defeated Geelong (87–81) in the Preliminary Final before narrowly getting past Coburg in the semi final (108–107) to set up a grand final against Leroy Loggins and the Brisbane Bullets. The Grand Final would be played at a pre-determined 'neutral' venue that season (the last time the NBL held the Grand Final at a neutral location), the 'Glass House' in Melbourne. There the Cannons came out victors in another nail-biter, winning the 1984 NBL title by only two points (84–82). Dalton appeared in only 26 games that season, and averaged 15.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Doctor David Atkins. The remained relatively intact besides that. Promising forward Tony De Ambrosis, signed with Gold Coast, where there would be more playing opportunities, and Sydney replaced him with young talent Neil Turner and Brad Williams with a eye on developing talent for the future.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. Greg Hubbard (32 points) did the majority of the damage from outside, going eight of nine from outside in just 28 minutes of court time. He wasn't the only King on fire that night however, Mario Donaldson (27 points) went three of four from the outside, and co-captain Damian Keogh (18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds) chipped in with four of five threes and narrowly missed out on recording a triple-double.
During a extremely tight season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league's leadership at some point, the Bullets finished up in eighth place (14-12) under first-year head coach David Ingham. Loggins averaged 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, all career lows at that point, prompting many to think he may retire at season's end. Dalton (4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) also saw a drop in playing time (24.1 minutes per game, down from 29.6 the season prior), with him recording the lowest points and rebounds per game of his career. The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely. Dalton appeared in all of the team's 32 games and averaged 8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2 assists. 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.
There, Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' on offence as he jumped from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game while playing the most amount of game time (46 minutes per game) of his seventeen season career. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. Dalton added 3.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists playing in 28 games over the season. A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the Victoria Titans in two straight games during the Qualifying Finals, but were the recipients of the 'lucky loser' rule. This saw the highest placed loser of the top four team's qualified for the semi finals face the winner of the 2nd vs 3rd bracket. The Hawks went on to face the Adelaide 36ers next, who also defeated them in two straight games in the semifinals, delivering a end to their season.
Melvin Thomas (19.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals) produced another great season and was named the Hawks co-MVP alongside Glen Saville (14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.9 steals). Dalton appeared in 27 games and added 2.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists Over the course of the season, before retiring. | After a remarkable turnaround in 1983 under head coach Robbie Cadee—where the Bankstown Bruins improved from a league-worst 2–24 to a respectable 12–10 record—expectations were raised heading into 1984. The sixth season of the NBL was played in two divisions as the competition expand to 17 teams. Bankstown, situated in the Eastern Division, retained most of their core roster in hopes of building on last season’s playoff contention.
| Mark Dalton made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 19 years of age. He scored 11 points in his first game. | Mark Dalton played seventeen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Canberra Cannons, Geelong Cats, Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 421 NBL games. | - 42nd in total games played. - 32nd in total rebounds - 24th in total steals - 17th in total blocks | Dalton received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1982. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. | Dalton played for national team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, alongside his brother Mark, where Australia finished seventh. The seventh place finish in 1984 being the Boomers best Olympic result to that date. Mark and his brother Brad also suited up for Australia at the 1986 FIBA World Championships, a year where the Boomers struggled against much stronger competition. Australia finished with a 2-3 record and failed to progress past the initial stages. | FAMILY: Mark's son Callum Dalton also played 19 games in the NBL. Mark's brother, Brad Dalton also played 290 games in the NBL. | Tang | 0 | | After a remarkable turnaround in 1983 under head coach Robbie Cadee—where the Bankstown Bruins improved from a league-worst 2–24 to a respectable 12–10 record—expectations were raised heading into 1984. The sixth season of the NBL was played in two divisions as the competition expand to 17 teams. Bankstown, situated in the Eastern Division, retained most of their core roster in hopes of building on last season’s playoff contention.
Mark Dalton played seventeen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Canberra Cannons, Geelong Cats, Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 421 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1125 | Davis, Shane | AUS | Davis | Shane | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 0% | 31% | 0% | 40% | 29% | 0% | 0% | 50% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | -1.2 | 0.0 | 21201.8 | -2.0 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26/02/00 | 11/03/00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEShane Davis made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 26/2/2000. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.400 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.400 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Shane Davis made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 26/2/2000. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Shane Davis played one season in the NBL. | 0 | Shane Davis played one season in the NBL. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1126 | Davison, Bennett | USA | Davison | Bennett | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | FRD | 203 | 96 | 25 | 1067 | 492 | 232 | 76 | 88 | 144 | 39 | 60 | 83 | 88 | 203 | 413 | 49.2% | 49.2% | 5 | 15 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 81 | 117 | 69.2% | 69.2% | 198 | 398 | 49.7% | 49.7% | 19.7 | 9.3 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 42.7 | 92% | 96% | 89% | 95% | 95% | 94% | 99% | 94% | 30 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 6 | -12 | -0.3 | 215.4 | 14021.5 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Melbourne 2000 | Gold Coast 2011 (DNP) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | San Francisco, California (USA) | None | West Valley (1994-1996) / Arizona (1996-1998) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21/11/1975 | 12/11/99 | 20/03/00 | 23 | 24 | 1 | BIO: Davison was born in San Francisco and raised in Sebastopol, California (USA). He was lightly recruited after his high school career at Analy High School and landed at West Valley College, a community college. After two strong seasons, Davison attracted the attention of coach Lute Olson at Arizona, and was offered a scholarship with the Wildcats. NBL EXPERIENCEBennett Davison made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 23 years of age. He scored 29 points in his first game. Melbourne would lose Marcus Timmons (to Perth) and replace him with Davison, who would arrive injured and be unable to join the team until six games in. The retirement of Tigers legend Ray Gordon also opened up another roster spot, which Lindsey Gaze would use to sign young and coming big man Pero Vasiljevic (from Canberra). Although Davison (19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.4 blocks) would fill the hole left by Timmons quite capably, the aging core of the Tigers, including the 30-year-old Mark Bradtke (17.9 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks) and Lanard Copeland (21.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals) and Andrew Gaze (29.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists), who both celebrated their 34th birthdays this season struggled against the league's best team's. Despite the disapponting season, no-one who attended the round seven game at Rod Laver Arena will forget the stunning debut of Bennett Davison for the Tigers who also added 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks against defending champions Adelaide.
Melbourne finished in fifth place this season and scraped into the playoffs despite not having a winning record (14-14), the team's worst record since they last failed to make the playoffs in 1988. Melbourne then lost to the Victoria Titans in the Quarterfinals (1-2). Gaze would be selected to the All-NBL first team for a record fifteenth time, the last time he was recognised for the award. This season cemented the decline of the Gaze led Tigers, with the team never finishing higher than fifth again until after the retirement of both Andrew and Lindsey Gaze. At the end of the season, Gaze and Bradtke also guided the Australian Boomers to a equal best fourth-place finish in Sydney before both retiring from international play.
| 29 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.1 | 16.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 50% | 53% | 2% | 28% | 1.2 | 81.8 | 1.28 | 9.4% | 12.19 | 13.31 | 4.0 | 99 | 800 | 32 | 0.461 | 0.217 | 0.071 | 0.037 | 0.056 | 0.078 | 0.082 | 0.461 | 0.028 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Tigers | Davison was born in San Francisco and raised in Sebastopol, California (USA). He was lightly recruited after his high school career at Analy High School and landed at West Valley College, a community college. After two strong seasons, Davison attracted the attention of coach Lute Olson at Arizona, and was offered a scholarship with the Wildcats. | Melbourne would lose Marcus Timmons (to Perth) and replace him with Davison, who would arrive injured and be unable to join the team until six games in. The retirement of Tigers legend Ray Gordon also opened up another roster spot, which Lindsey Gaze would use to sign young and coming big man Pero Vasiljevic (from Canberra). Although Davison (19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.4 blocks) would fill the hole left by Timmons quite capably, the aging core of the Tigers, including the 30-year-old Mark Bradtke (17.9 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks) and Lanard Copeland (21.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals) and Andrew Gaze (29.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists), who both celebrated their 34th birthdays this season struggled against the league's best team's. Despite the disapponting season, no-one who attended the round seven game at Rod Laver Arena will forget the stunning debut of Bennett Davison for the Tigers who also added 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks against defending champions Adelaide.
Melbourne finished in fifth place this season and scraped into the playoffs despite not having a winning record (14-14), the team's worst record since they last failed to make the playoffs in 1988. Melbourne then lost to the Victoria Titans in the Quarterfinals (1-2). Gaze would be selected to the All-NBL first team for a record fifteenth time, the last time he was recognised for the award. This season cemented the decline of the Gaze led Tigers, with the team never finishing higher than fifth again until after the retirement of both Andrew and Lindsey Gaze. At the end of the season, Gaze and Bradtke also guided the Australian Boomers to a equal best fourth-place finish in Sydney before both retiring from international play.
| Bennett Davison made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 23 years of age. He scored 29 points in his first game. | Bennett Davison played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 25 NBL games. | COLLEGEDavison was a starter on the University of Arizona's 1997 NCAA championship team. | Davison was a starter on the University of Arizona's 1997 NCAA championship team. | - 12th in blocks per game. | Bennett Davison played professionally for over ten years, including several seasons in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A. | 0 | Bennett Davison played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 25 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | COLLEGEDavison was a starter on the University of Arizona's 1997 NCAA championship team. AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Third Team |
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| 1127 | Doherty, Phil | AUS | Doherty | Phil | 1996 | 2000 | 5 | F/C | 203 | 105 | 112 | 1660 | 589 | 323 | 78 | 130 | 193 | 34 | 26 | 111 | 203 | 232 | 524 | 44.3% | 44.3% | 13 | 48 | 27.1% | 0.0% | 112 | 158 | 70.9% | 70.9% | 219 | 476 | 46.0% | 46.0% | 5.3 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 14.8 | 49% | 59% | 47% | 67% | 57% | 44% | 66% | 49% | 20 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -5 | -0.3 | 141.0 | 14902.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1996-98 | Brisbane 1999-00 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1997 (Gold), 1995 (Silver) | 3 | 1994, 1995 | Perth (WA) | WA - Perry Lakes | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1994-95 | 26/07/76 | 20/04/96 | 11/03/00 | 19 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Phil Doherty was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program. Doherty received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1994. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1994, 1995). NBL EXPERIENCEPhil Doherty made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Doherty won a gold medal for Australia at the FIBA Under 23 World Championships in 1997 (Melbourne). | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.1 | 4.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 46% | 50% | 6% | 30% | 1.1 | 82.7 | 0.01 | 6.5% | 9.97 | 14.18 | 0.5 | 60 | 990 | 9 | 0.355 | 0.195 | 0.047 | 0.020 | 0.016 | 0.067 | 0.122 | 0.355 | 0.046 | Brisbane Bullets | Perth Wildcats | Phil Doherty was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program. | Phil Doherty made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Phil Doherty played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 112 NBL games. | Doherty played a number of seasons in the WA state league. First he played for Perry Lakes in 1993. He appeared in 15 games and averaged 4.9 points. Doherty returned to Perry Lakes for 1996, this time spending two years with the club, averaging 14.5 points (22 games). Doherty played for Willetton in 2002, appearing in five games and averaging 8.8 points. | Doherty received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1994. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1994, 1995). | Doherty won a gold medal for Australia at the FIBA Under 23 World Championships in 1997 (Melbourne). | 0 | Phil Doherty played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 112 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1128 | Earl, Acie | USA | Earl | Acie | 1998 | 2000 | 2 | F/C | 208 | 109 | 21 | 840 | 439 | 256 | 51 | 96 | 160 | 28 | 63 | 83 | 72 | 158 | 314 | 50.3% | 50.3% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 123 | 171 | 71.9% | 71.9% | 158 | 314 | 50.3% | 50.3% | 20.9 | 12.2 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 7.6 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 40.0 | 94% | 99% | 83% | 99% | 99% | 90% | 100% | 98% | 33 | 25 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -12 | -0.3 | 168.6 | 21185.4 | 19.2 | 19.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1999-00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Peoria, Illinois (USA) | None | Iowa (1989–1993) | 1993 | 19 | BOS | #N/A | 193 | 18 | 2512 | 980 | 517 | 61 | 190 | 327 | 63 | 126 | 170 | 351 | 361 | 896 | 40% | 0 | 9 | 0% | 258 | 387 | 67% | 13.0 | 5.1 | 1.9 | 4.6 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 23/6/1970 | 27/11/98 | 2/10/99 | 28 | 29 | 0 | BIO: Acie Earl was born in Peoria, Illinois (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEAcie Earl made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 28 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. Sydney underwent a number of key losses as the NBL shifted from a winter competition to a summer one. The biggest ones being Shane Heal heading to play in Greece for Near East, team Captain Bruce Bolden leaving to play for a brand new NBL team, the West Sydney Razorbacks, and Brad Williams and Stephen Whitehead, who both were not re-signed by the team. Ben Castle (Brisbane) and Darren Smith (state league) signed as their replacements. In their place, coach Tomlinson chose to build the squad around young local talent Matthew Nielsen and Aaron Trahair. Veteran point guard Brad Rosen was named team captain after the loss of Bolden and Kelsey Weems, who joined the team with 12 games left in the previous season, was re-signed and paired incoming import Alonzo Goldston. The Kings' opening game came against Bolden’s Razorbacks, in their NBL debut. Sydney lost, 97-103, and went on to lose seven of their next eight games. This saw the axe fall on import Goldston (14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks in six games), and NBA big man Acie Earl signed as his replacement. Earl was a monster, standing 208cm and 110kg, who had spent two seasons with the Boston Celtics before being selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft. Earl didn't take the Celtics' decision to let him go kindly and exploded for 40 points against his former team when they met the following season. His 1998/99 season statistically is one of the most efficient in NBL history. Five games in, he dropped 33 points (12/19 shooting) and collected 12 rebounds while holding Brisbane's star big man Thadderous Delaney to 4 of 14 shots, and he finished the year averaging 21.6 points (on 50% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. Beyond Earl, the remainder of the team's roster was a little hit-and-miss this season. While Weems (15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals) didn't have the same impact as the previous season, the continued development of Matt Nielsen (20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks) who boosted his scoring from 16.4 points the previous season, saw him become the new face of the franchise. The Kings couldn't seem to win at home (5–8) or abroad (4-9) and finished the season in ninth place, missing out on the playoffs once again.
The Kings started the year with a 98–76 win over Canberra, but it was clear Earl's fitness wasn't where it was the previous season. He managed 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists and was released before their next game. The Kings finished their season with a record of 11-17, missing the playoffs for the fourth season in a row. | Acie Earl was drafted by the Boston Celtics with pick #19 in the 1993 NBA Draft. Earl played 193 games in the NBA. He averaged 5.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - June 30, 1993: Drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1st round (19th pick) of the 1993 NBA Draft. | 25 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.5 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50% | 56% | 0% | 54% | 1.4 | 81.9 | -0.19 | 8.9% | 9.75 | 15.86 | 4.3 | 91 | 746 | 36 | 0.523 | 0.305 | 0.061 | 0.033 | 0.075 | 0.099 | 0.086 | 0.523 | 0.049 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Acie Earl was born in Peoria, Illinois (USA). | Sydney underwent a number of key losses as the NBL shifted from a winter competition to a summer one. The biggest ones being Shane Heal heading to play in Greece for Near East, team Captain Bruce Bolden leaving to play for a brand new NBL team, the West Sydney Razorbacks, and Brad Williams and Stephen Whitehead, who both were not re-signed by the team. Ben Castle (Brisbane) and Darren Smith (state league) signed as their replacements. In their place, coach Tomlinson chose to build the squad around young local talent Matthew Nielsen and Aaron Trahair. Veteran point guard Brad Rosen was named team captain after the loss of Bolden and Kelsey Weems, who joined the team with 12 games left in the previous season, was re-signed and paired incoming import Alonzo Goldston. The Kings' opening game came against Bolden’s Razorbacks, in their NBL debut. Sydney lost, 97-103, and went on to lose seven of their next eight games. This saw the axe fall on import Goldston (14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks in six games), and NBA big man Acie Earl signed as his replacement. Earl was a monster, standing 208cm and 110kg, who had spent two seasons with the Boston Celtics before being selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft. Earl didn't take the Celtics' decision to let him go kindly and exploded for 40 points against his former team when they met the following season. His 1998/99 season statistically is one of the most efficient in NBL history. Five games in, he dropped 33 points (12/19 shooting) and collected 12 rebounds while holding Brisbane's star big man Thadderous Delaney to 4 of 14 shots, and he finished the year averaging 21.6 points (on 50% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. Beyond Earl, the remainder of the team's roster was a little hit-and-miss this season. While Weems (15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals) didn't have the same impact as the previous season, the continued development of Matt Nielsen (20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks) who boosted his scoring from 16.4 points the previous season, saw him become the new face of the franchise. The Kings couldn't seem to win at home (5–8) or abroad (4-9) and finished the season in ninth place, missing out on the playoffs once again.
The Kings started the year with a 98–76 win over Canberra, but it was clear Earl's fitness wasn't where it was the previous season. He managed 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists and was released before their next game. The Kings finished their season with a record of 11-17, missing the playoffs for the fourth season in a row. | Acie Earl made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 28 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. | Acie Earl played two seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 20.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 21 NBL games. | - 18th in rebounds per game. - 5th in blocks per game. | Acie Earl was drafted by the Boston Celtics with pick #19 in the 1993 NBA Draft. | - June 30, 1993: Drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1st round (19th pick) of the 1993 NBA Draft. - June 24, 1995: Drafted by the Toronto Raptors from the Boston Celtics in the NBA expansion draft. - February 20, 1997: Traded by the Toronto Raptors to the Milwaukee Bucks for Shawn Respert. - October 28, 1997: Waived by the Milwaukee Bucks. | 0 | | Acie Earl played two seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 20.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 21 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Third Team |
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| 1129 | Egan, Luke | AUS | Egan | Luke | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | FRD | 194 | #N/A | 2 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 40.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 3 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 38% | 31% | 55% | 62% | 0% | 0% | 81% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -2 | -0.4 | #DIV/0! | #DIV/0! | 3.9 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | VIC - Cobourg | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ballarat 1998 | Eltham 2002-05, 2007-10 | Hume City 2005, 2018 | Werribee 2006 | Ringwood 2011-14 | 12/12/99 | 18/12/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCELuke Egan made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 12/12/1999. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.4 | 77.6 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 0.875 | 0.250 | 0.250 | 0.000 | 0.125 | 0.000 | 0.125 | 0.875 | 0.875 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Luke Egan made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 12/12/1999. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Luke Egan played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.5 points, 1 rebounds, and 1 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Luke Egan played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.5 points, 1 rebounds, and 1 assists in 2 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1130 | Hamilton, Al | USA | Hamilton | Al | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | FRD | #N/A | #N/A | 12 | 484 | 206 | 112 | 34 | 39 | 73 | 17 | 2 | 51 | 41 | 87 | 215 | 40.5% | 40.5% | 6 | 16 | 37.5% | 0.0% | 26 | 48 | 54.2% | 0.0% | 81 | 199 | 40.7% | 40.7% | 17.2 | 9.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 40.3 | 88% | 96% | 87% | 94% | 96% | 92% | 59% | 99% | 29 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 9 | -18 | -0.4 | 64.6 | 5060.6 | 10.2 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Cairns 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7/01/00 | 10/03/00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEAl Hamilton made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans on 7/1/2000. He scored 17 points in his first game. | 17 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.3 | 17.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 42% | 44% | 7% | 22% | 1.0 | 83.8 | 0.00 | 7.9% | 10.59 | 15.88 | 1.6 | 19 | 352 | 29 | 0.426 | 0.231 | 0.070 | 0.035 | 0.004 | 0.105 | 0.085 | 0.426 | 0.060 | Cairns Taipans | Cairns Taipans | Al Hamilton made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans on 7/1/2000. He scored 17 points in his first game. | Al Hamilton played one season in the NBL. He averaged 17.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 12 NBL games. | 0 | Al Hamilton played one season in the NBL. He averaged 17.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 12 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1131 | Johnson, Rod | AUS | Johnson | Rod | 1987 | 2000 | 14 | GRD | 188 | 90 | 367 | 10957 | 3880 | 862 | 1043 | 319 | 543 | 407 | 63 | 825 | 862 | 1478 | 3542 | 41.7% | 41.7% | 465 | 1338 | 34.8% | 34.8% | 459 | 619 | 74.2% | 74.2% | 1013 | 2204 | 46.0% | 46.0% | 10.6 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 29.9 | 69% | 54% | 87% | 58% | 53% | 85% | 60% | 81% | 31 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 8 | -9 | -0.3 | 118.6 | 18808.1 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 0 | North Melbourne (1994) | 1 | 0 | Illawarra 1987-91 | North Melbourne 1992-97 | Canberra 1998 | Newcastle 1999 | Brisbane 2000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Wollongong (NSW) | NSW - Illawarra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13/07/67 | 25/04/87 | 11/03/00 | 19 | 32 | 0 | BIO: Rod Johnson was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. FAMILY: Rod's brother, Terry Johnson also played 200 games in the NBL. NBL EXPERIENCERod Johnson made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. In 1987, the Hawks had their best season to date, finishing in third place (20–6). As a rookie, Johnson added 2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.
The Hawks managed only six wins this season, finishing with a 6-20 record.
Brown began his search for Fisher's replacement first with import Chuckie White, who failed to cut it during pre-season, before settling on Jason Reese. Reese was known around the league as 'workhorse' and dominant inside scorer that had spent the past two seasons with Hobart (1991) and Canberra (1992) and Mark Leader, who had became a naturalised Australian in 1993, replaced Fisher as team captain. Rod joined local talent Pat Reidy (16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals) and Darryl Pearce (11.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) in the starting lineup. Terry Johnson (2.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) saw minimal playing opportunities that season but was used by Brown as a motivator for his brother. Twice Terry replaced Johnson (6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals) in the starting lineup, a move designed to get more production the older brother, that outcome resulted in Rod Johnson dropping 21 points, a season high, the following game against Perth. Reese went on to lead the team in scoring (26.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg), fellow import Paul Maley led the team in rebounding (22.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg) and Johnson also contributed 2.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. North Melbourne finished the season (13-13) sneaking into the final playoff spot. There, they would face familiar foes, Scott Fisher and the Perth Wildcats who had finished the season in first place (21-5). Despite winning game one at home (105-101), the Giants would lose games two (98-108) and three (104-117) to Perth to put a end to their season.
Giants stalwart Mark Leader (who became a naturalised Australian in 1993) was named team captain and the team also added Rod's younger brother Terry to the roster. Next, Brown looked to replace Fisher, firstly with import Chuckie White, who failed to cut it during pre-season before signing Jason Reese, a player known around the league as 'workhorse' and dominant inside scorer that had spent the past two seasons with Hobart (1991) and Canberra (1992). Reese went on to lead the team in scoring (26.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg), fellow import Paul Maley led the team in rebounding (22.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg) and Johnson also contributed 6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. North Melbourne finished the season (13-13) sneaking into the final playoff spot. There, they would face familiar foes, Scott Fisher and the Perth Wildcats who had finished the season in first place (21-5). Despite winning game one at home (105-101), the Giants would lose games two (98-108) and three (104-117) to Perth to put a end to their season.
The Giants' roster had aged considerably in the years between its 1989 championship and 1994, with its roster now being the oldest roster in the league. Their decision to replace high-scoring forward Jason Reese with a 30-year-old point guard named Darryl McDonald was met with much surprise. The media and betting agencies promptly wrote off the Giants' season, most tipping them to finish dead last. The pundits couldn't have been more wrong, however, with McDonald (17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists and 3.0 steals per game) leading the league in steals and assists and when the Giants came home undefeated after the 'Doomsday Double', first avenging a home loss to Perth then holding off Adelaide at the Clipsal Powerhouse (a feat which hadn't been achieved since 1986) fans really started to become excited. Pat Reidy (19.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.4) and Paul Maley (19.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg) became the main beneficiaries of many of McDonald's flashy assists, while Johnson finished the season averaging 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. The Giants would finish the season in second place, winning 19 of their 26 games. At season's end, Brown would be named Coach of the Year. Also, quite controversially, McDonald finished second in both the NBL MVP (behind Andrew Gaze) and Best Defensive Player (Darren Lucas) awards, but McDonald responded by taking his game to a entirely new level for the playoffs. After Sydney blitzed the Giants (131–109) in the opening game of the quarter-finals, McDonald led the Giants to a 112-91 victory in game two and a 104-95 victory in game three. In the deciding game, 'D-Mac' played all 48 minutes and filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists while shooting 70% (7/10) from the field. On the other side of the bracket, South East Melbourne eliminated Perth before being knocked out by the Giants after a Adonis Jordan three-point heave (he could have found a open David Graham for a better shot but missed him) in the game's closing moments missed its mark and the chance to force a third game. Game one of the Grand Final series was held at the Clipsal Powerhouse in Adelaide and after Robert Rose had dragged the Sixers back into the match when they still had trailed by 14 inside the last six minutes of regulation the ball ended up in McDonald's hands before he nailed the game-winning shot in overtime, delivering a 95–93 win. As the series moved to the Glasshouse in Melbourne for game two Rose would come out firing, his 31 point effort would see him finish as the game's high scoring. Still, a balanced attack from North Melbourne proved too strong for the 36ers. The Giants would control the first half, the scoreboard reading 51-41 at halftime, and with 36ers forward Mark Davis in serious pain, the Giants were able to put the foot down in the third quarter and then closed out the game with a 117-97 victory. Paul Rees, who benefitted greatly from McDonald's passing all series, finished up earning the Finals MVP award after delivering 17 points and 5 rebounds in game one and 20 points (making all seven of his shots) and 7 rebounds in game two.
North Melbourne would face crosstown rivals South East Melbourne who would make quick work of the Giants behind a season high 19 points from Andrew Parkinson in game one, a 82-96 loss and a 25 point effort from Tony Ronaldson in game two, which resulted in a 77-87 defeat and the end to the Giants season. At seasons end McDonald would again be named to the All-NBL First team.
Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants' competitive. Johnson would average 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, as the team finished the year in third place, behind a 18-12 record. Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals. The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship.
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league.
Head coach Brian Kerle signed his son Simon Kerle and Jason Cameron (both via Townsville) as well as Brendan Mann (via Canberra) to build a local core to build around, adding them to existing young talent, Phil Doherty and Mark Nash. Johnson was also added for some veteran leadership, and import signings Kelvin Price and Sheldon Quarles rounded out the roster.
Johnson appeared in 24 games and averaged 8.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.0 | 9.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 48% | 51% | 31% | 17% | 1.1 | 79.5 | 1.70 | 11.5% | 18.36 | 14.52 | 1.3 | 470 | 5785 | 16 | 0.354 | 0.079 | 0.095 | 0.037 | 0.006 | 0.075 | 0.079 | 0.354 | 0.029 | Brisbane Bullets | Illawarra Hawks | Rod Johnson was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. | In 1987, the Hawks had their best season to date, finishing in third place (20–6). As a rookie, Johnson added 2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.
The Hawks managed only six wins this season, finishing with a 6-20 record.
Brown began his search for Fisher's replacement first with import Chuckie White, who failed to cut it during pre-season, before settling on Jason Reese. Reese was known around the league as 'workhorse' and dominant inside scorer that had spent the past two seasons with Hobart (1991) and Canberra (1992) and Mark Leader, who had became a naturalised Australian in 1993, replaced Fisher as team captain. Rod joined local talent Pat Reidy (16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals) and Darryl Pearce (11.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) in the starting lineup. Terry Johnson (2.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) saw minimal playing opportunities that season but was used by Brown as a motivator for his brother. Twice Terry replaced Johnson (6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals) in the starting lineup, a move designed to get more production the older brother, that outcome resulted in Rod Johnson dropping 21 points, a season high, the following game against Perth. Reese went on to lead the team in scoring (26.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg), fellow import Paul Maley led the team in rebounding (22.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg) and Johnson also contributed 2.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. North Melbourne finished the season (13-13) sneaking into the final playoff spot. There, they would face familiar foes, Scott Fisher and the Perth Wildcats who had finished the season in first place (21-5). Despite winning game one at home (105-101), the Giants would lose games two (98-108) and three (104-117) to Perth to put a end to their season.
Giants stalwart Mark Leader (who became a naturalised Australian in 1993) was named team captain and the team also added Rod's younger brother Terry to the roster. Next, Brown looked to replace Fisher, firstly with import Chuckie White, who failed to cut it during pre-season before signing Jason Reese, a player known around the league as 'workhorse' and dominant inside scorer that had spent the past two seasons with Hobart (1991) and Canberra (1992). Reese went on to lead the team in scoring (26.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg), fellow import Paul Maley led the team in rebounding (22.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg) and Johnson also contributed 6.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. North Melbourne finished the season (13-13) sneaking into the final playoff spot. There, they would face familiar foes, Scott Fisher and the Perth Wildcats who had finished the season in first place (21-5). Despite winning game one at home (105-101), the Giants would lose games two (98-108) and three (104-117) to Perth to put a end to their season.
The Giants' roster had aged considerably in the years between its 1989 championship and 1994, with its roster now being the oldest roster in the league. Their decision to replace high-scoring forward Jason Reese with a 30-year-old point guard named Darryl McDonald was met with much surprise. The media and betting agencies promptly wrote off the Giants' season, most tipping them to finish dead last. The pundits couldn't have been more wrong, however, with McDonald (17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists and 3.0 steals per game) leading the league in steals and assists and when the Giants came home undefeated after the 'Doomsday Double', first avenging a home loss to Perth then holding off Adelaide at the Clipsal Powerhouse (a feat which hadn't been achieved since 1986) fans really started to become excited. Pat Reidy (19.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.4) and Paul Maley (19.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg) became the main beneficiaries of many of McDonald's flashy assists, while Johnson finished the season averaging 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. The Giants would finish the season in second place, winning 19 of their 26 games. At season's end, Brown would be named Coach of the Year. Also, quite controversially, McDonald finished second in both the NBL MVP (behind Andrew Gaze) and Best Defensive Player (Darren Lucas) awards, but McDonald responded by taking his game to a entirely new level for the playoffs. After Sydney blitzed the Giants (131–109) in the opening game of the quarter-finals, McDonald led the Giants to a 112-91 victory in game two and a 104-95 victory in game three. In the deciding game, 'D-Mac' played all 48 minutes and filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists while shooting 70% (7/10) from the field. On the other side of the bracket, South East Melbourne eliminated Perth before being knocked out by the Giants after a Adonis Jordan three-point heave (he could have found a open David Graham for a better shot but missed him) in the game's closing moments missed its mark and the chance to force a third game. Game one of the Grand Final series was held at the Clipsal Powerhouse in Adelaide and after Robert Rose had dragged the Sixers back into the match when they still had trailed by 14 inside the last six minutes of regulation the ball ended up in McDonald's hands before he nailed the game-winning shot in overtime, delivering a 95–93 win. As the series moved to the Glasshouse in Melbourne for game two Rose would come out firing, his 31 point effort would see him finish as the game's high scoring. Still, a balanced attack from North Melbourne proved too strong for the 36ers. The Giants would control the first half, the scoreboard reading 51-41 at halftime, and with 36ers forward Mark Davis in serious pain, the Giants were able to put the foot down in the third quarter and then closed out the game with a 117-97 victory. Paul Rees, who benefitted greatly from McDonald's passing all series, finished up earning the Finals MVP award after delivering 17 points and 5 rebounds in game one and 20 points (making all seven of his shots) and 7 rebounds in game two.
North Melbourne would face crosstown rivals South East Melbourne who would make quick work of the Giants behind a season high 19 points from Andrew Parkinson in game one, a 82-96 loss and a 25 point effort from Tony Ronaldson in game two, which resulted in a 77-87 defeat and the end to the Giants season. At seasons end McDonald would again be named to the All-NBL First team.
Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants' competitive. Johnson would average 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, as the team finished the year in third place, behind a 18-12 record. Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals. The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship.
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league.
Head coach Brian Kerle signed his son Simon Kerle and Jason Cameron (both via Townsville) as well as Brendan Mann (via Canberra) to build a local core to build around, adding them to existing young talent, Phil Doherty and Mark Nash. Johnson was also added for some veteran leadership, and import signings Kelvin Price and Sheldon Quarles rounded out the roster.
Johnson appeared in 24 games and averaged 8.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. | Rod Johnson made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Rod Johnson played fourteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, North Melbourne Giants, Newcastle Falcons, Canberra Cannons and Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 10.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 367 NBL games. | - 49th in total assists - 43rd in total steals | FAMILY: Rod's brother, Terry Johnson also played 200 games in the NBL. | 0 | Rod Johnson played fourteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, North Melbourne Giants, Newcastle Falcons, Canberra Cannons and Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 10.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 367 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1132 | Johnson, Kendrick | USA | Johnson | Kendrick | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | GRD | 185 | 104 | 12 | 471 | 259 | 62 | 54 | 17 | 45 | 9 | 1 | 52 | 47 | 99 | 207 | 47.8% | 47.8% | 36 | 90 | 40.0% | 0.0% | 25 | 35 | 71.4% | 0.0% | 63 | 117 | 53.8% | 53.8% | 21.6 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 39.3 | 95% | 79% | 96% | 72% | 82% | 71% | 46% | 99% | 37 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 8 | -17 | -0.4 | 178.2 | 7807.2 | 14.2 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | Point Loma | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13/06/75 | 30/12/99 | 11/03/00 | 24 | 24 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEKendrick Johnson made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 24 years of age. He scored 31 points in his first game. | 31 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.3 | 17.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 7.5 | 57% | 58% | 36% | 17% | 1.3 | 76.5 | 0.92 | 4.3% | 16.44 | 15.83 | 0.8 | 10 | 375 | 31 | 0.550 | 0.132 | 0.115 | 0.019 | 0.002 | 0.110 | 0.100 | 0.550 | 0.079 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Kendrick Johnson made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 24 years of age. He scored 31 points in his first game. | Kendrick Johnson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 12 NBL games. | 0 | Kendrick Johnson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 12 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1133 | Jones, Rashamel | USA | Jones | Rashamel | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | FRD | 196 | #N/A | 25 | 1027 | 427 | 128 | 49 | 42 | 86 | 32 | 4 | 58 | 75 | 169 | 420 | 40.2% | 40.2% | 37 | 111 | 33.3% | 33.3% | 52 | 75 | 69.3% | 0.0% | 132 | 309 | 42.7% | 42.7% | 17.1 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 41.1 | 88% | 79% | 76% | 76% | 80% | 90% | 58% | 82% | 34 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -14 | -0.4 | 94.1 | 16974.5 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Cairns 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/10/99 | 10/03/00 | 0 | 0 | 1 | NBL EXPERIENCERashamel Jones made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans on 2/10/1999. He scored 11 points in his first game. | 11 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.8 | 16.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 45% | 47% | 22% | 18% | 1.0 | 81.5 | 0.92 | 7.6% | 8.75 | 10.36 | 1.4 | 36 | 604 | 24 | 0.416 | 0.125 | 0.048 | 0.031 | 0.004 | 0.056 | 0.073 | 0.416 | 0.033 | Cairns Taipans | Cairns Taipans | Rashamel Jones made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans on 2/10/1999. He scored 11 points in his first game. | Rashamel Jones played one season in the NBL. He averaged 17 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 25 NBL games. | 0 | Rashamel Jones played one season in the NBL. He averaged 17 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 25 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1134 | Keys, Grant | AUS | Keys | Grant | 1998 | 2000 | 2 | GRD | 199 | #N/A | 17 | 82 | 37 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 36 | 44.4% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5 | 6 | 83.3% | 0.0% | 16 | 34 | 47.1% | 0.0% | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 4.8 | 29% | 29% | 31% | 30% | 32% | 25% | 0% | 21% | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | -0.5 | 126.2 | 7483.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | West Sydney 1999-00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | ACT - Canberra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ballarat 1995 | West Sydney 1996-98 | Bankstown 2000 | Canberra 2001-04 | 16/10/98 | 11/03/00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | BIO: Grant Keys was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEGrant Keys made his NBL debut with the West Sydney Razorbacks on 16/10/1998. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 44% | 48% | 0% | 17% | 1.0 | 83.6 | 0.12 | 2.8% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.1 | 1 | 57 | 3 | 0.451 | 0.183 | 0.061 | 0.012 | 0.000 | 0.049 | 0.183 | 0.451 | 0.171 | West Sydney Razorbacks | West Sydney Razorbacks | Grant Keys was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. | Grant Keys made his NBL debut with the West Sydney Razorbacks on 16/10/1998. He scored two points in his first game. | Grant Keys played two seasons the West Sydney Razorbacks. He averaged 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 17 NBL games. | 0 | Grant Keys played two seasons the West Sydney Razorbacks. He averaged 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 17 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1135 | Kram, Andrew | AUS | Kram | Andrew | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | FRD | 201 | #N/A | 2 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 5 | 5 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 5.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 50% | 21% | 0% | 40% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 32% | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -4 | -0.4 | 35.8 | 11797.5 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26/02/00 | 4/03/00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEAndrew Kram made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings on 26/2/2000. He scored nine points in his first game. | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 100% | 94% | 0% | 0% | 2.2 | 69.4 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 0.611 | 0.056 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.056 | 0.333 | 0.611 | 0.500 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Andrew Kram made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings on 26/2/2000. He scored nine points in his first game. | Andrew Kram played one season in the NBL. He averaged 5.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Andrew Kram played one season in the NBL. He averaged 5.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1136 | McKay, Mike | AUS | McKay | Mike | 1983 | 2000 | 18 | GRD | 194 | 89 | 448 | 10850 | 5686 | 1421 | 1006 | 343 | 1078 | 389 | 72 | 671 | 761 | 2183 | 5103 | 42.8% | 42.8% | 684 | 1757 | 38.9% | 38.9% | 636 | 807 | 78.8% | 78.8% | 1499 | 3346 | 44.8% | 44.8% | 12.7 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 24.2 | 76% | 62% | 81% | 54% | 67% | 77% | 58% | 65% | 40 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 7 | -9 | -0.4 | 63.2 | 11717.1 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 0 | Adelaide (1986) | 1 | 0 | West Adelaide 1983-84 | Adelaide 1985-95 | Brisbane 1996-97 | Canberra 1998-99 | Wollongong 2000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1990, 1992, 1994 | Australia | 15 | 64 | 28 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 38% | 3 | 8 | 38% | 2 | 6 | 33% | 4.3 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | #N/A | Adelaide (SA) | SA - West Adelaide | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | West Adelaide 1987-1990, 2003 | 15/10/65 | 12/02/83 | 11/03/00 | 17 | 34 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Swish BIO: Mike McKay was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the West Adelaide basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEMike McKay made his NBL debut with the West Adelaide Bearcats at 17 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. In 1983, player-coach Ken Richardson retired and the Bearcats lost Brad Dalton (to Sydney). They would add Mike Parsons (via Launceston) and national team player Andy Campbell. 'King' Ken Cole would take up the head coaching role but struggled to generate the results of previous years, finishing the regular season in third place (17-5). Al Green (29.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals) would lead the team in scoring once again, while 'do-it-all' import Leroy Loggins (24.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals) backed him up offensively while also being tasked to defending the opposing team's best player each night. Loggins efforts would also see him named in the All-NBL first team at season's end. As a rookie, McKay contributed 1.9 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.1 assists Over the course of the season, as well.
The three-game round-robin tournament resulted in the first-placed team in the Western Divison (Sydney) and the first place team in the Eastern Division (Geelong) being eliminated from a playoff spot due to finishing the three game round robin tournament with 2 wins and 1 loss, a equal record to two other team's who progressed through based on points percentage.
In a final which proved a seesaw ride for spectators, Canberra would be crowned champions after defeating West Adelaide by two points (75-73).
This 36ers team was coined 'The Invincibles' in the South Australian media due to finishing with the best regular season record of all time. The team's 24-2 win-loss record — a 92.3 percent success rate — has never been matched since. The two losses both also were on last-gasp buzzer beaters, keeping Cole's team just a few seconds short of the perfect 26-0 season. Of their 27 total victories that year, 17 were by at least 20 points, and the 36ers' only two losses to West Sydney (87-89) and Coburg (114-116) were the results of last second buzzer-beaters, effectively meaning they were about six seconds short of the perfect 26-0 regular season. They averaged 117.3 points a game in their winning spree, conceding 96.0, a winning buffer of 21.3 points. And in claiming the regular season championship, they were five wins clear of the 19-7 second-placed Canberra Cannons. On top of all that, Adelaide was unbeatable at home, winning all 13 games at a sold-out Apollo Stadium. This was extended to 14-0 after Darryl Pearce (28 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists) and Al Green (27 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) led the 36ers over the Illawarra Hawks (116-92) in the semi-final. If you include the 36ers home games from 1985, this extended their home streak to 20-0. Adelaide would then meet Brisbane in a grand final re-match, with the NBL deciding to extend the championship series from single elimination to a three-game series from here onwards. Adelaide won the opening match (119-122), with their big man doing most of the work, Davis (38 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) recording his second-highest scoring game of the season. Bill Jones (30 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks) and Darryl Pearce (13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) were also key factors in the win. McKay also added 16 points and 1 assist. As the series moved to Brisbane, The 36ers seemingly got ahead of themselves and when they travelled to Brisbane, Cal Bruton (38 points on 15 of 24 shooting) and Larry Sengstock (19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) dished out a 21-point thrashing (84-104). Ali contributed 4 points and 4 rebounds in Adelaide's largest loss of the season. Mike McKay adding 10 points, 1 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The 36ers would return to Apollo Stadium to correct their game two shortcomings and defeat Brisbane (113-91) to bring the second NBL Championship in five years to South Australia. Bullet's guard Cal Bruton (31 points and 4 rebounds) would finish as the game's high scorer, with Pearce (27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) top scoring for the 36ers. Al Green (22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block) managed to fill most columns of the box score, and Mike McKay adding 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in the championship win.
Mckay would appear in 20 games and average 20 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
Also, the team captaincy would be handed over fully to Darryl Pearce as co-captain Peter Ali chose to step down from the role. As the season began, Mark Davis (25.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and rebounding while also being selected in the All-NBL First Team for a fourth time. Phillips (20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) came as advertised, providing the additional scoring needed, and Bradtke (15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) made the most of his new role as starting center, winning the league's Most Improved Player award. McKay would contribute 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists as the 36ers snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. Adelaide (15-9) would face Perth (16-8) in the Elimination Finals, where Cal Bruton (35 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists) finished as the game's high scorer, but it wouldn’t be enough to get past the 36ers who had five players score over 18 points or more. Mark Davis (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals), Darryl Pearce (25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists), Orlando Phillips (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals), Mike McKay (20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) and second year big man Mark Bradtke (18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) combining for 91 points in the game one win (122-124). With the series returning to Perth for game two, Perth returned to its regular season form, shooting 51% from the field (42/82), and defeating Adelaide by 20 points (114-94). Pinder (25 points and 14 rebounds) and Bruton (22 points and 5 assists) top scoring for the Wildcats, while Mark Davis (22 points and 20 rebounds) racked up a 20/20 game in the 36ers losing effort. With Bruton (29 points and 7 rebounds) again leading the team in scoring, Perth came away with the win in game three (112-108) and ended 36ers playoff hopes.
1990 was also the year Mark Davis replaced Darryl Pearce as team captain, a role he would hold until the end of 1996, and it was the last season for local favourite Peter Ali who retired after 279 NBL games (141 of them with the 36ers). This season McKay would also average 13.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Butch Hays (24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists) and Mark Davis (23.0 points and 14.7 rebounds) would lead the team as McKay contributed 19.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists alongside the all-star pair, helping the 36ers return to the playoffs. Finishing in fourth place (16-10) during the regular season, Adelaide faced off against Melbourne in the elimination finals. Adelaide would defeat Melbourne (2-0) to reach the semi finals only to then be eliminated by the defending and eventual champions Perth (0-2).
The 36ers, although never looking like a playoff team, were never able to fill the gap left by Bradtke and limped home to a 11-13 record, finishing in the ninth spot. Davis (23.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks) again led the team with his spectacular all-around game, with McKay also contributing 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.
McKay averaged 13.8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while the team improved to a 14–12 record under Monson and made the playoffs by finishing in seventh place.
During a extremely tight season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league's leadership at some point, the Bullets finished up in eighth place (14-12) under first-year head coach David Ingham. McKay appeared in 29 games, averaging 17.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely. McKay, appearing in only 7 games, averaged 18.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
| McKay's first major tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall.
The next major tournament for McKay was the 1994 FIBA World Championships where alongside Andrew Gaze, who led the tournament in scoring (23.9 ppg), he helped Australia finish second in their pool to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to Russia (76–103) in a game which eliminated them from the medal rounds. The Boomers would finish fifth overall, equalling their best ever result at a World Championship. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.9 | 11.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 3.9 | 49% | 52% | 31% | 16% | 1.1 | 79.2 | 1.62 | 7.6% | 14.10 | 9.40 | 1.0 | 461 | 8113 | 18 | 0.438 | 0.110 | 0.084 | 0.031 | 0.005 | 0.052 | 0.057 | 0.438 | 0.036 | Wollongong Hawks | West Adelaide Bearcats | Mike McKay was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the West Adelaide basketball program. | In 1983, player-coach Ken Richardson retired and the Bearcats lost Brad Dalton (to Sydney). They would add Mike Parsons (via Launceston) and national team player Andy Campbell. 'King' Ken Cole would take up the head coaching role but struggled to generate the results of previous years, finishing the regular season in third place (17-5). Al Green (29.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals) would lead the team in scoring once again, while 'do-it-all' import Leroy Loggins (24.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals) backed him up offensively while also being tasked to defending the opposing team's best player each night. Loggins efforts would also see him named in the All-NBL first team at season's end. As a rookie, McKay contributed 1.9 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.1 assists Over the course of the season, as well.
The three-game round-robin tournament resulted in the first-placed team in the Western Divison (Sydney) and the first place team in the Eastern Division (Geelong) being eliminated from a playoff spot due to finishing the three game round robin tournament with 2 wins and 1 loss, a equal record to two other team's who progressed through based on points percentage.
In a final which proved a seesaw ride for spectators, Canberra would be crowned champions after defeating West Adelaide by two points (75-73).
This 36ers team was coined 'The Invincibles' in the South Australian media due to finishing with the best regular season record of all time. The team's 24-2 win-loss record — a 92.3 percent success rate — has never been matched since. The two losses both also were on last-gasp buzzer beaters, keeping Cole's team just a few seconds short of the perfect 26-0 season. Of their 27 total victories that year, 17 were by at least 20 points, and the 36ers' only two losses to West Sydney (87-89) and Coburg (114-116) were the results of last second buzzer-beaters, effectively meaning they were about six seconds short of the perfect 26-0 regular season. They averaged 117.3 points a game in their winning spree, conceding 96.0, a winning buffer of 21.3 points. And in claiming the regular season championship, they were five wins clear of the 19-7 second-placed Canberra Cannons. On top of all that, Adelaide was unbeatable at home, winning all 13 games at a sold-out Apollo Stadium. This was extended to 14-0 after Darryl Pearce (28 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists) and Al Green (27 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) led the 36ers over the Illawarra Hawks (116-92) in the semi-final. If you include the 36ers home games from 1985, this extended their home streak to 20-0. Adelaide would then meet Brisbane in a grand final re-match, with the NBL deciding to extend the championship series from single elimination to a three-game series from here onwards. Adelaide won the opening match (119-122), with their big man doing most of the work, Davis (38 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) recording his second-highest scoring game of the season. Bill Jones (30 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks) and Darryl Pearce (13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) were also key factors in the win. McKay also added 16 points and 1 assist. As the series moved to Brisbane, The 36ers seemingly got ahead of themselves and when they travelled to Brisbane, Cal Bruton (38 points on 15 of 24 shooting) and Larry Sengstock (19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) dished out a 21-point thrashing (84-104). Ali contributed 4 points and 4 rebounds in Adelaide's largest loss of the season. Mike McKay adding 10 points, 1 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The 36ers would return to Apollo Stadium to correct their game two shortcomings and defeat Brisbane (113-91) to bring the second NBL Championship in five years to South Australia. Bullet's guard Cal Bruton (31 points and 4 rebounds) would finish as the game's high scorer, with Pearce (27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) top scoring for the 36ers. Al Green (22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block) managed to fill most columns of the box score, and Mike McKay adding 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in the championship win.
Mckay would appear in 20 games and average 20 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
Also, the team captaincy would be handed over fully to Darryl Pearce as co-captain Peter Ali chose to step down from the role. As the season began, Mark Davis (25.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and rebounding while also being selected in the All-NBL First Team for a fourth time. Phillips (20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) came as advertised, providing the additional scoring needed, and Bradtke (15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) made the most of his new role as starting center, winning the league's Most Improved Player award. McKay would contribute 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists as the 36ers snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. Adelaide (15-9) would face Perth (16-8) in the Elimination Finals, where Cal Bruton (35 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists) finished as the game's high scorer, but it wouldn’t be enough to get past the 36ers who had five players score over 18 points or more. Mark Davis (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals), Darryl Pearce (25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists), Orlando Phillips (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals), Mike McKay (20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) and second year big man Mark Bradtke (18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) combining for 91 points in the game one win (122-124). With the series returning to Perth for game two, Perth returned to its regular season form, shooting 51% from the field (42/82), and defeating Adelaide by 20 points (114-94). Pinder (25 points and 14 rebounds) and Bruton (22 points and 5 assists) top scoring for the Wildcats, while Mark Davis (22 points and 20 rebounds) racked up a 20/20 game in the 36ers losing effort. With Bruton (29 points and 7 rebounds) again leading the team in scoring, Perth came away with the win in game three (112-108) and ended 36ers playoff hopes.
1990 was also the year Mark Davis replaced Darryl Pearce as team captain, a role he would hold until the end of 1996, and it was the last season for local favourite Peter Ali who retired after 279 NBL games (141 of them with the 36ers). This season McKay would also average 13.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Butch Hays (24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists) and Mark Davis (23.0 points and 14.7 rebounds) would lead the team as McKay contributed 19.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists alongside the all-star pair, helping the 36ers return to the playoffs. Finishing in fourth place (16-10) during the regular season, Adelaide faced off against Melbourne in the elimination finals. Adelaide would defeat Melbourne (2-0) to reach the semi finals only to then be eliminated by the defending and eventual champions Perth (0-2).
The 36ers, although never looking like a playoff team, were never able to fill the gap left by Bradtke and limped home to a 11-13 record, finishing in the ninth spot. Davis (23.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks) again led the team with his spectacular all-around game, with McKay also contributing 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.
McKay averaged 13.8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while the team improved to a 14–12 record under Monson and made the playoffs by finishing in seventh place.
During a extremely tight season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league's leadership at some point, the Bullets finished up in eighth place (14-12) under first-year head coach David Ingham. McKay appeared in 29 games, averaging 17.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely. McKay, appearing in only 7 games, averaged 18.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
| Mike McKay made his NBL debut with the West Adelaide Bearcats at 17 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Mike McKay played eighteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the West Adelaide Bearcats, Canberra Cannons, Brisbane Bullets, Adelaide 36ers and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 448 NBL games. | - 33rd in total games played. - 36th in total points | McKay's first major tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall.
The next major tournament for McKay was the 1994 FIBA World Championships where alongside Andrew Gaze, who led the tournament in scoring (23.9 ppg), he helped Australia finish second in their pool to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to Russia (76–103) in a game which eliminated them from the medal rounds. The Boomers would finish fifth overall, equalling their best ever result at a World Championship. | After retiring McKay remained in Adelaide, where he worked for Workwear Group as an account manager | Swish | 0 | Mike McKay played eighteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the West Adelaide Bearcats, Canberra Cannons, Brisbane Bullets, Adelaide 36ers and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 448 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | AWARDS- 1x time NBL 6th Man (1996) LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLAfter retiring McKay remained in Adelaide, where he worked for Workwear Group as an account manager |
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| 1137 | Mitchelhill, Keiron | AUS | Mitchelhill | Keiron | 1993 | 2000 | 6 | GRD | 193 | 85 | 113 | 1873 | 615 | 200 | 134 | 69 | 131 | 56 | 12 | 108 | 177 | 213 | 484 | 44.0% | 44.0% | 96 | 263 | 36.5% | 36.5% | 93 | 118 | 78.8% | 78.8% | 117 | 221 | 52.9% | 52.9% | 5.4 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 16.6 | 50% | 45% | 63% | 47% | 47% | 57% | 50% | 48% | 20 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -4 | -0.3 | 89.4 | 42502.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1993, 1995-98 | Cairns 2000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Townsville (QLD) | QLD - Townsville | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Townsville 2002 | 10/01/73 | 14/05/93 | 21/01/00 | 20 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Keiron Mitchelhill was born in Townsville (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Townsville basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEKeiron Mitchelhill made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. Keiron took the court with the Townsville Suns in their inaugural season alongside import stars Ricky Jones and Rimas Kurtinatis. One of the original locals, who was a hero to “short kids” all across Townsville who inspired hundreds of local kids to pick up a basketball.
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.9 | 4.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 54% | 57% | 45% | 24% | 1.3 | 76.6 | 0.73 | 11.6% | 17.23 | 13.88 | 0.6 | 68 | 949 | 8 | 0.328 | 0.107 | 0.072 | 0.030 | 0.006 | 0.058 | 0.095 | 0.328 | 0.042 | Cairns Taipans | Townsville Suns | Keiron Mitchelhill was born in Townsville (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Townsville basketball program. | Keiron took the court with the Townsville Suns in their inaugural season alongside import stars Ricky Jones and Rimas Kurtinatis. One of the original locals, who was a hero to “short kids” all across Townsville who inspired hundreds of local kids to pick up a basketball.
| Keiron Mitchelhill made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Keiron Mitchelhill played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Townsville Suns and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 113 NBL games. | 0 | Keiron Mitchelhill played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Townsville Suns and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 113 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1138 | Mundt, Todd | USA | Mundt | Todd | 1998 | 2000 | 3 | CTR | 213 | 113 | 55 | 1584 | 628 | 292 | 56 | 123 | 169 | 26 | 19 | 127 | 212 | 271 | 521 | 52.0% | 52.0% | 1 | 3 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 85 | 116 | 73.3% | 73.3% | 270 | 518 | 52.1% | 52.1% | 11.4 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 28.8 | 72% | 80% | 58% | 85% | 75% | 56% | 75% | 82% | 24 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -10 | -0.4 | 48.7 | 17945.3 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1998-99 | Illawarra 2000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Iowa City, Iowa (USA) | None | Memphis (1989-1992) / Delta State (1992-1993) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 33 | 0 | 151 | 37 | 28 | 3 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 16 | 41 | 39% | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 63% | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 28/12/1965 | 30/01/98 | 7/01/00 | 32 | 34 | 0 | BIO: Todd Mundt was born in Iowa City, Iowa (USA). NBL EXPERIENCETodd Mundt made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 32 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game. After losing up and coming talent Scott McGregor (to Sydney) and Ben Pepper (to North Melbourne), coach Shawn Dennis made several changes to the roster, including moving on from aging imports Dave Simmons and Butch Hays. Dennis chose to replace Hays with Terry Johnson (via Illawarra), who, after delivering a number of productive seasons as a shooting guard, believed he could also make a import at the point guard spot. After the Hawks told him that he wasn't a 'point guards bootlace' he headed to Newcastle, who were willing to give him a season running the point. Newcastle added Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) and Marc Brandon (via Illawarra) to replace their local talent and then rounded out the roster by adding former Sydney Kings fan favourite Isaac Burton and highly credentialled NBA big man Todd Mundt as imports. Newcastle lost their opening game to South East Melbourne (73–93) and went on to suffer defeats to Illawarra (92-96), Sydney (90–105) and Brisbane (90-92) before they chalked up their first win against Townsville (110–96). While the loses continued to rack up, the unearthed a future star with Newcastle local Ben Melmeth lifting his production from 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds to 21.6 points and 12.4 rebounds. As a result, Melmeth was selected to the All-NBL First Team and named Most Improved Player at the end of the season. Johnson (10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists) fared well in his new role, his play gaining him a spot at this years Boomers selection camp and Burton (19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals), Todd Mundt (13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and returning star Tonny Jensen (18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered quality numbers as well. The lack of production came from the team's bench, who combined to deliver 12 points per game in total, with new recruit Brandon (3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) the highest scoring player off the bench. As a result, the Falcons struggled to stay in front during any game during times they rested their starting lineup and finished the season in tenth place (9-21).
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league.
| In 1995-96, Mundt played for the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. Mundt played 33 games in the NBA. He averaged 1.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - October 5, 1994: Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks. | 7 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.9 | 9.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 52% | 55% | 0% | 22% | 1.2 | 81.3 | -0.82 | 5.0% | 7.42 | 16.82 | 0.8 | 45 | 976 | 18 | 0.396 | 0.184 | 0.035 | 0.016 | 0.012 | 0.080 | 0.134 | 0.396 | 0.039 | Wollongong Hawks | Newcastle Falcons | Todd Mundt was born in Iowa City, Iowa (USA). | After losing up and coming talent Scott McGregor (to Sydney) and Ben Pepper (to North Melbourne), coach Shawn Dennis made several changes to the roster, including moving on from aging imports Dave Simmons and Butch Hays. Dennis chose to replace Hays with Terry Johnson (via Illawarra), who, after delivering a number of productive seasons as a shooting guard, believed he could also make a import at the point guard spot. After the Hawks told him that he wasn't a 'point guards bootlace' he headed to Newcastle, who were willing to give him a season running the point. Newcastle added Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) and Marc Brandon (via Illawarra) to replace their local talent and then rounded out the roster by adding former Sydney Kings fan favourite Isaac Burton and highly credentialled NBA big man Todd Mundt as imports. Newcastle lost their opening game to South East Melbourne (73–93) and went on to suffer defeats to Illawarra (92-96), Sydney (90–105) and Brisbane (90-92) before they chalked up their first win against Townsville (110–96). While the loses continued to rack up, the unearthed a future star with Newcastle local Ben Melmeth lifting his production from 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds to 21.6 points and 12.4 rebounds. As a result, Melmeth was selected to the All-NBL First Team and named Most Improved Player at the end of the season. Johnson (10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists) fared well in his new role, his play gaining him a spot at this years Boomers selection camp and Burton (19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals), Todd Mundt (13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and returning star Tonny Jensen (18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered quality numbers as well. The lack of production came from the team's bench, who combined to deliver 12 points per game in total, with new recruit Brandon (3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) the highest scoring player off the bench. As a result, the Falcons struggled to stay in front during any game during times they rested their starting lineup and finished the season in tenth place (9-21).
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league.
| Todd Mundt made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 32 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game. | Todd Mundt played three seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Newcastle Falcons and the Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 55 NBL games. | In 1995-96, Mundt played for the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. | - October 5, 1994: Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks. - November 1, 1994: Waived by the Atlanta Hawks. - October 30, 1995: Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks. - March 9, 1996: Waived by the Atlanta Hawks. - March 23, 1996: Signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Boston Celtics. - April 12, 1996: Signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics. - July 30, 1996: Released by the Boston Celtics. | He is currently a territory manager at Atrium Medical, a Knoxville, Tennessee-area company that sells medical devices. | 0 | Todd Mundt played three seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Newcastle Falcons and the Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 55 NBL games. | LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLHe is currently a territory manager at Atrium Medical, a Knoxville, Tennessee-area company that sells medical devices. |
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| 1139 | Perry, Darren | AUS | Perry | Darren | 1987 | 2000 | 10 | GRD | 183 | 82 | 252 | 8319 | 2224 | 605 | 942 | 114 | 491 | 336 | 17 | 471 | 441 | 760 | 1983 | 38.3% | 38.3% | 375 | 1061 | 35.3% | 35.3% | 329 | 449 | 73.3% | 73.3% | 385 | 922 | 41.8% | 41.8% | 8.8 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 33.0 | 63% | 54% | 93% | 38% | 59% | 90% | 43% | 74% | 29 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 9 | -7 | -0.2 | 141.9 | 19768.5 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 0 | South East Melbourne (1992), Wollongong (2001) | 2 | 0 | Brisbane 1987-89 | Eastside Melbourne 1990-91 | South East Melbourne 1992-93 | Hobart 1994-95 | Wollongong 2000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Bulleen | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Knox 1996-99 | 13/06/68 | 24/04/87 | 11/03/00 | 18 | 31 | 0 | BIO: Darren Perry was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Bulleen basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEDarren Perry made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. In 1987, Darren Perry played a key role in Brisbane, finishing the regular season in second place, averaging 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in his rookie season. Brisbane received a first-round bye in the 1987 playoffs, where they would face the Illawarra Hawks / North Melbourne Giants elimination finals series winner. The Hawks defeated the Giants 105-97, advancing to a semi-final matchup with the Bullets. Brisbane would win game one comfortably (109-87), lose game two in a nail-biter (77-78) then earn a spot in the 1987 NBL Grand Final after winning game three 100-82. Brisbane made it to the NBL grand final for a league-record fourth consecutive season and would face off against the Perth Wildcats who had just upset the defending champion 36ers on the other side of the semi-final bracket. Perth was led by player/coach and former Bullets' favourite Cal Bruton. Bruton had left the club at the end of 1986 after a public falling out with coach Brian Kerle and turned the Wildcat's into a championship contender with the addition of forwards Kendall 'Tiny' Pinder and the 'Alabama Slamma' James Crawford. At 19 years of age, Perry assumed the starting point guard role in the playoffs and played 42 minutes In game one, contributing 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Bullets defeated Perth on their home court by a single point, the final score reading 80-79. Game 2 saw the Bullets win comfortably after a tightly fought first half (47-44). Perry took leadership of the backcourt, playing 41 minutes and finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists as Brisbane owned the Wildcat's in the second half, outscoring them by 16 points. Leroy Loggins, who had won his third MVP award during the regular season (shared with Adelaide's 1986 Grand Final MVP Mark Davis), was named Grand Final MVP as well.
Brisbane remained among the league’s top-tier teams throughout the regular season and held second place with two rounds remaining. However, a costly 97–105 home defeat to Canberra resulted in them finishing tied with the North Melbourne Giants at 18–6. With the head-to-head series split 1–1, North Melbourne edged ahead on for-and-against (+9), relegating Brisbane to third on the ladder. Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals) once again led the way, earning his seventh consecutive All-NBL First Team selection and topping the league in free throw shooting at 85.6%. American import Emery Atkinson (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks) was a dependable two-way contributor, while veterans Larry Sengstock (11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) anchored the team with experience and consistency. A major highlight for Brisbane was the emergence of rookie guard Shane Heal (15.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), who quickly earned a reputation as one of the NBL’s most exciting young talents. Logging 27 minutes per game behind starting point guard Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), Heal impressed throughout the season and was named NBL Rookie of the Year. Finishing third meant Brisbane had to contest a sudden-death quarterfinal against the sixth-seeded Perth Wildcats, hosted at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Leroy Loggins was again dominant, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals in 45 minutes, while Larry Sengstock (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Emery Atkinson (12 points, 8 rebounds) also made key contributions. However, Brisbane’s poor outside shooting—just 2-of-16 from beyond the arc—proved costly. Perth, by contrast, were clinical, shooting 52% from the field. Former Bullets champion Calvin Bruton returned to haunt his old team, posting 31 points, 4 assists, and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. James Crawford (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks) was dominant in the paint, shutting down Brisbane’s interior offense. The 98–113 defeat ended Brisbane’s campaign in the quarterfinals and halted their run of four straight Grand Final appearances.
Darren Perry (10.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals) was a key part of the backcourt rotation but was limited to just 18 games due to injury, missing a third of the season. His absence disrupted continuity in the guard rotation and impacted Brisbane’s ability to generate consistent perimeter production. Leroy Loggins (22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) continued to lead by example on both ends of the floor, finishing as the team’s leading scorer and defensive anchor. Despite his efforts, Loggins was left off the All-NBL First Team for the first time since 1981—likely influenced by the team’s disappointing win-loss record. New import Winston Crite (20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) posted strong numbers but struggled to develop the same chemistry with Loggins that previous imports had. Veterans Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) remained central to Brisbane’s structure, but both were entering the later stages of their careers and showed signs of decline as their production dipped. Robert Sibley (15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) emerged as one of the few bright spots, nearly doubling his scoring output from the previous season and establishing himself as a key frontcourt contributor. His growth provided the team with much-needed interior support. Despite solid individual efforts, Brisbane struggled to find the rhythm and cohesion that had defined their success in previous years. The Bullets closed the regular season in eighth place with an 11–13 record, missing the postseason for the first time since 1983 and signaling a shift in the franchise’s dominance during the 1980s.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Perry contributed 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
Game one of the Grand Final marked a devastating moment for both Perry and the Magic. Just 11 minutes into the contest, Perry suffered a torn ACL—an injury that would rule him out for the remainder of the series and sideline him for the next nine months. The Magic never fully recovered from the blow, as Melbourne took advantage of the disruption. Copeland poured in 34 points, while Gaze added 26, leading the Tigers to a commanding 116–98 win. Perry’s absence left a gaping hole in South East Melbourne’s rotation, with the team losing its defensive organiser and primary floor general at the most critical time of the season. With Perry sidelined, the Magic showed resilience in Game two. Darren Lucas stepped into the starting role and delivered a season-high 19 points, while Scott Ninnis suffocated Copeland defensively. Although the backcourt rotation had shifted, it was Perry’s fingerprints that remained on the team’s identity—grit, discipline, and ball control. His influence on the group’s structure allowed Rob Rose to seamlessly slide into an expanded playmaking role, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Bruce Bolden anchored the paint with 22 points and 12 rebounds, as the Magic responded with a dominant 115–93 win to level the series. Game three was a test of mental toughness, with the Magic’s backcourt once again rallying in Perry’s absence. South East Melbourne’s defence shut down Melbourne’s stars, holding Gaze to 18 points on 5-of-19 shooting and limiting Copeland’s impact despite his 24-point output. With Bolden (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Rose (26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) leading the way, the Magic claimed a 95–88 win and their first NBL championship. At the conclusion of the series, Bruce Bolden was awarded the NBL Finals MVP by visiting NBA Commissioner David Stern. While Perry watched from the sidelines, his role in shaping the identity and tempo of the Magic’s remarkable debut season was undeniable. Averaging 8.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 1.9 steals across the campaign, Darren Perry’s leadership, playmaking, and defensive energy were instrumental in building the foundation of a championship team during “One Magic Year.”
In 1994, was not re-signed by the Magic and he headed to Tasmania where he would return to form as the starting point guard for the Hobart Devils. Perry averaged 9.4 points and 3.7 rebounds but the Devils struggled throughout the year, finishing with only two wins for the year.
The team would be led by Scott (23.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists) and Moore (17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds) while Perry added 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over the course of a difficult season where the team managed only four wins for the entire year. The only bright spots that season was the emergence of rookies Darren Smith (12.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals), and David Stiff (15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks), who would win the league's Rookie of the Year award at season's end. With high-scoring guard CJ Bruton (22.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) settling into his second season with the team, many felt the Hawks would have one of the stronger rosters clubs, but the Hawks just couldn't seem to get victories over any of the league's top team's. A key factor was the lack of production the team were able to get from Mundt (8.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists), who struggled to play big minutes and with nine games left in the season, he was released. Matt Garrison (17.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.7 steals) entered the team as his replacement, and although his presence delivered a immediate improvement, the move was too little too late. Wollongong limped home to a eighth-place finish (11-17) with the Hawk's dismal season viewed to be a result of Bruton being tasked with too much. In his last year in the NBL, Perry averaged 1.9 points and 0.8 rebounds alongside Melvin Thomas (19.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals) and Glen Saville (14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) who both delivered great seasons and were voted as the Hawks co-MVP's as a result. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.0 | 7.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 4.2 | 48% | 51% | 49% | 23% | 1.1 | 78.5 | 3.20 | 16.9% | 26.21 | 13.11 | 1.4 | 353 | 3771 | 15 | 0.267 | 0.073 | 0.113 | 0.040 | 0.002 | 0.057 | 0.053 | 0.267 | 0.025 | Wollongong Hawks | Brisbane Bullets | Darren Perry was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Bulleen basketball program. | In 1987, Darren Perry played a key role in Brisbane, finishing the regular season in second place, averaging 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in his rookie season. Brisbane received a first-round bye in the 1987 playoffs, where they would face the Illawarra Hawks / North Melbourne Giants elimination finals series winner. The Hawks defeated the Giants 105-97, advancing to a semi-final matchup with the Bullets. Brisbane would win game one comfortably (109-87), lose game two in a nail-biter (77-78) then earn a spot in the 1987 NBL Grand Final after winning game three 100-82. Brisbane made it to the NBL grand final for a league-record fourth consecutive season and would face off against the Perth Wildcats who had just upset the defending champion 36ers on the other side of the semi-final bracket. Perth was led by player/coach and former Bullets' favourite Cal Bruton. Bruton had left the club at the end of 1986 after a public falling out with coach Brian Kerle and turned the Wildcat's into a championship contender with the addition of forwards Kendall 'Tiny' Pinder and the 'Alabama Slamma' James Crawford. At 19 years of age, Perry assumed the starting point guard role in the playoffs and played 42 minutes In game one, contributing 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Bullets defeated Perth on their home court by a single point, the final score reading 80-79. Game 2 saw the Bullets win comfortably after a tightly fought first half (47-44). Perry took leadership of the backcourt, playing 41 minutes and finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists as Brisbane owned the Wildcat's in the second half, outscoring them by 16 points. Leroy Loggins, who had won his third MVP award during the regular season (shared with Adelaide's 1986 Grand Final MVP Mark Davis), was named Grand Final MVP as well.
Brisbane remained among the league’s top-tier teams throughout the regular season and held second place with two rounds remaining. However, a costly 97–105 home defeat to Canberra resulted in them finishing tied with the North Melbourne Giants at 18–6. With the head-to-head series split 1–1, North Melbourne edged ahead on for-and-against (+9), relegating Brisbane to third on the ladder. Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals) once again led the way, earning his seventh consecutive All-NBL First Team selection and topping the league in free throw shooting at 85.6%. American import Emery Atkinson (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks) was a dependable two-way contributor, while veterans Larry Sengstock (11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) anchored the team with experience and consistency. A major highlight for Brisbane was the emergence of rookie guard Shane Heal (15.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), who quickly earned a reputation as one of the NBL’s most exciting young talents. Logging 27 minutes per game behind starting point guard Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), Heal impressed throughout the season and was named NBL Rookie of the Year. Finishing third meant Brisbane had to contest a sudden-death quarterfinal against the sixth-seeded Perth Wildcats, hosted at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Leroy Loggins was again dominant, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals in 45 minutes, while Larry Sengstock (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Emery Atkinson (12 points, 8 rebounds) also made key contributions. However, Brisbane’s poor outside shooting—just 2-of-16 from beyond the arc—proved costly. Perth, by contrast, were clinical, shooting 52% from the field. Former Bullets champion Calvin Bruton returned to haunt his old team, posting 31 points, 4 assists, and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. James Crawford (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks) was dominant in the paint, shutting down Brisbane’s interior offense. The 98–113 defeat ended Brisbane’s campaign in the quarterfinals and halted their run of four straight Grand Final appearances.
Darren Perry (10.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals) was a key part of the backcourt rotation but was limited to just 18 games due to injury, missing a third of the season. His absence disrupted continuity in the guard rotation and impacted Brisbane’s ability to generate consistent perimeter production. Leroy Loggins (22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) continued to lead by example on both ends of the floor, finishing as the team’s leading scorer and defensive anchor. Despite his efforts, Loggins was left off the All-NBL First Team for the first time since 1981—likely influenced by the team’s disappointing win-loss record. New import Winston Crite (20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) posted strong numbers but struggled to develop the same chemistry with Loggins that previous imports had. Veterans Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) remained central to Brisbane’s structure, but both were entering the later stages of their careers and showed signs of decline as their production dipped. Robert Sibley (15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) emerged as one of the few bright spots, nearly doubling his scoring output from the previous season and establishing himself as a key frontcourt contributor. His growth provided the team with much-needed interior support. Despite solid individual efforts, Brisbane struggled to find the rhythm and cohesion that had defined their success in previous years. The Bullets closed the regular season in eighth place with an 11–13 record, missing the postseason for the first time since 1983 and signaling a shift in the franchise’s dominance during the 1980s.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Perry contributed 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
Game one of the Grand Final marked a devastating moment for both Perry and the Magic. Just 11 minutes into the contest, Perry suffered a torn ACL—an injury that would rule him out for the remainder of the series and sideline him for the next nine months. The Magic never fully recovered from the blow, as Melbourne took advantage of the disruption. Copeland poured in 34 points, while Gaze added 26, leading the Tigers to a commanding 116–98 win. Perry’s absence left a gaping hole in South East Melbourne’s rotation, with the team losing its defensive organiser and primary floor general at the most critical time of the season. With Perry sidelined, the Magic showed resilience in Game two. Darren Lucas stepped into the starting role and delivered a season-high 19 points, while Scott Ninnis suffocated Copeland defensively. Although the backcourt rotation had shifted, it was Perry’s fingerprints that remained on the team’s identity—grit, discipline, and ball control. His influence on the group’s structure allowed Rob Rose to seamlessly slide into an expanded playmaking role, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Bruce Bolden anchored the paint with 22 points and 12 rebounds, as the Magic responded with a dominant 115–93 win to level the series. Game three was a test of mental toughness, with the Magic’s backcourt once again rallying in Perry’s absence. South East Melbourne’s defence shut down Melbourne’s stars, holding Gaze to 18 points on 5-of-19 shooting and limiting Copeland’s impact despite his 24-point output. With Bolden (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Rose (26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) leading the way, the Magic claimed a 95–88 win and their first NBL championship. At the conclusion of the series, Bruce Bolden was awarded the NBL Finals MVP by visiting NBA Commissioner David Stern. While Perry watched from the sidelines, his role in shaping the identity and tempo of the Magic’s remarkable debut season was undeniable. Averaging 8.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 1.9 steals across the campaign, Darren Perry’s leadership, playmaking, and defensive energy were instrumental in building the foundation of a championship team during “One Magic Year.”
In 1994, was not re-signed by the Magic and he headed to Tasmania where he would return to form as the starting point guard for the Hobart Devils. Perry averaged 9.4 points and 3.7 rebounds but the Devils struggled throughout the year, finishing with only two wins for the year.
The team would be led by Scott (23.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists) and Moore (17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds) while Perry added 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over the course of a difficult season where the team managed only four wins for the entire year. The only bright spots that season was the emergence of rookies Darren Smith (12.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals), and David Stiff (15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks), who would win the league's Rookie of the Year award at season's end. With high-scoring guard CJ Bruton (22.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) settling into his second season with the team, many felt the Hawks would have one of the stronger rosters clubs, but the Hawks just couldn't seem to get victories over any of the league's top team's. A key factor was the lack of production the team were able to get from Mundt (8.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists), who struggled to play big minutes and with nine games left in the season, he was released. Matt Garrison (17.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.7 steals) entered the team as his replacement, and although his presence delivered a immediate improvement, the move was too little too late. Wollongong limped home to a eighth-place finish (11-17) with the Hawk's dismal season viewed to be a result of Bruton being tasked with too much. In his last year in the NBL, Perry averaged 1.9 points and 0.8 rebounds alongside Melvin Thomas (19.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals) and Glen Saville (14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) who both delivered great seasons and were voted as the Hawks co-MVP's as a result. | Darren Perry made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Darren Perry played ten seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Hobart Devils, South East Melbourne Magic and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 252 NBL games. | 4000 | Darren Perry played ten seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Hobart Devils, South East Melbourne Magic and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 252 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1140 | Pochontesta, Paul | AUS | Pochontesta | Paul | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 3 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 7 | 42.9% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.3 | 40% | 17% | 0% | 0% | 23% | 0% | 0% | 39% | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | -0.5 | 76.9 | 28052.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0 | Perth (2000) | 1 | 0 | Perth 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27/11/99 | 18/12/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEPaul Pochontesta made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 27/11/1999. He scored three points in his first game. | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 69% | 65% | 75% | 0% | 1.4 | 69.9 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0.846 | 0.077 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.154 | 0.000 | 0.846 | 0.615 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Paul Pochontesta made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 27/11/1999. He scored three points in his first game. | Paul Pochontesta played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.6 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0 assists in 3 NBL games. | 0 | Paul Pochontesta played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.6 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0 assists in 3 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1141 | Price, Kelvin | USA | Price | Kelvin | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | CTR | 210 | #N/A | 25 | 921 | 321 | 286 | 54 | 108 | 178 | 18 | 14 | 86 | 90 | 133 | 297 | 44.8% | 44.8% | 5 | 24 | 20.8% | 0.0% | 50 | 109 | 45.9% | 45.9% | 128 | 273 | 46.9% | 46.9% | 12.8 | 11.4 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 7.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 36.8 | 76% | 99% | 79% | 98% | 98% | 70% | 84% | 95% | 23 | 21 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -14 | -0.4 | 60.0 | 9753.9 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/10/99 | 11/03/00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEKelvin Price made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 2/10/1999. He scored 14 points in his first game. | 14 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.3 | 11.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 46% | 47% | 4% | 37% | 1.1 | 82.9 | -0.56 | 6.1% | 11.13 | 17.73 | 1.3 | 32 | 661 | 26 | 0.349 | 0.311 | 0.059 | 0.020 | 0.015 | 0.093 | 0.098 | 0.349 | 0.025 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Kelvin Price made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 2/10/1999. He scored 14 points in his first game. | Kelvin Price played one season in the NBL. He averaged 12.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 25 NBL games. | - 32nd in rebounds per game. | 0 | Kelvin Price played one season in the NBL. He averaged 12.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 25 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1142 | Quarles, Sheldon | USA | Quarles | Sheldon | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | F/C | 208 | #N/A | 27 | 727 | 298 | 217 | 24 | 83 | 134 | 11 | 22 | 78 | 104 | 119 | 298 | 39.9% | 39.9% | 2 | 9 | 22.2% | 0.0% | 58 | 82 | 70.7% | 0.0% | 117 | 289 | 40.5% | 40.5% | 11.0 | 8.0 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 26.9 | 71% | 93% | 53% | 93% | 92% | 52% | 90% | 90% | 26 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 7 | -13 | -0.5 | 13.3 | 4592.2 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/10/99 | 11/03/00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCESheldon Quarles made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 2/10/1999. He scored 13 points in his first game. | 13 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.4 | 11.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 40% | 45% | 0% | 28% | 1.0 | 84.8 | -1.59 | 3.7% | 5.50 | 17.89 | 1.2 | 33 | 539 | 20 | 0.410 | 0.298 | 0.033 | 0.015 | 0.030 | 0.107 | 0.143 | 0.410 | 0.036 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Sheldon Quarles made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 2/10/1999. He scored 13 points in his first game. | Sheldon Quarles played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 27 NBL games. | 0 | Sheldon Quarles played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 27 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1143 | Ritter, Clayton | USA | Ritter | Clayton | 1997 | 2000 | 4 | FRD | 203 | 104 | 116 | 4227 | 2383 | 828 | 202 | 258 | 570 | 119 | 74 | 316 | 445 | 939 | 1991 | 47.2% | 47.2% | 124 | 380 | 32.6% | 32.6% | 381 | 484 | 78.7% | 78.7% | 815 | 1611 | 50.6% | 50.6% | 20.5 | 7.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 36.4 | 94% | 90% | 73% | 85% | 91% | 83% | 86% | 87% | 46 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -14 | -0.4 | 71.4 | 6975.2 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1997-99 | Canberra 2000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Norfolk, Virginia (USA) | None | James Madison | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Austria - Furstenfeld Panthers | Belgium - Aalst | 25/06/71 | 12/04/97 | 11/03/00 | 25 | 28 | 0 | BIO: Clayton Ritter was born in Norfolk, Virginia (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEClayton Ritter made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 25 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. Illawarra would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. Eric Cooks, who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce, and alongside Campbell and Saville with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, was added for veteran leadership. The Hawks then decided not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. Ritter scored 40+ points twice and contributed 23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists during his first year. Edwards however wasn't the fit the Hawk's needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute saw the Hawks struggled to find wins. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season but the Hawks (7-23) failed to make any improvement, missing the playoffs yet again.
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.
Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' as he boosted his scoring from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game in 46 minutes per game. Clayton Ritter (17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists 1.1 steals) and Mat Campbell (15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) also finished among the team's high scorers. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finishing in third place (16-10). A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the Victoria Titans in two straight games during the Qualifying Finals, but thanks to the league's of the 'lucky loser' rule, which allowed the highest placed loser from the Qualifying Finals to proceed to the next round. There, a matchup with Adelaide saw Illawarra eliminated in two straight games, ending their season for good this time.
| 25 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.1 | 17.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 50% | 54% | 13% | 24% | 1.2 | 80.5 | 0.04 | 6.0% | 7.42 | 11.61 | 1.7 | 193 | 3413 | 29 | 0.564 | 0.196 | 0.048 | 0.028 | 0.018 | 0.075 | 0.105 | 0.564 | 0.035 | Canberra Cannons | Illawarra Hawks | Clayton Ritter was born in Norfolk, Virginia (USA). | After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. Illawarra would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. Eric Cooks, who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce, and alongside Campbell and Saville with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, was added for veteran leadership. The Hawks then decided not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. Ritter scored 40+ points twice and contributed 23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists during his first year. Edwards however wasn't the fit the Hawk's needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute saw the Hawks struggled to find wins. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season but the Hawks (7-23) failed to make any improvement, missing the playoffs yet again.
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.
Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' as he boosted his scoring from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game in 46 minutes per game. Clayton Ritter (17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists 1.1 steals) and Mat Campbell (15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) also finished among the team's high scorers. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finishing in third place (16-10). A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the Victoria Titans in two straight games during the Qualifying Finals, but thanks to the league's of the 'lucky loser' rule, which allowed the highest placed loser from the Qualifying Finals to proceed to the next round. There, a matchup with Adelaide saw Illawarra eliminated in two straight games, ending their season for good this time.
| Clayton Ritter made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 25 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. | Clayton Ritter played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 20.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 116 NBL games. | 0 | Clayton Ritter played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 20.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 116 NBL games. | AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Second Team |
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| 1144 | Robinson, Ricky | USA | Robinson | Ricky | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | F/C | 202 | #N/A | 13 | 579 | 242 | 119 | 46 | 33 | 86 | 17 | 6 | 44 | 42 | 94 | 214 | 43.9% | 43.9% | 11 | 32 | 34.4% | 0.0% | 43 | 77 | 55.8% | 0.0% | 83 | 182 | 45.6% | 45.6% | 18.6 | 9.2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 6.6 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 44.5 | 91% | 95% | 92% | 89% | 98% | 90% | 80% | 95% | 27 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -15 | -0.3 | 118.9 | 5959.0 | 13.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Cairns 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/10/99 | 18/12/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCERicky Robinson made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans on 2/10/1999. He scored 16 points in his first game. | 16 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.2 | 16.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 46% | 49% | 12% | 36% | 1.1 | 81.8 | 1.46 | 7.9% | 13.61 | 0.00 | 1.8 | 23 | 407 | 31 | 0.418 | 0.206 | 0.079 | 0.029 | 0.010 | 0.076 | 0.073 | 0.418 | 0.047 | Cairns Taipans | Cairns Taipans | Ricky Robinson made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans on 2/10/1999. He scored 16 points in his first game. | Ricky Robinson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 13 NBL games. | 0 | Ricky Robinson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 13 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1145 | Ryan, Stephen | AUS | Ryan | Stephen | 1998 | 2000 | 2 | FRD | #N/A | #N/A | 6 | 28 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 4 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 0.0% | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 4.7 | 21% | 42% | 0% | 50% | 39% | 0% | 0% | 18% | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | -0.4 | 55.7 | 37509.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | West Sydney 1999-00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/12/98 | 30/12/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEStephen Ryan made his NBL debut with the West Sydney Razorbacks on 4/12/1998. He scored six points in his first game. | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 50% | 1.0 | 85.8 | -0.17 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0.286 | 0.321 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.036 | 0.107 | 0.286 | 0.214 | West Sydney Razorbacks | West Sydney Razorbacks | Stephen Ryan made his NBL debut with the West Sydney Razorbacks on 4/12/1998. He scored six points in his first game. | Stephen Ryan played two seasons the West Sydney Razorbacks. He averaged 1.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 6 NBL games. | 0 | Stephen Ryan played two seasons the West Sydney Razorbacks. He averaged 1.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 6 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1146 | Smith, Greg | AUS | Smith | Greg | 1993 | 2000 | 7 | GRD | 193 | 89 | 136 | 2231 | 594 | 233 | 322 | 64 | 169 | 114 | 7 | 234 | 231 | 215 | 436 | 49.3% | 49.3% | 18 | 74 | 24.3% | 0.0% | 146 | 224 | 65.2% | 65.2% | 197 | 362 | 54.4% | 54.4% | 4.4 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 16.4 | 44% | 45% | 82% | 39% | 49% | 76% | 40% | 71% | 22 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 9 | -4 | -0.3 | 271.4 | 8344.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0 | Perth (2000) | 1 | 0 | Geelong 1993-96 | Perth 98-00 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Warrnambool (VIC) | VIC - Warrnambool | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1997 | Wanneroo 1998-1999 | Hume City 2004-07 | 5/06/75 | 4/06/93 | 4/03/00 | 18 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Greg Smith was born in Warrnambool (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Warrnambool basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEGreg Smith made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.6 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 51% | 56% | 8% | 51% | 1.4 | 80.6 | 1.49 | 26.1% | 29.53 | 21.46 | 0.9 | 121 | 1149 | 8 | 0.266 | 0.104 | 0.144 | 0.051 | 0.003 | 0.105 | 0.104 | 0.266 | 0.039 | Perth Wildcats | Geelong Supercats | Greg Smith was born in Warrnambool (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Warrnambool basketball program. | Greg Smith made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Greg Smith played seven seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Geelong Supercats and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 4.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 136 NBL games. | Wanneroo 1998-1999, 35g, 669pt @ 19.1 | 0 | Greg Smith played seven seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Geelong Supercats and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 4.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 136 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1147 | Wilson, Jared | AUS | Wilson | Jared | 1999 | 2000 | 1 | GRD | 190 | 92 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 16% | 21% | 0% | 0% | 29% | 0% | 0% | 32% | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | -0.2 | 17.8 | 5317.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 3 | 1995, 1996, 1997 | Adelaide (SA) | SA - Sturt | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1995-97 | 9/02/79 | 12/12/99 | 26/12/99 | 20 | 20 | 0 | BIO: Jared Wilson was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sturt basketball program. Wilson received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1995. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1995, 1996, 1997). NBL EXPERIENCEJared Wilson made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 20 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.400 | 0.200 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.200 | 0.000 | 0.400 | 0.400 | Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide 36ers | Jared Wilson was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sturt basketball program. | Jared Wilson made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 20 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Jared Wilson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | Wilson received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1995. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1995, 1996, 1997). | 0 | Jared Wilson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1148 | Woodberry, Steve | USA | Woodberry | Steve | 1995 | 2000 | 6 | G/F | 193 | 90 | 143 | 6370 | 3456 | 1084 | 672 | 414 | 670 | 276 | 67 | 371 | 316 | 1321 | 2798 | 47.2% | 47.2% | 249 | 629 | 39.6% | 39.6% | 565 | 654 | 86.4% | 86.4% | 1072 | 2169 | 49.4% | 49.4% | 24.2 | 7.6 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 4.7 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 44.5 | 98% | 91% | 96% | 91% | 90% | 97% | 80% | 86% | 46 | 15 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 9 | -13 | -0.3 | 284.4 | 15705.6 | 20.3 | 20.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1995 | Brisbane 1996-99 | Sydney 2000 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1993 (Gold) | Wichita, Kansas (USA) | None | Kansas (1990–1994) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Turkey - ? | USA (CBA) - Quad City Thunder | 9/10/71 | 22/04/95 | 17/10/99 | 23 | 28 | 0 | BIO: Woodberry played as a point guard, shooting guard and small forward. Born in Wichita, Kansas he attended Wichita South High School. He played on two state title team's and was named Kansas Naismith Player of the Year as a senior in 1990. NBL EXPERIENCESteve Woodberry made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 23 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. By 1995 the Gold Coast Rollers had been struggling financially for some time. The team would lose a good chunk of its roster to various exits which included Andre LaFleur (quit), Mike Mitchell (Brisbane), Steve Key (knee injury), Matt Reece (Melbourne), Andrew Goodwin (Brisbane). Coach Dave Claxton was able to retain Peter Hill, Tony DeAmbrosis, John Szigeti and added Perth veteran Trevor Torrance, who had seen diminished playing oppourtunies over the past few seasons and replaced long time import duo Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur with Fred Herzog (Canberra) and Tony Massop. Massop failed to live up to expectations and was cut prior to the season starting. The team replacing him with Kansas University product Steve Woodberry. Woodberry averaged 24.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists before a severe knee injury ended his debut season after only 16 games. Woodberry returned to Kansas University for his rehabiliation and during the next 8 months underwent four knee surgeries. The trio of Woodberry, Herzog (20 points per game) and Torrance (15.2 points) failed to deliver the success or excitement the ' Mitchell and LaFleur' team's had brought to the Carrara Indoor Stadium previously. The Rollers roster, which was primarily made up of aging veterans and cheap state league talent struggled to say the least, and managed only five wins for the season.
During a extremely tight season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league's leadership at some point, the Bullets finished up in eighth place (14-12) under first-year head coach David Ingham. Loggins (16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) who averaged career lows in points, rebounds, assists and steals, prompting many to think he may retire at season's end.
The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely.
The Bullets also added CJ Bruton (15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4 assists), fresh from playing college basketball in the USA. Together, the trio formed one of the league's most effective perimeter attacks and finished the regular season in fourth place (16-14). After four consecutive seasons of being eliminated during the first round of the playoffs, Brisbane defeated Melbourne in two straight games to move on to the semi finals. South East Melbourne had destroyed most team's during the season, losing only four games for the year. With Brisbane responsible for one of those defeats (a 81-76 win in round five) Bullets fans had reason to believe a upset was possible. The Magic wouldn't let things fall that way, however, winning game one (98–106) and game two (90-84) in straight sets, ending the Bullets' season.
The team finished with a 13-13 record, finishing fifth and earning a qualifying finals matchup against the Melbourne Tigers, who eliminated Brisbane in two straight games.
SYDNEY KINGS 1999/00 During the 2000 season, Woodberry averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists and was a part of the Kings squad which finished in a seventh place with a record of 11-17.
| Woodberry won a gold medal for the USA at the FIBA Under 23 World Championships in 1993. | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 9.2 | 19.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 4.4 | 52% | 56% | 19% | 23% | 1.2 | 79.5 | 4.03 | 9.9% | 16.28 | 8.99 | 2.4 | 343 | 5212 | 36 | 0.543 | 0.170 | 0.105 | 0.043 | 0.011 | 0.058 | 0.050 | 0.543 | 0.034 | Sydney Kings | Gold Coast Rollers | Woodberry played as a point guard, shooting guard and small forward. Born in Wichita, Kansas he attended Wichita South High School. He played on two state title team's and was named Kansas Naismith Player of the Year as a senior in 1990. | By 1995 the Gold Coast Rollers had been struggling financially for some time. The team would lose a good chunk of its roster to various exits which included Andre LaFleur (quit), Mike Mitchell (Brisbane), Steve Key (knee injury), Matt Reece (Melbourne), Andrew Goodwin (Brisbane). Coach Dave Claxton was able to retain Peter Hill, Tony DeAmbrosis, John Szigeti and added Perth veteran Trevor Torrance, who had seen diminished playing oppourtunies over the past few seasons and replaced long time import duo Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur with Fred Herzog (Canberra) and Tony Massop. Massop failed to live up to expectations and was cut prior to the season starting. The team replacing him with Kansas University product Steve Woodberry. Woodberry averaged 24.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists before a severe knee injury ended his debut season after only 16 games. Woodberry returned to Kansas University for his rehabiliation and during the next 8 months underwent four knee surgeries. The trio of Woodberry, Herzog (20 points per game) and Torrance (15.2 points) failed to deliver the success or excitement the ' Mitchell and LaFleur' team's had brought to the Carrara Indoor Stadium previously. The Rollers roster, which was primarily made up of aging veterans and cheap state league talent struggled to say the least, and managed only five wins for the season.
During a extremely tight season where Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league's leadership at some point, the Bullets finished up in eighth place (14-12) under first-year head coach David Ingham. Loggins (16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) who averaged career lows in points, rebounds, assists and steals, prompting many to think he may retire at season's end.
The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely.
The Bullets also added CJ Bruton (15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4 assists), fresh from playing college basketball in the USA. Together, the trio formed one of the league's most effective perimeter attacks and finished the regular season in fourth place (16-14). After four consecutive seasons of being eliminated during the first round of the playoffs, Brisbane defeated Melbourne in two straight games to move on to the semi finals. South East Melbourne had destroyed most team's during the season, losing only four games for the year. With Brisbane responsible for one of those defeats (a 81-76 win in round five) Bullets fans had reason to believe a upset was possible. The Magic wouldn't let things fall that way, however, winning game one (98–106) and game two (90-84) in straight sets, ending the Bullets' season.
The team finished with a 13-13 record, finishing fifth and earning a qualifying finals matchup against the Melbourne Tigers, who eliminated Brisbane in two straight games.
SYDNEY KINGS 1999/00 During the 2000 season, Woodberry averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists and was a part of the Kings squad which finished in a seventh place with a record of 11-17.
| Steve Woodberry made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 23 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. | Steve Woodberry played six seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane Bullets and Sydney Kings. He averaged 24.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 143 NBL games. | - 47th in points per game. | After leaving Australia Woodberry played three years in Lithuania before stints in Greece, Finland and Sweden before retiring in 2005. | Woodberry won a gold medal for the USA at the FIBA Under 23 World Championships in 1993. | 0 | | Steve Woodberry played six seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane Bullets and Sydney Kings. He averaged 24.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 143 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | AWARDS- 1x time NBL Most Valuable Player (1999) |
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| 1149 | Beak, Brendan | AUS | Beak | Brendan | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | GRD | 190 | 88 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 3 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 7.3 | 14% | 28% | 68% | 40% | 20% | 0% | 67% | 21% | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | -0.3 | 25.2 | 5452.4 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Rockhampton (QLD) | QLD - Ipswich | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1997 | 11/08/79 | 19/12/98 | 9/01/99 | 19 | 19 | 0 | BIO: Brendan Beak was born in Rockhampton (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEBrendan Beak made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 83.3 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 0.103 | 0.103 | 0.207 | 0.000 | 0.034 | 0.034 | 0.103 | 0.103 | 0.103 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Brendan Beak was born in Rockhampton (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. | Brendan Beak made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Brendan Beak played one season in the NBL. He averaged 0.7 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 4 NBL games. | 0 | Brendan Beak played one season in the NBL. He averaged 0.7 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 4 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1150 | Brettell, Jason | AUS | Brettell | Jason | 1995 | 1999 | 4 | GRD | 192 | 85 | 69 | 560 | 128 | 43 | 52 | 17 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 36 | 34 | 48 | 117 | 41.0% | 41.0% | 24 | 63 | 38.1% | 0.0% | 8 | 10 | 80.0% | 0.0% | 24 | 54 | 44.4% | 0.0% | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 8.1 | 26% | 25% | 49% | 27% | 26% | 34% | 0% | 34% | 10 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -2 | -0.2 | 120.2 | 30972.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1995-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Sydney (NSW) | NSW - Illawarra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28/06/76 | 26/05/95 | 10/04/99 | 18 | 22 | 0 | BIO: Jason Brettell was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. FAMILY: Jason's brother, Chris Brettell also played 39 games in the NBL. NBL EXPERIENCEJason Brettell made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. The Hawks rebuilding would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. The Hawks chose not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. The team also added SEABL stawart Eric Cooks who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce during his time with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, a team which had also included both Saville and Campbell. Brettell contributed 2.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists during the 1997 season but with Edwards not being the fit needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks struggled. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season and the Hawks (7-23) failed to make the playoffs yet again.
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. During the 1998/99 season the Hawks continued to improve for a third year in a row. The team recruited CJ Bruton from the Brisbane Bullets to become their starting point guard, alongside imports Clayton Ritter and Theron Wilson and a talented rookie by the name of David Andersen. There, Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' on offence as he jumped from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game while playing the most amount of game time (46 minutes per game) of his seventeen season career. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. Brettell added 1.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in a season where they won two extra games than the year before and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the first placed Victoria Titans in the qualifying finals but thanks to being the recipients of the 'lucky loser' rule where the highest placed loser of the league's top four team's advances to the semi finals. The Hawks then faced the Adelaide 36ers who also defeated them in two straight games in the semifinals and delivered a end to their season. | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 51% | 53% | 50% | 9% | 1.1 | 77.2 | 0.41 | 10.3% | 24.83 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 12 | 223 | 3 | 0.229 | 0.077 | 0.093 | 0.021 | 0.000 | 0.064 | 0.061 | 0.229 | 0.048 | Wollongong Hawks | Illawarra Hawks | Jason Brettell was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. | After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. The Hawks rebuilding would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. The Hawks chose not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. The team also added SEABL stawart Eric Cooks who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce during his time with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, a team which had also included both Saville and Campbell. Brettell contributed 2.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists during the 1997 season but with Edwards not being the fit needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks struggled. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season and the Hawks (7-23) failed to make the playoffs yet again.
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. During the 1998/99 season the Hawks continued to improve for a third year in a row. The team recruited CJ Bruton from the Brisbane Bullets to become their starting point guard, alongside imports Clayton Ritter and Theron Wilson and a talented rookie by the name of David Andersen. There, Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' on offence as he jumped from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game while playing the most amount of game time (46 minutes per game) of his seventeen season career. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. Brettell added 1.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in a season where they won two extra games than the year before and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the first placed Victoria Titans in the qualifying finals but thanks to being the recipients of the 'lucky loser' rule where the highest placed loser of the league's top four team's advances to the semi finals. The Hawks then faced the Adelaide 36ers who also defeated them in two straight games in the semifinals and delivered a end to their season. | Jason Brettell made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Jason Brettell played four seasons the Illawarra Hawks. This included the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 1.8 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 69 NBL games. | FAMILY: Jason's brother, Chris Brettell also played 39 games in the NBL. | 0 | Jason Brettell played four seasons the Illawarra Hawks. This included the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 1.8 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 69 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1151 | Brogan, Dean | AUS | Brogan | Dean | 1998 | 1999 | 2 | PF | 201 | 100 | 43 | 430 | 96 | 75 | 45 | 33 | 42 | 10 | 2 | 51 | 59 | 43 | 94 | 45.7% | 0.0% | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 | 36 | 27.8% | 0.0% | 43 | 91 | 47.3% | 0.0% | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 10.0 | 30% | 45% | 58% | 54% | 42% | 38% | 39% | 57% | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -4 | -0.4 | 47.2 | 12500.7 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | Adelaide (1998) | 1 | 0 | Adelaide 1998 | Newcastle 1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 1 | 1996, 1997 | Morphett Vale (SA) | SA - Norwood | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1996-97 | 14/12/78 | 31/01/98 | 14/03/99 | 19 | 20 | 0 | BIO: Dean Brogan was born in Morphett Vale (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Norwood basketball program. Brogan received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1996. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. FAMILY: Brogan is the younger brother of former Australian Opals basketball player Michelle Brogan. NBL EXPERIENCEDean Brogan made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game. At the end of 1997, the 36ers replaced head coach Dave Claxton, who was only signed by the club at the last moment due to unexpectedly losing Mike Dunlap. He was only signed for one season and was subsequently replaced by rookie coach and former player Phil Smyth. Smyth had been hired without any head coaching experience. In fact, his only previous coaching experience being a specialist coach at the Australian Institute of Sport during his playing days in Canberra.
Shortly after, Smyth signed Canberra Cannons guard Darnell Mee who had just spent a season in France after rehabilitating the knee that limited his productivity in his first NBL season. Once signed, Mee recommended his former teammate Kevin Brooks to the 36ers, and they signed the former NBA forward to a two-year deal. After his first training session with the team, Brooks' teammates thought he wouldn't last a week in the NBL with a shooting style that saw him release the ball almost from behind his head. However, they soon found Brooks (19.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists) was for real as he went on to lead the team in points per game with Brett Maher (17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) and Mee (14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists) providing the additional scoring punch. The 36ers' gamble on Smyth's playing experience translating into coaching success also paid off, with Adelaide recording the most wins since 1988 and finished in second place (19–11).
Adelaide collected their first NBL championship since 1986, and Kevin Brooks was named Grand Final MVP in what was the last winter season for the National Basketball League. Brogan would see limited playing opportunities to play as a rookie, appearing in only 17 games and averaging 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league. Even with the lack of talent on the Falcons roster, Brogan still struggled to find game time and after appearing in 26 games and averaging 2.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists he swapped codes and took up a deal to play AFL football with Port Adelaide. | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 46% | 44% | 0% | 38% | 1.0 | 83.2 | 0.09 | 10.6% | 21.86 | 24.78 | 0.3 | 12 | 216 | 5 | 0.223 | 0.174 | 0.105 | 0.023 | 0.005 | 0.119 | 0.137 | 0.223 | 0.030 | Newcastle Falcons | Adelaide 36ers | Dean Brogan was born in Morphett Vale (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Norwood basketball program. | At the end of 1997, the 36ers replaced head coach Dave Claxton, who was only signed by the club at the last moment due to unexpectedly losing Mike Dunlap. He was only signed for one season and was subsequently replaced by rookie coach and former player Phil Smyth. Smyth had been hired without any head coaching experience. In fact, his only previous coaching experience being a specialist coach at the Australian Institute of Sport during his playing days in Canberra.
Shortly after, Smyth signed Canberra Cannons guard Darnell Mee who had just spent a season in France after rehabilitating the knee that limited his productivity in his first NBL season. Once signed, Mee recommended his former teammate Kevin Brooks to the 36ers, and they signed the former NBA forward to a two-year deal. After his first training session with the team, Brooks' teammates thought he wouldn't last a week in the NBL with a shooting style that saw him release the ball almost from behind his head. However, they soon found Brooks (19.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists) was for real as he went on to lead the team in points per game with Brett Maher (17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) and Mee (14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists) providing the additional scoring punch. The 36ers' gamble on Smyth's playing experience translating into coaching success also paid off, with Adelaide recording the most wins since 1988 and finished in second place (19–11).
Adelaide collected their first NBL championship since 1986, and Kevin Brooks was named Grand Final MVP in what was the last winter season for the National Basketball League. Brogan would see limited playing opportunities to play as a rookie, appearing in only 17 games and averaging 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league. Even with the lack of talent on the Falcons roster, Brogan still struggled to find game time and after appearing in 26 games and averaging 2.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists he swapped codes and took up a deal to play AFL football with Port Adelaide. | Dean Brogan made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game. | Dean Brogan played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Adelaide 36ers and the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1 assists in 43 NBL games. | Brogan received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1996. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. | FAMILY: Brogan is the younger brother of former Australian Opals basketball player Michelle Brogan. | Brogan is the younger brother of former Australian Opals basketball player Michelle Brogan. | After playing 13 seasons in the AFL for Port Adelaide Power and Greater Western Sydney Giants, Brogan took up a role as the Giants' ruck and stoppages coach. | 0 | Dean Brogan played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Adelaide 36ers and the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1 assists in 43 NBL games. | LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLAfter playing 13 seasons in the AFL for Port Adelaide Power and Greater Western Sydney Giants, Brogan took up a role as the Giants' ruck and stoppages coach. |
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| 1152 | Brown, Greg | AUS | Brown | Greg | 1997 | 1999 | 3 | PG | 188 | 82 | 47 | 446 | 143 | 40 | 24 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 26 | 27 | 56 | 133 | 42.1% | 42.1% | 10 | 42 | 23.8% | 0.0% | 21 | 33 | 63.6% | 0.0% | 46 | 91 | 50.5% | 0.0% | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 9.5 | 35% | 29% | 41% | 35% | 28% | 52% | 0% | 35% | 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -2 | -0.3 | 37.6 | 12682.2 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1997-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Geraldton (WA) | WA - Geraldton | New México JC (1990-1992) / New México (1992-1994) / | 2021 | 43 | NOP | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Geraldton 1990-2009 | 8/5/74 | 11/04/97 | 2/01/99 | 22 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Greg Brown was born and raised in Geraldton (WA) where he began playing basketball at 10 years of age with the Geraldton Buccaneers. He represented WA at the U16, U18, U20 national championships. NBL EXPERIENCEGreg Brown made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 22 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. Greg was a hard nosed defensive point guard during his time in the NBL who played as a backup to 'Cats legend Ricky Grace. | Greg Brown was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans with pick #43 in the 2021 NBA Draft. | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 46% | 48% | 18% | 25% | 1.1 | 81.5 | 0.36 | 14.3% | 12.15 | 0.00 | 0.4 | 19 | 207 | 4 | 0.321 | 0.090 | 0.054 | 0.043 | 0.000 | 0.058 | 0.061 | 0.321 | 0.058 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Greg Brown was born and raised in Geraldton (WA) where he began playing basketball at 10 years of age with the Geraldton Buccaneers. He represented WA at the U16, U18, U20 national championships. | Greg was a hard nosed defensive point guard during his time in the NBL who played as a backup to 'Cats legend Ricky Grace. | Greg Brown made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 22 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Greg Brown played three seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 47 NBL games. | Greg played over 400 SBL games, 350 of those with his junior team, the Geraldton Buccaneers where he won the 2003 SBL MVP award. | Greg Brown was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans with pick #43 in the 2021 NBA Draft. | - SBL MVP (2015) | 0 | Greg Brown played three seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 47 NBL games. | AWARDS- SBL MVP (2015) |
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| 1153 | Delaney, Thaddeous | USA | Delaney | Thaddeous | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | CTR | 203 | 113 | 28 | 1020 | 325 | 296 | 48 | 138 | 158 | 26 | 32 | 89 | 97 | 135 | 333 | 40.5% | 40.5% | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | 0.0% | 54 | 98 | 55.1% | 0.0% | 134 | 328 | 40.9% | 40.9% | 11.6 | 10.6 | 1.7 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 36.4 | 72% | 98% | 72% | 99% | 94% | 79% | 95% | 94% | 22 | 20 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 7 | -12 | -0.3 | 35.7 | 3156.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Columbia (USA) | None | College of Charleston (1993-1997) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20/11/73 | 9/10/98 | 26/03/99 | 24 | 25 | 0 | BIO: Thaddeous Delaney was born in Columbia (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEThaddeous Delaney made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 24 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game. He participated in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in 1997 and played professionally overseas in Argentina, Chile, the Philippines, Spain as well as Australia. | 14 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.8 | 11.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 41% | 43% | 0% | 29% | 1.0 | 84.7 | -0.54 | 7.8% | 9.35 | 17.34 | 2.1 | 58 | 669 | 24 | 0.319 | 0.290 | 0.047 | 0.025 | 0.031 | 0.087 | 0.095 | 0.319 | 0.022 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Thaddeous Delaney was born in Columbia (USA). | He participated in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in 1997 and played professionally overseas in Argentina, Chile, the Philippines, Spain as well as Australia. | Thaddeous Delaney made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 24 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game. | Thaddeous Delaney played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 28 NBL games. | COLLEGEAffectionately nicknamed, "The Shaq of the TAAC," Thaddeous Delaney was a dominant player for the men's basketball team from 1994-97 and always played his best games against the best competition in the country, according to legendary head coach John Kresse. He still ranks as the school's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,564 career points (second all-time in CofC NCAA Division I history) and the second all-time leading rebounder with 1,119 career rebounds (first all-time in TAAC history). During his four-year career, the Cougars compiled a impressive 101-17 overall record including four TAAC championships, two NIT and two NCAA Tournament appearances. A three-time All-TAAC First Team selection, he recorded 51 career double-doubles and averaged a career 13.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Honored as the 1996 TAAC Player of the Year, his 11.4 rebounding average ranked No. 7 nationally as a junior. During his senior campaign, he helped the Cougars to a No. 16 national ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll and a 29-3 mark with their three losses coming only to eventual 1997 national champion Arizona, NCAA runner-up Kentucky and Oklahoma State. He was named TAAC Player of the Week three times and earned TAAC All-Tournament honours. In his final collegiate game, Delaney scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Arizona in the NCAA Second Round.
| Affectionately nicknamed, "The Shaq of the TAAC," Thaddeous Delaney was a dominant player for the men's basketball team from 1994-97 and always played his best games against the best competition in the country, according to legendary head coach John Kresse. He still ranks as the school's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,564 career points (second all-time in CofC NCAA Division I history) and the second all-time leading rebounder with 1,119 career rebounds (first all-time in TAAC history). During his four-year career, the Cougars compiled a impressive 101-17 overall record including four TAAC championships, two NIT and two NCAA Tournament appearances. A three-time All-TAAC First Team selection, he recorded 51 career double-doubles and averaged a career 13.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Honored as the 1996 TAAC Player of the Year, his 11.4 rebounding average ranked No. 7 nationally as a junior. During his senior campaign, he helped the Cougars to a No. 16 national ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll and a 29-3 mark with their three losses coming only to eventual 1997 national champion Arizona, NCAA runner-up Kentucky and Oklahoma State. He was named TAAC Player of the Week three times and earned TAAC All-Tournament honours. In his final collegiate game, Delaney scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Arizona in the NCAA Second Round.
| - 46th in rebounds per game. | 0 | Thaddeous Delaney played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 28 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEAffectionately nicknamed, "The Shaq of the TAAC," Thaddeous Delaney was a dominant player for the men's basketball team from 1994-97 and always played his best games against the best competition in the country, according to legendary head coach John Kresse. He still ranks as the school's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,564 career points (second all-time in CofC NCAA Division I history) and the second all-time leading rebounder with 1,119 career rebounds (first all-time in TAAC history). During his four-year career, the Cougars compiled a impressive 101-17 overall record including four TAAC championships, two NIT and two NCAA Tournament appearances. A three-time All-TAAC First Team selection, he recorded 51 career double-doubles and averaged a career 13.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Honored as the 1996 TAAC Player of the Year, his 11.4 rebounding average ranked No. 7 nationally as a junior. During his senior campaign, he helped the Cougars to a No. 16 national ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll and a 29-3 mark with their three losses coming only to eventual 1997 national champion Arizona, NCAA runner-up Kentucky and Oklahoma State. He was named TAAC Player of the Week three times and earned TAAC All-Tournament honours. In his final collegiate game, Delaney scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Arizona in the NCAA Second Round.
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| 1154 | Denman, Paul | AUS | Denman | Paul | 1997 | 1999 | 3 | F/C | 204 | 90 | 46 | 463 | 111 | 90 | 7 | 32 | 58 | 3 | 9 | 18 | 47 | 47 | 108 | 43.5% | 43.5% | 1 | 3 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 16 | 24 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 46 | 105 | 43.8% | 43.8% | 2.4 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 10.1 | 31% | 48% | 24% | 52% | 49% | 26% | 62% | 28% | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -3 | -0.3 | 290.0 | 10942.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1997-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Canberra (ACT) | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25/02/76 | 12/04/97 | 13/03/99 | 21 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Paul Denman was born in Canberra (ACT) NBL EXPERIENCEPaul Denman made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 21 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 44% | 47% | 0% | 22% | 1.0 | 83.6 | -0.17 | 2.8% | 4.88 | 0.00 | 0.3 | 12 | 208 | 5 | 0.240 | 0.194 | 0.015 | 0.006 | 0.019 | 0.039 | 0.102 | 0.240 | 0.039 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | Paul Denman was born in Canberra (ACT) | Paul Denman made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 21 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Paul Denman played three seasons the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 2.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 46 NBL games. | 0 | Paul Denman played three seasons the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 2.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 46 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1155 | Dickinson, Cameron | AUS | Dickinson | Cameron | 1988 | 1999 | 9 | G/F | 184 | 95 | 207 | 4632 | 2201 | 436 | 285 | 144 | 292 | 168 | 10 | 344 | 543 | 791 | 1891 | 41.8% | 41.8% | 317 | 920 | 34.5% | 34.5% | 302 | 392 | 77.0% | 77.0% | 474 | 971 | 48.8% | 48.8% | 10.6 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 22.4 | 69% | 51% | 67% | 52% | 51% | 74% | 39% | 69% | 38 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 7 | -9 | -0.4 | 110.3 | 24265.3 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1988, 1989 | Brisbane 1991 | Townsville 1994-96 | Sydney 1997 | Wollongong 1998-99 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | Grand View College (1990) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7/03/69 | 29/04/88 | 10/04/99 | 19 | 30 | 0 | BIO: Cameron Dickinson was born in Melbourne (VIC) NBL EXPERIENCECameron Dickinson made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 19 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. In 1996 Dickinson averaged 20.1 points and 3.4 rebounds while the Townsville Suns finished the regular season with a 9-17 record. In 1997 Dickinson averaged 10.8 points and 1.7 rebounds, and helped guide the Kings to a ninth-place finish during the regular season with a 12-18 record. 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. There, Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' on offence as he jumped from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game while playing the most amount of game time (46 minutes per game) of his seventeen season career. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. Dickinson added 3.7 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in a season where they won two extra games than the year before and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the first placed Victoria Titans in the qualifying finals but thanks to being the recipients of the 'lucky loser' rule where the highest placed loser of the league's top four team's advances to the semi finals. The Hawks then faced the Adelaide 36ers who also defeated them in two straight games in the semifinals and delivered a end to their season. | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.8 | 9.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 50% | 53% | 40% | 21% | 1.2 | 78.3 | 0.53 | 8.9% | 10.59 | 12.78 | 0.9 | 178 | 2922 | 14 | 0.475 | 0.094 | 0.062 | 0.036 | 0.002 | 0.074 | 0.117 | 0.475 | 0.043 | Wollongong Hawks | Hobart Devils | Cameron Dickinson was born in Melbourne (VIC) | In 1996 Dickinson averaged 20.1 points and 3.4 rebounds while the Townsville Suns finished the regular season with a 9-17 record. In 1997 Dickinson averaged 10.8 points and 1.7 rebounds, and helped guide the Kings to a ninth-place finish during the regular season with a 12-18 record. 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. There, Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' on offence as he jumped from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game while playing the most amount of game time (46 minutes per game) of his seventeen season career. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. Dickinson added 3.7 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in a season where they won two extra games than the year before and finished in third place with a record of 16-10. A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the first placed Victoria Titans in the qualifying finals but thanks to being the recipients of the 'lucky loser' rule where the highest placed loser of the league's top four team's advances to the semi finals. The Hawks then faced the Adelaide 36ers who also defeated them in two straight games in the semifinals and delivered a end to their season. | Cameron Dickinson made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 19 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Cameron Dickinson played nine seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Hobart Devils, Townsville Suns, Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 207 NBL games. | 0 | Cameron Dickinson played nine seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Hobart Devils, Townsville Suns, Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 207 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1156 | Fikes, Billy | AUS | Fikes | Billy | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 2 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 6 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 10.5 | 34% | 48% | 39% | 73% | 29% | 81% | 0% | 85% | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -8 | -0.7 | 263.1 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | SA - North Adelaide | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | North Adelaide 1997-98 | 30/10/98 | 7/11/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEBilly Fikes made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 30/10/1998. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.5 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.0 | 82.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 8.33 | 0.00 | 1.0 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 0.286 | 0.190 | 0.048 | 0.095 | 0.000 | 0.238 | 0.429 | 0.286 | 0.190 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | Billy Fikes made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 30/10/1998. He scored two points in his first game. | Billy Fikes played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Billy Fikes played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 2 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1157 | Fox, Clinton | AUS | Fox | Clinton | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | FRD | #N/A | #N/A | 6 | 32 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 41.7% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 3 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 5 | 11 | 45.5% | 0.0% | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 27% | 21% | 0% | 23% | 23% | 33% | 0% | 25% | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | -0.5 | 112.0 | 14072.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | QLD - Maroochydore | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20/11/98 | 6/03/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEClinton Fox made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles on 20/11/1998. He scored four points in his first game. | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 42% | 45% | 0% | 25% | 1.0 | 84.5 | -0.17 | 8.3% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 0.375 | 0.094 | 0.000 | 0.031 | 0.000 | 0.063 | 0.188 | 0.375 | 0.250 | Townsville Crocodiles | Townsville Crocodiles | Clinton Fox made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles on 20/11/1998. He scored four points in his first game. | Clinton Fox played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 6 NBL games. | 0 | Clinton Fox played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 6 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1158 | Goldston, Alonzo | USA | Goldston | Alonzo | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | FRD | 206 | 111 | 6 | 205 | 85 | 61 | 8 | 23 | 38 | 11 | 9 | 19 | 29 | 36 | 69 | 52.2% | 0.0% | 2 | 9 | 22.2% | 0.0% | 11 | 21 | 52.4% | 0.0% | 34 | 60 | 56.7% | 0.0% | 14.2 | 10.2 | 1.3 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 34.2 | 80% | 97% | 66% | 97% | 97% | 97% | 97% | 93% | 19 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | -11 | -0.3 | #DIV/0! | #DIV/0! | 13.1 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Washington DC, Washington (USA) | None | Fort Hays State (1995-1997) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Venezuela - Graneros (2003-2004) | 10/10/98 | 14/11/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Lurch BIO: Alonzo Goldston was born in Washington DC, Washington (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEAlonzo Goldston made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings on 10/10/1998. He scored 16 points in his first game. Sydney entered the 1998/99 season undergoing a major roster overhaul as the NBL transitioned from a winter to a summer competition. Key departures included Shane Heal, who left for Greece to play with Near East, longtime team captain Bruce Bolden, who joined the expansion West Sydney Razorbacks, and Brad Williams and Stephen Whitehead, who were not re-signed. In response, Sydney added Ben Castle (via Brisbane) and Darren Smith (via state league) while head coach Bill Tomlinson opted to rebuild around young talent, particularly Matthew Nielsen and Aaron Trahair. Import Kelsey Weems, who had joined the team for the final 12 games of the previous season, was re-signed and paired with incoming import Alonzo Goldston.
| 16 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.0 | 11.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 54% | 54% | 0% | 30% | 1.2 | 80.3 | 0.00 | 15.9% | 7.60 | 0.00 | 3.3 | 20 | 154 | 26 | 0.415 | 0.298 | 0.039 | 0.054 | 0.044 | 0.093 | 0.141 | 0.415 | 0.093 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Alonzo Goldston was born in Washington DC, Washington (USA). | Sydney entered the 1998/99 season undergoing a major roster overhaul as the NBL transitioned from a winter to a summer competition. Key departures included Shane Heal, who left for Greece to play with Near East, longtime team captain Bruce Bolden, who joined the expansion West Sydney Razorbacks, and Brad Williams and Stephen Whitehead, who were not re-signed. In response, Sydney added Ben Castle (via Brisbane) and Darren Smith (via state league) while head coach Bill Tomlinson opted to rebuild around young talent, particularly Matthew Nielsen and Aaron Trahair. Import Kelsey Weems, who had joined the team for the final 12 games of the previous season, was re-signed and paired with incoming import Alonzo Goldston.
| Alonzo Goldston made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings on 10/10/1998. He scored 16 points in his first game. | Alonzo Goldston played one season in the NBL. He averaged 14.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 6 NBL games. | COLLEGEAs a junior center for Fort Hays State University (Kansas), he averaged 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds, was named a Division II all-American and helped the Tigers go 34-0 and win the Division II national championship. | As a junior center for Fort Hays State University (Kansas), he averaged 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds, was named a Division II all-American and helped the Tigers go 34-0 and win the Division II national championship. | Lurch | 0 | Alonzo Goldston played one season in the NBL. He averaged 14.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 6 NBL games. | COLLEGEAs a junior center for Fort Hays State University (Kansas), he averaged 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds, was named a Division II all-American and helped the Tigers go 34-0 and win the Division II national championship. |
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| 1159 | Goodman, Sidney | AUS | Goodman | Sidney | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | FRD | #N/A | #N/A | 4 | 116 | 28 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 35 | 31.4% | 0.0% | 2 | 6 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 9 | 29 | 31.0% | 0.0% | 7.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 29.0 | 56% | 48% | 88% | 53% | 49% | 98% | 67% | 91% | 15 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -11 | -0.4 | 240.5 | 34560.3 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | South Adelaide 1997 | 10/10/98 | 7/11/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCESidney Goodman made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 10/10/1998. He scored 15 points in his first game. | 15 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.8 | 8.8 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 34% | 37% | 0% | 17% | 0.8 | 85.4 | 0.00 | 22.9% | 19.47 | 0.00 | 2.3 | 9 | 48 | 12 | 0.241 | 0.069 | 0.103 | 0.069 | 0.009 | 0.103 | 0.138 | 0.241 | 0.129 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Sidney Goodman made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 10/10/1998. He scored 15 points in his first game. | Sidney Goodman played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 4 NBL games. | 0 | Sidney Goodman played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 4 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1160 | Gordon, Ray | AUS | Gordon | Ray | 1984 | 1999 | 16 | GRD | 190 | 89 | 424 | 5943 | 2262 | 566 | 602 | 185 | 381 | 243 | 58 | 393 | 913 | 827 | 1955 | 42.3% | 42.3% | 253 | 765 | 33.1% | 33.1% | 355 | 511 | 69.5% | 69.5% | 574 | 1190 | 48.2% | 48.2% | 5.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 14.0 | 49% | 40% | 67% | 37% | 40% | 63% | 55% | 48% | 31 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 7 | -5 | -0.4 | 408.5 | 57486.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 0 | Melbourne (1993, 1997) | 2 | 0 | Melbourne 1984-86, 1989-99 | North Melbourne 1987-88 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | England | VIC - Melbourne | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11/08/65 | 4/02/84 | 9/04/99 | 18 | 33 | 0 | BIO: Ray Gordon was born in England and began playing basketball as a junior with the Melbourne basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCERay Gordon made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 18 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. Gordon averaged 4.2 points and 0.8 rebounds during his rookie season and helped guide the Tigers to a ninth-place finish in the regular season with a 11-13 record.
In the semifinals, the Giants made easy work of the Wildcat's and reached the Grand Final for the first time in the club's history. 5,200 Cannons fans turned up to the AIS arena to see Phil Smyth (25 points) and Jamie Kennedy (21 points) lead the Cannons to victory in game one (120-95). Gordon would add 5 points and 4 rebounds in the opening game. In game two, Dillon (43 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assist) was unstoppable, helping the Giants even the series behind a home win (117-101). Despite being held scoreless, Gordon also added 5 rebounds. 7,200 Giants fans turned up for Game 3, keen to see the team win their first championship, North Melbourne’s Cinderella season wouldn't come to pass, with Canberra winning the series clinching game (108-101). Willie Simmons (23 points and 10 rebounds) led the way for the Cannons with alongside Simon Cottrell and Phil Smyth (both 21 points). Smyth would be awarded the Grand Final MVP after averaging 21.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.6 steals across the three-game series.
Melbourne's inexperience became evident in the postseason, however, being eliminated in the first round by the Sydney Kings.
Andrew Gaze, who had spent the off-seasonplaying with Seton Hall University and narrowly missing out on a contract with the Seattle Supersonics, looked to light up the league. Gaze (37.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), Colbert (31.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Simmons (27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3) filled every column in the stats sheet every night, as well as combing for 96 points per game. Melbourne hit a major speed bump when Gaze was diagnosed as having a blood clot in his right shoulder, a issue that almost ended his playing career. As a result, Gaze would miss the Tigers' last two games of the regular season and all playoff games, but Melbourne still managed to finish in fourth place (17-9). They faced off against fifth-seed Perth in the elimination finals, where Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze's absence, but it wasn't enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn't score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100). In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Gordon would play in 28 games, averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the season.
The Tigers made history this season when they faced off against Illawarra and recorded the highest scoring game in NBL history (Jul 27). The game saw 344 points scored, and the Tigers come out as victors (186-158). Gaze (59 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals), Colbert (42 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists) and Simmons (36 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists) doing the bulk of the scoring for Melbourne and Patric Fairs (41 points and 10 rebounds) and Greg Hubbard (36 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists) top scoring for Illawarra, who shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort. Gordon also added 7 points and 12 assists.
Once into the playoffs, Melbourne would lose game one (115-129) and game two (96-132) to Adelaide in the elimination finals. The scoring brilliance of Gaze, combined with the Tigers' regular season success, was enough to earn him the NBL Most Valuable Player award for the first time. Gaze would then take home the NBL MVP award in seven of his next eight seasons. Gordon would play in 23 games, averaging 7.8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists for the season.
Melbourne replaced the interior presence of Colbert with Robert Sibley (via Brisbane), which then resulted in Brisbane signing free agent Colbert in a talent swap for both team's. Sibley (11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) fitted into the frontcourt nicely, and talented young swingman Stephen Whitehead (13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) saw a boost in his numbers for the third straight season. With the revamped roster, the Tigers became a much faster lineup, finishing the regular season in the third spot, their highest place finish ever (15-9). Once into the postseason Melbourne would eliminate Perth (2-1) in the quarterfinals, and then the Sydney Kings (2-1) in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final series for the first time in franchise history. Facing off against crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Magic, Gaze (26 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and the Tigers came out firing and comfortably defeated the Magic (116-98) in the first game of the series. That would be the last of the heroics, however, as the Magic would win the series' next two games and claim the 1992 NBL championship (2-1). Gordon appeared in 27 games for the Tigers, averaging 2.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the season.
On the opposite side of the bracket, the Perth Wildcats (21-5) had finished on top of the ladder and made their way through to the Grand Final. The series began with the Tigers playing at home and, by the second quarter, were controlling things with a 19 point lead. From there, Melbourne saw four key players fall into foul trouble, which included Robert Sibley (13 points and 4 rebounds) and Bradtke (4 points, 11 rebounds) fouling out. Bradtke struggled against Perth's interior defenders and finished the game shooting one from nine from the field. Ricky Grace (23 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals) then fueled a late-game surge from Perth which closed the game by four points. In the closing minutes, Perth attempted to close the gap by repeatedly sending Melbourne to the line but with Gaze (41 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists) nailing ten from ten free throws in the final quarter, Melbourne see out the game as victors (117-113).
Perth remained in control of the foul-prone Tigers, who struggled to score after losing both Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Dave Simmons (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) to six fouls. Grace (23 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists) came close to recording a triple-double, many of those assists coming from feeding Crawford inside, who made 11 of his 15 shots. A full house at the Perth Entertainment Centre (8,000 fans) witnessed the Wildcats' victory (112-105), one that extended their consecutive home winning streak to 17. With game three to be played in Perth and the Tigers have never won on the Wildcats' home floor, Perth entered the game as clear favourites.
Gordon missed 11 games through injury, but finished the year with averages of 2.9 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists, playing in 22 games.
Gordon would play in 29 of the Tigers games that season, averaging 2.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time. The Tigers added forward Matt Reece (via Gold Coast) and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey. Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team's (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers' last nine games for the season. The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2). Gordon would appear in 20 games for the Tigers, averaging 2.9 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.0 | 4.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 49% | 52% | 31% | 26% | 1.2 | 79.5 | 1.07 | 12.4% | 18.96 | 12.38 | 0.7 | 301 | 3430 | 8 | 0.314 | 0.075 | 0.077 | 0.031 | 0.008 | 0.048 | 0.123 | 0.314 | 0.031 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Tigers | Ray Gordon was born in England and began playing basketball as a junior with the Melbourne basketball program. | Gordon averaged 4.2 points and 0.8 rebounds during his rookie season and helped guide the Tigers to a ninth-place finish in the regular season with a 11-13 record.
In the semifinals, the Giants made easy work of the Wildcat's and reached the Grand Final for the first time in the club's history. 5,200 Cannons fans turned up to the AIS arena to see Phil Smyth (25 points) and Jamie Kennedy (21 points) lead the Cannons to victory in game one (120-95). Gordon would add 5 points and 4 rebounds in the opening game. In game two, Dillon (43 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assist) was unstoppable, helping the Giants even the series behind a home win (117-101). Despite being held scoreless, Gordon also added 5 rebounds. 7,200 Giants fans turned up for Game 3, keen to see the team win their first championship, North Melbourne’s Cinderella season wouldn't come to pass, with Canberra winning the series clinching game (108-101). Willie Simmons (23 points and 10 rebounds) led the way for the Cannons with alongside Simon Cottrell and Phil Smyth (both 21 points). Smyth would be awarded the Grand Final MVP after averaging 21.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.6 steals across the three-game series.
Melbourne's inexperience became evident in the postseason, however, being eliminated in the first round by the Sydney Kings.
Andrew Gaze, who had spent the off-seasonplaying with Seton Hall University and narrowly missing out on a contract with the Seattle Supersonics, looked to light up the league. Gaze (37.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), Colbert (31.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Simmons (27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3) filled every column in the stats sheet every night, as well as combing for 96 points per game. Melbourne hit a major speed bump when Gaze was diagnosed as having a blood clot in his right shoulder, a issue that almost ended his playing career. As a result, Gaze would miss the Tigers' last two games of the regular season and all playoff games, but Melbourne still managed to finish in fourth place (17-9). They faced off against fifth-seed Perth in the elimination finals, where Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze's absence, but it wasn't enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn't score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100). In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Gordon would play in 28 games, averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the season.
The Tigers made history this season when they faced off against Illawarra and recorded the highest scoring game in NBL history (Jul 27). The game saw 344 points scored, and the Tigers come out as victors (186-158). Gaze (59 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals), Colbert (42 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists) and Simmons (36 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists) doing the bulk of the scoring for Melbourne and Patric Fairs (41 points and 10 rebounds) and Greg Hubbard (36 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists) top scoring for Illawarra, who shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort. Gordon also added 7 points and 12 assists.
Once into the playoffs, Melbourne would lose game one (115-129) and game two (96-132) to Adelaide in the elimination finals. The scoring brilliance of Gaze, combined with the Tigers' regular season success, was enough to earn him the NBL Most Valuable Player award for the first time. Gaze would then take home the NBL MVP award in seven of his next eight seasons. Gordon would play in 23 games, averaging 7.8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists for the season.
Melbourne replaced the interior presence of Colbert with Robert Sibley (via Brisbane), which then resulted in Brisbane signing free agent Colbert in a talent swap for both team's. Sibley (11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) fitted into the frontcourt nicely, and talented young swingman Stephen Whitehead (13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) saw a boost in his numbers for the third straight season. With the revamped roster, the Tigers became a much faster lineup, finishing the regular season in the third spot, their highest place finish ever (15-9). Once into the postseason Melbourne would eliminate Perth (2-1) in the quarterfinals, and then the Sydney Kings (2-1) in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final series for the first time in franchise history. Facing off against crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Magic, Gaze (26 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and the Tigers came out firing and comfortably defeated the Magic (116-98) in the first game of the series. That would be the last of the heroics, however, as the Magic would win the series' next two games and claim the 1992 NBL championship (2-1). Gordon appeared in 27 games for the Tigers, averaging 2.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the season.
On the opposite side of the bracket, the Perth Wildcats (21-5) had finished on top of the ladder and made their way through to the Grand Final. The series began with the Tigers playing at home and, by the second quarter, were controlling things with a 19 point lead. From there, Melbourne saw four key players fall into foul trouble, which included Robert Sibley (13 points and 4 rebounds) and Bradtke (4 points, 11 rebounds) fouling out. Bradtke struggled against Perth's interior defenders and finished the game shooting one from nine from the field. Ricky Grace (23 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals) then fueled a late-game surge from Perth which closed the game by four points. In the closing minutes, Perth attempted to close the gap by repeatedly sending Melbourne to the line but with Gaze (41 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists) nailing ten from ten free throws in the final quarter, Melbourne see out the game as victors (117-113).
Perth remained in control of the foul-prone Tigers, who struggled to score after losing both Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Dave Simmons (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) to six fouls. Grace (23 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists) came close to recording a triple-double, many of those assists coming from feeding Crawford inside, who made 11 of his 15 shots. A full house at the Perth Entertainment Centre (8,000 fans) witnessed the Wildcats' victory (112-105), one that extended their consecutive home winning streak to 17. With game three to be played in Perth and the Tigers have never won on the Wildcats' home floor, Perth entered the game as clear favourites.
Gordon missed 11 games through injury, but finished the year with averages of 2.9 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists, playing in 22 games.
Gordon would play in 29 of the Tigers games that season, averaging 2.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time. The Tigers added forward Matt Reece (via Gold Coast) and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey. Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team's (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers' last nine games for the season. The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2). Gordon would appear in 20 games for the Tigers, averaging 2.9 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. | 1996 With the Tigers having Mark Bradtke back full-time and able to retain all of their core group except for Stephen Whitehead (to Sydney), Melbourne were able to return to their winning ways after their posting their worst season in eight years. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring. The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. Gordon also delivered his best game of the series, contributing 9 points and 3 assists.
Gordon would add 8 points and 3 rebounds. The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne's field goal percentage be the game's deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series. This season Gordon played in all 35 games for the Tigers games, averaging 8.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. 1997 - 17-0 AND THE SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP After the blowout loss the Tigers suffered at the hands of the South East Melbourne Magic in game three of the 1996 NBL Finals, the team chose not to re-sign long-time import Dave Simmons and replaced him with athletic wing Jarvis Lang.
Over the remaining 22 games, Melbourne was able to finish in second place (19-11), behind South East Melbourne (22-8), going on a 14-game consecutive winning streak to finish the regular season. Gaze (30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring for the 12th time and win his seventh MVP award. Copeland (23.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals) and Bradtke (20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) delivered as always, and Timmons (17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks) complimented them perfectly.
Behind big games from Lanard Copeland (29 points and 4 rebounds), Marcus Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), the Tigers blew the Magic off the court to the tune of 37 points in the opening game (111-74). This extended their winning streak to 17, Gordan contributing 7 points in the win. Goorjian knew the game plan had to change, and he decided to start veteran John Dorge over young centre Chris Anstey in game two. The move resulted in a huge game from Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) as the Magic defeated the Tigers in a much more physical contest (84-78). The opening quarter of game three ended with scores tied, but thanks to the Tigers frontcourt limiting Anstey (8 points) this time around and a offensive run in the second quarter, the game was all but over by half-time. The Tigers never looked back from there, going on to win their second NBL championship (93-83).
Gordon played in all 35 games and averaged 4.4 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists for the season.
Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring, be included in the All-NBL first team and earn his eighth and final league MVP in a year where the Tigers slowly began to fade away from championship contenders from this season onwards. The core group of Lanard Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals), Mark Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks), Ray Gordon (4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Warrick Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) all saw their numbers decline from the previous season with Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals) the only player on the roster to have a better season than the one prior.
Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year's playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time. In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field. | Ray Gordon made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 18 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Ray Gordon played sixteen seasons in the NBL. He averaged 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 424 NBL games. | - 40th in total games played. | 0 | 1996 With the Tigers having Mark Bradtke back full-time and able to retain all of their core group except for Stephen Whitehead (to Sydney), Melbourne were able to return to their winning ways after their posting their worst season in eight years. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring. The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. Gordon also delivered his best game of the series, contributing 9 points and 3 assists.
Gordon would add 8 points and 3 rebounds. The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne's field goal percentage be the game's deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series. This season Gordon played in all 35 games for the Tigers games, averaging 8.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. 1997 - 17-0 AND THE SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP After the blowout loss the Tigers suffered at the hands of the South East Melbourne Magic in game three of the 1996 NBL Finals, the team chose not to re-sign long-time import Dave Simmons and replaced him with athletic wing Jarvis Lang.
Over the remaining 22 games, Melbourne was able to finish in second place (19-11), behind South East Melbourne (22-8), going on a 14-game consecutive winning streak to finish the regular season. Gaze (30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring for the 12th time and win his seventh MVP award. Copeland (23.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals) and Bradtke (20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) delivered as always, and Timmons (17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks) complimented them perfectly.
Behind big games from Lanard Copeland (29 points and 4 rebounds), Marcus Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), the Tigers blew the Magic off the court to the tune of 37 points in the opening game (111-74). This extended their winning streak to 17, Gordan contributing 7 points in the win. Goorjian knew the game plan had to change, and he decided to start veteran John Dorge over young centre Chris Anstey in game two. The move resulted in a huge game from Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) as the Magic defeated the Tigers in a much more physical contest (84-78). The opening quarter of game three ended with scores tied, but thanks to the Tigers frontcourt limiting Anstey (8 points) this time around and a offensive run in the second quarter, the game was all but over by half-time. The Tigers never looked back from there, going on to win their second NBL championship (93-83).
Gordon played in all 35 games and averaged 4.4 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists for the season.
Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring, be included in the All-NBL first team and earn his eighth and final league MVP in a year where the Tigers slowly began to fade away from championship contenders from this season onwards. The core group of Lanard Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals), Mark Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks), Ray Gordon (4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Warrick Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) all saw their numbers decline from the previous season with Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals) the only player on the roster to have a better season than the one prior.
Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year's playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time. In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field.Ray Gordon played sixteen seasons in the NBL. He averaged 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 424 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1161 | Harper, James | USA | Harper | James | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | FRD | 204 | 103 | 26 | 828 | 265 | 222 | 13 | 93 | 129 | 17 | 33 | 60 | 85 | 106 | 225 | 47.1% | 47.1% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 53 | 121 | 43.8% | 43.8% | 106 | 224 | 47.3% | 47.3% | 10.2 | 8.5 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 31.8 | 68% | 94% | 39% | 95% | 91% | 66% | 96% | 82% | 19 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 5 | -10 | -0.3 | 216.0 | 33071.7 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Jacksonville, Florida (USA) | None | Central Florida (1992-1993) / University of South Florida (1994-1997) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/1/74 | 10/10/98 | 13/03/99 | 24 | 25 | 0 | BIO: James Harper was born in Jacksonville, Florida (USA) where he attended Jacksonville Fletcher High. NBL EXPERIENCEJames Harper made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles at 24 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. | Played in the NBA development league, the USBL, with the Brevard Blue Ducks in 2000. | 15 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.1 | 8.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 47% | 48% | 0% | 54% | 1.2 | 82.8 | -1.15 | 7.6% | 3.70 | 17.08 | 1.9 | 50 | 500 | 19 | 0.320 | 0.268 | 0.016 | 0.021 | 0.040 | 0.072 | 0.103 | 0.320 | 0.023 | Townsville Crocodiles | Townsville Crocodiles | James Harper was born in Jacksonville, Florida (USA) where he attended Jacksonville Fletcher High. | James Harper made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles at 24 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. | James Harper played one season in the NBL. He averaged 10.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 26 NBL games. | COLLEGEHarper averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds at the University of Central Florida before transferring to USF. In his first season at the University of South Florida he averaged 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds backing up Jerome Robinson at forward. In 1995 USF moved into the CUSA conference and with Robinson graduating, Harper moved into the starting lineup and become the team's second leading scorer alongside Chucky Atkins. He averaged 9.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and led the team with 1.2 blocks per game as a junior. His final season at USF saw him become the team's number one focus point after seeing guard Chucky Atkins head to the NBA. Harper become the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game USF finished fourth in the CUSA Red conference. | Harper averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds at the University of Central Florida before transferring to USF. In his first season at the University of South Florida he averaged 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds backing up Jerome Robinson at forward. In 1995 USF moved into the CUSA conference and with Robinson graduating, Harper moved into the starting lineup and become the team's second leading scorer alongside Chucky Atkins. He averaged 9.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and led the team with 1.2 blocks per game as a junior. His final season at USF saw him become the team's number one focus point after seeing guard Chucky Atkins head to the NBA. Harper become the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game USF finished fourth in the CUSA Red conference. | Played in the NBA development league, the USBL, with the Brevard Blue Ducks in 2000. | - Conference USA Second Team (1997) | After retiring from basketball Harper became the assistant coach at Evans High School, which played for the Div 7A State Championship in the 2012-2013 season. | 0 | James Harper played one season in the NBL. He averaged 10.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 26 NBL games. | COLLEGEHarper averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds at the University of Central Florida before transferring to USF. In his first season at the University of South Florida he averaged 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds backing up Jerome Robinson at forward. In 1995 USF moved into the CUSA conference and with Robinson graduating, Harper moved into the starting lineup and become the team's second leading scorer alongside Chucky Atkins. He averaged 9.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and led the team with 1.2 blocks per game as a junior. His final season at USF saw him become the team's number one focus point after seeing guard Chucky Atkins head to the NBA. Harper become the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game USF finished fourth in the CUSA Red conference. AWARDS- Conference USA Second Team (1997) COACHING HISTORYAfter retiring from basketball Harper became the assistant coach at Evans High School, which played for the Div 7A State Championship in the 2012-2013 season. |
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| 1162 | Harris, Kenny | AUS | Harris | Kenny | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | GRD | 185 | #N/A | 2 | 37 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 37.5% | 0.0% | 3 | 7 | 42.9% | 0.0% | 3 | 4 | 75.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 9 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 9.0 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 18.5 | 64% | 21% | 88% | 40% | 0% | 57% | 0% | 85% | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -10 | -0.5 | 83.2 | 17491.8 | 4.9 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14/11/98 | 20/11/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEKenny Harris made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 14/11/1998. He scored seven points in his first game. | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.0 | 8.0 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 47% | 51% | 50% | 25% | 1.1 | 78.7 | 0.00 | 6.3% | 20.86 | 0.00 | 0.5 | 1 | 25 | 13 | 0.486 | 0.027 | 0.162 | 0.027 | 0.000 | 0.135 | 0.135 | 0.486 | 0.297 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | Kenny Harris made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 14/11/1998. He scored seven points in his first game. | Kenny Harris played one season in the NBL. He averaged 9 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Kenny Harris played one season in the NBL. He averaged 9 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 2 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1163 | Harvey, Peter | AUS | Harvey | Peter | 1989 | 1999 | 9 | GRD | 192 | 82 | 196 | 4432 | 1020 | 362 | 693 | 81 | 281 | 188 | 15 | 438 | 348 | 337 | 880 | 38.3% | 38.3% | 132 | 422 | 31.3% | 31.3% | 214 | 288 | 74.3% | 74.3% | 205 | 458 | 44.8% | 44.8% | 5.2 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 22.6 | 49% | 47% | 92% | 36% | 52% | 80% | 44% | 80% | 28 | 8 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 8 | -6 | -0.3 | 16.0 | 8380.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1989-93 | Gold Coast 1994-96 | Brisbane 1999 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Newcastle (NSW) | NSW - Newcastle | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1993-98 | 2/01/69 | 13/05/89 | 26/03/99 | 20 | 30 | 0 | BIO: Peter Harvey was born in Newcastle (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Newcastle basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEPeter Harvey made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 20 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.7 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 46% | 51% | 39% | 33% | 1.2 | 79.8 | 2.26 | 21.4% | 32.42 | 20.49 | 1.0 | 203 | 2075 | 11 | 0.230 | 0.082 | 0.156 | 0.042 | 0.003 | 0.099 | 0.079 | 0.230 | 0.027 | Brisbane Bullets | Newcastle Falcons | Peter Harvey was born in Newcastle (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Newcastle basketball program. | Peter Harvey made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 20 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Peter Harvey played nine seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Newcastle Falcons, Gold Coast Rollers and Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 196 NBL games. | 0 | Peter Harvey played nine seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Newcastle Falcons, Gold Coast Rollers and Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 196 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1164 | Issitt, Peter | AUS | Issitt | Peter | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | G/F | 191 | 90 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 27% | 31% | 0% | 0% | 42% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.3 | 100.5 | 19232.4 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Ipswich (QLD) | QLD - Ipswich | N/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ipswich 1996 | Brisbane 1997 | 19/07/75 | 9/10/98 | 9/10/98 | 23 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Peter Issitt was born in Ipswich (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEPeter Issitt made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.667 | 0.333 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.667 | 0.667 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Peter Issitt was born in Ipswich (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. | Peter Issitt made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Peter Issitt played in one NBL game during the 1999 season, scoring 2 points, 1 rebounds, and 0 assists. | 0 | Peter Issitt played in one NBL game during the 1999 season, scoring 2 points, 1 rebounds, and 0 assists. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1165 | Lichti, Todd | USA | Lichti | Todd | 1996 | 1999 | 4 | SG | 193 | 93 | 82 | 3049 | 1376 | 442 | 223 | 126 | 316 | 130 | 23 | 197 | 229 | 521 | 1046 | 49.8% | 49.8% | 114 | 282 | 40.4% | 40.4% | 220 | 266 | 82.7% | 82.7% | 407 | 764 | 53.3% | 53.3% | 16.8 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 37.2 | 87% | 80% | 85% | 74% | 83% | 94% | 70% | 84% | 31 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -10 | -0.3 | 32.3 | #DIV/0! | 13.7 | 13.7 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1996-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Walnut Creek, California (USA) | None | Stanford (1985–1989) | 1989 | 15 | DEN | #N/A | 237 | 51 | 4240 | 1870 | 505 | 325 | 177 | 328 | 179 | 45 | 254 | 417 | 733 | 1595 | 46% | 19 | 78 | 24% | 385 | 488 | 79% | 17.9 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 6.7 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 8/1/1967 | 9/08/96 | 15/11/98 | 29 | 31 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: TL BIO: Todd Lichti was born in Walnut Creek, California (USA). NBL EXPERIENCETodd Lichti made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 29 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. Lichti was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. In four seasons with Stanford Lichti averaged 18.8 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game, appearing in 124 games. At graduation Lichti was Stanford's all-time leading scorer with 2,336 points, a record broken by Chasson Randle on March 31, 2015. Won 1990 NIT Championship with Stanford. | Todd Lichti was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with pick #15 in the 1989 NBA Draft. Had his NBA career cut short due to multiple injuries. Lichti played 237 games in the NBA. He averaged 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - June 27, 1989: Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the 1st round (15th pick) of the 1989 NBA Draft. | 22 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.4 | 12.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 55% | 59% | 22% | 25% | 1.3 | 78.1 | 1.90 | 12.4% | 14.09 | 12.44 | 1.9 | 153 | 2041 | 25 | 0.451 | 0.145 | 0.073 | 0.043 | 0.008 | 0.065 | 0.075 | 0.451 | 0.034 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Todd Lichti was born in Walnut Creek, California (USA). | Lichti was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. In four seasons with Stanford Lichti averaged 18.8 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game, appearing in 124 games. At graduation Lichti was Stanford's all-time leading scorer with 2,336 points, a record broken by Chasson Randle on March 31, 2015. Won 1990 NIT Championship with Stanford. | Todd Lichti made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 29 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. | Todd Lichti played four seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 82 NBL games. | Todd Lichti was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with pick #15 in the 1989 NBA Draft. | Had his NBA career cut short due to multiple injuries. | - June 27, 1989: Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the 1st round (15th pick) of the 1989 NBA Draft. - August 19, 1993: Traded by the Denver Nuggets with Anthony Cook and a 1994 2nd round draft pick (Rodney Dent was later selected) to the Orlando Magic for Bison Dele. - February 24, 1994: Waived by the Orlando Magic. - February 28, 1994: Signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors. - March 29, 1994: Signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Boston Celtics. - April 17, 1994: Released by the Boston Celtics. | TL | 0 | | Todd Lichti played four seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 82 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1166 | Low, Mathew | AUS | Low | Mathew | 1996 | 1999 | 4 | F/C | 205 | 125 | 94 | 812 | 133 | 162 | 28 | 82 | 80 | 21 | 5 | 46 | 141 | 56 | 130 | 43.1% | 43.1% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 21 | 58 | 36.2% | 0.0% | 56 | 129 | 43.4% | 43.4% | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 8.6 | 22% | 45% | 31% | 58% | 40% | 38% | 40% | 32% | 14 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -3 | -0.3 | 66.6 | 22844.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1996-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Sydney (NSW) | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1991 | West Sydney 1992 | Albury Wodonga 1993 | 1/11/74 | 13/04/96 | 14/03/99 | 21 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Mathew Low was born in Sydney (NSW). Won the under 16 national titles with NSW state team. NBL EXPERIENCEMathew Low made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. Spent 1992-1994 with the Sydney Kings as a training player but never saw minutes in a NBL game.
Newcastle added Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) and Marc Brandon (via Illawarra) to replace their local talent and then rounded out the roster by adding former Sydney Kings fan favourite Isaac Burton and highly credentialled NBA big man Todd Mundt as imports. Newcastle lost their opening game to South East Melbourne (73–93) and went on to suffer defeats to Illawarra (92-96), Sydney (90–105) and Brisbane (90-92) before they chalked up their first win against Townsville (110–96). While the loses continued to rack up, the unearthed a future star with Newcastle local Ben Melmeth lifting his production from 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds to 21.6 points and 12.4 rebounds. As a result, Melmeth was selected to the All-NBL First Team and named Most Improved Player at the end of the season. Johnson (10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists) fared well in his new role, his play gaining him a spot at this years Boomers selection camp and Burton (19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals), Todd Mundt (13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and returning star Tonny Jensen (18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered quality numbers as well. The lack of production came from the team's bench, who combined to deliver 12 points per game in total, with new recruit Brandon (3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) the highest scoring player off the bench. As a result, the Falcons struggled to stay in front during any game during times they rested their starting lineup and finished the season in tenth place (9-21). Low would continue to see limited playing opportunities with the Falcons, appearing in only 28 games and averaging 2.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. Low would also contribute 1.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.2 assists across 24 games. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league. | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 43% | 43% | 0% | 45% | 1.0 | 84.1 | 0.03 | 16.2% | 12.20 | 0.00 | 0.3 | 26 | 323 | 3 | 0.164 | 0.200 | 0.034 | 0.026 | 0.006 | 0.057 | 0.174 | 0.164 | 0.036 | Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle Falcons | Mathew Low was born in Sydney (NSW). Won the under 16 national titles with NSW state team. | Spent 1992-1994 with the Sydney Kings as a training player but never saw minutes in a NBL game.
Newcastle added Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) and Marc Brandon (via Illawarra) to replace their local talent and then rounded out the roster by adding former Sydney Kings fan favourite Isaac Burton and highly credentialled NBA big man Todd Mundt as imports. Newcastle lost their opening game to South East Melbourne (73–93) and went on to suffer defeats to Illawarra (92-96), Sydney (90–105) and Brisbane (90-92) before they chalked up their first win against Townsville (110–96). While the loses continued to rack up, the unearthed a future star with Newcastle local Ben Melmeth lifting his production from 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds to 21.6 points and 12.4 rebounds. As a result, Melmeth was selected to the All-NBL First Team and named Most Improved Player at the end of the season. Johnson (10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists) fared well in his new role, his play gaining him a spot at this years Boomers selection camp and Burton (19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals), Todd Mundt (13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and returning star Tonny Jensen (18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered quality numbers as well. The lack of production came from the team's bench, who combined to deliver 12 points per game in total, with new recruit Brandon (3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) the highest scoring player off the bench. As a result, the Falcons struggled to stay in front during any game during times they rested their starting lineup and finished the season in tenth place (9-21). Low would continue to see limited playing opportunities with the Falcons, appearing in only 28 games and averaging 2.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.
While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. Low would also contribute 1.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.2 assists across 24 games. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league. | Mathew Low made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Mathew Low played four seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 1.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 94 NBL games. | 0 | Mathew Low played four seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 1.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 94 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1167 | Mcandrew, Craig | AUS | Mcandrew | Craig | 1995 | 1999 | 2 | F/C | 206 | 104 | 29 | 241 | 48 | 53 | 7 | 25 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 50 | 20 | 42 | 47.6% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 8 | 19 | 42.1% | 0.0% | 20 | 42 | 47.6% | 0.0% | 1.7 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 8.3 | 25% | 46% | 28% | 58% | 42% | 24% | 49% | 35% | 8 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | -0.4 | 314.2 | 31696.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0 | Perth (1995) | 1 | 0 | Perth 1995 | Sydney 1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1995 (Silver) | 2 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 | Melbourne (VIC) | Virginia 1996-1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1991-94 | Perry Lakes 1995 | 22/12/76 | 21/04/95 | 12/03/99 | 18 | 22 | 0 | BIO: Craig Mcandrew was born in Melbourne (VIC) Mcandrew received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1991. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994). NBL EXPERIENCECraig Mcandrew made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 18 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 48% | 48% | 0% | 45% | 1.1 | 82.7 | -0.28 | 2.4% | 9.54 | 0.00 | 0.1 | 4 | 108 | 4 | 0.199 | 0.220 | 0.029 | 0.004 | 0.012 | 0.066 | 0.207 | 0.199 | 0.041 | Sydney Kings | Perth Wildcats | Craig Mcandrew was born in Melbourne (VIC) | In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | Craig Mcandrew made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 18 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Craig Mcandrew played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 1.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 29 NBL games. | Perry Lakes 1995, 15g, 52pt @ 3.5 | Mcandrew received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1991. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994). | 0 | Craig Mcandrew played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 1.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 29 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1168 | Mcdaniel, Clinton | USA | Mcdaniel | Clinton | 1998 | 1999 | 2 | GRD | 196 | 82 | 38 | 1496 | 678 | 131 | 146 | 31 | 100 | 82 | 9 | 147 | 128 | 215 | 519 | 41.4% | 41.4% | 99 | 277 | 35.7% | 35.7% | 149 | 185 | 80.5% | 80.5% | 116 | 242 | 47.9% | 47.9% | 17.8 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 39.4 | 89% | 64% | 93% | 56% | 70% | 99% | 66% | 97% | 39 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 9 | -13 | -0.3 | 225.2 | 6960.9 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | South East Melbourne 1998 | Perth 1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | Arkansas (1991-1995) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 12 | 0 | 71 | 30 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 23 | 35% | 2 | 6 | 33% | 12 | 16 | 75% | 5.9 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 26/02/72 | 30/01/98 | 27/02/99 | 25 | 27 | 1 | NBL EXPERIENCEClinton Mcdaniel made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 25 years of age. He scored 19 points in his first game. | Mcdaniel played 12 games in the NBA. He averaged 2.5 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - November 2, 1995: Signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings. | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.7 | 13.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 7.3 | 51% | 56% | 46% | 36% | 1.3 | 77.6 | 2.13 | 15.8% | 16.34 | 16.45 | 2.4 | 91 | 955 | 25 | 0.453 | 0.088 | 0.098 | 0.055 | 0.006 | 0.098 | 0.086 | 0.453 | 0.045 | Perth Wildcats | South East Melbourne Magic | Clinton Mcdaniel made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 25 years of age. He scored 19 points in his first game. | Clinton Mcdaniel played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the South East Melbourne Magic and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 38 NBL games. | COLLEGEWon a NCAA championship with Arkansas | Won a NCAA championship with Arkansas | - 30th in steals per game. | - November 2, 1995: Signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings. | 0 | Clinton Mcdaniel played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the South East Melbourne Magic and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 38 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEWon a NCAA championship with Arkansas AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Third Team |
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| 1169 | Pennisi, Michael | PHI/AUS | Pennisi | Michael | 1995 | 1999 | 3 | CTR | 211 | 107 | 31 | 281 | 70 | 57 | 10 | 26 | 31 | 10 | 6 | 31 | 41 | 22 | 60 | 36.7% | 0.0% | 5 | 13 | 38.5% | 0.0% | 21 | 32 | 65.6% | 0.0% | 17 | 47 | 36.2% | 0.0% | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 9.1 | 30% | 46% | 32% | 57% | 42% | 46% | 62% | 50% | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -3 | -0.4 | 14.2 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1995-96, 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Innisfail (QLD) | QLD - Tully | Eastern Michigan (1994–1997) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Phillipines - Batang Red Bull (2000–2008), San Miguel Beermen / Petron Blaze Boosters (2008–2011) | Burdekin 1994, 1998 | 13/3/1975 | 13/05/95 | 27/02/99 | 20 | 23 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Mick BIO: Michael "Mick" Pennisi was born in Innisfail (QLD) and was raised in nearby suburb Silkwood. An Australian-Filipino, Pennisi was a talented left-handed 3-point shooter. He played three seasons with the Townsville Crocodiles before moving to the Philippines. where he played the majority of his career. FAMILY: Michael's brother, David Pennisi also played 150 games in the NBL. Pennisi holds Australian, Italian, and Filipino passports due to his heritage, with an Italian father and an Ilocano mother. NBL EXPERIENCEMichael Pennisi made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 20 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. Townsville coach Mark Bragg chose to overhaul the Suns' roster for the 1995 NBL season, opting not to re-sign veteran Graham Kubank and import duo Darryl Johnson and fan-favorite Ricky Jones. In their place, the team brought in Derek Rucker (via Newcastle), dominant big man Clarence Tyson (via the USA), and Shane Froling (via Brisbane) to strengthen their core.
The 1998/99 NBL season marked a significant transition for Townsville, as the team rebranded from the Suns to the Crocodiles after a trademark dispute with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. To avoid paying royalties on merchandise sales, the franchise adopted the Crocodiles name, which was not only synonymous with Queensland but also linked to Australia’s 1997 gold medal-winning 22-and-under junior team, featuring coach Ian Stacker and Sam MacKinnon.
Pennisi moved to the Philippines in 2000 and played the rest of his career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). | Pennisi represented the Philippine national team in international competitions. Notably, he suited up for the Philippines for the 2002 Busan Asian Games and the 2007 and 2009 FIBA Asia Championships. | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 41% | 47% | 23% | 53% | 1.2 | 82.8 | -0.35 | 16.7% | 8.69 | 0.00 | 0.5 | 16 | 137 | 4 | 0.249 | 0.203 | 0.036 | 0.036 | 0.021 | 0.110 | 0.146 | 0.249 | 0.089 | Townsville Crocodiles | Townsville Suns | Michael "Mick" Pennisi was born in Innisfail (QLD) and was raised in nearby suburb Silkwood. An Australian-Filipino, Pennisi was a talented left-handed 3-point shooter. He played three seasons with the Townsville Crocodiles before moving to the Philippines. where he played the majority of his career. | Townsville coach Mark Bragg chose to overhaul the Suns' roster for the 1995 NBL season, opting not to re-sign veteran Graham Kubank and import duo Darryl Johnson and fan-favorite Ricky Jones. In their place, the team brought in Derek Rucker (via Newcastle), dominant big man Clarence Tyson (via the USA), and Shane Froling (via Brisbane) to strengthen their core.
The 1998/99 NBL season marked a significant transition for Townsville, as the team rebranded from the Suns to the Crocodiles after a trademark dispute with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. To avoid paying royalties on merchandise sales, the franchise adopted the Crocodiles name, which was not only synonymous with Queensland but also linked to Australia’s 1997 gold medal-winning 22-and-under junior team, featuring coach Ian Stacker and Sam MacKinnon.
Pennisi moved to the Philippines in 2000 and played the rest of his career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). | Michael Pennisi made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 20 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Michael Pennisi played three seasons the Townsville Suns. This included the Townsville Suns. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 31 NBL games. | In 1994, Pennisi averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Burdekin Wildcats in the WA state league. After college he returned to the club and played state league again in 1998 | COLLEGEPennisi played three seasons of college basketball at Eastern Michigan University (1994-1997). As a freshman (1994-95), Pennisi played limited minutes but was efficient, averaging 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive 64% from the field. By his sophomore year (1995-96), he developed a reputation as a hard-nosed defender, averaging a foul every 4.3 minutes. Despite playing just 8 minutes per game, he played a key defensive role in the 1996 NCAA Tournament, where Eastern Michigan pulled off a stunning 75-60 first-round upset over Duke. He logged 18 minutes in that game, frustrating Duke’s Greg Newton with his physical play. In his junior season (1996-97), Pennisi became a regular contributor, starting 23 of 32 games and averaging 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 15.9 minutes per game. He showcased his versatility by shooting 49.5% from the field and hitting 6-of-13 three-pointers (46.2%), proving he could step outside and score from beyond the arc. He also added 23 assists, 12 steals, and 10 blocks, demonstrating his all-around game. During his time at Eastern Michigan, Pennisi played alongside future NBA guard Earl Boykins and NBL talent Theron Wilson and Brian Tolbert, helping the Eagles maintain a competitive presence in the MAC. | Pennisi played three seasons of college basketball at Eastern Michigan University (1994-1997). As a freshman (1994-95), Pennisi played limited minutes but was efficient, averaging 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive 64% from the field. By his sophomore year (1995-96), he developed a reputation as a hard-nosed defender, averaging a foul every 4.3 minutes. Despite playing just 8 minutes per game, he played a key defensive role in the 1996 NCAA Tournament, where Eastern Michigan pulled off a stunning 75-60 first-round upset over Duke. He logged 18 minutes in that game, frustrating Duke’s Greg Newton with his physical play. In his junior season (1996-97), Pennisi became a regular contributor, starting 23 of 32 games and averaging 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 15.9 minutes per game. He showcased his versatility by shooting 49.5% from the field and hitting 6-of-13 three-pointers (46.2%), proving he could step outside and score from beyond the arc. He also added 23 assists, 12 steals, and 10 blocks, demonstrating his all-around game. During his time at Eastern Michigan, Pennisi played alongside future NBA guard Earl Boykins and NBL talent Theron Wilson and Brian Tolbert, helping the Eagles maintain a competitive presence in the MAC. | Mick Pennisi was recruited by expansion team Batang Red Bull in 2000 and quickly became one of the franchise's key players. Alongside Lordy Tugade, Junthy Valenzuela, and Davonn Harp, he helped lead Red Bull to three PBA championships, winning back-to-back Commissioner’s Cup titles in 2001 and 2002, as well as the Fiesta Conference in 2006. Pennisi made an immediate impact in his debut season in 2000, averaging 10.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while playing a team-high 39.2 minutes across 35 games. In 2001, his minutes dipped, but he remained a key contributor to Red Bull’s championship run, posting 7.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 41 games. In 2002, limited to just 12 games, he still managed to average 8.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 43.2% from the field and 34.5% from three-point range. In 2003, Pennisi bounced back with a strong all-around campaign, averaging 10.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting a career-best 39.8% from three-point territory. He continued that consistency into the 2004–05 season, putting up 11.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game over 32 appearances. During Red Bull’s 2005–06 title-winning campaign, he added 8.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game in 65 contests. During his time with Red Bull, Pennisi established himself as one of the league’s most reliable big men, particularly as a stretch big who could space the floor with his outside shooting. His best statistical season came in 2006–07, where he averaged 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 34.9% from three-point range. He closed out his Red Bull tenure in 2007–08 with another solid season, averaging 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game across 50 games while maintaining an efficient 37.6% from long range.
From 2008 to 2011 with San Miguel, he continued to contribute as a stretch big, averaging 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game during the 2008–09 season while shooting 35.0% from beyond the arc. In 2009–10, he improved his shooting further, hitting 40.0% of his threes and 96.2% of his free throws across 46 games. The 2010–11 season saw him average 3.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in a reduced role, still maintaining strong shooting numbers with an 88.2% clip from the free throw line.
He had a short stint with the Purefoods Star Hotshots during the 2014–15 season, where he served as a role-playing big man, contributing his signature outside shooting and veteran presence.
| Pennisi represented the Philippine national team in international competitions. Notably, he suited up for the Philippines for the 2002 Busan Asian Games and the 2007 and 2009 FIBA Asia Championships. | FAMILY: Michael's brother, David Pennisi also played 150 games in the NBL. Pennisi holds Australian, Italian, and Filipino passports due to his heritage, with an Italian father and an Ilocano mother. | Pennisi holds Australian, Italian, and Filipino passports due to his heritage, with an Italian father and an Ilocano mother. | - 5× PBA champion (2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2011) - 2× PBA All-Star (2003, 2009) | After retiring Pennisi relocated to Thailand to mind his poultry business | Mick | 0 | Michael Pennisi played three seasons the Townsville Suns. This included the Townsville Suns. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 31 NBL games. | COLLEGEPennisi played three seasons of college basketball at Eastern Michigan University (1994-1997). As a freshman (1994-95), Pennisi played limited minutes but was efficient, averaging 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive 64% from the field. By his sophomore year (1995-96), he developed a reputation as a hard-nosed defender, averaging a foul every 4.3 minutes. Despite playing just 8 minutes per game, he played a key defensive role in the 1996 NCAA Tournament, where Eastern Michigan pulled off a stunning 75-60 first-round upset over Duke. He logged 18 minutes in that game, frustrating Duke’s Greg Newton with his physical play. In his junior season (1996-97), Pennisi became a regular contributor, starting 23 of 32 games and averaging 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 15.9 minutes per game. He showcased his versatility by shooting 49.5% from the field and hitting 6-of-13 three-pointers (46.2%), proving he could step outside and score from beyond the arc. He also added 23 assists, 12 steals, and 10 blocks, demonstrating his all-around game. During his time at Eastern Michigan, Pennisi played alongside future NBA guard Earl Boykins and NBL talent Theron Wilson and Brian Tolbert, helping the Eagles maintain a competitive presence in the MAC. AWARDS- 5× PBA champion (2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2011) LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLAfter retiring Pennisi relocated to Thailand to mind his poultry business |
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| 1170 | Rainbow, Brett | AUS | Rainbow | Brett | 1994 | 1999 | 5 | GRD | 193 | 97 | 32 | 123 | 39 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 19 | 14 | 34 | 41.2% | 0.0% | 4 | 13 | 30.8% | 0.0% | 7 | 12 | 58.3% | 0.0% | 10 | 21 | 47.6% | 0.0% | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 20% | 21% | 28% | 26% | 20% | 26% | 36% | 27% | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -0.4 | 148.6 | 13475.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0 | Melbourne (1997) | 1 | 0 | Melbourne 1994-95, 1997-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Melbourne | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | North East Melbourne 1993 | Bulleen ? | Melbourne 1994-2001, 2004 | Werribee 2002-03, 2007 | Ringwood 2006 | 30/10/75 | 4/09/94 | 5/12/98 | 18 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Brett Rainbow was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Melbourne basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEBrett Rainbow made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. Coming off a title in 1993, the Tigers recorded their best record in franchise history with 19 wins and 7 losses, finishing top of the NBL ladder. The strength of the Tigers saw minimal playing opportunities for Rainbow, playing in only one game for the season and failing to register a stat.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time. The Tigers added forward Matt Reece (via Gold Coast) and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey. Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team's (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers' last nine games for the season. The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2). Rainbow saw limited opportunities to play, appearing in only six games and scoring a total of 8 points.
Rainbow saw limited playing opportunities, appearing in 11 games and averaging 0.9 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.1 assists for the season. During the quarterfinals, the Tigers would easily eliminate Illawarra (2-0), setting up a rematch of last year's grand final, a semi finals showdown against South East Melbourne. Copeland (32 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), Gaze (23 points 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Bradtke (21 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) combined for 76 points and in nail-biting two point win to open the series (108-106). In game two, Bradtke (28 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 steals) was the difference maker, proven unstoppable for the Magic as the Tigers closed out the series behind a 17 point win (89-72). On the opposite side of the bracket, the Perth Wildcats (21-5) had finished on top of the ladder and made their way through to the Grand Final. The series played out with the Tigers winning the opening game (117-113), falling short in Perth in game two (112-105) and thanks to a last-second shot from Vlahov (31 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) which rattled in and out of the ring, the Tigers become NBL champions for the very first time in game three (104-102).
Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring, be included in the All-NBL first team and earn his eighth and final league MVP in a year where the Tigers slowly began to fade away from championship contenders from this season onwards. The core group of Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals), Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks), Gordon (4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) all saw their numbers decline from the previous season with Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals) the only player on the roster to have a better season than the one prior. Rainbow would see minimal playing time, appearing in only ten games and scoring a total of 16 points.
Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year's playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time. In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 47% | 50% | 29% | 35% | 1.1 | 80.2 | -0.06 | 5.9% | 13.50 | 0.00 | 0.1 | 3 | 62 | 2 | 0.317 | 0.122 | 0.065 | 0.016 | 0.008 | 0.098 | 0.154 | 0.317 | 0.098 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Tigers | Brett Rainbow was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Melbourne basketball program. | Coming off a title in 1993, the Tigers recorded their best record in franchise history with 19 wins and 7 losses, finishing top of the NBL ladder. The strength of the Tigers saw minimal playing opportunities for Rainbow, playing in only one game for the season and failing to register a stat.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time. The Tigers added forward Matt Reece (via Gold Coast) and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey. Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team's (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers' last nine games for the season. The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2). Rainbow saw limited opportunities to play, appearing in only six games and scoring a total of 8 points.
Rainbow saw limited playing opportunities, appearing in 11 games and averaging 0.9 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.1 assists for the season. During the quarterfinals, the Tigers would easily eliminate Illawarra (2-0), setting up a rematch of last year's grand final, a semi finals showdown against South East Melbourne. Copeland (32 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), Gaze (23 points 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Bradtke (21 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) combined for 76 points and in nail-biting two point win to open the series (108-106). In game two, Bradtke (28 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 steals) was the difference maker, proven unstoppable for the Magic as the Tigers closed out the series behind a 17 point win (89-72). On the opposite side of the bracket, the Perth Wildcats (21-5) had finished on top of the ladder and made their way through to the Grand Final. The series played out with the Tigers winning the opening game (117-113), falling short in Perth in game two (112-105) and thanks to a last-second shot from Vlahov (31 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) which rattled in and out of the ring, the Tigers become NBL champions for the very first time in game three (104-102).
Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring, be included in the All-NBL first team and earn his eighth and final league MVP in a year where the Tigers slowly began to fade away from championship contenders from this season onwards. The core group of Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals), Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks), Gordon (4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) all saw their numbers decline from the previous season with Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals) the only player on the roster to have a better season than the one prior. Rainbow would see minimal playing time, appearing in only ten games and scoring a total of 16 points.
Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year's playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time. In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field. | Brett Rainbow made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Brett Rainbow played five seasons the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.2 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 32 NBL games. | Brett is currently owner and founder of Tomorrow's Stars Basketball, a basketball training and coaching business. | 0 | Brett Rainbow played five seasons the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.2 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 32 NBL games. HIGHLIGHTS: | LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLBrett is currently owner and founder of Tomorrow's Stars Basketball, a basketball training and coaching business. |
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| 1171 | Rosen, Brad | AUS | Rosen | Brad | 1995 | 1999 | 5 | PG | 182 | 79 | 99 | 1262 | 410 | 105 | 149 | 29 | 76 | 48 | 2 | 104 | 105 | 159 | 342 | 46.5% | 46.5% | 19 | 67 | 28.4% | 0.0% | 73 | 99 | 73.7% | 0.0% | 140 | 275 | 50.9% | 50.9% | 4.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 | 43% | 35% | 69% | 30% | 37% | 56% | 34% | 53% | 22 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -4 | -0.3 | 28.4 | 9103.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1995-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Sydney (NSW) | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1992-95 | 25/11/71 | 26/08/95 | 12/03/99 | 23 | 27 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Lightning BIO: Brad Rosen was born in Sydney (NSW) where he began playing with the Maccabi basketball club at five years of age. He later joined the Sydney Comets representative side at age 16. Rosen was a talented young guard and in 1992 made the Comets ABA team. Within two years, he was called up to the Sydney Kings to play in a Preseason tournament in Canberra. The following season he joined the Kings as part of their main roster. NBL EXPERIENCEBrad Rosen made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game. During his time with the Kings Brad Rosen established himself as a reliable and consistent point-guard and a fan favourite at the Kingdome.
The season started with a narrow 85-86 loss to Bolden's former team, the Magic, before a up-and-down season, where the Kings defeated a number of league’s top team's but failed to close out games against those at the bottom of the ladder. Sydney would start the season with a 3-6 record, which included wins over Perth and North Melbourne, who would finish first and third, respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to Canberra (who would finish tenth) and lost games to Townsville (finished 12th) and Gold Coast (finished 13th).
Rosen averaged 4.8 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists for the season.
But in 1995, the Kings struggled on the floor and failed to make the playoffs. And for a club that every year expected to not only make the playoffs but contend for a championship, that wasn't good enough. Bob Turner was replaced as coach by Alan Black, who had taken the Illawarra Hawks to the playoffs in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and was named NBL Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1995. Two foundation members of the Sydney Kings – Mark Dalton and Damian Keogh – were released from the club, as were a number of other players from the unsuccessful 1995 squad.
Alongside the team's stars, Rosen also added 4.0 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, rounding out a incredibly fun roster to watch.
Sydney (16-10) faced off against Canberra (16-10) in the Quarter-finals, behind import duo Robert Rose and Darnell Mee. On the back of a season-high scoring night, Stephen Whitehead (24 points and 5 rebounds) surprised everyone in game one, winning by 24 points in the opening game (113-89). The Cannons would get a huge boost from their supporting cast in game two, with Jamie Pearlman (29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists), David Close (25 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Ray Borner (21 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals) as well as Mee (29 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks) all scoring over 20 points. Rose (11 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists) finished just shy of a triple-double with Canberra defeating Sydney by 47 points (146-99). The deciding game saw the stars of the series come out firing, with Canberra's Rose (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Mee (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) going head-to-head with Sydney's Heal (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Burton (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 steals) but it was the team's supporting casts the made the difference. Outside of Heal and Bruton, the Kings managed to score a mere 43 points, while the Cannons remaining roster tallied 58 points, with Borner (18 points and 7 rebounds), Blakemore (17 points and 6 rebounds), and Pearlman (17 points and 3 assists) all having big games. Canberra closed out the series with the win (101-89) and headed into a semi final against Melbourne. While the Kings were unable to progress past the first round of the playoffs, it was still a season to remember.. Sydney averaged 108.8 points per game in the regular season – the most points scored per game in a regular season in franchise history – and also set team records that have never been broken for regular season field goal percentage (51.6%) and three-point percentage (41.2%). Burton led the entire league in three-point percentage, was third in the NBL in steals and would go on to become the first Sydney King to win NBL Defensive Player of the Year. Heal would finish among the league's best when he earned selection in the All-NBL Second Team.
With Hobart, Geelong, and Gold Coast exiting the league after the 1996 season and the talent from those rosters distributed among the league’s remaining team's, the 1997 season was one of the most competitive in NBL history. This, combined with the unexpected loss of Shane Heal, saw the Kings struggle, losing three of their first four games. Much of the responsibility would be thrown onto import Isaac Burton (20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals), who led both the team in scoring and the league in steals for the second year in a row. His all-around brilliance was on full display when he recorded a near quadruple-double when Burton recorded 44 points, nine rebounds, eight assists & seven steals, hitting 15 of 22 from the field in a 123-107 win over the Illawarra Hawks. Melvin Thomas (18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals) led the team in rebounds in his second year in Sydney. 26-year-old Stephen Whitehead would blossom into the team’s third-leading scorer (12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists) and a young Matthew Nielsen (9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 27 minutes per game), who had been a training player with the Kings since 1995, claimed Rookie of the Year honours. The Kings would lose their last three games, finishing with a 12-18 record and second-last (tenth) on the ladder with Rosen averaging 5.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, emerging as the Kings best option at the point-guard position following a injury to starting point guard Aaron Trahair. Coach Alan Black moved Rosen into the starting lineup in August and he responded shortly after with the best game of his NBL career. On Sunday, 7th September against North Melbourne, when he totalled a career-high 22 points as well as a season-high five assists in a 117-96 Kings loss. Other notable performances in 1997 included a 10 point, 4 rebound, 2 steal performance against Newcastle on July 18th, as well as recording 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in a return game against the Falcons on 15th September. Brad’s field-goal percentage lifted to over 50% for the first time in 1997, a feat which also saw him among the league leagers for field goal percentage by a guard. Rosen's lightening quick speed allowed him to blow by defenders on his way to the basket and play a key role on the defensive end. Rosen was also popular within Sydney due to a his appearance in a well-known TV advertisement for Toohey's.
Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
Rosen finished the season averaging 3.7 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists across 24 games.
| 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.6 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 49% | 53% | 12% | 29% | 1.2 | 80.9 | 0.94 | 14.0% | 23.33 | 16.29 | 0.5 | 50 | 664 | 7 | 0.325 | 0.083 | 0.118 | 0.038 | 0.002 | 0.082 | 0.083 | 0.325 | 0.067 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Brad Rosen was born in Sydney (NSW) where he began playing with the Maccabi basketball club at five years of age. He later joined the Sydney Comets representative side at age 16. Rosen was a talented young guard and in 1992 made the Comets ABA team. Within two years, he was called up to the Sydney Kings to play in a Preseason tournament in Canberra. The following season he joined the Kings as part of their main roster. | During his time with the Kings Brad Rosen established himself as a reliable and consistent point-guard and a fan favourite at the Kingdome.
The season started with a narrow 85-86 loss to Bolden's former team, the Magic, before a up-and-down season, where the Kings defeated a number of league’s top team's but failed to close out games against those at the bottom of the ladder. Sydney would start the season with a 3-6 record, which included wins over Perth and North Melbourne, who would finish first and third, respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to Canberra (who would finish tenth) and lost games to Townsville (finished 12th) and Gold Coast (finished 13th).
Rosen averaged 4.8 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists for the season.
But in 1995, the Kings struggled on the floor and failed to make the playoffs. And for a club that every year expected to not only make the playoffs but contend for a championship, that wasn't good enough. Bob Turner was replaced as coach by Alan Black, who had taken the Illawarra Hawks to the playoffs in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and was named NBL Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1995. Two foundation members of the Sydney Kings – Mark Dalton and Damian Keogh – were released from the club, as were a number of other players from the unsuccessful 1995 squad.
Alongside the team's stars, Rosen also added 4.0 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, rounding out a incredibly fun roster to watch.
Sydney (16-10) faced off against Canberra (16-10) in the Quarter-finals, behind import duo Robert Rose and Darnell Mee. On the back of a season-high scoring night, Stephen Whitehead (24 points and 5 rebounds) surprised everyone in game one, winning by 24 points in the opening game (113-89). The Cannons would get a huge boost from their supporting cast in game two, with Jamie Pearlman (29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists), David Close (25 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Ray Borner (21 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals) as well as Mee (29 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks) all scoring over 20 points. Rose (11 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists) finished just shy of a triple-double with Canberra defeating Sydney by 47 points (146-99). The deciding game saw the stars of the series come out firing, with Canberra's Rose (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Mee (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) going head-to-head with Sydney's Heal (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Burton (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 steals) but it was the team's supporting casts the made the difference. Outside of Heal and Bruton, the Kings managed to score a mere 43 points, while the Cannons remaining roster tallied 58 points, with Borner (18 points and 7 rebounds), Blakemore (17 points and 6 rebounds), and Pearlman (17 points and 3 assists) all having big games. Canberra closed out the series with the win (101-89) and headed into a semi final against Melbourne. While the Kings were unable to progress past the first round of the playoffs, it was still a season to remember.. Sydney averaged 108.8 points per game in the regular season – the most points scored per game in a regular season in franchise history – and also set team records that have never been broken for regular season field goal percentage (51.6%) and three-point percentage (41.2%). Burton led the entire league in three-point percentage, was third in the NBL in steals and would go on to become the first Sydney King to win NBL Defensive Player of the Year. Heal would finish among the league's best when he earned selection in the All-NBL Second Team.
With Hobart, Geelong, and Gold Coast exiting the league after the 1996 season and the talent from those rosters distributed among the league’s remaining team's, the 1997 season was one of the most competitive in NBL history. This, combined with the unexpected loss of Shane Heal, saw the Kings struggle, losing three of their first four games. Much of the responsibility would be thrown onto import Isaac Burton (20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals), who led both the team in scoring and the league in steals for the second year in a row. His all-around brilliance was on full display when he recorded a near quadruple-double when Burton recorded 44 points, nine rebounds, eight assists & seven steals, hitting 15 of 22 from the field in a 123-107 win over the Illawarra Hawks. Melvin Thomas (18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals) led the team in rebounds in his second year in Sydney. 26-year-old Stephen Whitehead would blossom into the team’s third-leading scorer (12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists) and a young Matthew Nielsen (9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 27 minutes per game), who had been a training player with the Kings since 1995, claimed Rookie of the Year honours. The Kings would lose their last three games, finishing with a 12-18 record and second-last (tenth) on the ladder with Rosen averaging 5.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, emerging as the Kings best option at the point-guard position following a injury to starting point guard Aaron Trahair. Coach Alan Black moved Rosen into the starting lineup in August and he responded shortly after with the best game of his NBL career. On Sunday, 7th September against North Melbourne, when he totalled a career-high 22 points as well as a season-high five assists in a 117-96 Kings loss. Other notable performances in 1997 included a 10 point, 4 rebound, 2 steal performance against Newcastle on July 18th, as well as recording 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in a return game against the Falcons on 15th September. Brad’s field-goal percentage lifted to over 50% for the first time in 1997, a feat which also saw him among the league leagers for field goal percentage by a guard. Rosen's lightening quick speed allowed him to blow by defenders on his way to the basket and play a key role on the defensive end. Rosen was also popular within Sydney due to a his appearance in a well-known TV advertisement for Toohey's.
Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
Rosen finished the season averaging 3.7 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists across 24 games.
| Brad Rosen made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game. | Brad Rosen played five seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 4.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 99 NBL games. | After retiring from the court, he was the assistant coach to Goorjian when the Kings won the championship in 2002/03 and 2003/04, and the head coach of the Sydney Comets ABA side. | Lightning | 0 | Brad Rosen played five seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 4.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 99 NBL games. | COACHING HISTORYAfter retiring from the court, he was the assistant coach to Goorjian when the Kings won the championship in 2002/03 and 2003/04, and the head coach of the Sydney Comets ABA side. |
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| 1172 | Scales, Jervaughn | USA/ARG | Scales | Jervaughn | 1995 | 1999 | 2 | PF | 198 | 101 | 38 | 1427 | 821 | 386 | 81 | 149 | 237 | 33 | 29 | 149 | 134 | 340 | 579 | 58.7% | 58.7% | 4 | 11 | 36.4% | 0.0% | 137 | 221 | 62.0% | 62.0% | 336 | 568 | 59.2% | 59.2% | 21.6 | 10.2 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 6.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 37.6 | 95% | 97% | 79% | 97% | 96% | 77% | 89% | 98% | 34 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 11 | -13 | -0.4 | 26.0 | 6655.4 | 17.2 | 17.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1995, 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | New York, New York (USA) | None | Southern (1991–1994) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None | 11/8/1971 | 22/04/95 | 13/03/99 | 23 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Jervaughn Scales was born in New York, New York (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEJervaughn Scales made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 23 years of age. He scored 21 points in his first game. | 21 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 6 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.9 | 15.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 59% | 61% | 1% | 38% | 1.4 | 79.2 | -0.92 | 5.7% | 8.94 | 16.44 | 1.6 | 62 | 1288 | 34 | 0.575 | 0.270 | 0.057 | 0.023 | 0.020 | 0.104 | 0.094 | 0.575 | 0.043 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | Jervaughn Scales was born in New York, New York (USA). | Jervaughn Scales made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 23 years of age. He scored 21 points in his first game. | Jervaughn Scales played two seasons the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 38 NBL games. | Scales went unselected in the 1994 NBA Draft. He has since carved out a professional career in various countries, including Argentina (Alianza Viedma, A.Espanola, MH Basket, San Lorenzo de Almagro), and Chile. He eventually acquired dual citizenship in Argentina where he played as a local. | 0 | Jervaughn Scales played two seasons the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 38 NBL games. | AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Third Team |
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| 1173 | Scott, Paul | AUS | Scott | Paul | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | FRD | 197 | #N/A | 4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 0% | 21% | 0% | 0% | 29% | 0% | 0% | 32% | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | -0.4 | 0.0 | 10823.6 | -0.7 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rockhampton 2000 | 9/10/98 | 15/11/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEPaul Scott made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 9/10/1998. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.167 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.167 | 0.083 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Paul Scott made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets on 9/10/1998. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Paul Scott played one season in the NBL. | 0 | Paul Scott played one season in the NBL. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1174 | Spruce, Daniel | AUS | Spruce | Daniel | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 16.7% | 0.0% | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 4 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 23% | 42% | 0% | 40% | 42% | 0% | 0% | 50% | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -4 | -1.0 | 214.2 | 29756.8 | -0.8 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | NSW - Newcastle | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24/10/98 | 9/01/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEDaniel Spruce made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons on 24/10/1998. He scored three points in his first game. Entering the 1998/99 season, the Falcons were in dire financial trouble, but on the brink of the season starting, they secured funds from a group of investors from Albury. As a result, the Falcons were able to retain local talent Ben Melmeth, Terry Johnson and import Todd Mundt but were forced to build the rest of the team on a shoestring budget. Somewhat luckily, Newcastle benefitted from the merger of South East Melbourne and North Melbourne, which saw Pat Reidy and import Butch Hays both former Giants players, without a team. With few NBL team's having any space on their rosters at this stage, the Falcons were able to sign both at budget prices. Dean Brogan (via Adelaide), Rod Johnson (via Canberra) and legendary shot blocker Willie Simmons was lured out of retirement to play another season. While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league.
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 85.7 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0.429 | 0.429 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.286 | 0.000 | 0.429 | 0.429 | Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle Falcons | Entering the 1998/99 season, the Falcons were in dire financial trouble, but on the brink of the season starting, they secured funds from a group of investors from Albury. As a result, the Falcons were able to retain local talent Ben Melmeth, Terry Johnson and import Todd Mundt but were forced to build the rest of the team on a shoestring budget. Somewhat luckily, Newcastle benefitted from the merger of South East Melbourne and North Melbourne, which saw Pat Reidy and import Butch Hays both former Giants players, without a team. With few NBL team's having any space on their rosters at this stage, the Falcons were able to sign both at budget prices. Dean Brogan (via Adelaide), Rod Johnson (via Canberra) and legendary shot blocker Willie Simmons was lured out of retirement to play another season. While obvious favourites to finish on the bottom of the ladder, the Falcons surprised everyone by winning five of their first six games. Shortly after, reports of players not being paid their salaries surfaced, and the focus, motivation and production among the players began to wane. Mundt exited the team as a result of not getting paid on time and was replaced with Simmons (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) who after a season playing with Sydney was sitting at home after being unable to find another new deal. The remainder of the season then saw Newcastle record three wins from their next nineteen games before finally beating Perth (113–111) in their final game of the year. Pat Reidy (17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) led the team in scoring, Ben Melmeth (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals) led the team in rebounds while Terry Johnson (14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals) delivered his best season at the point guard position and his brother Rod Johnson (11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) rounded out the team’s leading scorers. After narrowly surviving the season before, this would prove to be the death knell for Newcastle, with the league stepping in to address their financial situation and its result being the removal of their NBL licence and the Falcons being forced out of the league.
| Daniel Spruce made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons on 24/10/1998. He scored three points in his first game. | Daniel Spruce played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Daniel Spruce played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1175 | Vanderputten, Gavin | AUS | Vanderputten | Gavin | 1996 | 1999 | 4 | CTR | 213 | 104 | 73 | 733 | 256 | 193 | 21 | 86 | 107 | 12 | 30 | 43 | 110 | 106 | 211 | 50.2% | 50.2% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 44 | 72 | 61.1% | 0.0% | 106 | 211 | 50.2% | 50.2% | 3.5 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 10.0 | 39% | 56% | 30% | 67% | 52% | 33% | 77% | 37% | 18 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 3 | -3 | -0.3 | 137.0 | 9090.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1996-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Perth (WA) | Pepperdine (1992-96) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wais 1990-1991 | Mandurah 1997-1998 | 12/02/74 | 11/05/96 | 23/01/99 | 22 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Gavin Vanderputten was born in Perth (WA) NBL EXPERIENCEGavin Vanderputten made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.5 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50% | 53% | 0% | 34% | 1.2 | 81.9 | -0.14 | 5.7% | 6.85 | 0.00 | 0.6 | 42 | 470 | 6 | 0.349 | 0.263 | 0.029 | 0.016 | 0.041 | 0.059 | 0.150 | 0.349 | 0.067 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Gavin Vanderputten was born in Perth (WA) | Gavin Vanderputten made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Gavin Vanderputten played four seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 73 NBL games. | Wais 1990-1991, 38g, 384pt @ 10.1 Mandurah 1997-1998, 15g, 234pt @ 15.6 | 0 | Gavin Vanderputten played four seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 73 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1176 | Weems, Kelsey | USA | Weems | Kelsey | 1998 | 1999 | 2 | GRD | 188 | 82 | 38 | 1412 | 634 | 155 | 159 | 34 | 121 | 45 | 5 | 127 | 116 | 215 | 483 | 44.5% | 44.5% | 59 | 187 | 31.6% | 31.6% | 145 | 191 | 75.9% | 75.9% | 156 | 296 | 52.7% | 52.7% | 16.7 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 37.2 | 87% | 71% | 95% | 59% | 77% | 87% | 54% | 95% | 32 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 8 | -13 | -0.3 | #DIV/0! | 0.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1998-99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Atlanta, Georgia (USA) | None | North Carolina State (1985–1989) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Venezuela - Trotamundos de Carabobo (1998) | 16/09/67 | 12/04/98 | 12/03/99 | 30 | 31 | 0 | BIO: Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Kelsey Weems played high school basketball at Walker High School (now McNair High School) as a point guard. He became a key player for the team starting in his sophomore year and developed into one of the top high school prospects in the state.
NBL EXPERIENCEKelsey Weems made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 30 years of age. He scored 23 points in his first game. After a brief stint in the NBA, Shane Heal returned to the Sydney Kings in 1998. Despite having two years remaining on his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Heal opted to leave due to limited playing time behind Stephon Marbury, the harsh winter climate, and a calf injury suffered just before the season opener that left him fighting for his spot in the rotation. With those factors in play, he chose to return to Australia.
Jackson would later return to the NBA, playing winning a championship with San Antonio in 2003.
| Kelsey Weems was not drafted by an NBA franchise but spent several years playing in the NBA development leagues. He was first selected by the Rockford Lightning in the fifth round of the 1989 CBA Draft (77th overall). During his time in the CBA, he participated in training camps with the Washington Bullets and the Boston Celtics but was not included in their final rosters. Weems began his professional career with the Quad City Thunder during the 1989–90 CBA season, where he averaged 9.5 points, 4 assists, and 1 steal per game over 32 appearances. In 1990, he joined the expansion Oklahoma City Cavalry, making an immediate impact with averages of 18.3 points and 7 assists across 52 games. The following year, he moved to the Calgary 88s of the World Basketball League, where he won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1991. In the 1992 season, he posted averages of 13.4 points and 5.8 assists, leading his team to the playoffs, where he elevated his game with 18.6 points and 3 assists per contest in five postseason appearances. Continuing his pursuit of an NBA opportunity, Weems played in preseason games with the Seattle SuperSonics in the summer of 1992 but did not make the final roster. He later joined the Chicago Bulls' preseason squad but was released on October 14, 1992. Returning to the CBA, he re-signed with the Oklahoma City Cavalry, leading the team in scoring during the 1992–93 season with 17.3 points per game while also recording a career-high 8.5 assists per contest. In the summer of 1993, he was invited to a training camp with the Charlotte Hornets. Weems split the 1993–94 season between the Cavalry and the Hartford Hellcats, finishing the season averaging 14.4 points and 6.6 assists per game. The following year, he began with the Hellcats, starting all 14 games and posting averages of 15.3 points and 7.1 assists before being traded to the Rockford Lightning in December 1994. He completed the season with Rockford, starting 21 of 31 games and appearing in seven playoff contests, where he contributed 11.3 points and 6.1 assists per game. Weems continued his career in the CBA, playing for the Yakima SunKings in the 1995–96 season and the Omaha Racers in 1996–97. Over his time in the league, he established himself as a consistent scorer and playmaker, ranking 19th all-time in CBA history with 5,457 points scored. | Weems represented the United States national team twice, winning a gold medal during the 1993 Tournament of the Americas and a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. Weems was selected for the United States national team for the 1993 Tournament of the Americas, a competition featuring a roster composed of CBA players. During the tournament, he played seven games, averaging 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and leading the team in assists with 4.4 per game. His contributions helped Team USA secure the gold medal in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Two years later, Weems was called up again to represent Team USA at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. In six games, he averaged 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2 assists, helping the United States secure a silver medal in the competition. Over his national team career, Weems earned a total of 13 appearances for the United States, playing a key role in both tournaments as a facilitator and contributor on both ends of the floor. | 23 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.7 | 12.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 4.9 | 51% | 56% | 27% | 40% | 1.3 | 79.1 | 2.03 | 9.3% | 18.64 | 14.89 | 1.3 | 50 | 948 | 25 | 0.449 | 0.110 | 0.113 | 0.032 | 0.004 | 0.090 | 0.082 | 0.449 | 0.044 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Kelsey Weems played high school basketball at Walker High School (now McNair High School) as a point guard. He became a key player for the team starting in his sophomore year and developed into one of the top high school prospects in the state.
| After a brief stint in the NBA, Shane Heal returned to the Sydney Kings in 1998. Despite having two years remaining on his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Heal opted to leave due to limited playing time behind Stephon Marbury, the harsh winter climate, and a calf injury suffered just before the season opener that left him fighting for his spot in the rotation. With those factors in play, he chose to return to Australia.
Jackson would later return to the NBA, playing winning a championship with San Antonio in 2003.
| Kelsey Weems made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 30 years of age. He scored 23 points in his first game. | Kelsey Weems played two seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 16.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 38 NBL games. | COLLEGEKelsey Weems was a highly recruited high school prospect, receiving offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky, and NC State. After narrowing his choices to Auburn and NC State, he committed to the Wolfpack on April 10, 1985.
| Kelsey Weems was a highly recruited high school prospect, receiving offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky, and NC State. After narrowing his choices to Auburn and NC State, he committed to the Wolfpack on April 10, 1985.
| In 1998, he played for Trotamundos de Carabobo in Venezuela. | Weems represented the United States national team twice, winning a gold medal during the 1993 Tournament of the Americas and a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. Weems was selected for the United States national team for the 1993 Tournament of the Americas, a competition featuring a roster composed of CBA players. During the tournament, he played seven games, averaging 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and leading the team in assists with 4.4 per game. His contributions helped Team USA secure the gold medal in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Two years later, Weems was called up again to represent Team USA at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. In six games, he averaged 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2 assists, helping the United States secure a silver medal in the competition. Over his national team career, Weems earned a total of 13 appearances for the United States, playing a key role in both tournaments as a facilitator and contributor on both ends of the floor. | Kelsey Weems was not drafted by an NBA franchise but spent several years playing in the NBA development leagues. He was first selected by the Rockford Lightning in the fifth round of the 1989 CBA Draft (77th overall). During his time in the CBA, he participated in training camps with the Washington Bullets and the Boston Celtics but was not included in their final rosters. Weems began his professional career with the Quad City Thunder during the 1989–90 CBA season, where he averaged 9.5 points, 4 assists, and 1 steal per game over 32 appearances. In 1990, he joined the expansion Oklahoma City Cavalry, making an immediate impact with averages of 18.3 points and 7 assists across 52 games. The following year, he moved to the Calgary 88s of the World Basketball League, where he won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1991. In the 1992 season, he posted averages of 13.4 points and 5.8 assists, leading his team to the playoffs, where he elevated his game with 18.6 points and 3 assists per contest in five postseason appearances. Continuing his pursuit of an NBA opportunity, Weems played in preseason games with the Seattle SuperSonics in the summer of 1992 but did not make the final roster. He later joined the Chicago Bulls' preseason squad but was released on October 14, 1992. Returning to the CBA, he re-signed with the Oklahoma City Cavalry, leading the team in scoring during the 1992–93 season with 17.3 points per game while also recording a career-high 8.5 assists per contest. In the summer of 1993, he was invited to a training camp with the Charlotte Hornets. Weems split the 1993–94 season between the Cavalry and the Hartford Hellcats, finishing the season averaging 14.4 points and 6.6 assists per game. The following year, he began with the Hellcats, starting all 14 games and posting averages of 15.3 points and 7.1 assists before being traded to the Rockford Lightning in December 1994. He completed the season with Rockford, starting 21 of 31 games and appearing in seven playoff contests, where he contributed 11.3 points and 6.1 assists per game. Weems continued his career in the CBA, playing for the Yakima SunKings in the 1995–96 season and the Omaha Racers in 1996–97. Over his time in the league, he established himself as a consistent scorer and playmaker, ranking 19th all-time in CBA history with 5,457 points scored. | - WBL Sixth Man of the Year (1991) | Kelsey Weems passed away on August 20, 1999. | 0 | Kelsey Weems played two seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 16.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 38 NBL games. | COLLEGEKelsey Weems was a highly recruited high school prospect, receiving offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky, and NC State. After narrowing his choices to Auburn and NC State, he committed to the Wolfpack on April 10, 1985.
AWARDS- WBL Sixth Man of the Year (1991) LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLKelsey Weems passed away on August 20, 1999. |
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| 1177 | Wickstrom, Erik | AUS | Wickstrom | Erik | 1995 | 1999 | 5 | GRD | 190 | 88 | 66 | 316 | 87 | 30 | 15 | 9 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 12 | 25 | 28 | 81 | 34.6% | 0.0% | 15 | 45 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 16 | 22 | 72.7% | 0.0% | 13 | 36 | 36.1% | 0.0% | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 4.8 | 21% | 21% | 27% | 22% | 23% | 33% | 36% | 19% | 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | -1 | -0.3 | 65.2 | 13347.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0 | Melbourne (1997) | 1 | 0 | Geelong 1995 | Melbourne 1996-99 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Broadmeadows | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Melbourne 1998 | Hume City 2004 | Sandringham 2005-06 | 16/12/72 | 29/04/95 | 20/03/00 | 22 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Erik Wickstrom was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Broadmeadows basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEErik Wickstrom made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. As a rookie Wickstrom averaged 2.6 points and 0.8 rebounds, and helped guide the Supercats to a second place finish in the regular season with a 9-17 record. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring. The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. Wickstrom saw minimal playing time in the semifinals, playing only two minutes and failing to score. The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne's highest-attended NBL game ever. Gaze (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) led the Tigers in scoring in the loss, while the Magic were led by Tony Ronaldson (28 points) and Mike Kelly (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals). The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne's field goal percentage be the game's deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series.
Over the remaining 22 games, Melbourne was able to finish in second place (19-11), behind South East Melbourne (22-8), going on a 14-game consecutive winning streak to finish the regular season. Gaze (30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring for the 12th time and win his seventh MVP award. Copeland (23.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals) and Bradtke (20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) delivered as always, and Timmons (17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks) complimented them perfectly. The Tigers received a first-round bye in the playoffs before meeting North Melbourne in the semifinals. Melbourne defeated North Melbourne (107-99) on their home court in game one and at home for game two (112-105). On the other side of the semi final bracket, the reigning champions South East Melbourne defeated Perth to set up a grand final rematch. Behind big games from Lanard Copeland (29 points and 4 rebounds), Marcus Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), the Tigers blew the Magic off the court to the tune of 37 points in the opening game (111-74), extending their winning streak to 17. Goorjian knew the game plan had to change, and he decided to start veteran John Dorge over young centre Chris Anstey in game two. The move resulted in a huge game from Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) as the Magic defeated the Tigers in a much more physical contest (84-78). The opening quarter of game three ended with scores tied, but thanks to the Tigers frontcourt limiting Anstey (8 points) this time around and a offensive run in the second quarter, the game was all but over by half-time. The Tigers never looked back from there, going on to win their second NBL championship (93-83).
Wickstrom continued to see limited playing opportunities, appearing in only six games and averaging 0.3 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists for the season.
Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring, be included in the All-NBL first team and earn his eighth and final league MVP in a year where the Tigers slowly began to fade away from championship contenders from this season onwards. The core group of Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals), Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks), Gordon (4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) all saw their numbers decline from the previous season with Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals) the only player on the roster to have a better season than the one prior. Wickstrom would see minimal playing time, appearing in only five games and scoring a total of seven points.
Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year's playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time. In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 44% | 48% | 54% | 27% | 1.1 | 79.6 | 0.21 | 13.6% | 12.75 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 13 | 132 | 2 | 0.275 | 0.095 | 0.047 | 0.035 | 0.006 | 0.038 | 0.079 | 0.275 | 0.079 | Melbourne Tigers | Geelong Supercats | Erik Wickstrom was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Broadmeadows basketball program. | As a rookie Wickstrom averaged 2.6 points and 0.8 rebounds, and helped guide the Supercats to a second place finish in the regular season with a 9-17 record. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring. The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. Wickstrom saw minimal playing time in the semifinals, playing only two minutes and failing to score. The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne's highest-attended NBL game ever. Gaze (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) led the Tigers in scoring in the loss, while the Magic were led by Tony Ronaldson (28 points) and Mike Kelly (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals). The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne's field goal percentage be the game's deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series.
Over the remaining 22 games, Melbourne was able to finish in second place (19-11), behind South East Melbourne (22-8), going on a 14-game consecutive winning streak to finish the regular season. Gaze (30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring for the 12th time and win his seventh MVP award. Copeland (23.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals) and Bradtke (20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) delivered as always, and Timmons (17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks) complimented them perfectly. The Tigers received a first-round bye in the playoffs before meeting North Melbourne in the semifinals. Melbourne defeated North Melbourne (107-99) on their home court in game one and at home for game two (112-105). On the other side of the semi final bracket, the reigning champions South East Melbourne defeated Perth to set up a grand final rematch. Behind big games from Lanard Copeland (29 points and 4 rebounds), Marcus Timmons (24 points and 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), the Tigers blew the Magic off the court to the tune of 37 points in the opening game (111-74), extending their winning streak to 17. Goorjian knew the game plan had to change, and he decided to start veteran John Dorge over young centre Chris Anstey in game two. The move resulted in a huge game from Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) as the Magic defeated the Tigers in a much more physical contest (84-78). The opening quarter of game three ended with scores tied, but thanks to the Tigers frontcourt limiting Anstey (8 points) this time around and a offensive run in the second quarter, the game was all but over by half-time. The Tigers never looked back from there, going on to win their second NBL championship (93-83).
Wickstrom continued to see limited playing opportunities, appearing in only six games and averaging 0.3 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists for the season.
Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring, be included in the All-NBL first team and earn his eighth and final league MVP in a year where the Tigers slowly began to fade away from championship contenders from this season onwards. The core group of Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals), Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks), Gordon (4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) all saw their numbers decline from the previous season with Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals) the only player on the roster to have a better season than the one prior. Wickstrom would see minimal playing time, appearing in only five games and scoring a total of seven points.
Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year's playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time. In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field. | Erik Wickstrom made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Erik Wickstrom played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Geelong Supercats and the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.3 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 66 NBL games. | 0 | Erik Wickstrom played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Geelong Supercats and the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.3 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 66 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1178 | Wilson, Theron | USA | Wilson | Theron | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | FRD | 195 | #N/A | 30 | 595 | 229 | 148 | 13 | 74 | 74 | 14 | 34 | 28 | 97 | 100 | 213 | 46.9% | 46.9% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 29 | 51 | 56.9% | 0.0% | 100 | 213 | 46.9% | 46.9% | 7.6 | 4.9 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 19.8 | 59% | 77% | 37% | 88% | 67% | 55% | 95% | 48% | 25 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | -7 | -0.3 | 22.6 | 7942.6 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Topeka, Kansas (USA) | None | Eastern Michigan (1992-1996) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9/10/98 | 10/04/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | BIO: Theron Wilson was born in Topeka, Kansas (USA). NBL EXPERIENCETheron Wilson made his NBL debut with the Wollongong Hawks on 9/10/1998. He scored nine points in his first game. Coinciding with the NBL's move to summer, the Hawks shifted base to the Wollongong Entertainment Centre and swapped their Illawarra prefix to Wollongong. Coming off a 14 win season that saw the Hawks reach the postseason, the Hawks were able to retain almost their entire and add CJ Bruton (via Brisbane) who immediately became Wollongong's starting point guard and primary offensive weapon. With the addition of Bruton, there was no need for import guard Elliot Hatcher and they replaced him with Theron Wilson. Also, talented big man David Andersen was recruited from the AIS to replace the outgoing Matt Zauner. Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' as he boosted his scoring from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game in 46 minutes per game. Clayton Ritter (17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists 1.1 steals) and Mat Campbell (15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) also finished among the team's high scorers. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finishing in third place (16-10). A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the Victoria Titans in two straight games during the Qualifying Finals, but thanks to the league's of the 'lucky loser' rule, which allowed the highest placed loser from the Qualifying Finals to proceed to the next round. There, a matchup with Adelaide saw Illawarra eliminated in two straight games, ending their season for good this time. Wilson appeared in all 30 games and averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.3 | 7.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 47% | 49% | 0% | 24% | 1.1 | 82.9 | -0.03 | 6.6% | 4.70 | 0.00 | 1.6 | 48 | 390 | 13 | 0.385 | 0.249 | 0.022 | 0.024 | 0.057 | 0.047 | 0.163 | 0.385 | 0.042 | Wollongong Hawks | Wollongong Hawks | Theron Wilson was born in Topeka, Kansas (USA). | Coinciding with the NBL's move to summer, the Hawks shifted base to the Wollongong Entertainment Centre and swapped their Illawarra prefix to Wollongong. Coming off a 14 win season that saw the Hawks reach the postseason, the Hawks were able to retain almost their entire and add CJ Bruton (via Brisbane) who immediately became Wollongong's starting point guard and primary offensive weapon. With the addition of Bruton, there was no need for import guard Elliot Hatcher and they replaced him with Theron Wilson. Also, talented big man David Andersen was recruited from the AIS to replace the outgoing Matt Zauner. Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the 'green light' as he boosted his scoring from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game in 46 minutes per game. Clayton Ritter (17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists 1.1 steals) and Mat Campbell (15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) also finished among the team's high scorers. The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finishing in third place (16-10). A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the Victoria Titans in two straight games during the Qualifying Finals, but thanks to the league's of the 'lucky loser' rule, which allowed the highest placed loser from the Qualifying Finals to proceed to the next round. There, a matchup with Adelaide saw Illawarra eliminated in two straight games, ending their season for good this time. Wilson appeared in all 30 games and averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. | Theron Wilson made his NBL debut with the Wollongong Hawks on 9/10/1998. He scored nine points in his first game. | Theron Wilson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 30 NBL games. | 0 | Theron Wilson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 30 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1179 | Yates, Grant | AUS | Yates | Grant | 1998 | 1999 | 1 | GRD | 182 | #N/A | 3 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 3 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 7.7 | 27% | 26% | 71% | 0% | 34% | 0% | 0% | 69% | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -4 | -0.5 | 80.3 | 20084.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16/10/98 | 15/01/99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEGrant Yates made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 16/10/1998. He scored four points in his first game. | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.2 | 79.1 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 33.33 | 0.00 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 0.261 | 0.087 | 0.217 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.217 | 0.174 | 0.261 | 0.174 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | Grant Yates made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 16/10/1998. He scored four points in his first game. | Grant Yates played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 3 NBL games. | 0 | Grant Yates played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 3 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1180 | Brandon, Marc | AUS | Brandon | Marc | 1993 | 1998 | 6 | F/C | 205 | 95 | 113 | 1355 | 411 | 217 | 65 | 82 | 135 | 26 | 19 | 57 | 117 | 169 | 367 | 46.0% | 46.0% | 21 | 68 | 30.9% | 0.0% | 52 | 67 | 77.6% | 0.0% | 148 | 299 | 49.5% | 49.5% | 3.6 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 40% | 47% | 42% | 53% | 48% | 38% | 59% | 34% | 18 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | -3 | -0.2 | 55.6 | 10806.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Illawarra 1993-96 | Newcastle 1997-98 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 1 | 1991, 1992 | Wollongong (NSW) | NSW - Illawarra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1991-92 | 13/05/74 | 18/06/93 | 7/06/98 | 19 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Marc Brandon was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. Brandon received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1991. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. FAMILY: Marc's brother, Guy Brandon also played 18 games in the NBL. NBL EXPERIENCEMarc Brandon made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. As a rookie, Brandon appeared in 8 games and averaged 2.0 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as the Hawks finished in sixth place (15-11).
Brandon continued to see his numbers improve, becoming a regular part of the team's rotation and averaging 5.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists across 27 games.
The big numbers delivered by Timmons and Johnson were offset however by the decline of import point guard Andre LaFleur (18.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists) who had shown clear signs of slowing down in his sixth season, averaging career lows in points, rebounds and assists. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6.0 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. As a result, the Hawks struggled to find wins during the year and finished in tenth place (9-17). Brandon would finish the year averaging 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.
With Edwards not being the fit needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks struggled. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season and the Hawks (7-23) failed to make the playoffs yet again. Brandon continue to see his playing time decrease, averaging 1.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists for the season which prompted his decision to shift clubs the following year.
Newcastle added Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) and Marc Brandon (via Illawarra) to replace their local talent and then rounded out the roster by adding former Sydney Kings fan favourite Isaac Burton and highly credentialled NBA big man Todd Mundt as imports. Newcastle lost their opening game to South East Melbourne (73–93) and went on to suffer defeats to Illawarra (92-96), Sydney (90–105) and Brisbane (90-92) before they chalked up their first win against Townsville (110–96). While the loses continued to rack up, the unearthed a future star with Newcastle local Ben Melmeth lifting his production from 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds to 21.6 points and 12.4 rebounds. As a result, Melmeth was selected to the All-NBL First Team and named Most Improved Player at the end of the season. Johnson (10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists) fared well in his new role, his play gaining him a spot at this years Boomers selection camp and Burton (19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals), Todd Mundt (13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and returning star Tonny Jensen (18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered quality numbers as well. The lack of production came from the team's bench, who combined to deliver 12 points per game in total, with new recruit Brandon (3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) the highest scoring player off the bench. As a result, the Falcons struggled to stay in front during any game during times they rested their starting lineup and finished the season in tenth place (9-21).
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 49% | 52% | 12% | 18% | 1.1 | 81.0 | 0.30 | 7.1% | 12.54 | 10.99 | 0.4 | 45 | 693 | 6 | 0.303 | 0.160 | 0.048 | 0.019 | 0.014 | 0.042 | 0.086 | 0.303 | 0.054 | Newcastle Falcons | Illawarra Hawks | Marc Brandon was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. | As a rookie, Brandon appeared in 8 games and averaged 2.0 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as the Hawks finished in sixth place (15-11).
Brandon continued to see his numbers improve, becoming a regular part of the team's rotation and averaging 5.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists across 27 games.
The big numbers delivered by Timmons and Johnson were offset however by the decline of import point guard Andre LaFleur (18.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists) who had shown clear signs of slowing down in his sixth season, averaging career lows in points, rebounds and assists. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6.0 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. As a result, the Hawks struggled to find wins during the year and finished in tenth place (9-17). Brandon would finish the year averaging 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.
With Edwards not being the fit needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks struggled. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season and the Hawks (7-23) failed to make the playoffs yet again. Brandon continue to see his playing time decrease, averaging 1.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists for the season which prompted his decision to shift clubs the following year.
Newcastle added Tonny Jensen (via Townsville) and Marc Brandon (via Illawarra) to replace their local talent and then rounded out the roster by adding former Sydney Kings fan favourite Isaac Burton and highly credentialled NBA big man Todd Mundt as imports. Newcastle lost their opening game to South East Melbourne (73–93) and went on to suffer defeats to Illawarra (92-96), Sydney (90–105) and Brisbane (90-92) before they chalked up their first win against Townsville (110–96). While the loses continued to rack up, the unearthed a future star with Newcastle local Ben Melmeth lifting his production from 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds to 21.6 points and 12.4 rebounds. As a result, Melmeth was selected to the All-NBL First Team and named Most Improved Player at the end of the season. Johnson (10.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists) fared well in his new role, his play gaining him a spot at this years Boomers selection camp and Burton (19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals), Todd Mundt (13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and returning star Tonny Jensen (18.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered quality numbers as well. The lack of production came from the team's bench, who combined to deliver 12 points per game in total, with new recruit Brandon (3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) the highest scoring player off the bench. As a result, the Falcons struggled to stay in front during any game during times they rested their starting lineup and finished the season in tenth place (9-21).
| Marc Brandon made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Marc Brandon played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 3.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 113 NBL games. | Brandon received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1991. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. | FAMILY: Marc's brother, Guy Brandon also played 18 games in the NBL. | 0 | Marc Brandon played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 3.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 113 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1181 | Burns, Evers | USA | Burns | Evers | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | F/C | 203 | 118 | 22 | 698 | 362 | 206 | 45 | 61 | 145 | 19 | 15 | 61 | 101 | 145 | 263 | 55.1% | 55.1% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 72 | 91 | 79.1% | 0.0% | 145 | 262 | 55.3% | 55.3% | 16.5 | 9.4 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 6.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 31.7 | 86% | 96% | 78% | 90% | 97% | 77% | 87% | 89% | 33 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -12 | -0.4 | 53.4 | 21498.6 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Baltimore, Maryland (USA) | None | Maryland (1989-1993) | 1993 | 31 | SAC | #N/A | 23 | 0 | 143 | 56 | 30 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 33 | 22 | 55 | 40% | 0 | 0 | 12 | 23 | 52% | 6.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 24/8/1971 | 11/03/98 | 9/06/98 | 26 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Evers Burns was born in Baltimore, Maryland (USA). FAMILY: He is the cousin of former NBA player Len Elmore. NBL EXPERIENCEEvers Burns made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 26 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game. After a single season in the NBA, Heal returned to the Kings in 1998. With two years remaining on his NBA deal, Heal left Minnesota, citing the lack of playing time behind Stephon Marbury, disliking the cold weather and suffering a calf injury the week before the opening round, which would require him to earn his way back into the rotation and returned to Australia. Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
| Evers Burns was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with pick #31 in the 1993 NBA Draft. In addition to his time in the NBA and NBL Burns played several seasons in the Continental Basketball Association, for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Oklahoma City Cavalry, Yakima Sun Kings and Quad City Thunder. Burns played 23 games in the NBA. He averaged 2.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - June 30, 1993: Drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round (31st pick) of the 1993 NBA Draft. | 8 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.6 | 12.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 55% | 60% | 0% | 35% | 1.4 | 80.5 | 0.14 | 7.2% | 11.00 | 14.91 | 1.5 | 34 | 613 | 28 | 0.519 | 0.295 | 0.064 | 0.027 | 0.021 | 0.087 | 0.145 | 0.519 | 0.047 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Evers Burns was born in Baltimore, Maryland (USA). | After a single season in the NBA, Heal returned to the Kings in 1998. With two years remaining on his NBA deal, Heal left Minnesota, citing the lack of playing time behind Stephon Marbury, disliking the cold weather and suffering a calf injury the week before the opening round, which would require him to earn his way back into the rotation and returned to Australia. Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
| Evers Burns made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 26 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game. | Evers Burns played one season in the NBL. He averaged 16.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 22 NBL games. | Evers Burns was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with pick #31 in the 1993 NBA Draft. | In addition to his time in the NBA and NBL Burns played several seasons in the Continental Basketball Association, for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Oklahoma City Cavalry, Yakima Sun Kings and Quad City Thunder. | - June 30, 1993: Drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round (31st pick) of the 1993 NBA Draft. - February 16, 1994: Waived by the Sacramento Kings. | FAMILY: He is the cousin of former NBA player Len Elmore. | He is the cousin of former NBA player Len Elmore. | 0 | Evers Burns played one season in the NBL. He averaged 16.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 22 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1182 | Caver, Bryan | USA | Caver | Bryan | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 2 | 33 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 17.6% | 0.0% | 0 | 6 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 11 | 27.3% | 0.0% | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 16.5 | 34% | 48% | 77% | 40% | 53% | 93% | 0% | 76% | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -8 | -0.5 | 112.7 | 5915.6 | -0.6 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/03/98 | 7/03/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEBryan Caver made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings on 3/3/1998. He scored four points in his first game. | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.5 | 8.5 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.4 | 92.8 | 0.00 | 17.6% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.5 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0.182 | 0.121 | 0.121 | 0.091 | 0.000 | 0.121 | 0.030 | 0.182 | 0.121 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Bryan Caver made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings on 3/3/1998. He scored four points in his first game. | Bryan Caver played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Bryan Caver played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 2 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1183 | Close, David | AUS | Close | David | 1990 | 1998 | 8 | GRD | 193 | 82 | 219 | 5791 | 2163 | 388 | 476 | 118 | 270 | 187 | 17 | 301 | 457 | 796 | 1828 | 43.5% | 43.5% | 493 | 1209 | 40.8% | 40.8% | 78 | 127 | 61.4% | 61.4% | 303 | 619 | 48.9% | 48.9% | 9.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 26.4 | 67% | 45% | 80% | 43% | 49% | 76% | 45% | 62% | 27 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 8 | -7 | -0.3 | 91.4 | 17099.8 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 0 | Perth (1990-91) | 2 | 0 | Perth 1990-91 | Hobart 1992-93 | Canberra 1994-96 | North Melbourne 1998 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1993, 1991 | 3 | 1989 | Portsmouth (VIC) | VIC - Bulleen | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1989 | Ipswich 1997 | 26/01/71 | 30/03/90 | 6/06/98 | 19 | 27 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Rose BIO: David Close was born in Portsmouth (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Bulleen basketball program. Close received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1989. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1989). NBL EXPERIENCEDavid Close made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. After Perth's season ended with semi final losses to the North Melbourne Giants in both the 1988 and 1989 seasons, prominent West Australian businessman Kerry Stokes became co-owner of the franchise and looked to change the direction of the team immediately. His first move was moving the team into the iconic 8,000-seat Perth Entertainment Centre.
Eager for the team to win its first NBL Championship, Bruton looked to create a roster at Perth that echoed the makeup of the Adelaide 36ers team's of the mid-80s. Oklahoma guard Ricky Grace was signed to play a 'Al Green' type role, and he was teamed up with Mike Ellis, who would replicate the Darryl Pearce/shooting guard role. Young talent Trevor Torrance and David Close would be able to space the floor as Mike McKay did, and Crawford, Pinder, and the newly signed import Jeff Allen would replicate the scoring and rebounding that Mark Davis and Bill Jones brought to the 36ers. The 1990 season began with turmoil as coach Alan Black was controversially fired after only two games and replaced by Cal Bruton. Bruton's appointment was met with negativity from both the players and the fans, who booed the Wildcats' new coach whenever he was introduced at tip-off. In fact, with a record of 6-4 and in the middle of a game against the Sydney Kings, these issues boiled over, resulting in Arnold and Pinder laying hands on each other during halftime. Later, Bruton would get himself ejected from the game, and a players-only meeting was held afterwards, with the primary topic being giving the boot to 'Coach Cal'. The players were told by management to come together as a team as they wouldn't be removing Bruton as coach mid-season but gave Bruton notice that his job was up for review at season's end.
In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Kendal Pinder (29 points and 7 rebounds) was the star game two, but on the eve of facing the North Melbourne in the semifinals, Pinder was arrested and spent the night in jail the night prior to the first game of the series. With the team unaware of the events from the evening prior, Pinder (20 points and 14 rebounds) and Ricky Grace (39 points and 5 rebounds) led the Wildcats to a win over the Giants in the opening game (121-11). Scott Fisher (27 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists) would top score for the Giants in the loss. In game two, Perth still couldn't find a answer for Fisher (35 points and 14 rebounds) who was unstoppable and led North Melbourne over Perth (131-110) to even the series. The Wildcats barely made it out of the semi finals, with Fisher (32 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists) doing everything he could to win the game, but in the final seconds, Perth were able to hold off the Giants to win by two points (112-110) behind some stellar play from Pinder (28 points and 13 rebounds) once again. After defeating the Giants, Perth moved forward face a tough Brisbane Bullets squad featuring Leroy Loggins, Derek Rucker and Andre Moore in the Grand Final series. Tens of thousands of people across Western Australia tuned in to the live coverage to see the Wildcat's triumph 112–106 in Game one of the Grand Final series in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,200 at the Perth Entertainment Centre. Brisbane tied the series (1–1) after winning game two at home in convincing fashion (106–90). In the deciding game, the Wildcat's blew the game wide open in the third quarter, creating a 20 point buffer before coming home easily in the fourth quarter (109-86). The win would mark the first time a team from Western Australian had won the national championship. Ricky Grace was recognised as Grand Final MVP, averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists over the three-game series, and while Cal Bruton hoped to return as head coach in 1991, his attempt to repeat was denied with the team deciding to replace him with Murray Arnold and return Bruton to his position of General Manager. As a rookie, Close appear in 33 games, averaging 9.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
With game two being played on a Friday night and game three scheduled for Sunday, The Wildcats had little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games Wildcats for game two back at home. However, with their backs against the wall, the Spectres performed with a never-say-die attitude and upset the favourites at home by five points (86–81). game two was played on a Friday night and game three was scheduled for Sunday, leaving the Wildcat's little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games. Close would play in 27 games, averaging 7.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
Although Rose (27.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 steals) had been told he was getting 'too old' when released by the 36ers, he delivered a incredible season, being selected to the All-NBL First Team and coming close to winning the MVP award. Mee (15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.7 steals, 1.5 blocks) showcased that he could do it all in this league, while also battling through a serious knee injury that limited his game all season. The Cannons were able to return to the playoffs this season, finishing in fourth place (16-10). Close appeared in all 32 games for the Cannons, averaging 11.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, as the team returned to the playoffs finishing in fourth place (16-10).
Canberra got a huge effort from Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) to win the opening game (98-87), combining with Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists), Mee (23 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) to score a combined 65 points. Andrew Gaze (28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) finished as the game's high scorer. Game two saw a very different Melbourne team on the defensive end, forcing Canberra to shoot 35% from the field (30/86) and Rose (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) the only player to score over 13 points. The Tigers trio of Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists), Copeland (23 points and 6 rebounds) and Bradtke (20 points and 7 rebounds) evened the series with a 18 point win (100-82). In the deciding game, the defence efforts from Rose (21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals) and Mee (18 points and 4 assists) locked down Copeland (6 points and 5 rebounds). Still, it wasn't enough to stop the Tigers' other two big guns in Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks), who combined to score half of the Melbourne's points. The Tigers eliminated the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point contest (91-87) and moved on to the Grand Final series.
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.6 | 8.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 5.5 | 57% | 57% | 62% | 7% | 1.2 | 74.5 | 1.65 | 10.2% | 17.89 | 11.31 | 0.9 | 204 | 3027 | 14 | 0.374 | 0.067 | 0.082 | 0.032 | 0.003 | 0.052 | 0.079 | 0.374 | 0.029 | North Melbourne Giants | Perth Wildcats | David Close was born in Portsmouth (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Bulleen basketball program. | After Perth's season ended with semi final losses to the North Melbourne Giants in both the 1988 and 1989 seasons, prominent West Australian businessman Kerry Stokes became co-owner of the franchise and looked to change the direction of the team immediately. His first move was moving the team into the iconic 8,000-seat Perth Entertainment Centre.
Eager for the team to win its first NBL Championship, Bruton looked to create a roster at Perth that echoed the makeup of the Adelaide 36ers team's of the mid-80s. Oklahoma guard Ricky Grace was signed to play a 'Al Green' type role, and he was teamed up with Mike Ellis, who would replicate the Darryl Pearce/shooting guard role. Young talent Trevor Torrance and David Close would be able to space the floor as Mike McKay did, and Crawford, Pinder, and the newly signed import Jeff Allen would replicate the scoring and rebounding that Mark Davis and Bill Jones brought to the 36ers. The 1990 season began with turmoil as coach Alan Black was controversially fired after only two games and replaced by Cal Bruton. Bruton's appointment was met with negativity from both the players and the fans, who booed the Wildcats' new coach whenever he was introduced at tip-off. In fact, with a record of 6-4 and in the middle of a game against the Sydney Kings, these issues boiled over, resulting in Arnold and Pinder laying hands on each other during halftime. Later, Bruton would get himself ejected from the game, and a players-only meeting was held afterwards, with the primary topic being giving the boot to 'Coach Cal'. The players were told by management to come together as a team as they wouldn't be removing Bruton as coach mid-season but gave Bruton notice that his job was up for review at season's end.
In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Kendal Pinder (29 points and 7 rebounds) was the star game two, but on the eve of facing the North Melbourne in the semifinals, Pinder was arrested and spent the night in jail the night prior to the first game of the series. With the team unaware of the events from the evening prior, Pinder (20 points and 14 rebounds) and Ricky Grace (39 points and 5 rebounds) led the Wildcats to a win over the Giants in the opening game (121-11). Scott Fisher (27 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists) would top score for the Giants in the loss. In game two, Perth still couldn't find a answer for Fisher (35 points and 14 rebounds) who was unstoppable and led North Melbourne over Perth (131-110) to even the series. The Wildcats barely made it out of the semi finals, with Fisher (32 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists) doing everything he could to win the game, but in the final seconds, Perth were able to hold off the Giants to win by two points (112-110) behind some stellar play from Pinder (28 points and 13 rebounds) once again. After defeating the Giants, Perth moved forward face a tough Brisbane Bullets squad featuring Leroy Loggins, Derek Rucker and Andre Moore in the Grand Final series. Tens of thousands of people across Western Australia tuned in to the live coverage to see the Wildcat's triumph 112–106 in Game one of the Grand Final series in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,200 at the Perth Entertainment Centre. Brisbane tied the series (1–1) after winning game two at home in convincing fashion (106–90). In the deciding game, the Wildcat's blew the game wide open in the third quarter, creating a 20 point buffer before coming home easily in the fourth quarter (109-86). The win would mark the first time a team from Western Australian had won the national championship. Ricky Grace was recognised as Grand Final MVP, averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists over the three-game series, and while Cal Bruton hoped to return as head coach in 1991, his attempt to repeat was denied with the team deciding to replace him with Murray Arnold and return Bruton to his position of General Manager. As a rookie, Close appear in 33 games, averaging 9.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
With game two being played on a Friday night and game three scheduled for Sunday, The Wildcats had little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games Wildcats for game two back at home. However, with their backs against the wall, the Spectres performed with a never-say-die attitude and upset the favourites at home by five points (86–81). game two was played on a Friday night and game three was scheduled for Sunday, leaving the Wildcat's little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games. Close would play in 27 games, averaging 7.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
Although Rose (27.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 steals) had been told he was getting 'too old' when released by the 36ers, he delivered a incredible season, being selected to the All-NBL First Team and coming close to winning the MVP award. Mee (15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.7 steals, 1.5 blocks) showcased that he could do it all in this league, while also battling through a serious knee injury that limited his game all season. The Cannons were able to return to the playoffs this season, finishing in fourth place (16-10). Close appeared in all 32 games for the Cannons, averaging 11.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, as the team returned to the playoffs finishing in fourth place (16-10).
Canberra got a huge effort from Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) to win the opening game (98-87), combining with Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists), Mee (23 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) to score a combined 65 points. Andrew Gaze (28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) finished as the game's high scorer. Game two saw a very different Melbourne team on the defensive end, forcing Canberra to shoot 35% from the field (30/86) and Rose (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) the only player to score over 13 points. The Tigers trio of Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists), Copeland (23 points and 6 rebounds) and Bradtke (20 points and 7 rebounds) evened the series with a 18 point win (100-82). In the deciding game, the defence efforts from Rose (21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals) and Mee (18 points and 4 assists) locked down Copeland (6 points and 5 rebounds). Still, it wasn't enough to stop the Tigers' other two big guns in Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks), who combined to score half of the Melbourne's points. The Tigers eliminated the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point contest (91-87) and moved on to the Grand Final series.
| David Close made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. | David Close played eight seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Perth Wildcats, Hobart Devils, Canberra Cannons and North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 9.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 219 NBL games. | Close received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1989. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1989). | Rose | 0 | David Close played eight seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Perth Wildcats, Hobart Devils, Canberra Cannons and North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 9.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 219 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1184 | De Ambrosis, Tony | AUS | De Ambrosis | Tony | 1990 | 1998 | 9 | FRD | 196 | 102 | 206 | 4272 | 2026 | 960 | 224 | 398 | 562 | 158 | 88 | 381 | 629 | 792 | 1429 | 55.4% | 55.4% | 1 | 8 | 12.5% | 0.0% | 441 | 670 | 65.8% | 65.8% | 791 | 1421 | 55.7% | 55.7% | 9.8 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 20.7 | 67% | 75% | 60% | 81% | 71% | 72% | 78% | 74% | 36 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -7 | -0.4 | 225.9 | 26318.2 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1990-93 | Gold Coast 1994-96 | Townsville 1997-98 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Sydney (NSW) | NSW - Manly | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31/10/70 | 20/04/90 | 9/06/98 | 19 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Tony De Ambrosis was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Manly basketball program. Led NSW to a second place finish at the 1989 Australian Junior Champiopnships. NBL EXPERIENCETony De Ambrosis made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 19 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game. | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.8 | 6.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 55% | 59% | 0% | 47% | 1.4 | 80.4 | 0.00 | 11.1% | 9.62 | 16.36 | 1.2 | 246 | 3210 | 16 | 0.474 | 0.225 | 0.052 | 0.037 | 0.021 | 0.089 | 0.147 | 0.474 | 0.048 | Townsville Crocodiles | Sydney Kings | Tony De Ambrosis was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Manly basketball program. Led NSW to a second place finish at the 1989 Australian Junior Champiopnships. | Tony De Ambrosis made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 19 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game. | Tony De Ambrosis played nine seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Sydney Kings, Gold Coast Rollers, Townsville Suns and Townsville Crocodiles. He averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1 assists in 206 NBL games. | - Kings Most Improved Player 1990, 1991 | 0 | Tony De Ambrosis played nine seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Sydney Kings, Gold Coast Rollers, Townsville Suns and Townsville Crocodiles. He averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1 assists in 206 NBL games. | AWARDS- Kings Most Improved Player 1990, 1991 |
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| 1185 | Dorge, John | AUS | Dorge | John | 1985 | 1998 | 14 | CTR | 209 | 118 | 363 | 7761 | 3709 | 2890 | 268 | 1151 | 1739 | 234 | 625 | 646 | 1323 | 1507 | 2690 | 56.0% | 56.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 695 | 1082 | 64.2% | 64.2% | 1507 | 2690 | 56.0% | 56.0% | 10.2 | 8.0 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 21.4 | 68% | 92% | 48% | 93% | 91% | 66% | 98% | 72% | 29 | 23 | 4 | 10 | 19 | 6 | 14 | 7 | -7 | -0.3 | 198.9 | 24042.7 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 0 | Brisbane (1985, 1987), South East Melbourne (1992, 1996) | 4 | 0 | Brisbane 1985-89 | Geelong 1990-91 | South East Melbourne 1992-98 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1990, 1992, 1996 | Australia | 19 | 165 | 62 | 57 | 4 | 24 | 33 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 37 | 17 | 39 | 44% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 16 | 27 | 59% | 8.7 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.9 | #N/A | Toowoomba (QLD) | QLD - Toowoomba | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17/10/62 | 12/04/85 | 1/07/98 | 22 | 35 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: The Chicken Farmer BIO: John Dorge also known as the "towering chicken farmer" having left his Darling Downs poultry farm at 22 years of age to try-out for the Bullets after coach Brian Kerle spotted the 209cm playing in a Gold Coast tournament. NBL EXPERIENCEJohn Dorge made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 22 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. John Dorge began his NBL journey in 1985 with the Brisbane Bullets, under the leadership of head coach Brian Kerle. Entering the season hungry for redemption after a heartbreaking Grand Final loss to the Canberra Cannons in 1984, the Bullets retooled their roster, adding the legendary Cal Bruton and young big man John Dorge to an already talent-rich squad. With Kerle now in his second year at the helm, the Bullets produced a dominant regular season, finishing on top of the ladder with a 20–6 record. The driving force behind Brisbane’s success was Leroy Loggins (27.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.7 steals, and 2.0 blocks), who led the team across multiple categories and finished the season as the league leader in steals. His elite two-way play earned him All-NBL First Team honours. Loggins wasn’t alone. The returning Cal Bruton (17.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) provided leadership and scoring punch, Ron Radliff (17.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals) added consistent outside shooting and playmaking, and team captain Larry Sengstock (16.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) anchored the frontcourt. Import Audie Matthews (16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) also gave the Bullets another reliable weapon on both ends. John Dorge (2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds) produced modest numbers as a rookie, but he saved his best performance for the postseason. Brisbane received a first-round bye and faced Canberra in the semifinals after the Cannons eliminated Coburg by 23 points. In a rematch of the previous year’s Grand Final, the Bullets got their revenge with a 93–76 victory. Loggins led the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, while Bruton added 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Dorge also stepped up with his best game of the season, contributing 9 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. On the other side of the bracket, Adelaide crushed Newcastle 151–103 to set up a Grand Final showdown between two powerhouse clubs. It was the final time the NBL Grand Final would be decided in a single game. With the championship held at Brisbane’s Sleeman Sports Centre, the Bullets entered as favourites. Leading 78–74 entering the final period, the Bullets outscored Adelaide 42–21 in the last quarter, setting a Grand Final record for most points scored in a final period and claiming a commanding 121–95 win to secure the club’s first NBL championship. Dorge (2 points and 6 rebounds) again played a vital role, while Bruton finished (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists), Larry Sengstock (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Leroy Loggins (41 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) would lead Brisbane to their first NBL championship.
John Dorge (8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds) would double his scoring and rebounding output in his second NBL season, playing a key role for a Brisbane team that finished the regular season in second place behind the Adelaide 36ers—whom they had famously beaten in the previous year’s Grand Final. The driving force behind Brisbane’s success once again was Leroy Loggins (29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks), who delivered one of the most dominant individual seasons in league history. He was again supported by Ron Radliff (16.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals), Calvin Bruton (16.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals), and Larry Sengstock (12.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks), forming a well-rounded and experienced core. The 1986 NBL Grand Final series marked a historic shift for the league, with the championship expanded from a one-game playoff to a best-of-three format—prompted by the high-profile nature of the rematch between Brisbane and Adelaide. Game 1 was held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in front of a then-record Australian indoor crowd of over 11,000 fans, including international cricketers Greg Chappell and Ian Botham. The Bullets held strong through most of the contest, but after both Leroy Loggins and Larry Sengstock fouled out in the fourth quarter, the 36ers capitalised and claimed a 122–119 overtime win. Game 2 moved to Adelaide’s Apollo Stadium, where the 36ers had gone 14–0 during the regular season. Brisbane shocked the home crowd with a dominant 104–83 win, handing Adelaide their first loss at home all year and forcing a deciding Game 3. Game 3, also played in Adelaide, turned when Loggins fouled out in the third quarter. Without their superstar, Brisbane couldn’t keep pace. The 36ers pulled away to win the championship decider 113–91, reversing the result of the 1985 Grand Final and ending the Bullets’ bid for back-to-back titles. Other contributors throughout the season included David Nelson (9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), Danny Morseu (6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists), Chris McGraw (4.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists), and Robert Sibley (5.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists), adding valuable depth to a strong Brisbane rotation that once again reached the league’s biggest stage.
The Bullets, who were making their fourth consecutive grand final appearance, would face the Perth Wildcats who had upset the defending champion 36ers in their three-game semi-final series. Dorge played 21 minutes in the first game and added 5 points and 5 rebounds in the first game as the Bullets took game one in Perth by a single point, 80-79. Game 2 came much more easily to the Bullets who after a tight first half (47-44) destroyed the Wildcat's in the second half, outscoring them by 16 points. With Brisbane safely holding onto a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Dorge saw 20 minutes of action in game two and contributed 7 points and 10 rebounds in the deciding game.
Brisbane remained one of the league’s top contenders throughout the regular season and held second place with just two rounds remaining. However, a costly 97–105 home loss to Canberra dropped them into a tie with the North Melbourne Giants at 18–6. With the head-to-head split at 1–1, the Giants claimed second place on for-and-against (+9), relegating the Bullets to third. The team was once again led by Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals), who was named to the All-NBL First Team for the seventh consecutive year and led the league in free throw percentage at 85.6%. Import Emery Atkinson (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks) provided a strong two-way presence in the frontcourt, while veterans Larry Sengstock (11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) added stability and experience. One of the highlights of the season was the emergence of 17-year-old rookie Shane Heal (15.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), who quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s most exciting young talents. Playing 27 minutes per game and backing up starting point guard Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), Heal won the NBL Rookie of the Year award with ease. Brisbane’s third-place finish meant they missed out on a direct path to the semi-finals and were instead forced into a sudden-death quarterfinal against the sixth-seeded Perth Wildcats. Playing at home at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the Bullets entered as strong favourites. Leroy Loggins (31 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals) while playing 45 minutes, Larry Sengstock (17 points and 10 rebounds) and Emery Atkinson (12 points and 8 rebounds) did their best inside, and John Dorge (6 points and 3 rebounds) made an impact in just 10 minutes of action. Despite those efforts, Brisbane struggled from the perimeter, hitting just 2-of-16 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Perth shot a blistering 52% from the field, led by former Bullets champion Calvin Bruton, who torched his old team with 31 points, 4 assists, and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. James Crawford (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks) dominated the paint and disrupted Brisbane’s interior attack, as the Wildcats handed the Bullets a 98–113 loss that ended their season and denied them a fifth straight Grand Final appearance.
John Dorge (8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) continued to improve his production for the fifth consecutive season and remained a reliable contributor in the frontcourt. Leroy Loggins (22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) once again led by example and finished as the team’s top scorer and defender. However, for the first time since 1981, he was not selected to the All-NBL First Team—likely a reflection of the team’s underwhelming record. New import Winston Crite (20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) delivered strong individual numbers but failed to form the same one-two punch with Loggins that previous imports had. Veterans Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) continued to play important roles, though both were showing signs of decline as their output began to taper off. Meanwhile, Robert Sibley (15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) made a notable leap in production, emerging as a dependable frontcourt contributor after averaging 8.6 points the previous season. His expanded role gave Brisbane a much-needed secondary scoring option. Despite several strong individual campaigns, the Bullets couldn’t rediscover the chemistry or depth that had made them a dominant force throughout the 1980s. Brisbane finished the regular season in eighth place with an 11–13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1983.
Dorge (15.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.6 blocks) delivered one of the best seasons of his career, averaging a double-double and establishing himself as the Supercats’ interior anchor on both ends of the floor. His shot-blocking and rebounding gave Geelong a much-needed defensive presence, and he remained a consistent contributor in a lineup dominated by high-octane guards. Geelong’s season began poorly, with the team dropping its first four games despite solid numbers from Vaughns (17.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks). Vaughns was quickly released, paving the way for explosive guard Bobby Locke to join the roster. Locke lit up the Wollongong Hawks for 50 points in one of the most memorable NBL debuts in league history and injected new life into the struggling side. With Locke (31.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.4 steals) leading the scoring load, and 19-year-old Shane Heal (22.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) having a breakout campaign that earned him the NBL’s Most Improved Player award, the Supercats began to show glimpses of their potential. Daren Rowe (18.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.4 steals, and 3.2 blocks) led the league in blocks and gave Geelong valuable two-way production, while Dorge quietly remained a pillar in the frontcourt throughout the highs and lows. Although the team continued to battle inconsistency, they ultimately secured 11 wins—more than they had managed in the previous two seasons combined. Geelong finished the regular season in 10th place with an 11–15 record, falling short of the playoffs but taking a clear step forward in their development. Dorge’s veteran leadership and elite interior play proved crucial in stabilising a new-look roster and helping set the foundation for future success.
There were key roster changes before the season began. Import forward Daren Rowe departed the club and was replaced by Terry Dozier, a long and athletic defender who would go on to win the NBL’s Best Defensive Player award. Young wing Andrew Parkinson also exited (to Southern Melbourne), opening the door for rookie Leigh Cleary to join the bench rotation. Geelong’s 1991 campaign began how most predicted, with a rough 0–3 start following losses to North Melbourne (109–112), Eastside Spectres (100–119), and Perth (105–110). But the Supercats broke through with a road win over Brisbane (126–106), sparking a stunning turnaround that saw them win 16 of their remaining 22 games. Led by head coach Barry Barnes, Geelong’s starters logged heavy minutes and delivered elite production across the board. Bobby Locke (25.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 3.0 steals) led the NBL in steals and ranked among the league's top scorers in his first full season. Vince Hinchen (24.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists) and Shane Heal (23.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists) gave the team dynamic offensive firepower in the backcourt, while Terry Dozier (22.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) anchored the defence and added scoring versatility. Inside, John Dorge (14.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks) dominated the paint and led the NBL in blocked shots. All five starters averaged over 33 minutes per game, with Jim Bateman (7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) providing steady contributions off the bench. Bruce Hultgren, Leigh Cleary, Mark Griffin, and Shane Crothers rounded out the supporting cast, helping to balance out a tight rotation built around defense and cohesion. The Supercats’ 17–9 finish tied them with Eastside for second place, but the NBL’s head-to-head tiebreaker rule pushed Geelong down to third. Though both teams split their two meetings 1–1, the Spectres had a +1 point differential across those games, handing them the higher seed. Once into the playoffs, Geelong would face North Melbourne in Game 1 at home, where the Supercats put on a clinic. Shane Heal exploded for 36 points, 11 assists, and nine triples, while Vince Hinchen added 31 points and Terry Dozier chipped in 17 points and 13 rebounds. John Dorge added 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds, and six blocks in one of his best performances of the year. Geelong shot 57% from the field and overwhelmed the Giants 139–119 in a complete team effort that set the tone for the series. North Melbourne regrouped and evened the series with a 136–116 win at home in Game 2, forcing a decisive third game back in Geelong. In Game 3, the Supercats fought hard but were ultimately overpowered by the Giants 125–113. Despite solid efforts from Locke (31 points), Heal (27 points), and Hinchen (23 points), Geelong had no answers for the interior strength of Paul Maley (24 points, 12 rebounds) or the elite shot-making of Scott Fisher (30 points on 14-of-20 shooting). Dorge also contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in the final game of the season. To finalise the Magic's inaugural roster, import Milt Newton was recruited alongside John Dorge, who arrived from Geelong after leading the NBL in blocked shots in 1991. The 7-foot centre brought size, defensive intensity, and a proven interior presence to an already physical lineup. Dorge (12.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks) led the league in blocked shots for the second straight year and quickly established himself as a defensive anchor under Goorjian’s disciplined system. With Dorge patrolling the paint and forming a powerful frontcourt tandem with Bruce Bolden, the Magic opened the 1992 season in imposing fashion—winning six of their first seven games. While Newton (15.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals) was productive early, the team made a bold move mid-season by releasing him and signing former LA Clippers guard Rob Rose. From that point on, the Magic surged to a 20–4 regular season record and remained unbeaten at home (12–0). Goorjian earned NBL Coach of the Year honours, and the Magic entered the playoffs as the top seed, with Dorge’s rim protection, rebounding, and physicality pivotal to the team’s success on both ends of the floor.
In the playoffs, Dorge was a constant defensive force. He helped the Magic sweep both the Canberra Cannons and North Melbourne Giants to reach the Grand Final, where they would face the third-placed Melbourne Tigers, led by scoring machine Andrew Gaze (33.8 points per game) and athletic import Lanard Copeland (28.1 points). In Game 1 of the Grand Final, South East Melbourne suffered a massive blow when starting point guard Darren Perry tore his ACL just 11 minutes into the match. The Tigers capitalised, running out 116–98 winners behind Copeland’s 34 points and Gaze’s 26. Dorge was solid in the loss, finishing with 13 points (6/12 FG), 12 rebounds (including five offensive), and a block in 25 minutes. His presence on the boards kept the Magic competitive, despite the backcourt setback. Game 2 saw the Magic bounce back in dominant fashion. With Lucas stepping into the backcourt, and Scott Ninnis limiting Copeland to just 14 points, Dorge again played his role to perfection. He tallied 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, pulled down 8 rebounds, and added 2 blocks in 29 minutes. His interior play helped neutralise the Tigers' frontcourt and gave the Magic a platform to even the series with a 115–93 victory. The deciding Game 3 was one of the most intense in NBL history. The Magic brought suffocating defence, and Dorge’s rim protection played a vital role in containing the Tigers' attack. He contributed 9 points (4/8 FG), 6 rebounds, and a massive 5 blocks in 24 minutes. His timing and presence at the rim helped limit Andrew Gaze to just 18 points on 5-of-19 shooting. As the Magic closed out a 95–88 win to clinch the championship, Dorge’s defensive mastery in the paint stood tall—literally and figuratively. While Finals MVP honours went to Bruce Bolden, Dorge’s role in the Magic’s inaugural championship season was undeniable. He provided the backbone to a league-best defence, delivered consistent interior production, and played a key role in all three games of the Grand Final series. In one of the most dominant team debut seasons in Australian basketball history, John Dorge was the anchor in the middle—blocking shots, grabbing boards, and doing the gritty work that made "One Magic Year" possible. | Dorge's first major tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall. Dorge also played for Australia in the 1990 Goodwill Games (Seattle). Dorge was then selected for the Australia team that played at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Alongside Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Phil Smyth, Andrew Vlahov and Mark Bradtke the team finished in 6th-place finish with a 4–4 record. Dorge missed out on playing in the 1994 FIBA World Championships but was back in the Boomers lineup for the 1996 Olympics where after defeating Croatia (73-71) the Boomers reached the semi finals for the just second time. Australia would suffer a 101-73 defeat to eventual gold medalists USA, who featured Charles Barkley, David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal on the roster. In the bronze medal game Australia feel short to Lithuania (74-80) due to a lack of size and the inability to stop Arvydas Sabonis. The Boomers fourth place finish equalled Australia's best result at a Olympic games at that time. | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.2 | 7.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 56% | 59% | 0% | 40% | 1.4 | 80.2 | -0.40 | 8.7% | 6.57 | 15.83 | 2.4 | 859 | 6867 | 19 | 0.433 | 0.342 | 0.031 | 0.026 | 0.076 | 0.073 | 0.151 | 0.433 | 0.035 | South East Melbourne Magic | Brisbane Bullets | John Dorge also known as the "towering chicken farmer" having left his Darling Downs poultry farm at 22 years of age to try-out for the Bullets after coach Brian Kerle spotted the 209cm playing in a Gold Coast tournament. | John Dorge began his NBL journey in 1985 with the Brisbane Bullets, under the leadership of head coach Brian Kerle. Entering the season hungry for redemption after a heartbreaking Grand Final loss to the Canberra Cannons in 1984, the Bullets retooled their roster, adding the legendary Cal Bruton and young big man John Dorge to an already talent-rich squad. With Kerle now in his second year at the helm, the Bullets produced a dominant regular season, finishing on top of the ladder with a 20–6 record. The driving force behind Brisbane’s success was Leroy Loggins (27.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.7 steals, and 2.0 blocks), who led the team across multiple categories and finished the season as the league leader in steals. His elite two-way play earned him All-NBL First Team honours. Loggins wasn’t alone. The returning Cal Bruton (17.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) provided leadership and scoring punch, Ron Radliff (17.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals) added consistent outside shooting and playmaking, and team captain Larry Sengstock (16.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) anchored the frontcourt. Import Audie Matthews (16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) also gave the Bullets another reliable weapon on both ends. John Dorge (2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds) produced modest numbers as a rookie, but he saved his best performance for the postseason. Brisbane received a first-round bye and faced Canberra in the semifinals after the Cannons eliminated Coburg by 23 points. In a rematch of the previous year’s Grand Final, the Bullets got their revenge with a 93–76 victory. Loggins led the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, while Bruton added 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Dorge also stepped up with his best game of the season, contributing 9 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. On the other side of the bracket, Adelaide crushed Newcastle 151–103 to set up a Grand Final showdown between two powerhouse clubs. It was the final time the NBL Grand Final would be decided in a single game. With the championship held at Brisbane’s Sleeman Sports Centre, the Bullets entered as favourites. Leading 78–74 entering the final period, the Bullets outscored Adelaide 42–21 in the last quarter, setting a Grand Final record for most points scored in a final period and claiming a commanding 121–95 win to secure the club’s first NBL championship. Dorge (2 points and 6 rebounds) again played a vital role, while Bruton finished (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists), Larry Sengstock (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Leroy Loggins (41 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) would lead Brisbane to their first NBL championship.
John Dorge (8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds) would double his scoring and rebounding output in his second NBL season, playing a key role for a Brisbane team that finished the regular season in second place behind the Adelaide 36ers—whom they had famously beaten in the previous year’s Grand Final. The driving force behind Brisbane’s success once again was Leroy Loggins (29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks), who delivered one of the most dominant individual seasons in league history. He was again supported by Ron Radliff (16.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals), Calvin Bruton (16.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals), and Larry Sengstock (12.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks), forming a well-rounded and experienced core. The 1986 NBL Grand Final series marked a historic shift for the league, with the championship expanded from a one-game playoff to a best-of-three format—prompted by the high-profile nature of the rematch between Brisbane and Adelaide. Game 1 was held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in front of a then-record Australian indoor crowd of over 11,000 fans, including international cricketers Greg Chappell and Ian Botham. The Bullets held strong through most of the contest, but after both Leroy Loggins and Larry Sengstock fouled out in the fourth quarter, the 36ers capitalised and claimed a 122–119 overtime win. Game 2 moved to Adelaide’s Apollo Stadium, where the 36ers had gone 14–0 during the regular season. Brisbane shocked the home crowd with a dominant 104–83 win, handing Adelaide their first loss at home all year and forcing a deciding Game 3. Game 3, also played in Adelaide, turned when Loggins fouled out in the third quarter. Without their superstar, Brisbane couldn’t keep pace. The 36ers pulled away to win the championship decider 113–91, reversing the result of the 1985 Grand Final and ending the Bullets’ bid for back-to-back titles. Other contributors throughout the season included David Nelson (9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), Danny Morseu (6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists), Chris McGraw (4.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists), and Robert Sibley (5.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists), adding valuable depth to a strong Brisbane rotation that once again reached the league’s biggest stage.
The Bullets, who were making their fourth consecutive grand final appearance, would face the Perth Wildcats who had upset the defending champion 36ers in their three-game semi-final series. Dorge played 21 minutes in the first game and added 5 points and 5 rebounds in the first game as the Bullets took game one in Perth by a single point, 80-79. Game 2 came much more easily to the Bullets who after a tight first half (47-44) destroyed the Wildcat's in the second half, outscoring them by 16 points. With Brisbane safely holding onto a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Dorge saw 20 minutes of action in game two and contributed 7 points and 10 rebounds in the deciding game.
Brisbane remained one of the league’s top contenders throughout the regular season and held second place with just two rounds remaining. However, a costly 97–105 home loss to Canberra dropped them into a tie with the North Melbourne Giants at 18–6. With the head-to-head split at 1–1, the Giants claimed second place on for-and-against (+9), relegating the Bullets to third. The team was once again led by Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals), who was named to the All-NBL First Team for the seventh consecutive year and led the league in free throw percentage at 85.6%. Import Emery Atkinson (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks) provided a strong two-way presence in the frontcourt, while veterans Larry Sengstock (11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) added stability and experience. One of the highlights of the season was the emergence of 17-year-old rookie Shane Heal (15.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), who quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s most exciting young talents. Playing 27 minutes per game and backing up starting point guard Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), Heal won the NBL Rookie of the Year award with ease. Brisbane’s third-place finish meant they missed out on a direct path to the semi-finals and were instead forced into a sudden-death quarterfinal against the sixth-seeded Perth Wildcats. Playing at home at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the Bullets entered as strong favourites. Leroy Loggins (31 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals) while playing 45 minutes, Larry Sengstock (17 points and 10 rebounds) and Emery Atkinson (12 points and 8 rebounds) did their best inside, and John Dorge (6 points and 3 rebounds) made an impact in just 10 minutes of action. Despite those efforts, Brisbane struggled from the perimeter, hitting just 2-of-16 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Perth shot a blistering 52% from the field, led by former Bullets champion Calvin Bruton, who torched his old team with 31 points, 4 assists, and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. James Crawford (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks) dominated the paint and disrupted Brisbane’s interior attack, as the Wildcats handed the Bullets a 98–113 loss that ended their season and denied them a fifth straight Grand Final appearance.
John Dorge (8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) continued to improve his production for the fifth consecutive season and remained a reliable contributor in the frontcourt. Leroy Loggins (22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) once again led by example and finished as the team’s top scorer and defender. However, for the first time since 1981, he was not selected to the All-NBL First Team—likely a reflection of the team’s underwhelming record. New import Winston Crite (20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) delivered strong individual numbers but failed to form the same one-two punch with Loggins that previous imports had. Veterans Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) continued to play important roles, though both were showing signs of decline as their output began to taper off. Meanwhile, Robert Sibley (15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) made a notable leap in production, emerging as a dependable frontcourt contributor after averaging 8.6 points the previous season. His expanded role gave Brisbane a much-needed secondary scoring option. Despite several strong individual campaigns, the Bullets couldn’t rediscover the chemistry or depth that had made them a dominant force throughout the 1980s. Brisbane finished the regular season in eighth place with an 11–13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1983.
Dorge (15.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.6 blocks) delivered one of the best seasons of his career, averaging a double-double and establishing himself as the Supercats’ interior anchor on both ends of the floor. His shot-blocking and rebounding gave Geelong a much-needed defensive presence, and he remained a consistent contributor in a lineup dominated by high-octane guards. Geelong’s season began poorly, with the team dropping its first four games despite solid numbers from Vaughns (17.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks). Vaughns was quickly released, paving the way for explosive guard Bobby Locke to join the roster. Locke lit up the Wollongong Hawks for 50 points in one of the most memorable NBL debuts in league history and injected new life into the struggling side. With Locke (31.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.4 steals) leading the scoring load, and 19-year-old Shane Heal (22.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) having a breakout campaign that earned him the NBL’s Most Improved Player award, the Supercats began to show glimpses of their potential. Daren Rowe (18.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.4 steals, and 3.2 blocks) led the league in blocks and gave Geelong valuable two-way production, while Dorge quietly remained a pillar in the frontcourt throughout the highs and lows. Although the team continued to battle inconsistency, they ultimately secured 11 wins—more than they had managed in the previous two seasons combined. Geelong finished the regular season in 10th place with an 11–15 record, falling short of the playoffs but taking a clear step forward in their development. Dorge’s veteran leadership and elite interior play proved crucial in stabilising a new-look roster and helping set the foundation for future success.
There were key roster changes before the season began. Import forward Daren Rowe departed the club and was replaced by Terry Dozier, a long and athletic defender who would go on to win the NBL’s Best Defensive Player award. Young wing Andrew Parkinson also exited (to Southern Melbourne), opening the door for rookie Leigh Cleary to join the bench rotation. Geelong’s 1991 campaign began how most predicted, with a rough 0–3 start following losses to North Melbourne (109–112), Eastside Spectres (100–119), and Perth (105–110). But the Supercats broke through with a road win over Brisbane (126–106), sparking a stunning turnaround that saw them win 16 of their remaining 22 games. Led by head coach Barry Barnes, Geelong’s starters logged heavy minutes and delivered elite production across the board. Bobby Locke (25.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 3.0 steals) led the NBL in steals and ranked among the league's top scorers in his first full season. Vince Hinchen (24.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists) and Shane Heal (23.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists) gave the team dynamic offensive firepower in the backcourt, while Terry Dozier (22.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) anchored the defence and added scoring versatility. Inside, John Dorge (14.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks) dominated the paint and led the NBL in blocked shots. All five starters averaged over 33 minutes per game, with Jim Bateman (7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) providing steady contributions off the bench. Bruce Hultgren, Leigh Cleary, Mark Griffin, and Shane Crothers rounded out the supporting cast, helping to balance out a tight rotation built around defense and cohesion. The Supercats’ 17–9 finish tied them with Eastside for second place, but the NBL’s head-to-head tiebreaker rule pushed Geelong down to third. Though both teams split their two meetings 1–1, the Spectres had a +1 point differential across those games, handing them the higher seed. Once into the playoffs, Geelong would face North Melbourne in Game 1 at home, where the Supercats put on a clinic. Shane Heal exploded for 36 points, 11 assists, and nine triples, while Vince Hinchen added 31 points and Terry Dozier chipped in 17 points and 13 rebounds. John Dorge added 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds, and six blocks in one of his best performances of the year. Geelong shot 57% from the field and overwhelmed the Giants 139–119 in a complete team effort that set the tone for the series. North Melbourne regrouped and evened the series with a 136–116 win at home in Game 2, forcing a decisive third game back in Geelong. In Game 3, the Supercats fought hard but were ultimately overpowered by the Giants 125–113. Despite solid efforts from Locke (31 points), Heal (27 points), and Hinchen (23 points), Geelong had no answers for the interior strength of Paul Maley (24 points, 12 rebounds) or the elite shot-making of Scott Fisher (30 points on 14-of-20 shooting). Dorge also contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in the final game of the season. To finalise the Magic's inaugural roster, import Milt Newton was recruited alongside John Dorge, who arrived from Geelong after leading the NBL in blocked shots in 1991. The 7-foot centre brought size, defensive intensity, and a proven interior presence to an already physical lineup. Dorge (12.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks) led the league in blocked shots for the second straight year and quickly established himself as a defensive anchor under Goorjian’s disciplined system. With Dorge patrolling the paint and forming a powerful frontcourt tandem with Bruce Bolden, the Magic opened the 1992 season in imposing fashion—winning six of their first seven games. While Newton (15.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals) was productive early, the team made a bold move mid-season by releasing him and signing former LA Clippers guard Rob Rose. From that point on, the Magic surged to a 20–4 regular season record and remained unbeaten at home (12–0). Goorjian earned NBL Coach of the Year honours, and the Magic entered the playoffs as the top seed, with Dorge’s rim protection, rebounding, and physicality pivotal to the team’s success on both ends of the floor.
In the playoffs, Dorge was a constant defensive force. He helped the Magic sweep both the Canberra Cannons and North Melbourne Giants to reach the Grand Final, where they would face the third-placed Melbourne Tigers, led by scoring machine Andrew Gaze (33.8 points per game) and athletic import Lanard Copeland (28.1 points). In Game 1 of the Grand Final, South East Melbourne suffered a massive blow when starting point guard Darren Perry tore his ACL just 11 minutes into the match. The Tigers capitalised, running out 116–98 winners behind Copeland’s 34 points and Gaze’s 26. Dorge was solid in the loss, finishing with 13 points (6/12 FG), 12 rebounds (including five offensive), and a block in 25 minutes. His presence on the boards kept the Magic competitive, despite the backcourt setback. Game 2 saw the Magic bounce back in dominant fashion. With Lucas stepping into the backcourt, and Scott Ninnis limiting Copeland to just 14 points, Dorge again played his role to perfection. He tallied 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, pulled down 8 rebounds, and added 2 blocks in 29 minutes. His interior play helped neutralise the Tigers' frontcourt and gave the Magic a platform to even the series with a 115–93 victory. The deciding Game 3 was one of the most intense in NBL history. The Magic brought suffocating defence, and Dorge’s rim protection played a vital role in containing the Tigers' attack. He contributed 9 points (4/8 FG), 6 rebounds, and a massive 5 blocks in 24 minutes. His timing and presence at the rim helped limit Andrew Gaze to just 18 points on 5-of-19 shooting. As the Magic closed out a 95–88 win to clinch the championship, Dorge’s defensive mastery in the paint stood tall—literally and figuratively. While Finals MVP honours went to Bruce Bolden, Dorge’s role in the Magic’s inaugural championship season was undeniable. He provided the backbone to a league-best defence, delivered consistent interior production, and played a key role in all three games of the Grand Final series. In one of the most dominant team debut seasons in Australian basketball history, John Dorge was the anchor in the middle—blocking shots, grabbing boards, and doing the gritty work that made "One Magic Year" possible. | 1993 Returning to the South East Melbourne Magic for their championship defence, veteran centre John Dorge entered the 1993 NBL season as a key part of coach Brian Goorjian’s interior rotation. However, his campaign got off to a delayed start due to a leg injury that sidelined him for the first two months of the season. The Magic, who had retained most of their 1992 title-winning core—including Bruce Bolden, Robert Rose, Tony Ronaldson, Darren Lucas, and Andrew Parkinson—were forced to adjust early on, relying heavily on Bolden in the frontcourt during Dorge’s absence.
Though injuries reduced his offensive opportunities, Dorge’s experience and rim protection were still valued during key stretches of the season.
In a interesting nod to the future, due to injury the Magic replaced him with state league star Mike Kelly who would become a major part of the Magic roster in 1997. South East Melbourne was unbeatable at home all season (11-2) butcould never replicate that on the road, losing half their away games and finishing third on the ladder (18-18). In the postseason, South East swept Perth in two games to set up a semi-finals matchup against crosstown rival North Melbourne. The Giants delivered a major upset in game one, convincingly defeating the Magic (108-87). In game two, it was much closer. In fact, the game was only decided in the final minute (76-79), and if Adonis Jordan hadn't missed a three-point heave at the buzzer (many thought he could have made a extra pass to a open David Graham for a better shot), the Magic might have been able to force a third game. Instead, the South East Melbourne's season came to a end. Anstey's move to the Magic was one of huge controversy when Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed the signing via the NBL tribunal. The NBL decided that Anstey could not leave the Tigers and would have to play for Melbourne as long as the Tigers could match the contract, which they did. After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer Anstey a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn't match. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team's players were reinstated to their previous contracts.
Additionally, 33-year-old big man Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge's improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season while backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league's Best Defensive Player award.
The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series.
The Magic's strength came from their remarkable balance and depth. Five players averaged double-digit scoring, with only four points separating the team's leading and fifth-leading scorer. Tony Ronaldson (16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists) was again a key leader, while Sam MacKinnon (15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists) and Chris Anstey (13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.6 steals) emerged as two of the brightest young stars in the league. Mike Kelly (12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals) anchored the perimeter defense and won his second consecutive NBL Best Defensive Player award, while veteran big man John Dorge (7.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.5 blocks) added experience and interior toughness. Goorjian’s leadership was recognised with the NBL Coach of the Year honour. Finishing first gave the Magic a bye into the semi-finals, where they met the fourth-placed Perth Wildcats, who had defeated Brisbane in the elimination finals. In Game One in Perth, Anstey dominated with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals, while Ronaldson added 18 points in a 92–82 win. Back in Melbourne for Game Two, the Magic turned up their defensive pressure, coasting to a 96–69 win behind 21 points from MacKinnon, securing another trip to the NBL Grand Final. The Grand Final set up a highly anticipated rematch with cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Tigers. This Tigers squad, however, was on an all-time run. After a shaky 6–5 start to the season, the mid-year signing of import Marcus Timmons helped spark a 13-game win streak, which extended to 15 heading into the championship series. In Game One, the Tigers overwhelmed the Magic, winning 111–74 behind dominant efforts from Lanard Copeland (29 points), Timmons (24 points, 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), while limiting Anstey to just 6 points. Facing elimination, Goorjian responded by changing his game plan. Veteran centre John Dorge was inserted into the starting lineup to provide a more physical edge. The adjustment paid off. Anstey responded with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in Game Two, leading the Magic to a gritty 84–78 victory and ending the Tigers’ win streak at 17 games.
The team would win their first six games in a row before a loss to Brisbane that also saw the team release McCaffrey (10.3 points and 2.9 assists) after realising he was not quite the same player as he was in 1996. Former NBA guard Clinton McDaniel (17.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) would replace him and go on to lead the league in steals. Tony Ronaldson (18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists) who had led the team in scoring since 1994 did so yet again, while 20-year-old Frank Drmic (14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds) had a breakout season, gaining interest from multiple NBA teams. Alongside Ronaldson, McDaniel and Drmic, Dorge would average 3.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists and the Magic would finished on top of the ladder, recording the third best regular season record of all-time (26-4). Only Adelaide in 1986 (24-2) and Geelong in 1984 (21-2) being able to top it. As a result, Brian Goorjian took home his third Coach of the Year award and Mike Kelly was named the defensive player of the year for the second straight season. The Magic received a first-round bye thanks to finishing in first place, then faced off against Brisbane in the semi-finals. The Magic would swiftly eliminate the Steve Woodberry led Bullets in two straight games to reach the NBL Grand Final for the third season in a row, this time going head to head with the Adelaide 36ers.
The 36ers, who had started the season off slowly, had really found their form come the Grand Final and, in game two, obliterated the Magic, who at that point had lost only one home game for the season, at Melbourne Park 90-62. The 36ers held the Magic to less than 15 points in three of the game’s quarters. Brooks (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks) and Martin Cattalini (20 points and 6 rebounds) were brilliant for the 36ers in a game decided by turnovers and free throws, with South East Melbourne finishing with 26 turnovers and 6 of 8 from the free throw line to Adelaide’s 14 turnovers and 25 of 33 from the stripe. The win saw Adelaide capture their first NBL championship since 1986 with Kevin Brooks being named Grand Final MVP in what was to be the last NBL season played during the winter months. This season also saw the end of the South East Melbourne Magic, who merged with the North Melbourne Giants the following year to become the Victoria Titans. With the Titans combining two NBL rosters many of the older Magic players Dorge (aged 36) and Parkinson (aged 31) would be left without a roster spot and retire at seasons end. | John Dorge made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 22 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. | John Dorge played fourteen seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Geelong Supercats and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 363 NBL games. | - 20th in total rebounds - 4th in total blocks - 34th in blocks per game. | Dorge's first major tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall. Dorge also played for Australia in the 1990 Goodwill Games (Seattle). Dorge was then selected for the Australia team that played at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Alongside Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Phil Smyth, Andrew Vlahov and Mark Bradtke the team finished in 6th-place finish with a 4–4 record. Dorge missed out on playing in the 1994 FIBA World Championships but was back in the Boomers lineup for the 1996 Olympics where after defeating Croatia (73-71) the Boomers reached the semi finals for the just second time. Australia would suffer a 101-73 defeat to eventual gold medalists USA, who featured Charles Barkley, David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal on the roster. In the bronze medal game Australia feel short to Lithuania (74-80) due to a lack of size and the inability to stop Arvydas Sabonis. The Boomers fourth place finish equalled Australia's best result at a Olympic games at that time. | - NZNBL Coach of the Year (2007) | 2020 Head Coach - Wyndam BIG V Men's team 2019 Head Coach – Melbourne University Black Angels 2012 – 2019 Head Coach – St Monica’s College, Basketball Academy 2008 – 2009 Head Coach – Camberwell Grammar School 2007 Head Coach – Harbour Heat (NZNBL) where he was named New Zealand NBL Coach of the Year 2005 – 2007 Assistant Coach – NZ Breakers (NZNBL) 2000 – 2005 Assistant Coach – Cairns Taipans (NBL) 2004 Head Coach – Cairns All-Star Team Tour of China
| The Chicken Farmer | 2000 | 1993 Returning to the South East Melbourne Magic for their championship defence, veteran centre John Dorge entered the 1993 NBL season as a key part of coach Brian Goorjian’s interior rotation. However, his campaign got off to a delayed start due to a leg injury that sidelined him for the first two months of the season. The Magic, who had retained most of their 1992 title-winning core—including Bruce Bolden, Robert Rose, Tony Ronaldson, Darren Lucas, and Andrew Parkinson—were forced to adjust early on, relying heavily on Bolden in the frontcourt during Dorge’s absence.
Though injuries reduced his offensive opportunities, Dorge’s experience and rim protection were still valued during key stretches of the season.
In a interesting nod to the future, due to injury the Magic replaced him with state league star Mike Kelly who would become a major part of the Magic roster in 1997. South East Melbourne was unbeatable at home all season (11-2) butcould never replicate that on the road, losing half their away games and finishing third on the ladder (18-18). In the postseason, South East swept Perth in two games to set up a semi-finals matchup against crosstown rival North Melbourne. The Giants delivered a major upset in game one, convincingly defeating the Magic (108-87). In game two, it was much closer. In fact, the game was only decided in the final minute (76-79), and if Adonis Jordan hadn't missed a three-point heave at the buzzer (many thought he could have made a extra pass to a open David Graham for a better shot), the Magic might have been able to force a third game. Instead, the South East Melbourne's season came to a end. Anstey's move to the Magic was one of huge controversy when Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed the signing via the NBL tribunal. The NBL decided that Anstey could not leave the Tigers and would have to play for Melbourne as long as the Tigers could match the contract, which they did. After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer Anstey a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn't match. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team's players were reinstated to their previous contracts.
Additionally, 33-year-old big man Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge's improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season while backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league's Best Defensive Player award.
The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series.
The Magic's strength came from their remarkable balance and depth. Five players averaged double-digit scoring, with only four points separating the team's leading and fifth-leading scorer. Tony Ronaldson (16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists) was again a key leader, while Sam MacKinnon (15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists) and Chris Anstey (13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.6 steals) emerged as two of the brightest young stars in the league. Mike Kelly (12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals) anchored the perimeter defense and won his second consecutive NBL Best Defensive Player award, while veteran big man John Dorge (7.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.5 blocks) added experience and interior toughness. Goorjian’s leadership was recognised with the NBL Coach of the Year honour. Finishing first gave the Magic a bye into the semi-finals, where they met the fourth-placed Perth Wildcats, who had defeated Brisbane in the elimination finals. In Game One in Perth, Anstey dominated with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals, while Ronaldson added 18 points in a 92–82 win. Back in Melbourne for Game Two, the Magic turned up their defensive pressure, coasting to a 96–69 win behind 21 points from MacKinnon, securing another trip to the NBL Grand Final. The Grand Final set up a highly anticipated rematch with cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Tigers. This Tigers squad, however, was on an all-time run. After a shaky 6–5 start to the season, the mid-year signing of import Marcus Timmons helped spark a 13-game win streak, which extended to 15 heading into the championship series. In Game One, the Tigers overwhelmed the Magic, winning 111–74 behind dominant efforts from Lanard Copeland (29 points), Timmons (24 points, 9 rebounds), and Andrew Gaze (23 points, 9 assists), while limiting Anstey to just 6 points. Facing elimination, Goorjian responded by changing his game plan. Veteran centre John Dorge was inserted into the starting lineup to provide a more physical edge. The adjustment paid off. Anstey responded with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in Game Two, leading the Magic to a gritty 84–78 victory and ending the Tigers’ win streak at 17 games.
The team would win their first six games in a row before a loss to Brisbane that also saw the team release McCaffrey (10.3 points and 2.9 assists) after realising he was not quite the same player as he was in 1996. Former NBA guard Clinton McDaniel (17.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) would replace him and go on to lead the league in steals. Tony Ronaldson (18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists) who had led the team in scoring since 1994 did so yet again, while 20-year-old Frank Drmic (14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds) had a breakout season, gaining interest from multiple NBA teams. Alongside Ronaldson, McDaniel and Drmic, Dorge would average 3.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists and the Magic would finished on top of the ladder, recording the third best regular season record of all-time (26-4). Only Adelaide in 1986 (24-2) and Geelong in 1984 (21-2) being able to top it. As a result, Brian Goorjian took home his third Coach of the Year award and Mike Kelly was named the defensive player of the year for the second straight season. The Magic received a first-round bye thanks to finishing in first place, then faced off against Brisbane in the semi-finals. The Magic would swiftly eliminate the Steve Woodberry led Bullets in two straight games to reach the NBL Grand Final for the third season in a row, this time going head to head with the Adelaide 36ers.
The 36ers, who had started the season off slowly, had really found their form come the Grand Final and, in game two, obliterated the Magic, who at that point had lost only one home game for the season, at Melbourne Park 90-62. The 36ers held the Magic to less than 15 points in three of the game’s quarters. Brooks (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks) and Martin Cattalini (20 points and 6 rebounds) were brilliant for the 36ers in a game decided by turnovers and free throws, with South East Melbourne finishing with 26 turnovers and 6 of 8 from the free throw line to Adelaide’s 14 turnovers and 25 of 33 from the stripe. The win saw Adelaide capture their first NBL championship since 1986 with Kevin Brooks being named Grand Final MVP in what was to be the last NBL season played during the winter months. This season also saw the end of the South East Melbourne Magic, who merged with the North Melbourne Giants the following year to become the Victoria Titans. With the Titans combining two NBL rosters many of the older Magic players Dorge (aged 36) and Parkinson (aged 31) would be left without a roster spot and retire at seasons end.John Dorge played fourteen seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Geelong Supercats and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 363 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | AWARDS- 1x All-NBL First Team COACHING HISTORY2020 Head Coach - Wyndam BIG V Men's team
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| 1186 | Driggers, Nate | USA | Driggers | Nate | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | GRD | 196 | 98 | 7 | 129 | 42 | 23 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 11 | 19 | 36 | 52.8% | 0.0% | 2 | 8 | 25.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 5 | 40.0% | 0.0% | 17 | 28 | 60.7% | 0.0% | 6.0 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 18.4 | 52% | 63% | 36% | 75% | 56% | 62% | 70% | 86% | 12 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -6 | -0.3 | 56.4 | 7837.1 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | North Melbourne 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Chicago, Illinois (USA) | None | Montevallo (1991–1995) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 15 | 0 | 132 | 36 | 22 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 43 | 30% | 0 | 9 | 0% | 10 | 14 | 71% | 8.8 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 12/10/73 | 7/02/98 | 7/03/98 | 24 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Nate Driggers was born in Chicago, Illinois (USA). NBL EXPERIENCENate Driggers made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 24 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. Driggers, who is the only NBA player to have played basketball for the University of Montevallo. Driggers was convicted of selling stolen guns in September 2017. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. | Driggers scored a total of 36 points for a 1996/97 Celtics team that went 15–67. Driggers played 15 games in the NBA. He averaged 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - October 2, 1995: Signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets. | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.7 | 5.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 56% | 55% | 0% | 14% | 1.2 | 79.2 | -1.57 | 11.1% | 5.07 | 0.00 | 0.9 | 6 | 68 | 10 | 0.326 | 0.178 | 0.023 | 0.031 | 0.016 | 0.140 | 0.085 | 0.326 | 0.093 | North Melbourne Giants | North Melbourne Giants | Nate Driggers was born in Chicago, Illinois (USA). | Driggers, who is the only NBA player to have played basketball for the University of Montevallo. Driggers was convicted of selling stolen guns in September 2017. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. | Nate Driggers made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 24 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. | Nate Driggers played one season in the NBL. He averaged 6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 7 NBL games. | Driggers scored a total of 36 points for a 1996/97 Celtics team that went 15–67. | - October 2, 1995: Signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets. - October 16, 1995: Waived by the Denver Nuggets. - September 10, 1996: Signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics. - October 31, 1996: Waived by the Denver Nuggets. - November 8, 1996: Signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics. - November 25, 1996: Waived by the Boston Celtics. - April 4, 1997: Signed a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics. - April 14, 1997: Signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Boston Celtics July 7, 1997: Released by the Boston Celtics. | 0 | Nate Driggers played one season in the NBL. He averaged 6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 7 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1187 | Hall, Chris | AUS | Hall | Chris | 1997 | 1998 | 2 | F/C | 204 | 98 | 2 | 2 | 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% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 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 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.5 | 0.0 | 21232.4 | -0.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1997-98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Maryborough, QLD | QLD - Townsville | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25/04/75 | 15/08/97 | 26/04/98 | 22 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Chris Hall was born in Maryborough, QLD and began playing basketball as a junior with the Townsville basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEChris Hall made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Townsville Crocodiles | Townsville Suns | Chris Hall was born in Maryborough, QLD and began playing basketball as a junior with the Townsville basketball program. | Chris Hall made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Chris Hall played two seasons the Townsville Suns. This included the Townsville Suns.. | 0 | Chris Hall played two seasons the Townsville Suns. This included the Townsville Suns.. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1188 | Hatcher, Elliot | USA | Hatcher | Elliot | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | PG | 183 | #N/A | 32 | 1343 | 626 | 139 | 116 | 49 | 90 | 87 | 6 | 75 | 111 | 215 | 514 | 41.8% | 41.8% | 58 | 167 | 34.7% | 34.7% | 138 | 164 | 84.1% | 84.1% | 157 | 347 | 45.2% | 45.2% | 19.6 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 42.0 | 92% | 74% | 92% | 74% | 72% | 100% | 61% | 82% | 36 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 6 | -13 | -0.3 | 190.0 | 0.0 | 15.6 | 15.6 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | Kansas State (1994-1996) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24/11/71 | 14/06/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEElliot Hatcher made his NBL debut with the Wollongong Hawks on 24/11/1971. He scored 24 points in his first game. In 1998, added Hatcher to pair with returning import big man Clayton Ritter. Hatcher contributed 19.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists and helped the Hawks double their wins from the previous year, improving from seven wins to 14 wins and finishing 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. | 24 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.7 | 16.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 5.2 | 47% | 53% | 27% | 32% | 1.2 | 80.2 | 4.00 | 16.9% | 14.93 | 9.65 | 2.9 | 93 | 881 | 28 | 0.466 | 0.103 | 0.086 | 0.065 | 0.004 | 0.056 | 0.083 | 0.466 | 0.027 | Wollongong Hawks | Wollongong Hawks | In 1998, added Hatcher to pair with returning import big man Clayton Ritter. Hatcher contributed 19.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists and helped the Hawks double their wins from the previous year, improving from seven wins to 14 wins and finishing 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. | Elliot Hatcher made his NBL debut with the Wollongong Hawks on 24/11/1971. He scored 24 points in his first game. | Elliot Hatcher played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 32 NBL games. | - 10th in steals per game. | 0 | Elliot Hatcher played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 32 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1189 | Hill, Thomas | USA | Hill | Thomas | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | G/F | 196 | 91 | 9 | 183 | 85 | 22 | 23 | 7 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 31 | 66 | 47.0% | 0.0% | 5 | 11 | 45.5% | 0.0% | 18 | 31 | 58.1% | 0.0% | 26 | 55 | 47.3% | 0.0% | 9.4 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 20.3 | 65% | 55% | 84% | 55% | 55% | 81% | 79% | 74% | 21 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -7 | -0.3 | 23.0 | 7766.4 | 7.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Los Angeles, California (USA) | None | Duke (1989–1993) | 1993 | 39 | IND | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31/8/71 | 30/01/98 | 6/03/98 | 26 | 26 | 2 | BIO: Thomas Hill was born in Los Angeles, California (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEThomas Hill made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 26 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game. | Thomas Hill was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with pick #39 in the 1993 NBA Draft. | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.4 | 7.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 51% | 53% | 16% | 47% | 1.3 | 80.1 | 1.67 | 13.6% | 19.22 | 0.00 | 1.4 | 13 | 130 | 14 | 0.464 | 0.120 | 0.126 | 0.049 | 0.022 | 0.093 | 0.093 | 0.464 | 0.115 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Thomas Hill was born in Los Angeles, California (USA). | Thomas Hill made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 26 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game. | Thomas Hill played one season in the NBL. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 9 NBL games. | COLLEGEThomas Hill played at Duke University from 1989 to 1993, winning two NCAA Championships (1991 and 1992). His teammates at Duke included Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Bobby Hurley. Thomas Hill received Third Team All-ACC honours in 1991,1992, 1993 and was a team captain during his senior season. Hill is perhaps best remembered for his emotional reaction after his Duke teammate Christian Laettner hit a last-second shot to defeat Kentucky in the elite eight of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. After Laettner hit the shot, a CBS camera panned to Hill who appeared to be crying of joy with his hands on top of his head. | Thomas Hill played at Duke University from 1989 to 1993, winning two NCAA Championships (1991 and 1992). His teammates at Duke included Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Bobby Hurley. Thomas Hill received Third Team All-ACC honours in 1991,1992, 1993 and was a team captain during his senior season. Hill is perhaps best remembered for his emotional reaction after his Duke teammate Christian Laettner hit a last-second shot to defeat Kentucky in the elite eight of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. After Laettner hit the shot, a CBS camera panned to Hill who appeared to be crying of joy with his hands on top of his head. | Thomas Hill was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with pick #39 in the 1993 NBA Draft. | 0 | Thomas Hill played one season in the NBL. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 9 NBL games. | COLLEGEThomas Hill played at Duke University from 1989 to 1993, winning two NCAA Championships (1991 and 1992). His teammates at Duke included Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Bobby Hurley. Thomas Hill received Third Team All-ACC honours in 1991,1992, 1993 and was a team captain during his senior season. Hill is perhaps best remembered for his emotional reaction after his Duke teammate Christian Laettner hit a last-second shot to defeat Kentucky in the elite eight of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. After Laettner hit the shot, a CBS camera panned to Hill who appeared to be crying of joy with his hands on top of his head. |
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| 1190 | Honeyman, Aaron | AUS | Honeyman | Aaron | 1995 | 1998 | 4 | PG | 174 | 68 | 58 | 703 | 168 | 78 | 95 | 32 | 46 | 43 | 3 | 45 | 88 | 57 | 158 | 36.1% | 36.1% | 28 | 86 | 32.6% | 0.0% | 26 | 36 | 72.2% | 0.0% | 29 | 72 | 40.3% | 0.0% | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 12.1 | 34% | 40% | 71% | 44% | 38% | 71% | 40% | 43% | 16 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | -3 | -0.3 | 8.1 | 804.3 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1995-98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Traralgon (VIC) | VIC - Traralgon | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Southern Districts 1992-96 | Mount Gambier 1999 | 26/04/72 | 20/05/95 | 22/05/98 | 23 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Aaron Honeyman was born in Traralgon (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Traralgon basketball program and if you never got to see Aaron Honeyman play, you missed out. The little guard was one of the best scorers and playmakers seen in Queensland state League and also spent four seasons with the Brisbane Bullets before the end of his career was riddled with shoulder injuries. NBL EXPERIENCEAaron Honeyman made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 45% | 48% | 49% | 23% | 1.1 | 79.5 | 1.60 | 27.2% | 30.27 | 0.00 | 0.8 | 46 | 341 | 6 | 0.239 | 0.111 | 0.135 | 0.061 | 0.004 | 0.064 | 0.125 | 0.239 | 0.048 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Aaron Honeyman was born in Traralgon (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Traralgon basketball program and if you never got to see Aaron Honeyman play, you missed out. The little guard was one of the best scorers and playmakers seen in Queensland state League and also spent four seasons with the Brisbane Bullets before the end of his career was riddled with shoulder injuries. | Aaron Honeyman made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | Aaron Honeyman played four seasons the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 58 NBL games. | Honeyman helped the Southern Districts Spartans win their first championship in 1992 and backed it up again in 1995. Without the playmaking of Honeyman, the Spartans may have missed out on those titles in the early 1990s, where those team's helped the club become a powerhouse in the state league competition. | 0 | Aaron Honeyman played four seasons the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 58 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1191 | Hoskins, Darnell | USA | Hoskins | Darnell | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | GRD | 183 | #N/A | 11 | 403 | 187 | 38 | 41 | 10 | 28 | 13 | 0 | 42 | 33 | 60 | 128 | 46.9% | 46.9% | 18 | 44 | 40.9% | 0.0% | 49 | 58 | 84.5% | 0.0% | 42 | 84 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 17.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 36.6 | 88% | 65% | 93% | 59% | 68% | 87% | 0% | 97% | 40 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 9 | -12 | -0.3 | 196.8 | 15763.4 | 12.1 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | North Melbourne 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | Wisconsin (1993-1996) / Dayton (1996-97) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30/01/98 | 29/03/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEDarnell Hoskins made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants on 30/1/1998. He scored 15 points in his first game. | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.5 | 11.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 54% | 61% | 30% | 45% | 1.5 | 77.8 | 1.09 | 10.2% | 17.33 | 0.00 | 1.2 | 13 | 266 | 24 | 0.464 | 0.094 | 0.102 | 0.032 | 0.000 | 0.104 | 0.082 | 0.464 | 0.099 | North Melbourne Giants | North Melbourne Giants | Darnell Hoskins made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants on 30/1/1998. He scored 15 points in his first game. | Darnell Hoskins played one season in the NBL. He averaged 17 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 11 NBL games. | 0 | Darnell Hoskins played one season in the NBL. He averaged 17 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 11 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1192 | Jackson, Stephen | USA | Jackson | Stephen | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | G/F | 203 | 100 | 4 | 47 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 52.6% | 0.0% | 1 | 6 | 16.7% | 0.0% | 3 | 6 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 9 | 13 | 69.2% | 0.0% | 6.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 11.8 | 52% | 21% | 55% | 27% | 20% | 57% | 0% | 42% | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -5 | -0.4 | #DIV/0! | 0.0 | 4.1 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Houston, Texas (USA) | None | Butler CC (1996–1997) | 1997 | 42 | PHO | New Jersey 2000/01 : San Antonio 2001-03, 2011/12 : Atlanta 2003/04 : Indiana 2004-07 : Golden State 2006-10 : Charlotte 2009-11 : Milwaukee 2011/12 : LA Clippers 2013/14 | 858 | 676 | 27398 | 12976 | 3328 | 2634 | 674 | 2654 | 1109 | 317 | 2141 | 2043 | 4604 | 11112 | 41% | 1252 | 3763 | 33% | 2516 | 3154 | 80% | 31.9 | 15.1 | 5.4 | 13.0 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 5/4/1978 | 1/02/98 | 20/02/98 | 19 | 19 | 1996 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Cap'n Jack, Stack Jack BIO: Stephen Jackson was born in Houston, Texas (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEStephen Jackson made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. After a single season in the NBA, Heal returned to the Kings in 1998. With two years remaining on his NBA deal, Heal left Minnesota, citing the lack of playing time behind Stephon Marbury, disliking the cold weather and suffering a calf injury the week before the opening round, which would require him to earn his way back into the rotation and returned to Australia. Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
| Stephen Jackson was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with pick #42 in the 1997 NBA Draft. Across a stellar 14-year career, ‘Captain Jack’ would play 930 NBA games with a career scoring average of 15 points per game, spending time with the New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Clippers. Jackson played 858 games in the NBA. He averaged 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - June 25, 1997: Drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 2nd round (42nd pick) of the 1997 NBA Draft. | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.5 | 4.8 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 55% | 55% | 0% | 32% | 1.3 | 79.3 | 0.00 | 10.5% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.5 | 2 | 30 | 8 | 0.511 | 0.043 | 0.085 | 0.043 | 0.000 | 0.064 | 0.149 | 0.511 | 0.213 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Stephen Jackson was born in Houston, Texas (USA). | After a single season in the NBA, Heal returned to the Kings in 1998. With two years remaining on his NBA deal, Heal left Minnesota, citing the lack of playing time behind Stephon Marbury, disliking the cold weather and suffering a calf injury the week before the opening round, which would require him to earn his way back into the rotation and returned to Australia. Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
| Stephen Jackson made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Stephen Jackson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 6 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 1 assists in 4 NBL games. | Stephen Jackson was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with pick #42 in the 1997 NBA Draft. | Across a stellar 14-year career, ‘Captain Jack’ would play 930 NBA games with a career scoring average of 15 points per game, spending time with the New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, San Antonio Spurs, and Los Angeles Clippers. He was a key member of San Antonio’s 2003 championship team and, was involved in the Pacers "Malice in the Palace in 2004 and helped drive the “We Believe” Warriors to the greatest upset in NBA history in 2007 before somehow leading a Charlotte Bobcats team with very little talent to the Playoffs in 2010. | - June 25, 1997: Drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 2nd round (42nd pick) of the 1997 NBA Draft. - October 30, 1997: Waived by the Phoenix Suns. - October 4, 1999: Signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Grizzlies. - October 28, 1999: Waived by the Vancouver Grizzlies. - October 2, 2000: Signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets. - August 2, 2001: Signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs. - October 3, 2003: Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks. - July 15, 2004: Traded by the Atlanta Hawks to the Indiana Pacers for Al Harrington. - January 16, 2007: Traded by the Indiana Pacers with Al Harrington, Šarūnas Jasikevičius and Josh Powell to the Golden State Warriors for Ike Diogu, Mike Dunleavy, Keith McLeod and Troy Murphy. - November 16, 2009: Traded by the Golden State Warriors with Acie Law to the Charlotte Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanović. - June 23, 2011: As part of a 3-team trade, traded by the Charlotte Bobcats with Tobias Harris and Shaun Livingston to the Milwaukee Bucks; the Milwaukee Bucks traded Corey Maggette to the Charlotte Bobcats; the Milwaukee Bucks traded Jimmer Fredette and John Salmons to the Sacramento Kings; the Sacramento Kings traded Bismack Biyombo to the Charlotte Bobcats; and the Sacramento Kings traded Beno Udrih to the Milwaukee Bucks. - March 13, 2012: Traded by the Milwaukee Bucks with Andrew Bogut to the Golden State Warriors for Kwame Brown, Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh. - March 15, 2012: Traded by the Golden State Warriors to the San Antonio Spurs for T. J. - Ford, Richard Jefferson and a 2012 1st round draft pick (Festus Ezeli was later selected). - April 12, 2013: Waived by the San Antonio Spurs. - December 10, 2013: Signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers. - January 7, 2014: Waived by the Los Angeles Clippers. | - NBA champion (2003) | Cap'n Jack, Stack Jack | 0 | | Stephen Jackson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 6 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 1 assists in 4 NBL games. | AWARDS- McDonald's All-American (1996) |
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| 1193 | Kornegay, Chuck | USA/ESP | Kornegay | Chuck | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | CTR | 206 | 107 | 32 | 1221 | 533 | 374 | 36 | 152 | 222 | 18 | 56 | 98 | 119 | 226 | 438 | 51.6% | 51.6% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 81 | 155 | 52.3% | 52.3% | 226 | 438 | 51.6% | 51.6% | 16.7 | 11.7 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 6.9 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 38.2 | 87% | 99% | 61% | 99% | 98% | 62% | 98% | 92% | 27 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 9 | -12 | -0.3 | 44.6 | 7710.9 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | North Carolina State / Villanova | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Spain - CDB Sevilla (1998–1999, 2000–2001), Baloncesto Fuenlabrada (1999–2000), Unicaja (2001–2004), Menorca Bàsquet (2005–2006), CB Lucentum Alicante (2006–2007), CB Alcúdia (2007–2008) | Russia - MBC Dynamo Moscow (2004–2005) | Turkey - Beşiktaş J.K. (2006) | Uruguay - Estadio Unión Atletica (2008–2009) | Argentina - Obras Sanitarias (2009–2010) | 28/09/74 | 30/01/98 | 21/06/98 | 23 | 23 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: "Chuck-wagon", "Chuck Diesel" and "Korn-dawg" BIO: As a basketball standout at Southern Wayne High School in Dudley, North Carolina, Kornegay was heavily recruited by American universities. He signed with nearby school, North Carolina State University. NBL EXPERIENCEChuck Kornegay made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game. After graduation, Kornegay was selected by the Yakima Sun Kings in the 3rd round with the 28th overall pick of the 1997 CBA draft. Instead of joining the CBA, Kornegay returned to his home state of North Carolina to star for the Raleigh Cougars in the 1997-1998 season, forming a formidable frontline with Lorenzo Charles and Greg Newton. | After graduating university Kornegay was selected by the Yakima Sun Kings in the 3rd round with the 28th overall pick of the 1997 CBA draft. Instead of joining the CBA, Kornegay returned to his home state of North Carolina to star for the Raleigh Cougars in the 1997/98 season. | Was a member of the Spanish National team in 2001 with Pau Gasol. | 17 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.1 | 13.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 52% | 53% | 0% | 35% | 1.2 | 81.5 | -1.38 | 4.1% | 5.62 | 15.31 | 2.3 | 74 | 943 | 29 | 0.437 | 0.306 | 0.029 | 0.015 | 0.046 | 0.080 | 0.097 | 0.437 | 0.022 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | As a basketball standout at Southern Wayne High School in Dudley, North Carolina, Kornegay was heavily recruited by American universities. He signed with nearby school, North Carolina State University. | After graduation, Kornegay was selected by the Yakima Sun Kings in the 3rd round with the 28th overall pick of the 1997 CBA draft. Instead of joining the CBA, Kornegay returned to his home state of North Carolina to star for the Raleigh Cougars in the 1997-1998 season, forming a formidable frontline with Lorenzo Charles and Greg Newton. | Chuck Kornegay made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game. | Chuck Kornegay played one season in the NBL. He averaged 16.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 32 NBL games. | COLLEGEHe played at NCSU for the Wolfpack during the 1993/94 season, before transferring to Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played for there for three seasons and led the Wildcats to Big East conference championships in 1995 and 1997. During his career at Villanova, the team won 70 of 93 games and was rated as high as #2 nationally by the Associated Press. He ended his collegiate career with averages of 7.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. | He played at NCSU for the Wolfpack during the 1993/94 season, before transferring to Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played for there for three seasons and led the Wildcats to Big East conference championships in 1995 and 1997. During his career at Villanova, the team won 70 of 93 games and was rated as high as #2 nationally by the Associated Press. He ended his collegiate career with averages of 7.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. | - 28th in rebounds per game. - 31st in blocks per game. | After his stint down under, Kornegay moved to Spain, and played for a number of team's in that country before eventually hanging on with the Spanish team Unicaja Malaga of the Euroleague. He patrolled the pivot there from 2001 to 2004, and even represented Spain in their 3rd-place run through the 2001 European Basketball Championship in Turkey. In 2005, Kornegay returned to Turkey to play for Besiktas ColaTurka of the Turkish Basketball League (TBL). After his stint in Turkey, Kornegay moved back to Spain to play for Etosa Alicante. | Was a member of the Spanish National team in 2001 with Pau Gasol. | After graduating university Kornegay was selected by the Yakima Sun Kings in the 3rd round with the 28th overall pick of the 1997 CBA draft. Instead of joining the CBA, Kornegay returned to his home state of North Carolina to star for the Raleigh Cougars in the 1997/98 season. | - Third-team Parade All-American (1992) - 1997 Villanova University defensive player of the year - 1997 USBL All-Rookie Team - 2001 Won Bronze at European Basketball Championship - 2002-2003 Led Euroleague in Blocked Shots - 1999-2000 ACB league most exciting player | He coaches annually at his old college, Villanova, for summer basketball camp. The team he coached at camp won the high school championship in 2012. In September 2015, Kornegay was announced as Basketball Coach at Souderton (PA) HS. | "Chuck-wagon", "Chuck Diesel" and "Korn-dawg" | 0 | Chuck Kornegay played one season in the NBL. He averaged 16.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 32 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEHe played at NCSU for the Wolfpack during the 1993/94 season, before transferring to Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played for there for three seasons and led the Wildcats to Big East conference championships in 1995 and 1997. During his career at Villanova, the team won 70 of 93 games and was rated as high as #2 nationally by the Associated Press. He ended his collegiate career with averages of 7.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Second Team- Third-team Parade All-American (1992) COACHING HISTORYHe coaches annually at his old college, Villanova, for summer basketball camp. The team he coached at camp won the high school championship in 2012. In September 2015, Kornegay was announced as Basketball Coach at Souderton (PA) HS. |
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| 1194 | Lackovic, Nick | AUS | Lackovic | Nick | 1997 | 1998 | 2 | GRD | 188 | #N/A | 17 | 107 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 46.7% | 0.0% | 4 | 7 | 57.1% | 0.0% | 5 | 8 | 62.5% | 0.0% | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 0.0% | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 6.3 | 22% | 29% | 43% | 21% | 37% | 48% | 0% | 46% | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -2 | -0.3 | 18.3 | 12400.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1997-98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Perth (WA) | WA - Perth | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stirling 1990, 1992-1993 | Cockburn 1994-1996 | Hobart 1996 | Perth 1997-1998, 2000-2002 | Burswood 1998 | Perry Lakes 1999 | 26/2/74 | 14/06/97 | 8/03/98 | 23 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Nick Lackovic was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perth basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCENick Lackovic made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 60% | 62% | 57% | 53% | 1.5 | 73.8 | 0.06 | 40.0% | 22.98 | 0.00 | 0.4 | 6 | 48 | 3 | 0.215 | 0.140 | 0.093 | 0.056 | 0.000 | 0.140 | 0.159 | 0.215 | 0.084 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Nick Lackovic was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perth basketball program. | Nick Lackovic made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Nick Lackovic played two seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 17 NBL games. | Stirling 1990, 2g Stirling 1992-1993, 47g, 410pt @ 8.7 Cockburn 1994-1996, 86g, 1296pt @ 15.1 Perth 1997-1998, 46g, 753pt @ 16.4 Perry Lakes 1999, 9g, 61pt @ 6.8 Perth 2000-2002, 69g, 969pt @ 14.0 | 0 | Nick Lackovic played two seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 17 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1195 | McCaffrey, Billy | USA | McCaffrey | Billy | 1996 | 1998 | 2 | PG | 192 | 83 | 40 | 1562 | 652 | 94 | 176 | 14 | 80 | 55 | 2 | 130 | 94 | 239 | 459 | 52.1% | 52.1% | 41 | 139 | 29.5% | 29.5% | 133 | 151 | 88.1% | 88.1% | 198 | 320 | 61.9% | 61.9% | 16.3 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 39.1 | 86% | 54% | 96% | 33% | 60% | 91% | 39% | 94% | 26 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 9 | -10 | -0.3 | 201.4 | 18149.6 | 12.6 | 12.6 | 0 | South East Melbourne (1996) | 1 | 0 | South East Melbourne 1996, 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Waynesboro, Virginia (USA) | None | Duke / Vanderbilt | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30/06/71 | 13/04/96 | 27/05/98 | 24 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Billy McCaffrey was born in Waynesboro, Virginia (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEBilly McCaffrey made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 24 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. In his debut NBL season McCaffrey averaged 17.6 points and 2.8 rebounds, and helped guide the Magic to a second place finish in the regular season with a 19-7 record. In the postseason the Magic first eliminated the North Melbourne Giants in two straight games in the quarter-finals. McCaffrey added 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in game one and 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in Game 2. The Magic then eliminated the Adelaide 36ers, again in two straight games, McCaffrey was troubled by Adelaide's defence in game one limiting him to 12 points and 2 rebounds in game one but in game two he exploded for 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists to propel the Magic past Adelaide and onto a Grand Final matchup with crosstown rival the Melbourne Tigers. Despite McCaffrey continuing to play at a high level (he scored 23 points in the opening game of the grand final) the Tigers would claim Game 1, 100-89 as Andrew Gaze delivered his best game of the series, scoring 35 points and collecting 8 rebounds. The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne's highest-attended NBL game ever. In the third and deciding game the Magic delivered the final blow a 30 point blowout victory, 107-70 with McCaffrey adding 24 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three game series. 1998 saw McCaffrey average 10.3 points and 0.4 rebounds, and helped the Magic to a first place finish in the regular season with a 26-4 record. The Magic received a first round bye in the play-offs before meeting the Brisbane Bullets in the semifinals. The Magic would defeat Brisbane 106-98 in game one and 90-84 in game two to see them reach the NBL Grand Final. The Magic would face the Adelaide 36ers in the championship deciding series and lose a narrow game one 93-100 before the 36ers dominated them in game two 90-62 to win the title. | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.0 | 11.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 57% | 62% | 17% | 33% | 1.4 | 78.2 | 2.53 | 12.0% | 21.17 | 15.64 | 1.4 | 57 | 922 | 23 | 0.417 | 0.060 | 0.113 | 0.035 | 0.001 | 0.083 | 0.060 | 0.417 | 0.027 | South East Melbourne Magic | South East Melbourne Magic | Billy McCaffrey was born in Waynesboro, Virginia (USA). | In his debut NBL season McCaffrey averaged 17.6 points and 2.8 rebounds, and helped guide the Magic to a second place finish in the regular season with a 19-7 record. In the postseason the Magic first eliminated the North Melbourne Giants in two straight games in the quarter-finals. McCaffrey added 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in game one and 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in Game 2. The Magic then eliminated the Adelaide 36ers, again in two straight games, McCaffrey was troubled by Adelaide's defence in game one limiting him to 12 points and 2 rebounds in game one but in game two he exploded for 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists to propel the Magic past Adelaide and onto a Grand Final matchup with crosstown rival the Melbourne Tigers. Despite McCaffrey continuing to play at a high level (he scored 23 points in the opening game of the grand final) the Tigers would claim Game 1, 100-89 as Andrew Gaze delivered his best game of the series, scoring 35 points and collecting 8 rebounds. The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne's highest-attended NBL game ever. In the third and deciding game the Magic delivered the final blow a 30 point blowout victory, 107-70 with McCaffrey adding 24 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three game series. 1998 saw McCaffrey average 10.3 points and 0.4 rebounds, and helped the Magic to a first place finish in the regular season with a 26-4 record. The Magic received a first round bye in the play-offs before meeting the Brisbane Bullets in the semifinals. The Magic would defeat Brisbane 106-98 in game one and 90-84 in game two to see them reach the NBL Grand Final. The Magic would face the Adelaide 36ers in the championship deciding series and lose a narrow game one 93-100 before the 36ers dominated them in game two 90-62 to win the title. | Billy McCaffrey made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 24 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. | Billy McCaffrey played two seasons the South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 40 NBL games. | 0 | Billy McCaffrey played two seasons the South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 40 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1196 | Ninnis, Scott | AUS | Ninnis | Scott | 1986 | 1998 | 13 | GRD | 188 | 84 | 318 | 6347 | 2941 | 549 | 698 | 178 | 371 | 247 | 36 | 464 | 382 | 1104 | 2330 | 47.4% | 47.4% | 179 | 524 | 34.2% | 34.2% | 554 | 811 | 68.3% | 68.3% | 925 | 1806 | 51.2% | 51.2% | 9.2 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 20.0 | 65% | 45% | 80% | 45% | 47% | 72% | 52% | 64% | 36 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 7 | -6 | -0.3 | 185.8 | 14166.2 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 0 | Adelaide (1986, 1998), South East Melbourne (1992) | 3 | 0 | Adelaide 1986-90, 1993-95, 1997-98 | Newcastle 1996 | SE Melb 1991-92 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Adelaide (SA) | SA - Southern | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1987 | South Adelaide 1985-86, 1990, 1993-95, 1997-98 | 25/12/65 | 12/07/86 | 1/07/98 | 20 | 32 | 0 | BIO: Scott Ninnis was born in Adelaide (SA) and started playing church basketball at the age of 7 before joining South Adelaide when he was just 11 years old. Scott Ninnis attended Marion High School in Adelaide, and completed Year 12 at Daws Road High School due to their basketball program. FAMILY: Ninnis's father Bruce was a championship winning basketball player with South Adelaide during the 1960s. As of 2016, Ninnis lives in Adelaide with his second wife Rebekah and their 2-year-old son Patrick Bruce. He also has a 12-year-old daughter, Chiara, from his first marriage. After being sacked as the 36ers coach following the 2009/10 NBL season, Ninnis formed his own wine tour company Premium Wine Tours. NBL EXPERIENCEScott Ninnis made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 20 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. After producing a standout 40-point game against the West Adelaide Bearcats in the local Adelaide competition in early 1985, Scott Ninnis caught the eye of coach Ken Cole. This led to an invitation to train with the Adelaide 36ers, where Ninnis went up against stars like Al Green, Darryl Pearce, Mike McKay, Ray Wood, Bill Jones, Peter Ali, and Mark Davis in daily practice. His efforts impressed Cole enough to sign him to the roster for the 1986 season.
Ninnis would appear in 18 games, and 5.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
Also, the team captaincy would be handed over fully to Darryl Pearce as co-captain Peter Ali chose to step down from the role. As the season began, Mark Davis (25.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and rebounding while also being selected in the All-NBL First Team for a fourth time. Phillips (20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) came as advertised, providing the additional scoring needed, and Bradtke (15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) made the most of his new role as starting center, winning the league's Most Improved Player award. Ninnis would contribute 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists as the 36ers snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. Adelaide (15-9) would face Perth (16-8) in the Elimination Finals, where Cal Bruton (35 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists) finished as the game's high scorer, but it wouldn’t be enough to get past the 36ers who had five players score over 18 points or more. Mark Davis (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals), Darryl Pearce (25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists), Orlando Phillips (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals), Mike McKay (20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) and second year big man Mark Bradtke (18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) combining for 91 points in the game one win (122-124). With the series returning to Perth for game two, Perth returned to its regular season form, shooting 51% from the field (42/82), and defeating Adelaide by 20 points (114-94). Pinder (25 points and 14 rebounds) and Bruton (22 points and 5 assists) top scoring for the Wildcats, while Mark Davis (22 points and 20 rebounds) racked up a 20/20 game in the 36ers losing effort. With Bruton (29 points and 7 rebounds) again leading the team in scoring, Perth came away with the win in game three (112-108) and ended 36ers playoff hopes.
1990 was also the year Mark Davis replaced Darryl Pearce as team captain, a role he would hold until the end of 1996, and it was the last season for local favourite Peter Ali who retired after 279 NBL games (141 of them with the 36ers). This season Ninnis would also average 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 ppg and 10.4 rpg), Kent Lockhart (18.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 ppg and 13.6 rpg) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Ninnis also contributed 9.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne in the semifinals (2–0) before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80. Ninnis would appear in all 31 games, averaging 9.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
To finalise the Magic's inaugural roster, import Milt Newton was recruited alongside John Dorge, who arrived from Geelong after leading the NBL in blocked shots in 1991. With a deep rotation and a defensive-first mentality under Goorjian, the team quickly made headlines as “One Magic Year” became the unofficial motto for their debut campaign. Scott Ninnis entered the season as a key piece of the backcourt rotation, providing versatility, perimeter defence, and timely scoring. Across 30 regular season games, Ninnis averaged 11.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. The Magic began the year in red-hot form, winning six of their first seven games. Despite solid early contributions from Newton (15.6 points, 8.1 rebounds), the Magic opted for a mid-season change—replacing him with LA Clippers guard Robert Rose. From that point forward, South East Melbourne surged to a 20–4 record and finished the regular season undefeated at home (12–0). Goorjian was named NBL Coach of the Year, and the Magic entered the playoffs as the top seed.
After sweeping the Canberra Cannons in the quarterfinals and eliminating the North Melbourne Giants in the semifinals, the Magic advanced to the NBL Grand Final to face their crosstown rivals—the Melbourne Tigers. The Tigers, led by MVP Andrew Gaze (33.8 points per game) and dynamic import Lanard Copeland (28.1 points), had just come off a high-octane playoff run and entered the series full of confidence. Game 1 was a nightmare start for South East Melbourne. Just 11 minutes into the match, starting point guard Darren Perry tore his ACL, ruling him out for the remainder of the series and the next nine months. The injury threw the Magic’s rotation into chaos, and Melbourne capitalised. Copeland erupted for 34 points, 7 assists, and 3 blocks, while Gaze added 26 in a dominant 116–98 win. Ninnis, thrust into extended minutes, struggled to find rhythm, scoring 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 steals in just under 22 minutes. With Perry sidelined, the Magic looked to Ninnis and Lucas to stabilise the backcourt—and both delivered in Game 2. While Lucas starred with a season-high 19 points, Ninnis was equally crucial, helping contain Copeland on defence. Copeland—who had torched the Magic in Game 1—was held to just 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Ninnis logged 38 minutes and added 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, holding his own at both ends. Although he went just 3-of-9 from the field, his defensive pressure and off-ball movement were pivotal. The Magic levelled the series with a resounding 115–93 victory behind Rose (20 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) and Bolden (22 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks). Game 3 was one of the most intense deciders in NBL history. With the Magic having gained the psychological edge, their defence suffocated Melbourne from the outset. Gaze was held to 18 points on a woeful 5-of-19 shooting, while Copeland added 24 but was prevented from dominating late. Ninnis played 38 minutes and delivered his best all-around performance of the series—finishing with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 1-of-3 from deep and 3-of-4 from the line. He added 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, constantly applying pressure on Melbourne’s guards and helping shut down key plays down the stretch. With Ninnis and Lucas anchoring the perimeter, the Magic held firm and ground out a gritty 95–88 win to secure the championship. Bolden (21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks) and Rose (26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks) both delivered big games in the deciding game, but Ninnis’s ability to step into the starting lineup and perform at both ends was a critical part of the Magic’s title run. Bolden received the NBL Finals MVP award from visiting NBA Commissioner David Stern in a historic moment for Australian basketball.
After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn't what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake. Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs. Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league's Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours. Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne.
The plan had been for Brown to play alongside Leon Trimmingham (19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) and Mark Davis (9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) to form a dominant frontcourt, similar to what had been delivered recent championships for the Perth Wildcats. Six games in, it was clear Brown (7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals) wasn't the player the 36ers needed, and he was swiftly released. Hoping to find a quick replacement, Adelaide brought back former big man Willie Simmons, who hadn't played in the NBL since 1994 and was now 35 years old. Simmons (5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds) added what he could, but needless to say, Adelaide struggled through the remaining games and finished in seventh place (14-16), missing the playoffs for the first time since 1992. Ninnis would appear in 27 games and averaged 4.2 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
Shortly after, Smyth signed Canberra Cannons guard Darnell Mee who had just spent a season in France after rehabilitating the knee that limited his productivity in his first NBL season. Once signed, Mee recommended his former teammate Kevin Brooks to the 36ers, and they signed the former NBA forward to a two-year deal. After his first training session with the team, Brooks' teammates thought he wouldn't last a week in the NBL with a shooting style that saw him release the ball almost from behind his head. However, they soon found Brooks (19.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists) was for real as he went on to lead the team in points per game with Brett Maher (17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) and Mee (14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists) providing the additional scoring punch. The 36ers' gamble on Smyth's playing experience translating into coaching success also paid off, with Adelaide recording the most wins since 1988 and finished in second place (19–11). Ninnis also added 5.4 points, 1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
Adelaide collected their first NBL championship since 1986, and Kevin Brooks was named Grand Final MVP in what was the last winter season for the National Basketball League. Ninnis would see limited playing opportunities in his last season in the NBL, appearing in 30 games and averaging 5.4 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. | In 1993, Ninnis was a part of the Australian Boomers program as it prepared for the 1994 FIBA World Championships. | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.5 | 7.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 51% | 55% | 16% | 35% | 1.3 | 79.9 | 1.51 | 10.6% | 18.14 | 12.06 | 0.9 | 283 | 4188 | 13 | 0.462 | 0.086 | 0.110 | 0.039 | 0.006 | 0.073 | 0.060 | 0.462 | 0.038 | Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide 36ers | Scott Ninnis was born in Adelaide (SA) and started playing church basketball at the age of 7 before joining South Adelaide when he was just 11 years old. Scott Ninnis attended Marion High School in Adelaide, and completed Year 12 at Daws Road High School due to their basketball program. | After producing a standout 40-point game against the West Adelaide Bearcats in the local Adelaide competition in early 1985, Scott Ninnis caught the eye of coach Ken Cole. This led to an invitation to train with the Adelaide 36ers, where Ninnis went up against stars like Al Green, Darryl Pearce, Mike McKay, Ray Wood, Bill Jones, Peter Ali, and Mark Davis in daily practice. His efforts impressed Cole enough to sign him to the roster for the 1986 season.
Ninnis would appear in 18 games, and 5.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
Also, the team captaincy would be handed over fully to Darryl Pearce as co-captain Peter Ali chose to step down from the role. As the season began, Mark Davis (25.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and rebounding while also being selected in the All-NBL First Team for a fourth time. Phillips (20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) came as advertised, providing the additional scoring needed, and Bradtke (15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) made the most of his new role as starting center, winning the league's Most Improved Player award. Ninnis would contribute 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists as the 36ers snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed. Adelaide (15-9) would face Perth (16-8) in the Elimination Finals, where Cal Bruton (35 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists) finished as the game's high scorer, but it wouldn’t be enough to get past the 36ers who had five players score over 18 points or more. Mark Davis (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals), Darryl Pearce (25 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists), Orlando Phillips (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals), Mike McKay (20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) and second year big man Mark Bradtke (18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) combining for 91 points in the game one win (122-124). With the series returning to Perth for game two, Perth returned to its regular season form, shooting 51% from the field (42/82), and defeating Adelaide by 20 points (114-94). Pinder (25 points and 14 rebounds) and Bruton (22 points and 5 assists) top scoring for the Wildcats, while Mark Davis (22 points and 20 rebounds) racked up a 20/20 game in the 36ers losing effort. With Bruton (29 points and 7 rebounds) again leading the team in scoring, Perth came away with the win in game three (112-108) and ended 36ers playoff hopes.
1990 was also the year Mark Davis replaced Darryl Pearce as team captain, a role he would hold until the end of 1996, and it was the last season for local favourite Peter Ali who retired after 279 NBL games (141 of them with the 36ers). This season Ninnis would also average 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 ppg and 10.4 rpg), Kent Lockhart (18.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 ppg and 13.6 rpg) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Ninnis also contributed 9.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne in the semifinals (2–0) before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80. Ninnis would appear in all 31 games, averaging 9.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
To finalise the Magic's inaugural roster, import Milt Newton was recruited alongside John Dorge, who arrived from Geelong after leading the NBL in blocked shots in 1991. With a deep rotation and a defensive-first mentality under Goorjian, the team quickly made headlines as “One Magic Year” became the unofficial motto for their debut campaign. Scott Ninnis entered the season as a key piece of the backcourt rotation, providing versatility, perimeter defence, and timely scoring. Across 30 regular season games, Ninnis averaged 11.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. The Magic began the year in red-hot form, winning six of their first seven games. Despite solid early contributions from Newton (15.6 points, 8.1 rebounds), the Magic opted for a mid-season change—replacing him with LA Clippers guard Robert Rose. From that point forward, South East Melbourne surged to a 20–4 record and finished the regular season undefeated at home (12–0). Goorjian was named NBL Coach of the Year, and the Magic entered the playoffs as the top seed.
After sweeping the Canberra Cannons in the quarterfinals and eliminating the North Melbourne Giants in the semifinals, the Magic advanced to the NBL Grand Final to face their crosstown rivals—the Melbourne Tigers. The Tigers, led by MVP Andrew Gaze (33.8 points per game) and dynamic import Lanard Copeland (28.1 points), had just come off a high-octane playoff run and entered the series full of confidence. Game 1 was a nightmare start for South East Melbourne. Just 11 minutes into the match, starting point guard Darren Perry tore his ACL, ruling him out for the remainder of the series and the next nine months. The injury threw the Magic’s rotation into chaos, and Melbourne capitalised. Copeland erupted for 34 points, 7 assists, and 3 blocks, while Gaze added 26 in a dominant 116–98 win. Ninnis, thrust into extended minutes, struggled to find rhythm, scoring 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting with 2 rebounds and 2 steals in just under 22 minutes. With Perry sidelined, the Magic looked to Ninnis and Lucas to stabilise the backcourt—and both delivered in Game 2. While Lucas starred with a season-high 19 points, Ninnis was equally crucial, helping contain Copeland on defence. Copeland—who had torched the Magic in Game 1—was held to just 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Ninnis logged 38 minutes and added 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, holding his own at both ends. Although he went just 3-of-9 from the field, his defensive pressure and off-ball movement were pivotal. The Magic levelled the series with a resounding 115–93 victory behind Rose (20 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) and Bolden (22 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks). Game 3 was one of the most intense deciders in NBL history. With the Magic having gained the psychological edge, their defence suffocated Melbourne from the outset. Gaze was held to 18 points on a woeful 5-of-19 shooting, while Copeland added 24 but was prevented from dominating late. Ninnis played 38 minutes and delivered his best all-around performance of the series—finishing with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 1-of-3 from deep and 3-of-4 from the line. He added 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, constantly applying pressure on Melbourne’s guards and helping shut down key plays down the stretch. With Ninnis and Lucas anchoring the perimeter, the Magic held firm and ground out a gritty 95–88 win to secure the championship. Bolden (21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks) and Rose (26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks) both delivered big games in the deciding game, but Ninnis’s ability to step into the starting lineup and perform at both ends was a critical part of the Magic’s title run. Bolden received the NBL Finals MVP award from visiting NBA Commissioner David Stern in a historic moment for Australian basketball.
After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn't what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake. Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs. Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league's Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours. Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne.
The plan had been for Brown to play alongside Leon Trimmingham (19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) and Mark Davis (9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) to form a dominant frontcourt, similar to what had been delivered recent championships for the Perth Wildcats. Six games in, it was clear Brown (7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals) wasn't the player the 36ers needed, and he was swiftly released. Hoping to find a quick replacement, Adelaide brought back former big man Willie Simmons, who hadn't played in the NBL since 1994 and was now 35 years old. Simmons (5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds) added what he could, but needless to say, Adelaide struggled through the remaining games and finished in seventh place (14-16), missing the playoffs for the first time since 1992. Ninnis would appear in 27 games and averaged 4.2 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
Shortly after, Smyth signed Canberra Cannons guard Darnell Mee who had just spent a season in France after rehabilitating the knee that limited his productivity in his first NBL season. Once signed, Mee recommended his former teammate Kevin Brooks to the 36ers, and they signed the former NBA forward to a two-year deal. After his first training session with the team, Brooks' teammates thought he wouldn't last a week in the NBL with a shooting style that saw him release the ball almost from behind his head. However, they soon found Brooks (19.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists) was for real as he went on to lead the team in points per game with Brett Maher (17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) and Mee (14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists) providing the additional scoring punch. The 36ers' gamble on Smyth's playing experience translating into coaching success also paid off, with Adelaide recording the most wins since 1988 and finished in second place (19–11). Ninnis also added 5.4 points, 1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
Adelaide collected their first NBL championship since 1986, and Kevin Brooks was named Grand Final MVP in what was the last winter season for the National Basketball League. Ninnis would see limited playing opportunities in his last season in the NBL, appearing in 30 games and averaging 5.4 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. | Scott Ninnis made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 20 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Scott Ninnis played thirteen seasons in the NBL. He averaged 9.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 318 NBL games. | In 1987, Ninnis won a SEABL championship with the Adelaide Buffalos (a composite Adelaide team), defeating the Ballarat Miners in the Grand Final. He also won a SA state league championship with South Adelaide inn the same year. While playing for the 36ers, Ninnis continued to play for South Adelaide in the SA State League (now Premier League), where he won another championship in 1989. Upon returning to Adelaide in 1993, Ninnis rejoined South Adelaide in the local State League and won the championship for the third time in 1995. That year he also won the Woollacott Medal as the State League fairest and most brilliant player. In March 2015, Scott Ninnis had his #9 singlet retired by the South Adelaide Basketball Club. The Panthers also retired the #8 of Australian Basketball Hall of Fame members Michael Ah Matt (#8) who had played alongside Bruce Ninnis at the Panthers during the 1960s, as well as the #33 of Ninnis' longtime Adelaide 36ers teammate Mark Davis. Won his fourth and final championship with South Adelaide in 1997. | In 1993, Ninnis was a part of the Australian Boomers program as it prepared for the 1994 FIBA World Championships. | FAMILY: Ninnis's father Bruce was a championship winning basketball player with South Adelaide during the 1960s. As of 2016, Ninnis lives in Adelaide with his second wife Rebekah and their 2-year-old son Patrick Bruce. He also has a 12-year-old daughter, Chiara, from his first marriage. After being sacked as the 36ers coach following the 2009/10 NBL season, Ninnis formed his own wine tour company Premium Wine Tours. | Ninnis's father Bruce was a championship winning basketball player with South Adelaide during the 1960s. As of 2016, Ninnis lives in Adelaide with his second wife Rebekah and their 2-year-old son Patrick Bruce. He also has a 12-year-old daughter, Chiara, from his first marriage. After being sacked as the 36ers coach following the 2009/10 NBL season, Ninnis formed his own wine tour company Premium Wine Tours. | - SEABL champion (1987) - 4x SA State League champion (1987, 1989, 1995, 1997) - Woollacott Medalist (1995) - Adelaide 36ers Life Member - Basketball Association of South Australia Life Member
| After finishing his playing days after the 36ers’ 1998 championship win against the Magic, Ninnis then became assistant coach to Phil Smyth and was on the sidelines for two more championship wins in 1999 and 2002.
Despite having a two-year deal, Ninnis was released in 2007 and after a lengthy court battle regarding his unpaid contract monies Ninnis joined the Adelaide Lightning women's team as an assistant for the 2007/08 season. With Smyth not retained by the 36ers after missing the playoffs two seasons in a row, Ninnis became an NBL head coach in 2008/09, leading the 36ers to that years Quarter Finals where they were beaten in a single game playoff by the New Zealand Breakers coached by his former Magic teammate Andrej Lemanis. After the 36ers finished with its first wooden spoon in 2009/10, Ninnis was sacked by the 36ers, effectively ending his NBL career. In 2021 returned to his junior club, South Adelaide, to coach the Men's NBL1 team. He returned to coach South Adelaide Panthers for a second season in 2022 and led the team to an NBL1 Central men’s championship.
| After retiring Ninnis remained in Adelaide, where he worked as a wine tour operator. | 1000 | | Scott Ninnis played thirteen seasons in the NBL. He averaged 9.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 318 NBL games. | AWARDS- NBL Most Improved Player (1993)
COACHING HISTORYAfter finishing his playing days after the 36ers’ 1998 championship win against the Magic, Ninnis then became assistant coach to Phil Smyth and was on the sidelines for two more championship wins in 1999 and 2002.
Despite having a two-year deal, Ninnis was released in 2007 and after a lengthy court battle regarding his unpaid contract monies Ninnis joined the Adelaide Lightning women's team as an assistant for the 2007/08 season. With Smyth not retained by the 36ers after missing the playoffs two seasons in a row, Ninnis became an NBL head coach in 2008/09, leading the 36ers to that years Quarter Finals where they were beaten in a single game playoff by the New Zealand Breakers coached by his former Magic teammate Andrej Lemanis. After the 36ers finished with its first wooden spoon in 2009/10, Ninnis was sacked by the 36ers, effectively ending his NBL career. In 2021 returned to his junior club, South Adelaide, to coach the Men's NBL1 team. He returned to coach South Adelaide Panthers for a second season in 2022 and led the team to an NBL1 Central men’s championship.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLAfter retiring Ninnis remained in Adelaide, where he worked as a wine tour operator. |
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| 1197 | Nover, Matt | USA/PRT | Nover | Matt | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | FRD | 203 | 101 | 7 | 156 | 54 | 39 | 6 | 17 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 44 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 | 18 | 55.6% | 0.0% | 22 | 43 | 51.2% | 0.0% | 7.7 | 5.6 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 22.3 | 59% | 82% | 52% | 88% | 76% | 32% | 70% | 79% | 17 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -8 | -0.4 | 185.4 | 15169.3 | 5.6 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Chesterton, Indiana (USA) | None | Indiana(1989–1993) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23/09/70 | 1/02/98 | 7/03/98 | 27 | 27 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Super Nova BIO: Matt Nover was born in Chesterton, Indiana (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEMatt Nover made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 27 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game. After a single season in the NBA, Heal returned to the Kings in 1998. With two years remaining on his NBA deal, Heal left Minnesota, citing the lack of playing time behind Stephon Marbury, disliking the cold weather and suffering a calf injury the week before the opening round, which would require him to earn his way back into the rotation and returned to Australia. Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
| Nover, is a naturalized citizen of Portugal who played for the Portuguese national basketball team during the 2003 and 2005 FIBA EuroBasket qualification. | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.1 | 6.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 50% | 52% | 0% | 41% | 1.2 | 82.0 | -1.14 | 2.3% | 8.23 | 0.00 | 0.4 | 3 | 99 | 14 | 0.346 | 0.250 | 0.038 | 0.006 | 0.013 | 0.096 | 0.122 | 0.346 | 0.109 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Matt Nover was born in Chesterton, Indiana (USA). | After a single season in the NBA, Heal returned to the Kings in 1998. With two years remaining on his NBA deal, Heal left Minnesota, citing the lack of playing time behind Stephon Marbury, disliking the cold weather and suffering a calf injury the week before the opening round, which would require him to earn his way back into the rotation and returned to Australia. Since Heal's departure in 1996, the team had undergone a number of changes. Bill Tomlinson replaced coach Alan Black, imports Melvin Thomas and Isaac Burton were replaced by Matt Nover, a former NCAA Final Four centre better known as 'Ricky Roe' from the movie Blue Chips and a 19-year-old forward named Stephen Jackson, who became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had been the leading scorer in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game on a team that included future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Richard Hamilton. He'd been headed to the University of Arizona but was ruled academically ineligible, throwing him into the '97 NBA Draft (while the Wildcat's won the NCAA title without him), where Phoenix selected him in the second round. He failed to make the Suns roster and, instead, chose to play his first year as a pro in Australia.
In round 6, even with Aaron Trahair dropping 40 points on 13 of 16 shooting, the Kings lost to Wollongong (99-108) and shortly after released Nover. Former King Dave Simmons, who had been released by Newcastle, and former Sacramento King's big man Evers Burns were signed as import replacements. After six games, Simmons (6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds) was released as the Kings made room to sign former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems and allow Shane Heal and Aaron Trahair to play more minutes at shooting guard.
| Matt Nover made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 27 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game. | Matt Nover played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 7 NBL games. | Nover, is a naturalized citizen of Portugal who played for the Portuguese national basketball team during the 2003 and 2005 FIBA EuroBasket qualification. | Nover is currently a regional sales manager for TELA Bio in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1994, he appeared in Blue Chips along with Nick Nolte, Anfernee Hardaway, and Shaquille O'Neal. | Super Nova | 0 | Matt Nover played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 7 NBL games. | LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLNover is currently a regional sales manager for TELA Bio in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1994, he appeared in Blue Chips along with Nick Nolte, Anfernee Hardaway, and Shaquille O'Neal. |
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| 1198 | Oyston, Matthew | AUS | Oyston | Matthew | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | 5 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 0% | 15% | 63% | 0% | 18% | 0% | 0% | 28% | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | -0.2 | 0.0 | 7426.0 | -0.1 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | NSW - Illawarra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17/02/98 | 9/06/98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEMatthew Oyston made his NBL debut with the Wollongong Hawks on 17/2/1998. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. In 1998, the Hawks re-signed star Clayton Ritter and paired him with defensive minded guard Elliot Hatcher. Alongside the talented import duo Oyston received minimal court time but was a part of a Hawks team which doubled their wins from the previous year, improving from seven wins to 14 wins and finishing 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. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.80 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.031 | 0.188 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.063 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Wollongong Hawks | Wollongong Hawks | In 1998, the Hawks re-signed star Clayton Ritter and paired him with defensive minded guard Elliot Hatcher. Alongside the talented import duo Oyston received minimal court time but was a part of a Hawks team which doubled their wins from the previous year, improving from seven wins to 14 wins and finishing 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. | Matthew Oyston made his NBL debut with the Wollongong Hawks on 17/2/1998. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Matthew Oyston played one season in the NBL. | 0 | Matthew Oyston played one season in the NBL. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1199 | Parkinson, Andrew | AUS | Parkinson | Andrew | 1989 | 1998 | 10 | G/F | 195 | 95 | 265 | 5147 | 2833 | 537 | 287 | 147 | 390 | 136 | 16 | 372 | 619 | 897 | 2058 | 43.6% | 43.6% | 394 | 1072 | 36.8% | 36.8% | 645 | 779 | 82.8% | 82.8% | 503 | 986 | 51.0% | 51.0% | 10.7 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 19.4 | 70% | 49% | 59% | 44% | 53% | 59% | 42% | 63% | 49 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 7 | -8 | -0.4 | 39.0 | 7069.2 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 0 | South East Melbourne (1992, 1996) | 2 | 0 | Geelong 1988-90 | Southern Melb. 1991 | South East Melbourne 1992-98 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Knox | Slippery Rock University (1988-1989) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sandringham 1994-97 | 21/09/67 | 21/04/89 | 1/07/98 | 21 | 30 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Parky, The Microwave BIO: Andrew "Parky" Parkinson was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Knox basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEAndrew Parkinson made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. After a winless 1988 season and the very real threat of folding, the Geelong basketball club was saved by a group of committed local businessmen who injected the team with crucial financial backing. The club was rebranded as the “Supercats,” and former Eastside Melbourne coach Barry Barnes was brought in to lead a full-scale rebuild. Among the fresh faces was 18-year-old Andrew Parkinson, who joined the team in a developmental role, looking to carve out his place in the NBL. While much of the attention centred around high-profile recruits like Shane Heal (14.2 points, 5.5 assists), Jim Bateman (17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds), and imports Daren Rowe (23.1 points, 11.7 rebounds) and Aubrey Sherrod (22.6 points), Parkinson quietly gained valuable experience in his first professional season. Appearing in 17 games, he averaged 4.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in limited minutes, offering glimpses of the shooting touch and composure that would later become hallmarks of his game. With so many new faces and a revamped identity, the 1989 Supercats spent much of the year building chemistry. While the team struggled for consistency and depth, their five-win campaign marked a substantial improvement from the previous two seasons, which had seen Geelong fail to register a single victory. For Parkinson, the season served as a crucial development year. Playing behind experienced scorers, he learned the pace and physicality of the league while showcasing enough to suggest a bright future. Though his role was small, his presence as part of the rebuild aligned with the club’s longer-term vision, and his future contributions would become increasingly important in seasons to come.
Parkinson (6.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.5 steals across 22 games) provided reliable depth in the guard rotation, primarily coming off the bench. While his role was limited offensively due to the arrival of high-usage backcourt talents, he remained a steady contributor and brought defensive energy when called upon. The Supercats struggled out of the gate, losing their first four games despite Vaughns averaging a double-double. Vaughns was quickly replaced by explosive guard Bobby Locke, who immediately made headlines with a 50-point debut. Locke’s arrival transformed the team’s offense, and alongside 19-year-old Shane Heal—who earned the NBL’s Most Improved Player award—the Supercats began to build momentum. With Locke (31.6 points), Heal (22.4 points, 8.3 assists), and Daren Rowe (18.3 points, league-leading 3.2 blocks) leading the way, Geelong’s offense flourished. The team went on to win 11 games—more than their combined total from the previous two seasons—and finished 10th with an 11–15 record. While Parkinson wasn’t a headline act in 1990, his consistency and team-first mentality added value to a young, rebuilding Supercats side. His experience and work ethic helped complement the team’s high-scoring stars and contributed to a season that marked a turning point in the club’s rebuild.
1991 saw Parkinson average 20.9 points and 3.9 rebounds and play a key role in helping the South Melbourne Saints to a second place finish in the regular season with a 9-17 record.
In a interesting nod to the future, due to injury the Magic replaced him with state league star Mike Kelly who would become a major part of the Magic roster in 1997. South East Melbourne was unbeatable at home all season (11-2) butcould never replicate that on the road, losing half their away games and finishing third on the ladder (18-18). In the postseason, South East swept Perth in two games to set up a semi-finals matchup against crosstown rival North Melbourne. The Giants delivered a major upset in game one, convincingly defeating the Magic (108-87). In game two, it was much closer. In fact, the game was only decided in the final minute (76-79), and if Adonis Jordan hadn't missed a three-point heave at the buzzer (many thought he could have made a extra pass to a open David Graham for a better shot), the Magic might have been able to force a third game. Instead, the South East Melbourne's season came to a end. Anstey's move to the Magic was one of huge controversy when Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed the signing via the NBL tribunal. The NBL decided that Anstey could not leave the Tigers and would have to play for Melbourne as long as the Tigers could match the contract, which they did. After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer Anstey a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn't match. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team's players were reinstated to their previous contracts.
Additionally, 33-year-old big man John Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge's improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season while backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league's Best Defensive Player award.
Andrew Parkinson would appear in 32 games for the Magic, averaging 13.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists).
The Magic then eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in two straight games, Parkinson was limited by the 36ers during the series, scoring only 7 points in game one and 3 points in game two but it was enough to help propel the Magic past Adelaide and onto a Grand Final matchup with crosstown rival the Melbourne Tigers.
In the third and deciding game the Magic delivered the final blow a 30 point blowout victory, 107-70 with Parkinson contributing 9 points. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three game series.
The team would win their first six games in a row before a loss to Brisbane that also saw the team release McCaffrey (10.3 points and 2.9 assists) after realising he was not quite the same player as he was in 1996. Former NBA guard Clinton McDaniel (17.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) would replace him and go on to lead the league in steals. Tony Ronaldson (18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists) who had led the team in scoring since 1994 did so yet again, while 20-year-old Frank Drmic (14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds) had a breakout season, gaining interest from multiple NBA teams. Alongside Ronaldson, McDaniel and Drmic, Parkinson would average 3.8 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists and the Magic would finished on top of the ladder, recording the third best regular season record of all-time (26-4). Only Adelaide in 1986 (24-2) and Geelong in 1984 (21-2) being able to top it. As a result, Brian Goorjian took home his third Coach of the Year award and Mike Kelly was named the defensive player of the year for the second straight season. The Magic received a first-round bye thanks to finishing in first place, then faced off against Brisbane in the semi-finals. The Magic would swiftly eliminate the Steve Woodberry led Bullets in two straight games to reach the NBL Grand Final for the third season in a row, this time going head to head with the Adelaide 36ers.
The 36ers, who had started the season off slowly, had really found their form come the Grand Final and, in game two, obliterated the Magic, who at that point had lost only one home game for the season, at Melbourne Park 90-62. The 36ers held the Magic to less than 15 points in three of the game’s quarters. Brooks (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks) and Martin Cattalini (20 points and 6 rebounds) were brilliant for the 36ers in a game decided by turnovers and free throws, with South East Melbourne finishing with 26 turnovers and 6 of 8 from the free throw line to Adelaide’s 14 turnovers and 25 of 33 from the stripe.
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.4 | 7.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 53% | 59% | 44% | 38% | 1.4 | 77.0 | 0.19 | 6.6% | 9.38 | 12.16 | 0.6 | 152 | 3657 | 14 | 0.550 | 0.104 | 0.056 | 0.026 | 0.003 | 0.072 | 0.120 | 0.550 | 0.049 | South East Melbourne Magic | Geelong Supercats | Andrew "Parky" Parkinson was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Knox basketball program. | After a winless 1988 season and the very real threat of folding, the Geelong basketball club was saved by a group of committed local businessmen who injected the team with crucial financial backing. The club was rebranded as the “Supercats,” and former Eastside Melbourne coach Barry Barnes was brought in to lead a full-scale rebuild. Among the fresh faces was 18-year-old Andrew Parkinson, who joined the team in a developmental role, looking to carve out his place in the NBL. While much of the attention centred around high-profile recruits like Shane Heal (14.2 points, 5.5 assists), Jim Bateman (17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds), and imports Daren Rowe (23.1 points, 11.7 rebounds) and Aubrey Sherrod (22.6 points), Parkinson quietly gained valuable experience in his first professional season. Appearing in 17 games, he averaged 4.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in limited minutes, offering glimpses of the shooting touch and composure that would later become hallmarks of his game. With so many new faces and a revamped identity, the 1989 Supercats spent much of the year building chemistry. While the team struggled for consistency and depth, their five-win campaign marked a substantial improvement from the previous two seasons, which had seen Geelong fail to register a single victory. For Parkinson, the season served as a crucial development year. Playing behind experienced scorers, he learned the pace and physicality of the league while showcasing enough to suggest a bright future. Though his role was small, his presence as part of the rebuild aligned with the club’s longer-term vision, and his future contributions would become increasingly important in seasons to come.
Parkinson (6.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.5 steals across 22 games) provided reliable depth in the guard rotation, primarily coming off the bench. While his role was limited offensively due to the arrival of high-usage backcourt talents, he remained a steady contributor and brought defensive energy when called upon. The Supercats struggled out of the gate, losing their first four games despite Vaughns averaging a double-double. Vaughns was quickly replaced by explosive guard Bobby Locke, who immediately made headlines with a 50-point debut. Locke’s arrival transformed the team’s offense, and alongside 19-year-old Shane Heal—who earned the NBL’s Most Improved Player award—the Supercats began to build momentum. With Locke (31.6 points), Heal (22.4 points, 8.3 assists), and Daren Rowe (18.3 points, league-leading 3.2 blocks) leading the way, Geelong’s offense flourished. The team went on to win 11 games—more than their combined total from the previous two seasons—and finished 10th with an 11–15 record. While Parkinson wasn’t a headline act in 1990, his consistency and team-first mentality added value to a young, rebuilding Supercats side. His experience and work ethic helped complement the team’s high-scoring stars and contributed to a season that marked a turning point in the club’s rebuild.
1991 saw Parkinson average 20.9 points and 3.9 rebounds and play a key role in helping the South Melbourne Saints to a second place finish in the regular season with a 9-17 record.
In a interesting nod to the future, due to injury the Magic replaced him with state league star Mike Kelly who would become a major part of the Magic roster in 1997. South East Melbourne was unbeatable at home all season (11-2) butcould never replicate that on the road, losing half their away games and finishing third on the ladder (18-18). In the postseason, South East swept Perth in two games to set up a semi-finals matchup against crosstown rival North Melbourne. The Giants delivered a major upset in game one, convincingly defeating the Magic (108-87). In game two, it was much closer. In fact, the game was only decided in the final minute (76-79), and if Adonis Jordan hadn't missed a three-point heave at the buzzer (many thought he could have made a extra pass to a open David Graham for a better shot), the Magic might have been able to force a third game. Instead, the South East Melbourne's season came to a end. Anstey's move to the Magic was one of huge controversy when Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed the signing via the NBL tribunal. The NBL decided that Anstey could not leave the Tigers and would have to play for Melbourne as long as the Tigers could match the contract, which they did. After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer Anstey a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn't match. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team's players were reinstated to their previous contracts.
Additionally, 33-year-old big man John Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge's improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season while backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league's Best Defensive Player award.
Andrew Parkinson would appear in 32 games for the Magic, averaging 13.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists).
The Magic then eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in two straight games, Parkinson was limited by the 36ers during the series, scoring only 7 points in game one and 3 points in game two but it was enough to help propel the Magic past Adelaide and onto a Grand Final matchup with crosstown rival the Melbourne Tigers.
In the third and deciding game the Magic delivered the final blow a 30 point blowout victory, 107-70 with Parkinson contributing 9 points. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three game series.
The team would win their first six games in a row before a loss to Brisbane that also saw the team release McCaffrey (10.3 points and 2.9 assists) after realising he was not quite the same player as he was in 1996. Former NBA guard Clinton McDaniel (17.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals) would replace him and go on to lead the league in steals. Tony Ronaldson (18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists) who had led the team in scoring since 1994 did so yet again, while 20-year-old Frank Drmic (14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds) had a breakout season, gaining interest from multiple NBA teams. Alongside Ronaldson, McDaniel and Drmic, Parkinson would average 3.8 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists and the Magic would finished on top of the ladder, recording the third best regular season record of all-time (26-4). Only Adelaide in 1986 (24-2) and Geelong in 1984 (21-2) being able to top it. As a result, Brian Goorjian took home his third Coach of the Year award and Mike Kelly was named the defensive player of the year for the second straight season. The Magic received a first-round bye thanks to finishing in first place, then faced off against Brisbane in the semi-finals. The Magic would swiftly eliminate the Steve Woodberry led Bullets in two straight games to reach the NBL Grand Final for the third season in a row, this time going head to head with the Adelaide 36ers.
The 36ers, who had started the season off slowly, had really found their form come the Grand Final and, in game two, obliterated the Magic, who at that point had lost only one home game for the season, at Melbourne Park 90-62. The 36ers held the Magic to less than 15 points in three of the game’s quarters. Brooks (21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks) and Martin Cattalini (20 points and 6 rebounds) were brilliant for the 36ers in a game decided by turnovers and free throws, with South East Melbourne finishing with 26 turnovers and 6 of 8 from the free throw line to Adelaide’s 14 turnovers and 25 of 33 from the stripe.
| Andrew Parkinson made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Andrew Parkinson played ten seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Geelong Supercats, and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 10.6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assists in 265 NBL games. | Parky, The Microwave | 1000 | | Andrew Parkinson played ten seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Geelong Supercats, and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 10.6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assists in 265 NBL games. | AWARDS- NBL Most Improved Player (1991) |
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| 1200 | Robertson, Damien | AUS | Robertson | Damien | 1997 | 1998 | 2 | GRD | 181 | 74 | 49 | 407 | 120 | 33 | 40 | 8 | 25 | 14 | 0 | 41 | 25 | 47 | 105 | 44.8% | 44.8% | 4 | 21 | 19.0% | 0.0% | 22 | 34 | 64.7% | 0.0% | 43 | 84 | 51.2% | 0.0% | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 8.3 | 31% | 26% | 51% | 23% | 31% | 43% | 0% | 45% | 15 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -2 | -0.3 | 42.3 | 21089.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1997-98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Albury (NSW) | NSW - Albury | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bankstown 2003 | 30/04/77 | 12/04/97 | 7/06/98 | 19 | 21 | 0 | BIO: Damien Robertson was born in Albury (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Albury basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEDamien Robertson made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 19 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 47% | 50% | 9% | 32% | 1.1 | 82.1 | 0.27 | 13.3% | 19.90 | 0.00 | 0.3 | 14 | 193 | 4 | 0.295 | 0.081 | 0.098 | 0.034 | 0.000 | 0.101 | 0.061 | 0.295 | 0.064 | Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle Falcons | Damien Robertson was born in Albury (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Albury basketball program. | Damien Robertson made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 19 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Damien Robertson played two seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 49 NBL games. | 0 | Damien Robertson played two seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 49 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1201 | Stolberg, Ryan | AUS | Stolberg | Ryan | 1996 | 1998 | 2 | G/F | 201 | 105 | 20 | 122 | 50 | 30 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 43 | 39.5% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 16 | 21 | 76.2% | 0.0% | 17 | 41 | 41.5% | 0.0% | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 6.1 | 31% | 42% | 35% | 40% | 42% | 35% | 0% | 31% | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | -0.4 | 48.7 | 9590.5 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1996, 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Kurrajong (NSW) | QLD - Ipswich | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ipswich 1995-96, 2007-12 | Suncoast 1997 | Brisbane 1998 | Albury Wodonga 1999 | Brisbane 2017 | 16/01/75 | 4/05/96 | 14/06/98 | 21 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Ryan Stolberg was born in Kurrajong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCERyan Stolberg made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.9 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 40% | 48% | 0% | 49% | 1.2 | 85.2 | 0.15 | 9.3% | 11.55 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 4 | 88 | 4 | 0.410 | 0.246 | 0.066 | 0.033 | 0.000 | 0.074 | 0.115 | 0.410 | 0.098 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Ryan Stolberg was born in Kurrajong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. | Ryan Stolberg made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Ryan Stolberg played two seasons the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 20 NBL games. | A double-double machine for more than a decade, Ryan Stolberg was not only among the best big man to play in Queensland but one of the best players, period. Stolberg dominated in his first four seasons in the state league, two with Ipswich (1995/96), Suncoast (1997) and Brisbane (1998). In those four years the hardworking power forward made the Queensland and Australian CBA All-Star Five, won MVP in Queensland in 1997 averaging close to 27 points and 15 rebounds per game and helped Suncoast upset the Cairns Marlins in the 1997 ABA National Championship final in Geelong. He also spent a few seasons with the Brisbane Bullets. After playing with Albury in 1999, Stolberg took a break from the game until he returned for his hometown Ipswich Force from 2007-2012, putting up big numbers until he retired at the age of 37. | 0 | Ryan Stolberg played two seasons the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 20 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1202 | Withers, Justin | AUS | Withers | Justin | 1989 | 1998 | 10 | FRD | 201 | 105 | 222 | 6078 | 2844 | 1250 | 261 | 421 | 829 | 132 | 74 | 385 | 705 | 1122 | 2388 | 47.0% | 47.0% | 179 | 537 | 33.3% | 33.3% | 421 | 609 | 69.1% | 69.1% | 943 | 1851 | 50.9% | 50.9% | 12.8 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 27.4 | 76% | 82% | 62% | 80% | 82% | 63% | 73% | 71% | 35 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | -10 | -0.4 | 61.8 | 37597.1 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1989-92, 1998 | Canberra 1993-94 | Sydney 1995-97 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Canberra (ACT) | ACT - Canberra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28/04/70 | 21/04/89 | 14/06/98 | 18 | 28 | 0 | BIO: Justin Withers was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEJustin Withers made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. On the 27th of July, 1991 Withers was a part of the highest scoring game in NBL history when the Illawarra Hawks lost to the Melbourne Tigers 186-158 in a game where a total of 344 points were scored. Withers contributed 21 points himself (shooting 10/20 from the field) and added 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals to the stat sheet as well. Remarkably the Hawks shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort.
In 1997 Withers averaged 1.2 points and 1 rebounds as the Kings fnished in ninth place with a 12-18 record.
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. | 9 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.1 | 10.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 51% | 54% | 16% | 26% | 1.2 | 80.1 | 0.04 | 5.5% | 7.90 | 11.66 | 0.9 | 206 | 4355 | 20 | 0.468 | 0.206 | 0.043 | 0.022 | 0.012 | 0.063 | 0.116 | 0.468 | 0.037 | Wollongong Hawks | Illawarra Hawks | Justin Withers was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. | On the 27th of July, 1991 Withers was a part of the highest scoring game in NBL history when the Illawarra Hawks lost to the Melbourne Tigers 186-158 in a game where a total of 344 points were scored. Withers contributed 21 points himself (shooting 10/20 from the field) and added 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals to the stat sheet as well. Remarkably the Hawks shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort.
In 1997 Withers averaged 1.2 points and 1 rebounds as the Kings fnished in ninth place with a 12-18 record.
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. | Justin Withers made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. | Justin Withers played ten seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, Canberra Cannons, Sydney Kings and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 222 NBL games. | 0 | Justin Withers played ten seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Illawarra Hawks, Canberra Cannons, Sydney Kings and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 222 NBL games. | AWARDS- NBL Rookie Of The Year (1989) |
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| 1203 | Blakemore, Chris | AUS | Blakemore | Chris | 1993 | 1997 | 5 | F/C | 196 | 103 | 140 | 3863 | 1364 | 762 | 153 | 330 | 432 | 91 | 14 | 254 | 467 | 558 | 1315 | 42.4% | 42.4% | 23 | 67 | 34.3% | 0.0% | 225 | 388 | 58.0% | 58.0% | 535 | 1248 | 42.9% | 42.9% | 9.7 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 27.6 | 67% | 81% | 60% | 87% | 75% | 66% | 49% | 73% | 27 | 18 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -10 | -0.4 | 53.0 | 35952.2 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1993-95 | Canberra 1996=97 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 1 | 1991, 1992 | Adelaide (SA) | SA - Whyalla | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1991-92 | West Adelaide 1993 | Albury/Wodonga 2001 | 17/05/74 | 18/04/93 | 15/08/97 | 18 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Chris Blakemore was born in Adelaide, SA and grew up in nearby Whyalla. He was identified by the Adelaide 36ers as a fifteen year old and signed a contract to play for the team in 1990 before spending two seasons at the Australian Institute of Sport and returning to the team in 1993 to play his first NBL season. Blakemore received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1991. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. NBL EXPERIENCEChris Blakemore made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 18 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. After two losing seasons under coach Don Shipway, Adelaide hired American coach Don Monson to replace him and steer the team back to its winning ways. With the 36ers still regrouping from the loss of Australian Boomers big man Mark Bradtke (to Melbourne), they built up the team's frontcourt by adding Chris Blakemore, a talented young big man from the Australian Institute of Sport, import Paris McCurdy and welcomed back former 36er Willie Simmons (via Canberra). Key additions to the back court included Australian Boomers guard Phil Smyth (via Canberra) and the return of local prodigy Scott Ninnis (via South East Melbourne) who had spent two seasons playing under Brian Goorjian in Melbourne. After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn't what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake. Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs. Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league's Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours. Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne. Despite Blakemore carrying injuries during the first half of the season he averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds per game and was awarded the NBL Rookie of the Year.
The team finished in fourth place with a 19–8 record and went on to win their semi-final series against defending champions, the Melbourne Tigers and earning a matchup against the North Melbourne Giants to decide the NBL championship. The win over the Tigers came at a cost though as team captain Mark Davis's court time was limited in the Grand Final after dislocating his right shoulder during the first game of the semi finals. Adelaide would lose both games to North Melbourne (0-2), losing game one at the Powerhouse in overtime (93–95) and game two in Melbourne (97-117). Robert Rose averaged 32 points for the 36ers over the two grand final games, scoring 33 in game one and 31 in Game 2. He played a major role in game one as Adelaide came back from 63–77 down in the last period down to level the game at 84-84 at the end of regulation time and most felt that had Adelaide won the series he would have been the leading candidate for the Grand Final MVP award. During the season Blakemore had improved his production from 6 points in 19 minutes per game to 13 points in 33 minutes per game and was awarded the league's Most Improved Player award.
The 36ers finished sixth with a 17-9 record and would eliminated Newcastle in the Quarterfinals before meeting Perth in the semifinals where in game one Blakemore elbowed Perth forward Martin Cattalini as he cut through the key, delivering a cut to his mouth that required 15 stitches. The incident almost led to a brawl and Blakemore was suspended for game two of the series in Perth. Perth went on to win game two 85-76 and were eliminated by their playoff nemesis Perth who had also eliminated them in the 1987, 1989 and 1991 playoffs.
Blakemore's rehabilitate his injuries and signed a deal to play with the Brisbane Bullets in 1998 but struggled during pre-season and retired from playing before the season began. | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.0 | 9.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 43% | 46% | 4% | 30% | 1.0 | 83.6 | -0.07 | 6.9% | 8.08 | 13.42 | 0.8 | 105 | 2279 | 16 | 0.353 | 0.197 | 0.040 | 0.024 | 0.004 | 0.066 | 0.121 | 0.353 | 0.028 | Canberra Cannons | Adelaide 36ers | Chris Blakemore was born in Adelaide, SA and grew up in nearby Whyalla. He was identified by the Adelaide 36ers as a fifteen year old and signed a contract to play for the team in 1990 before spending two seasons at the Australian Institute of Sport and returning to the team in 1993 to play his first NBL season. | After two losing seasons under coach Don Shipway, Adelaide hired American coach Don Monson to replace him and steer the team back to its winning ways. With the 36ers still regrouping from the loss of Australian Boomers big man Mark Bradtke (to Melbourne), they built up the team's frontcourt by adding Chris Blakemore, a talented young big man from the Australian Institute of Sport, import Paris McCurdy and welcomed back former 36er Willie Simmons (via Canberra). Key additions to the back court included Australian Boomers guard Phil Smyth (via Canberra) and the return of local prodigy Scott Ninnis (via South East Melbourne) who had spent two seasons playing under Brian Goorjian in Melbourne. After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn't what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake. Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs. Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league's Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours. Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne. Despite Blakemore carrying injuries during the first half of the season he averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds per game and was awarded the NBL Rookie of the Year.
The team finished in fourth place with a 19–8 record and went on to win their semi-final series against defending champions, the Melbourne Tigers and earning a matchup against the North Melbourne Giants to decide the NBL championship. The win over the Tigers came at a cost though as team captain Mark Davis's court time was limited in the Grand Final after dislocating his right shoulder during the first game of the semi finals. Adelaide would lose both games to North Melbourne (0-2), losing game one at the Powerhouse in overtime (93–95) and game two in Melbourne (97-117). Robert Rose averaged 32 points for the 36ers over the two grand final games, scoring 33 in game one and 31 in Game 2. He played a major role in game one as Adelaide came back from 63–77 down in the last period down to level the game at 84-84 at the end of regulation time and most felt that had Adelaide won the series he would have been the leading candidate for the Grand Final MVP award. During the season Blakemore had improved his production from 6 points in 19 minutes per game to 13 points in 33 minutes per game and was awarded the league's Most Improved Player award.
The 36ers finished sixth with a 17-9 record and would eliminated Newcastle in the Quarterfinals before meeting Perth in the semifinals where in game one Blakemore elbowed Perth forward Martin Cattalini as he cut through the key, delivering a cut to his mouth that required 15 stitches. The incident almost led to a brawl and Blakemore was suspended for game two of the series in Perth. Perth went on to win game two 85-76 and were eliminated by their playoff nemesis Perth who had also eliminated them in the 1987, 1989 and 1991 playoffs.
Blakemore's rehabilitate his injuries and signed a deal to play with the Brisbane Bullets in 1998 but struggled during pre-season and retired from playing before the season began. | Chris Blakemore made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 18 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. | Chris Blakemore played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Adelaide 36ers and the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 9.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1 assists in 140 NBL games. | After retiring from the NBL in 1998 Blakemore played with the Albury / Wodonga during the 2000/01 Australia Basketball Association (ABA) season where the Bandits won their conference and Blakemore averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. | Blakemore received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1991. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. | - ABA Youth Player of the Year (1992) | 0 | Chris Blakemore played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Adelaide 36ers and the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 9.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1 assists in 140 NBL games. | AWARDS- NBL Most Improved Player (1994) |
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| 1204 | Brown, Jeff | USA | Brown | Jeff | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | PF | 203 | 106 | 6 | 133 | 46 | 23 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 19 | 51 | 37.3% | 0.0% | 1 | 8 | 12.5% | 0.0% | 7 | 14 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 18 | 43 | 41.9% | 0.0% | 7.7 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 22.2 | 59% | 68% | 51% | 73% | 66% | 81% | 0% | 45% | 22 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -9 | -0.4 | 3.8 | #DIV/0! | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Washington (USA) | None | Gonzaga (1991–1994) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Geraldton 1991 | 13/11/70 | 13/04/97 | 10/05/97 | 26 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Jeff Brown was born in Washington (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEJeff Brown made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 26 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. In 1997, the 36ers had just shown head coach Mike Dunlap the door and hired his assistant and former Gold Coast Rollers coach Dave Claxton as his replacement. This season also saw Brett Maher take over the team captaincy from Mark Davis (something he would hold until his retirement in 2009). | 22 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.2 | 8.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 38% | 40% | 0% | 27% | 0.9 | 85.1 | 1.00 | 11.8% | 7.44 | 0.00 | 1.0 | 6 | 74 | 12 | 0.346 | 0.173 | 0.038 | 0.045 | 0.000 | 0.038 | 0.165 | 0.346 | 0.165 | Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide 36ers | Jeff Brown was born in Washington (USA). | In 1997, the 36ers had just shown head coach Mike Dunlap the door and hired his assistant and former Gold Coast Rollers coach Dave Claxton as his replacement. This season also saw Brett Maher take over the team captaincy from Mark Davis (something he would hold until his retirement in 2009). Jeff Brown was recruited to form a frontcourt partnership with high flying Leon Trimmingham and Davis who was expected to play a reserve role. Six games in and it was apparent Brown wasn't the player the 36ers needed and he was released and replaced with 35 year old, former 36ers big man Willie Simmons who hadn't played in the NBL since 1994. Needless to say Adelaide struggled through the remaining games and finished in 7th place with a 14–16 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1992. | Jeff Brown made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 26 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. | Jeff Brown played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 6 NBL games. | Played for Geraldton in the WA state league (SBL) in 1991 where he averaged 25.9 points per game (776 points) across 30 games. | COLLEGEBrown, a 6'9 forward, came to Gonzaga from nearby Mead Senior High School in Spokane, Washington. He played for the Zags from 1991 to 1994 and was a three-time first team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) pick and the 1994 conference player of the year. Nationally, Brown was twice named a first team Academic All-American and was selected as the GTE men's basketball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in 1994. For his career, Brown scored 1,646 points. Following his college career, Brown played basketball professionally in Spain, Argentina, Belgium and Australia (Adelaide 36ers). In 1998, Brown left basketball for a career in the IT industry. He was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2010. | Brown, a 6'9 forward, came to Gonzaga from nearby Mead Senior High School in Spokane, Washington. He played for the Zags from 1991 to 1994 and was a three-time first team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) pick and the 1994 conference player of the year. Nationally, Brown was twice named a first team Academic All-American and was selected as the GTE men's basketball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in 1994. For his career, Brown scored 1,646 points. Following his college career, Brown played basketball professionally in Spain, Argentina, Belgium and Australia (Adelaide 36ers). In 1998, Brown left basketball for a career in the IT industry. He was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2010. | 0 | Jeff Brown played one season in the NBL. He averaged 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 6 NBL games. | COLLEGEBrown, a 6'9 forward, came to Gonzaga from nearby Mead Senior High School in Spokane, Washington. He played for the Zags from 1991 to 1994 and was a three-time first team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) pick and the 1994 conference player of the year. Nationally, Brown was twice named a first team Academic All-American and was selected as the GTE men's basketball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in 1994. For his career, Brown scored 1,646 points. Following his college career, Brown played basketball professionally in Spain, Argentina, Belgium and Australia (Adelaide 36ers). In 1998, Brown left basketball for a career in the IT industry. He was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2010. |
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| 1205 | Chapman, Damien | AUS | Chapman | Damien | 1996 | 1997 | 2 | GRD | 185 | 76 | 13 | 32 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 53.3% | 0.0% | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 8 | 37.5% | 0.0% | 7 | 11 | 63.6% | 0.0% | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 24% | 27% | 38% | 27% | 28% | 0% | 0% | 37% | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | -0.7 | 99.3 | 6858.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0 | Melbourne (1997) | 1 | 0 | Melbourne 1996-97 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Daylesford (VIC) | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16/07/76 | 16/04/96 | 13/06/97 | 19 | 20 | 0 | BIO: Damien Chapman was born in Daylesford (VIC) NBL EXPERIENCEDamien Chapman made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 19 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. With the Tigers having Mark Bradtke back full-time and able to retain all of their core group except for Stephen Whitehead (to Sydney) Melbourne were able to return to their winning ways after their posting their worst season in eight years. Chapman was added to help fill the void of Whitehead but would see minimal court time, appearing in only 11 games and averaging 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first defeating eighth seed Brisbane (14-12), then eliminating Canberra (2-0) before losing to South East Melbourne (19-7) in the Grand Final. | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 57% | 54% | 0% | 53% | 1.3 | 78.6 | -0.15 | 0.0% | 18.45 | 0.00 | 0 | 35 | 3 | 0.625 | 0.281 | 0.188 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.250 | 0.188 | 0.625 | 0.281 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Tigers | Damien Chapman was born in Daylesford (VIC) | With the Tigers having Mark Bradtke back full-time and able to retain all of their core group except for Stephen Whitehead (to Sydney) Melbourne were able to return to their winning ways after their posting their worst season in eight years. Chapman was added to help fill the void of Whitehead but would see minimal court time, appearing in only 11 games and averaging 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first defeating eighth seed Brisbane (14-12), then eliminating Canberra (2-0) before losing to South East Melbourne (19-7) in the Grand Final. | Damien Chapman made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 19 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Damien Chapman played two seasons the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.5 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 13 NBL games. | 0 | Damien Chapman played two seasons the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 1.5 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 13 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1206 | Donaldson, Mario | USA | Donaldson | Mario | 1994 | 1997 | 2 | G/F | 200 | 90 | 62 | 2573 | 1263 | 289 | 182 | 71 | 218 | 75 | 26 | 191 | 182 | 518 | 1051 | 49.3% | 49.3% | 97 | 225 | 43.1% | 43.1% | 130 | 158 | 82.3% | 82.3% | 421 | 826 | 51.0% | 51.0% | 20.4 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 41.5 | 94% | 76% | 88% | 66% | 80% | 88% | 78% | 93% | 41 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 9 | -13 | -0.3 | 139.1 | 20330.1 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1994 | Canberra 1997 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Rockton, Illinois (USA) | None | Drake (1988-1990) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Canada - ? (1990) | Israel - ? ( 1994) | Venezuela - ? (1998) Marinos (2001) | Cyprus - ? | Greece - ? | Philippines - ? | Argentina - ? | 3/11/68 | 9/04/94 | 7/10/97 | 25 | 28 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Super Mario BIO: Mario Donaldson was born in Rockton, Illinois (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEMario Donaldson made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 25 years of age. He scored 28 points in his first game. After three seasons of import duo Dwayne McClain and Ken McClary, Kings coach Bob Turner chose to go in a different direction in 1994. With rumours of McClain's rise in popularity leading to difficulties in coaching the star, the decision was made not to re-sign McLain and McClary and find younger talent to replace them. Coach Bob Turner signed swingman Mario Donaldson, who he spotted playing with Omaha during the 1993 CBA championship season. He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
| Was drafted by the Rockford Lightning in the 1990 CBA draft. Played for Rockford during the 1990-1992 season. In 1993 he was a part of the Omaha Racers CBA championship winning team. | 28 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.4 | 17.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 54% | 56% | 19% | 15% | 1.2 | 78.8 | 1.06 | 7.1% | 12.19 | 12.79 | 1.6 | 101 | 1734 | 28 | 0.491 | 0.112 | 0.071 | 0.029 | 0.010 | 0.074 | 0.071 | 0.491 | 0.029 | Canberra Cannons | Sydney Kings | Mario Donaldson was born in Rockton, Illinois (USA). | After three seasons of import duo Dwayne McClain and Ken McClary, Kings coach Bob Turner chose to go in a different direction in 1994. With rumours of McClain's rise in popularity leading to difficulties in coaching the star, the decision was made not to re-sign McLain and McClary and find younger talent to replace them. Coach Bob Turner signed swingman Mario Donaldson, who he spotted playing with Omaha during the 1993 CBA championship season. He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
| Mario Donaldson made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 25 years of age. He scored 28 points in his first game. | Mario Donaldson played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 20.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 62 NBL games. | Was drafted by the Rockford Lightning in the 1990 CBA draft. Played for Rockford during the 1990-1992 season. In 1993 he was a part of the Omaha Racers CBA championship winning team. | Super Mario | 0 | Mario Donaldson played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Canberra Cannons. He averaged 20.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 62 NBL games. HIGHLIGHTS: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1207 | Edwards, Bryan | USA | Edwards | Bryan | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | PG | 189 | 91 | 13 | 535 | 239 | 66 | 65 | 19 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 59 | 43 | 76 | 213 | 35.7% | 35.7% | 32 | 108 | 29.6% | 29.6% | 55 | 75 | 73.3% | 0.0% | 44 | 105 | 41.9% | 41.9% | 18.4 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 41.2 | 90% | 78% | 97% | 73% | 81% | 93% | 0% | 99% | 28 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | -18 | -0.4 | 131.2 | 25334.0 | 11.2 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Boston (USA) | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19/06/69 | 12/04/97 | 7/06/97 | 27 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Bryan Edwards was born in Boston (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEBryan Edwards made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 27 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. The Hawks rebuilding would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. The Hawks chose not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and would sign Edwards as his replacement and then add big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. The team also added SEABL stawart Eric Cooks who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce during his time with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, a team which had also included both Saville and Campbell. Edwards contributed 18.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5 assists during the 1997 season but it seemed Edwards was not the fit the Hawks needed at point guard and mid-season he was replaced with Dylan Rigdon. The Hawks poor performance would continue after Edwards departure and they would fail to make the playoffs yet again, mustering only a 7 win, 23 loss record. | 9 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 10 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.8 | 16.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 8.3 | 43% | 49% | 42% | 35% | 1.1 | 80.6 | 1.92 | 8.9% | 17.57 | 15.95 | 1.5 | 19 | 370 | 28 | 0.447 | 0.123 | 0.121 | 0.036 | 0.000 | 0.110 | 0.080 | 0.447 | 0.052 | Illawarra Hawks | Illawarra Hawks | Bryan Edwards was born in Boston (USA). | After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. The Hawks rebuilding would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. The Hawks chose not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and would sign Edwards as his replacement and then add big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. The team also added SEABL stawart Eric Cooks who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce during his time with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, a team which had also included both Saville and Campbell. Edwards contributed 18.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5 assists during the 1997 season but it seemed Edwards was not the fit the Hawks needed at point guard and mid-season he was replaced with Dylan Rigdon. The Hawks poor performance would continue after Edwards departure and they would fail to make the playoffs yet again, mustering only a 7 win, 23 loss record. | Bryan Edwards made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 27 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. | Bryan Edwards played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 13 NBL games. | 0 | Bryan Edwards played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 13 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1208 | Froling, Shane | AUS | Froling | Shane | 1987 | 1997 | 11 | FRD | 199 | 104 | 271 | 5325 | 1856 | 896 | 294 | 426 | 470 | 132 | 59 | 428 | 804 | 684 | 1423 | 48.1% | 48.1% | 11 | 44 | 25.0% | 0.0% | 477 | 700 | 68.1% | 68.1% | 673 | 1379 | 48.8% | 48.8% | 6.8 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 19.6 | 55% | 64% | 59% | 75% | 57% | 56% | 64% | 67% | 22 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -7 | -0.4 | 97.2 | 12024.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Eastside Melb 1987-90 | Hobart 1991-92 | Brisbane 1993-94 | Townsville 1995-97 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 3 | 1985, 1986 | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Nunawading | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1985-86 | Townsville 1998 | 3/05/67 | 24/04/87 | 26/09/97 | 19 | 30 | 0 | BIO: Shane Froling was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Nunawading basketball program. Froling received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1985. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1985, 1986). FAMILY: Shane is the father of both Sam Froling (176 NBL games) and Harry Froling (155 NBL games). Shane's wife Jenny was a four-time champion in the WNBL. His daughters, Alicia and Keely, have also played together in the WNBL NBL EXPERIENCEShane Froling made his NBL debut with the Eastside Melbourne Spectres at 19 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. In 1987, Froling averaged 3.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists as the Spectres finished with a record of 13-13 and in eighth place during the regular season.
Once appointed as head coach Goorjian, import Bruce Bolden and Brendan Joyce left for rival club Westside Melbourne and Peter Blight headed to Hobart. Goorjian retained the younger players on the roster, Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon, Shane Froling and Darren Lucas and but decided not to re-sign the team's leading scorer from last season, Vince Hinchen. Instead, he would look to find a import better suited to the new look roster. Goorjian struggled to find the right US talent to balance out the team. His first import, Kevin Ross (14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds), lasted only two games before being sent back to the US, and his replacement Quentin Anderson (12.0 points, 9.5 rebounds), wasn't much better and was also given the axe after two games. Goorjian had also signed Harvard University's leading scorer Arne Duncan to pair with the aforementioned Ross and Anderson. Duncan (24.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists) was a totally different story. A blue-chip athlete who went on the lead the team in scoring and in fact, packed a suitcase and flew to Australia with just a week's notice after narrowly missing out on a contract with the Boston Celtics. Mid-season Goorjian then signed Rick Sharpe (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists), who had played for his father Ed Goorjian at the University of Loyola and formed a nice tandem with Dean Uthoff (18.3 points, 17.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists). 22-year-old Lucas would be given the green light in his second season. He saw his minutes almost double (25 per game to 38 per game) and, as a result, saw his numbers skyrocket from 8.8 points to 23.1 points per game while also adding 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals. This included his 45-point career-high against the Perth Wildcats. Froling would average 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists. Eastside finished the season with 11 wins, 13 losses, and in the eleventh spot, leading Goorjian to describe the season as a 'disaster'. Lucas would go on to be named the league's Most Improved Player that year in one of the few positives of the Spectres season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
The only changes to the local roster were the exits of veterans Paul Hotchins and Warren Pink, who were then replaced with Darren Perry (Brisbane) and Nunawading junior Tony Ronaldson, who had just completed a year at the Australian Institute of Sport. The departure of import Arne Duncan then made room for the return of former Spectre Bruce Bolden. To kick off the season, Eastside was tipped to be the big improvers of 1990 after finishing 'best of the rest' the year prior. The team started off by winning its first three games on the schedule, but over the course of the season, the team never seemed to be able to beat the league's best. While they knocked off the majority of the league, losses they couldn't see to deliver wins against elite team's like Perth, Brisbane and North Melbourne. In Round 21, Eastside turned things around with a win over crosstown rivals North Melbourne (118-111), but then followed that up with a 3-2 run home.
Smith averaged 7.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists for the season. In 1993, Brisbane replaced long time coach Brian Kerle with former Coach of the Year (1988) and 1989 championship winning coach Bruce Palmer. Under Palmers tutelage the Bullets finished the season winning 50% of their games (same as the previous year under Kerle) and made it to the semi finals before being eliminated in two straight games by Dwayne McClain and the Sydney Kings. Froling averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists for the season.
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.5 | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 48% | 54% | 2% | 49% | 1.3 | 82.2 | -0.01 | 9.3% | 11.99 | 17.45 | 0.7 | 191 | 3046 | 11 | 0.349 | 0.168 | 0.055 | 0.025 | 0.011 | 0.080 | 0.151 | 0.349 | 0.036 | Townsville Suns | Eastside Melbourne Spectres | Shane Froling was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Nunawading basketball program. | In 1987, Froling averaged 3.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists as the Spectres finished with a record of 13-13 and in eighth place during the regular season.
Once appointed as head coach Goorjian, import Bruce Bolden and Brendan Joyce left for rival club Westside Melbourne and Peter Blight headed to Hobart. Goorjian retained the younger players on the roster, Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon, Shane Froling and Darren Lucas and but decided not to re-sign the team's leading scorer from last season, Vince Hinchen. Instead, he would look to find a import better suited to the new look roster. Goorjian struggled to find the right US talent to balance out the team. His first import, Kevin Ross (14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds), lasted only two games before being sent back to the US, and his replacement Quentin Anderson (12.0 points, 9.5 rebounds), wasn't much better and was also given the axe after two games. Goorjian had also signed Harvard University's leading scorer Arne Duncan to pair with the aforementioned Ross and Anderson. Duncan (24.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists) was a totally different story. A blue-chip athlete who went on the lead the team in scoring and in fact, packed a suitcase and flew to Australia with just a week's notice after narrowly missing out on a contract with the Boston Celtics. Mid-season Goorjian then signed Rick Sharpe (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists), who had played for his father Ed Goorjian at the University of Loyola and formed a nice tandem with Dean Uthoff (18.3 points, 17.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists). 22-year-old Lucas would be given the green light in his second season. He saw his minutes almost double (25 per game to 38 per game) and, as a result, saw his numbers skyrocket from 8.8 points to 23.1 points per game while also adding 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals. This included his 45-point career-high against the Perth Wildcats. Froling would average 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists. Eastside finished the season with 11 wins, 13 losses, and in the eleventh spot, leading Goorjian to describe the season as a 'disaster'. Lucas would go on to be named the league's Most Improved Player that year in one of the few positives of the Spectres season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
The only changes to the local roster were the exits of veterans Paul Hotchins and Warren Pink, who were then replaced with Darren Perry (Brisbane) and Nunawading junior Tony Ronaldson, who had just completed a year at the Australian Institute of Sport. The departure of import Arne Duncan then made room for the return of former Spectre Bruce Bolden. To kick off the season, Eastside was tipped to be the big improvers of 1990 after finishing 'best of the rest' the year prior. The team started off by winning its first three games on the schedule, but over the course of the season, the team never seemed to be able to beat the league's best. While they knocked off the majority of the league, losses they couldn't see to deliver wins against elite team's like Perth, Brisbane and North Melbourne. In Round 21, Eastside turned things around with a win over crosstown rivals North Melbourne (118-111), but then followed that up with a 3-2 run home.
Smith averaged 7.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists for the season. In 1993, Brisbane replaced long time coach Brian Kerle with former Coach of the Year (1988) and 1989 championship winning coach Bruce Palmer. Under Palmers tutelage the Bullets finished the season winning 50% of their games (same as the previous year under Kerle) and made it to the semi finals before being eliminated in two straight games by Dwayne McClain and the Sydney Kings. Froling averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists for the season.
| Shane Froling made his NBL debut with the Eastside Melbourne Spectres at 19 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Shane Froling played eleven seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Hobart Devils, Brisbane Bullets and Townsville Suns. He averaged 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 271 NBL games. | Froling received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1985. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1985, 1986). | FAMILY: Shane is the father of both Sam Froling (176 NBL games) and Harry Froling (155 NBL games). Shane's wife Jenny was a four-time champion in the WNBL. His daughters, Alicia and Keely, have also played together in the WNBL | Shane's wife Jenny was a four-time champion in the WNBL. His daughters, Alicia and Keely, have also played together in the WNBL | After basketball, he worked as a Team Leader for the Riverway Precinct in Townsville. | 2000 | Shane Froling played eleven seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Hobart Devils, Brisbane Bullets and Townsville Suns. He averaged 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 271 NBL games. | LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLAfter basketball, he worked as a Team Leader for the Riverway Precinct in Townsville. |
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| 1209 | Gardiner, Ryan | AUS | Gardiner | Ryan | 1995 | 1997 | 3 | GRD | 183 | 88 | 28 | 175 | 29 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 19 | 9 | 29 | 31.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 16 | 12.5% | 0.0% | 9 | 20 | 45.0% | 0.0% | 7 | 13 | 53.8% | 0.0% | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 6.3 | 18% | 17% | 28% | 19% | 20% | 29% | 0% | 36% | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | -0.3 | 226.4 | 57536.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0 | Perth (1995) | 1 | 0 | Perth 1995-97 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Perth (WA) | WA - Perry Lakes | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Perry Lakes 1993-1998, 2000-2001, 2003 | 17/07/75 | 8/07/95 | 5/07/97 | 19 | 21 | 0 | BIO: Ryan Gardiner was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program. FAMILY: Ryan is the son of John Gardiner, the inaugural CEO of the National Basketball League. He was also a longtime coach of the Perry Lakes Hawks in the SBL. NBL EXPERIENCERyan Gardiner made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 34% | 38% | 0% | 69% | 1.0 | 85.1 | -0.21 | 10.3% | 11.51 | 0.00 | 0.1 | 3 | 45 | 2 | 0.166 | 0.051 | 0.040 | 0.017 | 0.000 | 0.091 | 0.109 | 0.166 | 0.057 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Ryan Gardiner was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program. | In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | Ryan Gardiner made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. | Ryan Gardiner played three seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 28 NBL games. | Perry Lakes 1993-1998, 155g, 1682pt @ 10.9 Perry Lakes 2000-2001, 52g, 504pt @ 9.7 Perry Lakes 2003, 3g, 20pt @ 6.7 | FAMILY: Ryan is the son of John Gardiner, the inaugural CEO of the National Basketball League. He was also a longtime coach of the Perry Lakes Hawks in the SBL. | Ryan is the son of John Gardiner, the inaugural CEO of the National Basketball League. He was also a longtime coach of the Perry Lakes Hawks in the SBL. | Ryan went on to hold the operations manager role at the Perth Wildcats as well as acted as general manager of the South Dragons after hanging up the boots. | 0 | Ryan Gardiner played three seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 28 NBL games. | LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLRyan went on to hold the operations manager role at the Perth Wildcats as well as acted as general manager of the South Dragons after hanging up the boots. |
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| 1210 | Hamilton, Bruce | AUS | Hamilton | Bruce | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | FRD | 195 | 95 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.2 | 0.0 | 13543.8 | -0.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Ipswich (QLD) | QLD - Ipswich | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1996-97 | 18/01/77 | 27/09/97 | 7/10/97 | 20 | 20 | 0 | BIO: Bruce Hamilton was born in Ipswich (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEBruce Hamilton made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Bruce Hamilton was born in Ipswich (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ipswich basketball program. | Bruce Hamilton made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Bruce Hamilton played one season in the NBL. | 0 | Bruce Hamilton played one season in the NBL. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1211 | Harkess, Scott | AUS | Harkess | Scott | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | FRD | 202 | #N/A | 21 | 219 | 56 | 47 | 10 | 19 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 24 | 20 | 46 | 43.5% | 0.0% | 4 | 14 | 28.6% | 0.0% | 12 | 22 | 54.5% | 0.0% | 16 | 32 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 2.7 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 10.4 | 33% | 52% | 38% | 59% | 50% | 32% | 61% | 41% | 13 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | -0.3 | 213.9 | 25245.8 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Perth 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 1 | 1992 | Harvey (WA) | WA - Perry Lakes | Emporia State University | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mandurah 1990-1991, 1993 | AIS 1992 | Perry Lakes 1994-1997 | 19/04/97 | 17/10/97 | 0 | 0 | 0 | BIO: Scott Harkess was born and raised in Harvey (WA). He began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program. Harkess received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1992. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. NBL EXPERIENCEScott Harkess made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 19/4/1997. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 48% | 50% | 20% | 48% | 1.2 | 80.6 | -0.10 | 6.5% | 12.39 | 0.00 | 0.3 | 7 | 113 | 5 | 0.256 | 0.215 | 0.046 | 0.014 | 0.018 | 0.068 | 0.110 | 0.256 | 0.059 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Scott Harkess was born and raised in Harvey (WA). He began playing basketball as a junior with the Perry Lakes basketball program. | Scott Harkess made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats on 19/4/1997. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | Scott Harkess played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 21 NBL games. | Harkess began playing in the WA state league in 1990 with Mandurah. He spent two seasons there, averaging 9 points per game across 55 games before accepting a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport. While at the AIS he played for the program's SEABL squad in state league competition. Upon returning to Perth, he played a third season with Mandurah in 1993 where he averaged 15.3 points across 24 games. Later, he was a part of the Perry Lakes Hawks squad that captured the 1994 SBL championship. Played in 11 SBL games in 1996, averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds per game for Perry Lakes before heading to play college ball in the US. | Harkess received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1992. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. | 0 | Scott Harkess played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 21 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1212 | Jackson, Cameron | AUS | Jackson | Cameron | 1995 | 1997 | 2 | CTR | 205 | 104 | 18 | 91 | 26 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 11 | 22 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4 | 10 | 40.0% | 0.0% | 11 | 22 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 5.1 | 22% | 34% | 24% | 37% | 33% | 25% | 41% | 25% | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | -0.4 | 66.8 | 10983.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0 | Perth (1995) | 1 | 0 | Perth 1995 | North Melbourne 1997 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 2 | 1993 | Kununarra (WA) | WA - East Perth | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1993 | East Perth 1994 | Swan Districts 1995 | 6/08/75 | 21/04/95 | 7/10/97 | 19 | 22 | 0 | BIO: Cameron Jackson was born in Kununarra (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the East Perth basketball program. Jackson received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1993. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1993). NBL EXPERIENCECameron Jackson made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 50% | 49% | 0% | 45% | 1.2 | 82.0 | -0.11 | 4.5% | 8.47 | 0.00 | 0.1 | 2 | 48 | 3 | 0.286 | 0.209 | 0.033 | 0.011 | 0.011 | 0.066 | 0.187 | 0.286 | 0.165 | North Melbourne Giants | Perth Wildcats | Cameron Jackson was born in Kununarra (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the East Perth basketball program. | In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | Cameron Jackson made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Cameron Jackson played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 1.4 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 18 NBL games. | East Perth 1994, 20g, 258pt @ 12.9 Swan Districts 1995, 14g, 134pt @ 9.6 | Jackson received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1993. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1993). | 0 | Cameron Jackson played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 1.4 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 18 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1213 | Lang, Jarvis | USA | Lang | Jarvis | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | PF | 201 | 109 | 8 | 339 | 153 | 73 | 16 | 39 | 34 | 7 | 7 | 37 | 31 | 61 | 122 | 50.0% | 50.0% | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 31 | 45 | 68.9% | 0.0% | 61 | 119 | 51.3% | 51.3% | 19.1 | 9.1 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 42.4 | 92% | 95% | 77% | 99% | 87% | 77% | 91% | 99% | 26 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -15 | -0.4 | 72.1 | 9112.2 | 13.8 | 0.0 | 0 | Melbourne (1997) | 1 | 0 | Melbourne 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Greenville, North Carolina (USA) | None | Charlotte (1990–1995) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25/6/1971 | 11/04/97 | 7/06/97 | 25 | 25 | 0 | BIO: Jarvis Lang was born in Greenville, North Carolina (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEJarvis Lang made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 25 years of age. He scored 24 points in his first game. After the blowout loss the Tigers suffered at the hands of the South East Melbourne Magic in game three of the 1996 NBL Finals, the team chose not to re-sign long-time import Dave Simmons and replaced him with athletic wing Jarvis Lang.
Over the remaining 22 games, Melbourne was able to finish in second place (19-11), behind South East Melbourne (22-8), going on a 14-game consecutive winning streak to finish the regular season. The Tigers never looked back from there, going on to win their second NBL championship.
| 24 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.6 | 15.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 50% | 54% | 0% | 37% | 1.3 | 82.0 | -1.75 | 5.7% | 8.21 | 0.00 | 1.8 | 14 | 242 | 30 | 0.451 | 0.215 | 0.047 | 0.021 | 0.021 | 0.109 | 0.091 | 0.451 | 0.077 | Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne Tigers | Jarvis Lang was born in Greenville, North Carolina (USA). | After the blowout loss the Tigers suffered at the hands of the South East Melbourne Magic in game three of the 1996 NBL Finals, the team chose not to re-sign long-time import Dave Simmons and replaced him with athletic wing Jarvis Lang.
Over the remaining 22 games, Melbourne was able to finish in second place (19-11), behind South East Melbourne (22-8), going on a 14-game consecutive winning streak to finish the regular season. The Tigers never looked back from there, going on to win their second NBL championship.
| Jarvis Lang made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 25 years of age. He scored 24 points in his first game. | Jarvis Lang played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2 assists in 8 NBL games. | Scored 29 against Duke as a freshman. | COLLEGEAs a freshman for the Charlotte 49ers, Lang led all NCAA Division I freshmen in both scoring (19.6) and rebounding (10.6) per game. He was named the Metro Conference Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Metro Freshman Team, and ESPN named him to the All-American First Team for freshmen only. Lang's sophomore season, however, saw him go down in just the second game with a injury, forcing him to medical redshirt to sit out the entire year. He returned in 1992/93 but averaged a reduced 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, yet still was named to the All-Metro Second Team. During his junior season, his averages increased to 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds as he was named to the All-Metro First Team. Numerous media outlets named him as a honorable mention All-American as well. Then, for his senior season in 1994/95, Lang repeated as a first-team all-conference performer. His 16.4 points, 80.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals and blocks per game made him the Metro Conference Player of the Year, which was coincidentally the final year in the award's existence due to the conference joining with the Great Midwest Conference, forming Conference USA. Lang finished his college career with 1,855 points and 1,047 rebounds. Through 2011/12, those totals place him fifth and second all-time in school history. His jersey (number 23) has been retired by Charlotte. | As a freshman for the Charlotte 49ers, Lang led all NCAA Division I freshmen in both scoring (19.6) and rebounding (10.6) per game. He was named the Metro Conference Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Metro Freshman Team, and ESPN named him to the All-American First Team for freshmen only. Lang's sophomore season, however, saw him go down in just the second game with a injury, forcing him to medical redshirt to sit out the entire year. He returned in 1992/93 but averaged a reduced 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, yet still was named to the All-Metro Second Team. During his junior season, his averages increased to 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds as he was named to the All-Metro First Team. Numerous media outlets named him as a honorable mention All-American as well. Then, for his senior season in 1994/95, Lang repeated as a first-team all-conference performer. His 16.4 points, 80.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals and blocks per game made him the Metro Conference Player of the Year, which was coincidentally the final year in the award's existence due to the conference joining with the Great Midwest Conference, forming Conference USA. Lang finished his college career with 1,855 points and 1,047 rebounds. Through 2011/12, those totals place him fifth and second all-time in school history. His jersey (number 23) has been retired by Charlotte. | 0 | Jarvis Lang played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2 assists in 8 NBL games. | COLLEGEAs a freshman for the Charlotte 49ers, Lang led all NCAA Division I freshmen in both scoring (19.6) and rebounding (10.6) per game. He was named the Metro Conference Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Metro Freshman Team, and ESPN named him to the All-American First Team for freshmen only. Lang's sophomore season, however, saw him go down in just the second game with a injury, forcing him to medical redshirt to sit out the entire year. He returned in 1992/93 but averaged a reduced 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, yet still was named to the All-Metro Second Team. During his junior season, his averages increased to 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds as he was named to the All-Metro First Team. Numerous media outlets named him as a honorable mention All-American as well. Then, for his senior season in 1994/95, Lang repeated as a first-team all-conference performer. His 16.4 points, 80.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals and blocks per game made him the Metro Conference Player of the Year, which was coincidentally the final year in the award's existence due to the conference joining with the Great Midwest Conference, forming Conference USA. Lang finished his college career with 1,855 points and 1,047 rebounds. Through 2011/12, those totals place him fifth and second all-time in school history. His jersey (number 23) has been retired by Charlotte. |
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| 1214 | MacDonald, Dene | AUS | MacDonald | Dene | 1989 | 1997 | 9 | FRD | 198 | 100 | 194 | 3774 | 798 | 514 | 321 | 167 | 347 | 149 | 11 | 220 | 393 | 309 | 761 | 40.6% | 40.6% | 83 | 287 | 28.9% | 28.9% | 97 | 168 | 57.7% | 57.7% | 226 | 474 | 47.7% | 47.7% | 4.1 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 19.5 | 43% | 56% | 71% | 58% | 57% | 72% | 41% | 55% | 20 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -5 | -0.2 | 50.1 | 25339.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1989-97 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1993 | Wollongong (NSW) | NSW - Illawarra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Illawarra 1998 | 11/08/71 | 14/07/89 | 27/09/97 | 17 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Dene MacDonald was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. During his time in the NBL he was known as a ever reliable player for the Hawks for nine seasons who was a solid three-point shooter while more often than not, found himself defending the oppositions top frontcourt players. NBL EXPERIENCEDene MacDonald made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. In 1989, MacDonald averaged 3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists as the Hawks finished with a record of 7-17 during the regular season.
Under new head coach Brendan Joyce, The Hawks would struggle to find wins during the year and finished in 10th place with a record of 9-17. MacDonald would finish the year with 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. MacDonald contributed 1.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists during the 1997 season but with Edwards not being the fit needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks struggled. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season and the Hawks (7-23) failed to make the playoffs yet again. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.6 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 46% | 48% | 27% | 22% | 1.0 | 80.7 | 1.29 | 19.6% | 23.33 | 15.99 | 0.8 | 160 | 1633 | 8 | 0.211 | 0.136 | 0.085 | 0.039 | 0.003 | 0.058 | 0.104 | 0.211 | 0.029 | Illawarra Hawks | Illawarra Hawks | Dene MacDonald was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. During his time in the NBL he was known as a ever reliable player for the Hawks for nine seasons who was a solid three-point shooter while more often than not, found himself defending the oppositions top frontcourt players. | In 1989, MacDonald averaged 3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists as the Hawks finished with a record of 7-17 during the regular season.
Under new head coach Brendan Joyce, The Hawks would struggle to find wins during the year and finished in 10th place with a record of 9-17. MacDonald would finish the year with 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. MacDonald contributed 1.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists during the 1997 season but with Edwards not being the fit needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks struggled. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season and the Hawks (7-23) failed to make the playoffs yet again. | Dene MacDonald made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Dene MacDonald played nine seasons the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 194 NBL games. | 0 | Dene MacDonald played nine seasons the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 194 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1215 | McClain, Dwayne | USA | McClain | Dwayne | 1991 | 1997 | 5 | FRD | 198 | 84 | 105 | 4459 | 2667 | 717 | 522 | 243 | 474 | 239 | 96 | 407 | 299 | 1057 | 1949 | 54.2% | 54.2% | 29 | 99 | 29.3% | 0.0% | 524 | 726 | 72.2% | 72.2% | 1028 | 1850 | 55.6% | 55.6% | 25.4 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 42.5 | 98% | 88% | 97% | 86% | 89% | 99% | 92% | 97% | 48 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 11 | -13 | -0.3 | #DIV/0! | 10554.4 | 21.2 | 21.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1991-93 | Gold Coast 1996 | Brisbane 1997 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) | None | Villanova (1981–1985) | 1985 | 27 | IND | #N/A | 45 | 4 | 461 | 157 | 30 | 67 | 14 | 16 | 38 | 4 | 40 | 61 | 69 | 180 | 38% | 1 | 9 | 11% | 18 | 35 | 51% | 10.2 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.4 | France - SLUC Nancy (1986–1987), Caen (1987–1988) | Greece - Milon B.C. (1993–1994) | Gold Coast 1998 | 2/07/63 | 26/04/91 | 13/09/97 | 27 | 34 | 1 | NICKNAME/S: D-Train BIO: Dwayne McClain was born in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) where he attended Holy Name High School. After a short stint in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, McClain was a part of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar basketball tour that visited Australia. He was spotted by then Kings coach Bob Turner during their game in Sydney and offered a contract to play with the Kings the following season. FAMILY: McClain is cousins with both former NBA star Chuck Person and US women’s superstar Katrina McClain, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. NBL EXPERIENCEDwayne McClain made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 27 years of age. He scored 24 points in his first game. In 1991, McClain averaged 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, which are still the highest two scoring averages by any player in Kings history, as the Kings finished in seventh place with a record of 14-12.
After losing Game One of the semi finals in Melbourne (112-122) behind huge games from Andrew Gaze (34 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists) and Lanard Copeland (40 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks), the Kings returned home for Game Two at the Entertainment Centre. The place was a sell out and the crowd was going crazy from tip off until the final buzzer. Dwayne McClain, who had recorded 36 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists the previous game, delivered the best game of his NBL career in game two. McClain would explode with a 45-point game, which included him making 15 of 21 from the field, 15 of 18 from the free throw line and hitting 71% of his shots. He also added 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a remarkable 7 steals, to date, still the best ever postseason output by a Sydney player. As a team, Sydney shot a otherworldly 73.8% from the field over the 48 minutes but Gaze (37 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals) and Copeland (35 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals) didn't make it easy for the Kings. After being 20 down at the start of the fourth quarter, Melbourne outscored Sydney 35-23 in the final period. In the end, the Kings had to rely on four straight free throws from McClain in the final minute to preserve a 124-118 win in front of a crowd that Gaze described as the loudest he had ever heard. Game three returned to Melbourne and despitee McClain (34 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 4 steals) playing all 48 minutes, Melbourne were to strong with Gaze (29 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists) delivering another strong performance, but also getting major contributions from some of the Tigers less heralded teammates. Robert Sibley (19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists), Stephen Whitehead (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and David Simmons (10 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals) all having big games, ending the Kings playoff run.
McClain averaged 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists but the only notable part of the Rollers final season would be a last ditch effort to draw crowds by adding former Sydney Kings star Dwayne McClain to the roster for the last six games of season. The team compiled a record of 6 wins and 20 losses and would not return in 1997.
The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely. McClain appeared in 21 games, averaging 16.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in what would be his last season playing in the NBL.
| Dwayne McClain was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with pick #27 in the 1985 NBA Draft. McClain spent a number of seasons playing in the US Development Leagues. He spent time with the Rockford Lightning (1988–1989) and La Crosse Catbirds (1989–1990), where he was the most valuable player (MVP) of the 1989 Continental Basketball Association All-Star Game. Also played in the USBL with the New Haven Skyhawks (1988). McClain played 45 games in the NBA. He averaged 3.5 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - October 19, 1984: Traded by the New York Knicks (as a future 1985 2nd round draft pick) to the Indiana Pacers for Butch Carter. | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 10.1 | 18.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 55% | 59% | 3% | 37% | 1.4 | 80.2 | 3.37 | 12.3% | 16.33 | 12.73 | 3.2 | 335 | 3906 | 37 | 0.598 | 0.161 | 0.117 | 0.054 | 0.022 | 0.091 | 0.067 | 0.598 | 0.044 | Brisbane Bullets | Sydney Kings | Dwayne McClain was born in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) where he attended Holy Name High School. After a short stint in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, McClain was a part of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar basketball tour that visited Australia. He was spotted by then Kings coach Bob Turner during their game in Sydney and offered a contract to play with the Kings the following season. | In 1991, McClain averaged 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, which are still the highest two scoring averages by any player in Kings history, as the Kings finished in seventh place with a record of 14-12.
After losing Game One of the semi finals in Melbourne (112-122) behind huge games from Andrew Gaze (34 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists) and Lanard Copeland (40 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks), the Kings returned home for Game Two at the Entertainment Centre. The place was a sell out and the crowd was going crazy from tip off until the final buzzer. Dwayne McClain, who had recorded 36 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists the previous game, delivered the best game of his NBL career in game two. McClain would explode with a 45-point game, which included him making 15 of 21 from the field, 15 of 18 from the free throw line and hitting 71% of his shots. He also added 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a remarkable 7 steals, to date, still the best ever postseason output by a Sydney player. As a team, Sydney shot a otherworldly 73.8% from the field over the 48 minutes but Gaze (37 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals) and Copeland (35 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals) didn't make it easy for the Kings. After being 20 down at the start of the fourth quarter, Melbourne outscored Sydney 35-23 in the final period. In the end, the Kings had to rely on four straight free throws from McClain in the final minute to preserve a 124-118 win in front of a crowd that Gaze described as the loudest he had ever heard. Game three returned to Melbourne and despitee McClain (34 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 4 steals) playing all 48 minutes, Melbourne were to strong with Gaze (29 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists) delivering another strong performance, but also getting major contributions from some of the Tigers less heralded teammates. Robert Sibley (19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists), Stephen Whitehead (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and David Simmons (10 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals) all having big games, ending the Kings playoff run.
McClain averaged 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists but the only notable part of the Rollers final season would be a last ditch effort to draw crowds by adding former Sydney Kings star Dwayne McClain to the roster for the last six games of season. The team compiled a record of 6 wins and 20 losses and would not return in 1997.
The 39-year-old would also drag the Bullets back into the playoffs, facing off against Perth (17-13) in the elimination finals. Brisbane would lose both games one (79-81) and game two (71-88), ending the season prematurely. McClain appeared in 21 games, averaging 16.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in what would be his last season playing in the NBL.
| Dwayne McClain made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 27 years of age. He scored 24 points in his first game. | Dwayne McClain played five seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Sydney Kings, Gold Coast Rollers and Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 25.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 105 NBL games. | COLLEGEHe played for Villanova University where he was a member of Villanova's National Championship team in 1985.
| He played for Villanova University where he was a member of Villanova's National Championship team in 1985.
| - 34th in points per game. - 24th in steals per game. | Also played professionally in the NBA as well as Greece, France, Canada, Indonesia, Philippines and Puerto Rico, where he averaged 19 points per game for Indios de Mayaguez (2010). | Dwayne McClain was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with pick #27 in the 1985 NBA Draft. | McClain spent a number of seasons playing in the US Development Leagues. He spent time with the Rockford Lightning (1988–1989) and La Crosse Catbirds (1989–1990), where he was the most valuable player (MVP) of the 1989 Continental Basketball Association All-Star Game. Also played in the USBL with the New Haven Skyhawks (1988). | - October 19, 1984: Traded by the New York Knicks (as a future 1985 2nd round draft pick) to the Indiana Pacers for Butch Carter. - June 18, 1985: Drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 2nd round (27th pick) of the 1985 NBA Draft. - September 30, 1986: Waived by the Indiana Pacers. | FAMILY: McClain is cousins with both former NBA star Chuck Person and US women’s superstar Katrina McClain, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. | McClain is cousins with both former NBA star Chuck Person and US women’s superstar Katrina McClain, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. | - CBA champion (1990) - USBL champion (1988) - NCAA champion (1985) - 2× Second-team All-Big East (1984, 1985) | Dwayne McClain returned to the USA in 2001 and started teaching at basketball camps all over the east coast, eventually forming NE Hoops Academy in 2003. In 2009 he joined his college coach Rollie Massimino at Northwood University (West Palm Beach, Florida) as an assistant coach. After three years, Coach McClain was offered the position of head basketball coach at the newly established private high school, Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches, founded by billionaire Bill Koch. | He spent time working as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch before he started McClain’s Mergers and Acquisitions LLC in 2014 to assist companies in growing by way of acquisition or increasing market share through multiple verticals. | D-Train | 0 | Dwayne McClain played five seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Sydney Kings, Gold Coast Rollers and Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 25.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 105 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | COLLEGEHe played for Villanova University where he was a member of Villanova's National Championship team in 1985.
AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Second Team COACHING HISTORYDwayne McClain returned to the USA in 2001 and started teaching at basketball camps all over the east coast, eventually forming NE Hoops Academy in 2003. In 2009 he joined his college coach Rollie Massimino at Northwood University (West Palm Beach, Florida) as an assistant coach. After three years, Coach McClain was offered the position of head basketball coach at the newly established private high school, Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches, founded by billionaire Bill Koch. LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLHe spent time working as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch before he started McClain’s Mergers and Acquisitions LLC in 2014 to assist companies in growing by way of acquisition or increasing market share through multiple verticals. |
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| 1216 | Mckinnon, Brad | AUS | Mckinnon | Brad | 1996 | 1997 | 2 | GRD | 184 | 90 | 54 | 709 | 223 | 57 | 94 | 21 | 36 | 27 | 0 | 53 | 69 | 71 | 200 | 35.5% | 35.5% | 26 | 81 | 32.1% | 0.0% | 55 | 82 | 67.1% | 0.0% | 45 | 119 | 37.8% | 37.8% | 4.1 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 13.1 | 43% | 34% | 73% | 35% | 34% | 57% | 0% | 49% | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -4 | -0.3 | 75.3 | 21659.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1996-97 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1997 (Gold), 1995 (Silver) | Adelaide (SA) | SA - West Adelaide | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27/10/76 | 14/04/96 | 27/09/97 | 19 | 20 | 0 | BIO: Brad Mckinnon was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the West Adelaide basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEBrad Mckinnon made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | McKinnon won a gold medal for Australia at the FIBA Under 23 World Championships in 1997. | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.3 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 42% | 47% | 37% | 41% | 1.1 | 81.4 | 1.26 | 13.5% | 24.54 | 13.84 | 0.5 | 27 | 374 | 7 | 0.315 | 0.080 | 0.133 | 0.038 | 0.000 | 0.075 | 0.097 | 0.315 | 0.028 | Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide 36ers | Brad Mckinnon was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the West Adelaide basketball program. | Brad Mckinnon made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Brad Mckinnon played two seasons the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 4.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 54 NBL games. | McKinnon won a gold medal for Australia at the FIBA Under 23 World Championships in 1997. | 0 | Brad Mckinnon played two seasons the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 4.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 54 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1217 | Mclean, Martin | AUS | Mclean | Martin | 1991 | 1997 | 7 | G/F | 195 | 92 | 133 | 2070 | 682 | 244 | 106 | 97 | 147 | 67 | 8 | 122 | 233 | 237 | 604 | 39.2% | 39.2% | 133 | 366 | 36.3% | 36.3% | 75 | 107 | 70.1% | 70.1% | 104 | 238 | 43.7% | 43.7% | 5.1 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 15.6 | 48% | 46% | 50% | 53% | 46% | 58% | 42% | 48% | 17 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -5 | -0.3 | 67.1 | 23087.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1991-97 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Moree (NSW) | NSW - Taree | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1998 | 16/12/69 | 10/08/91 | 28/09/97 | 21 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Martin Mclean was born in Moree (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Taree basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEMartin Mclean made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.8 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 50% | 52% | 56% | 18% | 1.1 | 77.2 | 0.38 | 11.1% | 12.06 | 13.88 | 0.6 | 75 | 1032 | 8 | 0.329 | 0.118 | 0.051 | 0.032 | 0.004 | 0.059 | 0.113 | 0.329 | 0.033 | Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle Falcons | Martin Mclean was born in Moree (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Taree basketball program. | Martin Mclean made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Martin Mclean played seven seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 5.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 133 NBL games. | 0 | Martin Mclean played seven seasons the Newcastle Falcons. He averaged 5.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 133 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1218 | Mitchell, Mike | USA | Mitchell | Mike | 1991 | 1997 | 7 | PF | 203 | 104 | 176 | 7099 | 3877 | 1276 | 486 | 556 | 720 | 384 | 126 | 634 | 717 | 1445 | 3029 | 47.7% | 47.7% | 126 | 416 | 30.3% | 30.3% | 861 | 1176 | 73.2% | 73.2% | 1319 | 2613 | 50.5% | 50.5% | 22.0 | 7.3 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 40.3 | 96% | 90% | 86% | 93% | 86% | 99% | 88% | 96% | 46 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 9 | -15 | -0.4 | 110.9 | 10682.8 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1991-94 | Brisbane 1995-96 | North Melbourne 1997 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Los Angeles, California (USA) | None | Fresno State / Colorado State | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Germany - Dragons Rhöndorf (1998-1999), Gießen 46ers (2000-04) | France - Besançon BCD (1999-00) | 4/04/67 | 13/04/91 | 18/10/97 | 24 | 30 | 0 | BIO: Michael Eric Mitchell was born in Los Angeles, California, and attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. After graduating he attended Fresno State University from 1985-1988 before transferring to Colorado State for 1989 and 1990 where he made the 1990 All-Western Athletic Conference First-team. NBL EXPERIENCEMike Mitchell made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 24 years of age. He scored 21 points in his first game. After going undrafted in the 1990 NBA Draft, Mitchell travelled to Australia in 1991 to play for the Gold Coast Rollers.
Mitchell would also earn selection to the All-NBL first team, becoming the only Gold Coast player to earn a first team selection in league history.
NORTH MELBOURNE GIANTS Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants' competitive. Mitchell would average 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, as the team finished the year in third place, behind a 18-12 record. Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals. The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship.
| Mitchell also briefly played for the Ireland national basketball team during 2003. Playing three games during FIBA qualification stages. | 21 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.2 | 17.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 50% | 55% | 9% | 39% | 1.3 | 81.1 | 1.34 | 12.7% | 10.41 | 13.59 | 2.9 | 510 | 5639 | 32 | 0.546 | 0.180 | 0.068 | 0.054 | 0.018 | 0.089 | 0.101 | 0.546 | 0.036 | North Melbourne Giants | Gold Coast Rollers | Michael Eric Mitchell was born in Los Angeles, California, and attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. After graduating he attended Fresno State University from 1985-1988 before transferring to Colorado State for 1989 and 1990 where he made the 1990 All-Western Athletic Conference First-team. | After going undrafted in the 1990 NBA Draft, Mitchell travelled to Australia in 1991 to play for the Gold Coast Rollers.
Mitchell would also earn selection to the All-NBL first team, becoming the only Gold Coast player to earn a first team selection in league history.
NORTH MELBOURNE GIANTS Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants' competitive. Mitchell would average 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, as the team finished the year in third place, behind a 18-12 record. Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals. The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship.
| Mike Mitchell made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 24 years of age. He scored 21 points in his first game. | Mike Mitchell played seven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane Bullets and North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 22 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 176 NBL games. | - 28th in steals per game. | Mitchell also briefly played for the Ireland national basketball team during 2003. Playing three games during FIBA qualification stages. | In 2008, Mitchell was named an assistant coach with the Women's National Basketball Association's Chicago Sky. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at the University of California, Riverside, and the head coach for the Ramona High School boys' basketball team. He is currently coaching the Santiago High School girls varsity team in Corona, California. | 0 | | Mike Mitchell played seven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane Bullets and North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 22 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 176 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | AWARDS- 1x All-NBL First Team COACHING HISTORYIn 2008, Mitchell was named an assistant coach with the Women's National Basketball Association's Chicago Sky. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at the University of California, Riverside, and the head coach for the Ramona High School boys' basketball team. He is currently coaching the Santiago High School girls varsity team in Corona, California. |
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| 1219 | Moore, Matthew | AUS | Moore | Matthew | 1992 | 1997 | 3 | GRD | 190 | 88 | 43 | 439 | 152 | 39 | 36 | 9 | 30 | 16 | 5 | 51 | 50 | 53 | 120 | 44.2% | 44.2% | 12 | 41 | 29.3% | 0.0% | 34 | 53 | 64.2% | 0.0% | 41 | 79 | 51.9% | 0.0% | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 10.2 | 39% | 30% | 51% | 25% | 35% | 49% | 52% | 57% | 17 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | -4 | -0.4 | 240.3 | 25956.2 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1992 | Newcastle 1996 | South East Melbourne 1997 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Townsville (QLD) | QLD - Townsville | Maine | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14/08/73 | 9/05/92 | 1/11/97 | 18 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Matthew Moore was born in Townsville (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Townsville basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEMatthew Moore made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. As a development player with Brisbane, Moore saw limited playing time during his first NBL season, failing to score a point while the Bullets finished in seventh place (12-12).
Moore would continue to see limited playing opportunities, appearing in only 17 games, averaging 1.9 points, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. " | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 49% | 53% | 23% | 44% | 1.3 | 80.0 | 0.02 | 13.3% | 15.63 | 22.14 | 0.5 | 21 | 227 | 5 | 0.346 | 0.089 | 0.082 | 0.036 | 0.011 | 0.116 | 0.114 | 0.346 | 0.052 | South East Melbourne Magic | Brisbane Bullets | Matthew Moore was born in Townsville (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Townsville basketball program. | As a development player with Brisbane, Moore saw limited playing time during his first NBL season, failing to score a point while the Bullets finished in seventh place (12-12).
Moore would continue to see limited playing opportunities, appearing in only 17 games, averaging 1.9 points, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. " | Matthew Moore made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Matthew Moore played three seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Newcastle Falcons and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 3.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 43 NBL games. | 0 | Matthew Moore played three seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Newcastle Falcons and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 3.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 43 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1220 | Reece, Matthew | AUS | Reece | Matthew | 1990 | 1997 | 8 | FRD | 201 | 110 | 181 | 3855 | 1401 | 696 | 282 | 231 | 465 | 116 | 25 | 243 | 325 | 563 | 1284 | 43.8% | 43.8% | 95 | 270 | 35.2% | 35.2% | 180 | 252 | 71.4% | 71.4% | 468 | 1014 | 46.2% | 46.2% | 7.7 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 21.3 | 60% | 69% | 69% | 69% | 69% | 65% | 55% | 61% | 30 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 8 | -7 | -0.3 | 219.0 | 8216.7 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1990-91 | Gold Coast 1992-94 | Newcastle 1995-96 | North Melbourne 1997 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 2 | 1988, 1989 | Adelaide (SA) | SA - Sturt | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1987 | AIS 1988-89 | South Adelaide 1991 | Newcastle 1996 | Gold Coast 1997-98 | 9/12/70 | 20/04/90 | 7/10/97 | 19 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Matthew Reece was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sturt basketball program. Reece received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1988. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1988, 1989). NBL EXPERIENCEMatthew Reece made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. 36ers long time assistant coach Don Shipway was appointed coach of the team after three-year boss Gary Fox paid the price for the 36ers' third consecutive playoff failure. In his first season at the helm, Shipway wasn't able to do much better, with Adelaide missing the playoffs for the first time since 1983, the club's first ever losing season. 1990 was also the year Mark Davis replaced Darryl Pearce as team captain, a role he would hold until the end of 1996. Former captain and local favourite Peter Ali managed to play in only two games for the season and retired from playing at the end of the year after 279 NBL games (141 of them with the 36ers). In his first season in the league, Reece averaged 2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.
Butch Hays (24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists) and Mark Davis (23.0 points and 14.7 rebounds) would lead the team as Reece contributed 2.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists alongside the all-star pair, helping the 36ers return to the playoffs. Finishing in fourth place (16-10) during the regular season, Adelaide faced off against Melbourne in the elimination finals. Adelaide would defeat Melbourne (2-0) to reach the semi finals only to then be eliminated by the defending and eventual champions Perth (0-2).
Mitchell (26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) left a huge hole at both ends of the court. Willie Jennette, who had averaged 37.3 points over three seasons in the state league (SEABL) was then signed as his replacement, and the team looked to LaFleur (22.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 2.2 steals) and Sengstock (13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) to step things up in Mitchell's absence. Reece also added 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, but the Rollers were unable to cover Mitchell's loss and struggled to generate wins against any of the top team's. Gold Coast ended the year with a record of 11-13 and a tenth-place finish in a disappointing season for Gold Coast fans.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time. The Tigers added forward Reece and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey. Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team's (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers' last nine games for the season. The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2). Reece would appear in 21 games for the Tigers, averaging 3.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants' competitive. Reece would average 2.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists, as the team finished the year in third place, behind a 18-12 record. Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals. The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship. " | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.1 | 7.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 48% | 50% | 17% | 20% | 1.1 | 81.0 | 0.86 | 9.0% | 14.69 | 12.66 | 0.8 | 141 | 2379 | 13 | 0.363 | 0.181 | 0.073 | 0.030 | 0.006 | 0.063 | 0.084 | 0.363 | 0.038 | North Melbourne Giants | Adelaide 36ers | Matthew Reece was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sturt basketball program. | 36ers long time assistant coach Don Shipway was appointed coach of the team after three-year boss Gary Fox paid the price for the 36ers' third consecutive playoff failure. In his first season at the helm, Shipway wasn't able to do much better, with Adelaide missing the playoffs for the first time since 1983, the club's first ever losing season. 1990 was also the year Mark Davis replaced Darryl Pearce as team captain, a role he would hold until the end of 1996. Former captain and local favourite Peter Ali managed to play in only two games for the season and retired from playing at the end of the year after 279 NBL games (141 of them with the 36ers). In his first season in the league, Reece averaged 2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.
Butch Hays (24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9.0 assists) and Mark Davis (23.0 points and 14.7 rebounds) would lead the team as Reece contributed 2.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists alongside the all-star pair, helping the 36ers return to the playoffs. Finishing in fourth place (16-10) during the regular season, Adelaide faced off against Melbourne in the elimination finals. Adelaide would defeat Melbourne (2-0) to reach the semi finals only to then be eliminated by the defending and eventual champions Perth (0-2).
Mitchell (26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) left a huge hole at both ends of the court. Willie Jennette, who had averaged 37.3 points over three seasons in the state league (SEABL) was then signed as his replacement, and the team looked to LaFleur (22.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 2.2 steals) and Sengstock (13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) to step things up in Mitchell's absence. Reece also added 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, but the Rollers were unable to cover Mitchell's loss and struggled to generate wins against any of the top team's. Gold Coast ended the year with a record of 11-13 and a tenth-place finish in a disappointing season for Gold Coast fans.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time. The Tigers added forward Reece and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey. Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team's (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers' last nine games for the season. The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2). Reece would appear in 21 games for the Tigers, averaging 3.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
Another setback that hurt the Giants was when Paul Rees suffered a severe knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season, only to then see him return and break his wrist against the Bullets in the second last round of the season. Behind star import Darryl McDonald (17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists) and leading scorer Pat Reidy (20.2 points and 5.7 rebounds), they had enough talent to keep the Giants' competitive. Reece would average 2.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists, as the team finished the year in third place, behind a 18-12 record. Starting centre Paul Rees was able to return for the playoffs, his presence making a huge difference as the Giants handily defeated the Canberra Cannons (2-1) in the Elimination Finals. The Giants were eliminated in the next round by the extremely talented Melbourne Tigers (0-2), who went on to win the NBL championship. " | Matthew Reece made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Matthew Reece played eight seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Adelaide 36ers, Gold Coast Rollers, Newcastle Falcons, Melbourne Tigers and North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 181 NBL games. | Reece was a part of South Adelaide's 1991 state league championship winning team which featured fellow NBL talent Mark Davis, Darren Breeding, Mark Sykes, Ericks Drizners and Jason Wheeler | Reece received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1988. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1988, 1989). | 0 | Matthew Reece played eight seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Adelaide 36ers, Gold Coast Rollers, Newcastle Falcons, Melbourne Tigers and North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 181 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1221 | Richardson, Daniel | AUS | Richardson | Daniel | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | G/F | 192 | #N/A | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0% | 21% | 0% | 40% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -0.8 | 0.0 | 12634.0 | -0.7 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30/08/97 | 6/09/97 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEDaniel Richardson made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 30/8/1997. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.200 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.200 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | Daniel Richardson made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 30/8/1997. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Daniel Richardson played one season in the NBL. | 0 | Daniel Richardson played one season in the NBL. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1222 | Rigdon, Dylan | USA | Rigdon | Dylan | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | PG | 193 | 98 | 15 | 635 | 297 | 61 | 85 | 14 | 47 | 15 | 5 | 58 | 51 | 75 | 204 | 36.8% | 36.8% | 35 | 94 | 37.2% | 0.0% | 112 | 127 | 88.2% | 88.2% | 40 | 110 | 36.4% | 36.4% | 19.8 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 42.3 | 93% | 71% | 98% | 60% | 76% | 81% | 73% | 97% | 33 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -15 | -0.4 | 137.7 | 7296.4 | 14.8 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Wollongong 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | UC-Irvine (1990-1992) / Arizona (1992-1994) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14/06/97 | 13/09/97 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEDylan Rigdon made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks on 14/6/1997. He scored 23 points in his first game. After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. The Hawks rebuilding would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. The Hawks chose not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. The team also added SEABL stawart Eric Cooks who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce during his time with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, a team which had also included both Saville and Campbell. By mid-season it was clear Edwards was not the fit needed at point guard and he was replaced by Rigdon after 15 games. Rigdon contributed 19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists over the Hawks final 13 games but with the Hawks off to a slow start and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks limped home, mustering only a 7 win, 23 loss record. | 23 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.0 | 13.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 6.3 | 45% | 57% | 47% | 62% | 1.5 | 79.5 | 2.80 | 7.4% | 21.10 | 14.40 | 1.3 | 20 | 443 | 30 | 0.468 | 0.096 | 0.134 | 0.024 | 0.008 | 0.091 | 0.080 | 0.468 | 0.052 | Illawarra Hawks | Illawarra Hawks | After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. The Hawks rebuilding would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. The Hawks chose not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons. The team also added SEABL stawart Eric Cooks who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce during his time with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, a team which had also included both Saville and Campbell. By mid-season it was clear Edwards was not the fit needed at point guard and he was replaced by Rigdon after 15 games. Rigdon contributed 19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists over the Hawks final 13 games but with the Hawks off to a slow start and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute the Hawks limped home, mustering only a 7 win, 23 loss record. | Dylan Rigdon made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks on 14/6/1997. He scored 23 points in his first game. | Dylan Rigdon played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 15 NBL games. | COLLEGERigdon was a part of Arizona's 1994 Final Four squad alongside Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves.
| Rigdon was a part of Arizona's 1994 Final Four squad alongside Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves.
| Began a career as a real estate agent in Arizona after his basketball career was over. | 0 | Dylan Rigdon played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 15 NBL games. | COLLEGERigdon was a part of Arizona's 1994 Final Four squad alongside Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLBegan a career as a real estate agent in Arizona after his basketball career was over. |
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| 1223 | Scalzi, Matt | AUS | Scalzi | Matt | 1994 | 1997 | 4 | G/F | 201 | 86 | 65 | 1162 | 356 | 136 | 72 | 64 | 72 | 38 | 14 | 59 | 123 | 121 | 292 | 41.4% | 41.4% | 42 | 141 | 29.8% | 29.8% | 72 | 103 | 69.9% | 69.9% | 79 | 151 | 52.3% | 52.3% | 5.5 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 17.9 | 50% | 50% | 60% | 62% | 46% | 63% | 64% | 47% | 19 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -5 | -0.3 | #DIV/0! | 0.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1994-95 | Geelong 1996 | Canberra 1997 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 2 | 1992, 1993 | Adelaide (SA) | SA - West Adelaide | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1992-93 | North East Melbourne 1998 | Sandringham 2002 | 19/03/74 | 28/05/94 | 7/10/97 | 20 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Matt Scalzi was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the West Adelaide basketball program. Scalzi received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1992. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1992, 1993). NBL EXPERIENCEMatt Scalzi made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 20 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. In 1994, Scalzi averaged 1.8 points, 0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists as the 36ers finished with a record of 18-8 and in second place during the regular season.
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.9 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 49% | 53% | 35% | 35% | 1.2 | 79.2 | 0.78 | 13.0% | 15.37 | 12.60 | 0.8 | 52 | 564 | 9 | 0.306 | 0.117 | 0.062 | 0.033 | 0.012 | 0.051 | 0.106 | 0.306 | 0.029 | Canberra Cannons | Adelaide 36ers | Matt Scalzi was born in Adelaide (SA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the West Adelaide basketball program. | In 1994, Scalzi averaged 1.8 points, 0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists as the 36ers finished with a record of 18-8 and in second place during the regular season.
| Matt Scalzi made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 20 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Matt Scalzi played four seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Adelaide 36ers, Geelong Supercats and Canberra Cannons. He averaged 5.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 65 NBL games. | Scalzi received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1992. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1992, 1993). | 0 | Matt Scalzi played four seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Adelaide 36ers, Geelong Supercats and Canberra Cannons. He averaged 5.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 65 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1224 | Sneed, Chris | USA | Sneed | Chris | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | SF | 202 | 110 | 3 | 90 | 47 | 22 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 26 | 69.2% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 11 | 18 | 61.1% | 0.0% | 18 | 26 | 69.2% | 0.0% | 15.7 | 7.3 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 30.0 | 84% | 90% | 55% | 94% | 85% | 98% | 73% | 82% | 26 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -8 | -0.3 | 501.6 | 15386.0 | 15.2 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Tallahassee, Florida (USA) | None | North Florida (1992-1996) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dandenong 1997 | Cairns 1998 | 22/04/72 | 13/09/97 | 26/09/97 | 25 | 25 | 0 | BIO: Chris Sneed was born in Tallahassee, Florida (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEChris Sneed made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 25 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.0 | 8.7 | 0.2 | 69% | 69% | 0% | 69% | 1.8 | 76.7 | 0.00 | 23.1% | 6.83 | 0.00 | 2.3 | 7 | 72 | 24 | 0.522 | 0.244 | 0.033 | 0.067 | 0.011 | 0.078 | 0.133 | 0.522 | 0.289 | Townsville Suns | Townsville Suns | Chris Sneed was born in Tallahassee, Florida (USA). | Chris Sneed made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 25 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. | Chris Sneed played one season in the NBL. He averaged 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 3 NBL games. | 0 | Chris Sneed played one season in the NBL. He averaged 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 3 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1225 | Tolbert, Brian | USA | Tolbert | Brian | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | PG | 188 | 82 | 35 | 1217 | 427 | 126 | 131 | 28 | 98 | 39 | 8 | 106 | 95 | 161 | 393 | 41.0% | 41.0% | 51 | 166 | 30.7% | 30.7% | 54 | 79 | 68.4% | 0.0% | 110 | 227 | 48.5% | 48.5% | 12.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 34.8 | 74% | 66% | 93% | 55% | 72% | 86% | 65% | 92% | 23 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 8 | -11 | -0.3 | 344.3 | 16873.7 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | South East Melbourne 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Detroit, Michigan (USA) | None | Eastern Michigan (1992-1996) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20/06/74 | 11/04/97 | 1/11/97 | 22 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Brian Tolbert was born in Detroit, Michigan (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEBrian Tolbert made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 22 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. After capturing the 1996 NBL championship, the South East Melbourne Magic retained most of their winning lineup heading into the 1997 season, making just a few key changes. Import guard Brian Tolbert (12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals) replaced departing star Billy McCaffrey, while promising 18-year-old forward Frank Drmic (8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) stepped in following the retirement of veteran defender Darren Lucas. These adjustments didn't slow the Magic, who powered through the regular season to finish atop the NBL ladder with a franchise-record 22–8 mark.
| 22 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.6 | 11.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 4.7 | 47% | 50% | 32% | 20% | 1.1 | 79.8 | 1.83 | 9.9% | 19.71 | 15.95 | 1.3 | 47 | 684 | 20 | 0.351 | 0.104 | 0.108 | 0.032 | 0.007 | 0.087 | 0.078 | 0.351 | 0.019 | South East Melbourne Magic | South East Melbourne Magic | Brian Tolbert was born in Detroit, Michigan (USA). | After capturing the 1996 NBL championship, the South East Melbourne Magic retained most of their winning lineup heading into the 1997 season, making just a few key changes. Import guard Brian Tolbert (12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals) replaced departing star Billy McCaffrey, while promising 18-year-old forward Frank Drmic (8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) stepped in following the retirement of veteran defender Darren Lucas. These adjustments didn't slow the Magic, who powered through the regular season to finish atop the NBL ladder with a franchise-record 22–8 mark.
| Brian Tolbert made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 22 years of age. He scored 22 points in his first game. | Brian Tolbert played one season in the NBL. He averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 35 NBL games. | 0 | Brian Tolbert played one season in the NBL. He averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 35 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1226 | Trimmingham, Leon | USA/VIR | Trimmingham | Leon | 1994 | 1997 | 4 | FRD | 202 | 91 | 115 | 4196 | 2661 | 1116 | 163 | 412 | 704 | 176 | 176 | 428 | 494 | 1025 | 1913 | 53.6% | 53.6% | 14 | 48 | 29.2% | 0.0% | 597 | 769 | 77.6% | 77.6% | 1011 | 1865 | 54.2% | 54.2% | 23.1 | 9.7 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 6.1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 36.5 | 97% | 97% | 67% | 96% | 96% | 94% | 98% | 97% | 43 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -13 | -0.4 | 72.7 | 10169.7 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1994-95 | Adelaide 1996-97 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | St Croix (Virgin Islands) | None | Briar Cliff | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Argentina - Boca Juniors (1999-2000) | China - Yunnan Honghe (2005-2006) | Dominican Republic - Metropolitanos de Mauricio Baez (1999), Reales de La Vega (2007) | Israel - Hapoel Jerusalem (2004-2005) | Japan - Daiwa (1998-1999) | Germany - SG Braunschweig (1995-1996) | Puerto Rico - San German Athletics (1999) | Spain - CB Granada (2000) | South Korea - Seoul SK Knights (2002-2003), Busan (2003-2004), Goyang (2007-2008) | Uruguay - Malvín Montevideo (2006-2007) | Venezuela - Marinos de Oriente (1998) | 2/01/71 | 9/04/94 | 27/09/97 | 23 | 26 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Neon Leon, Above The Rim BIO: Leon Leroy Trimmingham was born on the Caribbean island of Saint Croix (part of the American Virgin Islands). Trimmingham attended American University in Puerto Rico for a year before accepting a scholarship to play at Briar Cliff University (US state Iowa) in NAIA in 1993. NBL EXPERIENCELeon Trimmingham made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He scored 32 points in his first game. After three seasons of import duo Dwayne McClain and Ken McClary, Kings coach Bob Turner chose to go in a different direction in 1994. With rumours of McClain's rise in popularity leading to difficulties in coaching the star, the decision was made not to re-sign McLain and McClary and find younger talent to replace them. Coach Bob Turner signed swingman Mario Donaldson, who he spotted playing with Omaha during the 1993 CBA championship season. He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
The season started with a narrow 85-86 loss to Bolden's former team, the Magic, before a up-and-down season, where the Kings defeated a number of league’s top team's but failed to close out games against those at the bottom of the ladder. Sydney would start the season with a 3-6 record, which included wins over Perth and North Melbourne, who would finish first and third, respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to Canberra (who would finish tenth) and lost games to Townsville (finished 12th) and Gold Coast (finished 13th).
Trimmingham numbers placed him in the top five in the NBL for poinnts, rebounds aand blocks and he was named second-team All-NBL. It was during this season where Trimmingham became a household name and was featured on a "Always Jammin'" series of Coca-Cola cans.
Although Adelaide were a fast paced, run and gun team like the Sydney Kings they weren’t able to get the best of out Leon and he was reduced to the team’s second unit for most of his second season with the 36ers and was not offered a contract to return, ending his time in Australia.
| Trimmingham was also a member of the Philadelphia 76ers' Veteran Camp in 1994. Trimmingham was invited to the Portland Trailblazers' Special Invitation Camp and then played for the Toronto Raptors during the LA Summer League in 1999. In 2001 he was scouted heavily by the Washington Wizards during his time in Puerto Rico but an NBA contract never eventuated. | Played for the Virgin Islands in the 2003 Panamerican Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men. Trimmingham averaged 10.5 points per game but the Virgin Islands failed to win a game. | 32 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.9 | 16.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 54% | 59% | 1% | 40% | 1.4 | 80.7 | -0.77 | 9.2% | 5.73 | 15.06 | 3.1 | 352 | 3940 | 34 | 0.634 | 0.266 | 0.039 | 0.042 | 0.042 | 0.102 | 0.118 | 0.634 | 0.036 | Adelaide 36ers | Sydney Kings | Leon Leroy Trimmingham was born on the Caribbean island of Saint Croix (part of the American Virgin Islands). Trimmingham attended American University in Puerto Rico for a year before accepting a scholarship to play at Briar Cliff University (US state Iowa) in NAIA in 1993. | After three seasons of import duo Dwayne McClain and Ken McClary, Kings coach Bob Turner chose to go in a different direction in 1994. With rumours of McClain's rise in popularity leading to difficulties in coaching the star, the decision was made not to re-sign McLain and McClary and find younger talent to replace them. Coach Bob Turner signed swingman Mario Donaldson, who he spotted playing with Omaha during the 1993 CBA championship season. He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
The season started with a narrow 85-86 loss to Bolden's former team, the Magic, before a up-and-down season, where the Kings defeated a number of league’s top team's but failed to close out games against those at the bottom of the ladder. Sydney would start the season with a 3-6 record, which included wins over Perth and North Melbourne, who would finish first and third, respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to Canberra (who would finish tenth) and lost games to Townsville (finished 12th) and Gold Coast (finished 13th).
Trimmingham numbers placed him in the top five in the NBL for poinnts, rebounds aand blocks and he was named second-team All-NBL. It was during this season where Trimmingham became a household name and was featured on a "Always Jammin'" series of Coca-Cola cans.
Although Adelaide were a fast paced, run and gun team like the Sydney Kings they weren’t able to get the best of out Leon and he was reduced to the team’s second unit for most of his second season with the 36ers and was not offered a contract to return, ending his time in Australia.
| Leon Trimmingham made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He scored 32 points in his first game. | Leon Trimmingham played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 115 NBL games. | COLLEGEAfter spending his freshman year at American University in Puerto Rico Trimmingham moved to the US to attend Briar Cliff University. There he was a two-time All-American, earning second team honours as a junior and first-team honours as a senior. He finished sixth in career rebounding (920) and third in career free throws (485). He led the Chargers to a record of 79-16 during his time there which included three national tournament appearances in three seasons. During the 1992-93 season he became the school record holder for the most free throws in a season with 212 and also grabbed 353 rebounds that season, the second-best total in BC history at the time. He was also named to the 1993 NAIA All-National Tournament team. Trimmingham finished as the fourth highest scorer in Briar Cliff with 2,023 points. | After spending his freshman year at American University in Puerto Rico Trimmingham moved to the US to attend Briar Cliff University. There he was a two-time All-American, earning second team honours as a junior and first-team honours as a senior. He finished sixth in career rebounding (920) and third in career free throws (485). He led the Chargers to a record of 79-16 during his time there which included three national tournament appearances in three seasons. During the 1992-93 season he became the school record holder for the most free throws in a season with 212 and also grabbed 353 rebounds that season, the second-best total in BC history at the time. He was also named to the 1993 NAIA All-National Tournament team. Trimmingham finished as the fourth highest scorer in Briar Cliff with 2,023 points. | - 49th in blocks per game. | In 1995, During the Kings' off-season, Trimmingham played with the German Division I Braunschweig Basketball Club, averaging 18.8 ppg and 9.5 rpg for the 1995-96 season. In 1998, he won a championship in Venezuela with Marinos de Oriente, In 1998-99, Trimmingham played for Daiwa Hot Blizzards in Japan, averaging 23 ppg and 6 rpg. Leon spent the 1999 season playing for the San German Athletics of the Superior Basketball League in Puerto Rico where he averaged 23 ppg and 7 rpg. During the 1999/00 season he began the year with Metropolitanos de Mauricio Baez team in the Dominican Republic before getting a opportunity to play with Boca Juniors in Argentina. Leon led the league in scoring at a clip of 24.2 ppg while also adding 8.7 rpg. He was voted the top American in the league and led the Juniors into the league semi finals. He would finish the 1999/00 season off with CB Granada in the Spanish second division. In 2001, Trimmingham led the Santurce Crabbers (Congrejeros) of the Puerto Rican Professional League to their fourth-straight championship and was named finals MVP after recording 31 points and 12 boards in the championship game. He also spent the end of the season playing in Venezuela. In 2002 he went signed to play with the SK Knights in South Korea, where he led the league in scorting with 27.3 points as well as 12.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. He stayed in South Korea for 2003/04, this time playing for the Pusan KTF Magic Wings. This season he averaged 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
He again returned to play with team's in Venezuela and Puerto Rico in 2005 before signing with Chinese team Yunnan Honghe Running Bulls for the 2005/06 season. In 2006/07 Trimmingham played with Malvín Montevideo in Uruguay and after the season ended he finished the year playing for for Reales de La Vega in the Dominican Republic. In 2007 he returned to South Korea for what would be his final season as a professional, playing with the Goyang Orions during the 2007/08 season. | Played for the Virgin Islands in the 2003 Panamerican Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men. Trimmingham averaged 10.5 points per game but the Virgin Islands failed to win a game. | Trimmingham was also a member of the Philadelphia 76ers' Veteran Camp in 1994. Trimmingham was invited to the Portland Trailblazers' Special Invitation Camp and then played for the Toronto Raptors during the LA Summer League in 1999. In 2001 he was scouted heavily by the Washington Wizards during his time in Puerto Rico but an NBA contract never eventuated. | - Leading Scorer KBL (2003) | Neon Leon, Above The Rim | 0 | | Leon Trimmingham played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 115 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | COLLEGEAfter spending his freshman year at American University in Puerto Rico Trimmingham moved to the US to attend Briar Cliff University. There he was a two-time All-American, earning second team honours as a junior and first-team honours as a senior. He finished sixth in career rebounding (920) and third in career free throws (485). He led the Chargers to a record of 79-16 during his time there which included three national tournament appearances in three seasons. During the 1992-93 season he became the school record holder for the most free throws in a season with 212 and also grabbed 353 rebounds that season, the second-best total in BC history at the time. He was also named to the 1993 NAIA All-National Tournament team. Trimmingham finished as the fourth highest scorer in Briar Cliff with 2,023 points. AWARDS- 1x All-NBL First Team |
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| 1227 | Van Dyke, David | USA | Van Dyke | David | 1996 | 1997 | 2 | FRD | 209 | 109 | 49 | 1800 | 907 | 497 | 77 | 162 | 335 | 58 | 183 | 145 | 196 | 353 | 707 | 49.9% | 49.9% | 0 | 4 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 201 | 337 | 59.6% | 59.6% | 353 | 703 | 50.2% | 50.2% | 18.5 | 10.1 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 36.7 | 91% | 97% | 70% | 94% | 98% | 87% | 100% | 91% | 38 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 6 | -11 | -0.3 | 132.7 | 0.0 | 16.5 | 16.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1996 | Perth 1997 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Mesa, Arizona (USA) | None | Texas El Paso (1988-92) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15/04/70 | 13/04/96 | 17/10/97 | 26 | 27 | 0 | BIO: David Van Dyke was born in Mesa, Arizona (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEDavid Van Dyke made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 26 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. | 25 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.2 | 14.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 50% | 53% | 0% | 48% | 1.3 | 82.0 | -0.20 | 8.2% | 7.15 | 13.46 | 4.9 | 241 | 1481 | 30 | 0.504 | 0.276 | 0.043 | 0.032 | 0.102 | 0.081 | 0.109 | 0.504 | 0.037 | Perth Wildcats | Newcastle Falcons | David Van Dyke was born in Mesa, Arizona (USA). | David Van Dyke made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 26 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. | David Van Dyke played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Newcastle Falcons and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 49 NBL games. | - 1st in blocks per game. | 0 | David Van Dyke played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Newcastle Falcons and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 49 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Second Team |
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| 1228 | White, Leonard | USA | White | Leonard | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | FRD | 200 | 102 | 3 | 100 | 49 | 25 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 42 | 42.9% | 0.0% | 1 | 6 | 16.7% | 0.0% | 12 | 17 | 70.6% | 0.0% | 17 | 36 | 47.2% | 0.0% | 16.3 | 8.3 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 33.3 | 86% | 94% | 55% | 94% | 92% | 95% | 73% | 61% | 23 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -11 | -0.3 | 15.1 | 10346.5 | 13.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Florida (USA) | None | Faulkner State CC (1989-1991) / Southern University (1991-1993) | 1993 | 53 | LAC | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21/02/71 | 11/04/97 | 25/04/97 | 26 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Leonard White was born in Florida (USA). NBL EXPERIENCELeonard White made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 26 years of age. He scored 23 points in his first game. | Leonard White was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with pick #53 in the 1993 NBA Draft. | 23 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.0 | 14.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 44% | 50% | 0% | 40% | 1.2 | 83.2 | 0.00 | 11.9% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.0 | 6 | 77 | 26 | 0.490 | 0.250 | 0.030 | 0.050 | 0.010 | 0.040 | 0.080 | 0.490 | 0.230 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Leonard White was born in Florida (USA). | Leonard White made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 26 years of age. He scored 23 points in his first game. | Leonard White played one season in the NBL. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 3 NBL games. | Leonard White was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with pick #53 in the 1993 NBA Draft. | 0 | Leonard White played one season in the NBL. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1 assists in 3 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1229 | Williams, Danny | AUS | Williams | Danny | 1996 | 1997 | 2 | FRD | 200 | 90 | 8 | 24 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 4 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 26% | 21% | 22% | 27% | 20% | 0% | 0% | 17% | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | -0.3 | 47.6 | #DIV/0! | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1996-97 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Sydney (NSW) | NSW - Sydney | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sydney 1993 | 3/07/73 | 17/05/96 | 27/09/97 | 22 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Danny Williams was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sydney basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEDanny Williams made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 70% | 70% | 0% | 0% | 1.4 | 72.7 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 0.583 | 0.167 | 0.042 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.042 | 0.042 | 0.583 | 0.292 | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings | Danny Williams was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sydney basketball program. | Danny Williams made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Danny Williams played two seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 1.7 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 8 NBL games. | 0 | Danny Williams played two seasons the Sydney Kings. He averaged 1.7 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 8 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1230 | Zaremba, Toby | AUS | Zaremba | Toby | 1995 | 1997 | 2 | GRD | 196 | 90 | 11 | 50 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 23.1% | 0.0% | 1 | 7 | 14.3% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 6 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 12% | 19% | 21% | 0% | 25% | 27% | 0% | 41% | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | -0.5 | 38.9 | 0.0 | -0.6 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1995 | Brisbane 1997 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 1 | 1996 | Wollongong (NSW) | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1996 | Brisbane 1997 | Gold Coast 1998 | Sunshine Coast 2017 | USC Rip City 2019 | 11/01/78 | 22/06/95 | 7/10/97 | 17 | 19 | 0 | BIO: Toby Zaremba was born in Wollongong (NSW) before later moving to Queensland where he grew up in Mt Tamborine. Zaremba received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1996. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. NBL EXPERIENCEToby Zaremba made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.5 | 87.4 | -0.55 | 7.7% | 4.37 | 0.00 | 0.1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0.140 | 0.080 | 0.020 | 0.020 | 0.000 | 0.160 | 0.180 | 0.140 | 0.100 | Brisbane Bullets | Gold Coast Rollers | Toby Zaremba was born in Wollongong (NSW) before later moving to Queensland where he grew up in Mt Tamborine. | Toby Zaremba made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Toby Zaremba played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Gold Coast Rollers and the Brisbane Bullets.. | Zaremba received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1996. He spent one year there and played for the program's state league team. | 0 | Toby Zaremba played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Gold Coast Rollers and the Brisbane Bullets.. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1231 | Adams, Craig | AUS | Adams | Craig | 1990 | 1996 | 7 | F/C | 205 | 100 | 173 | 2091 | 550 | 549 | 157 | 202 | 347 | 64 | 53 | 191 | 390 | 225 | 547 | 41.1% | 41.1% | 2 | 15 | 13.3% | 0.0% | 98 | 155 | 63.2% | 63.2% | 223 | 532 | 41.9% | 41.9% | 3.2 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 12.1 | 36% | 62% | 54% | 67% | 61% | 49% | 72% | 54% | 22 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 6 | -5 | -0.4 | #DIV/0! | #DIV/0! | 2.9 | 2.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1990 | South Melbourne 1991 | Wollongong 1992-94 | Newcastle 1995 | Hobart 1996 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Traralgon | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Werribee 2002 | Latrobe City 2006-07 | 30/03/68 | 7/04/90 | 27/09/96 | 22 | 28 | 0 | BIO: Craig Adams was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Traralgon basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCECraig Adams made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. Brisbane entered the season with a new-look squad, ready to rebound from their dismal eighth-placed finish in '89, which saw the Bullets miss the playoffs for the first time under coach Brian Kerle. Only three of the 13 players who wore a Bullets singlet the previous year returned - Leroy Loggins, Robert Sibley, and Greg Fox. Those exiting included captain Larry Sengstock and Ron Radliff, who had been with the team for eight and seven seasons, respectively, leaving to join the new Queensland expansion team, the Gold Coast Cougars and second-year guard Rodger Smith, joining them. John Dorge (to Geelong), Darren Perry (to Eastside), and Dan Clausen (to Adelaide) all headed elsewhere. Greg Giddings, Shane Edwards and import Winston Crite were not offered a contract to return, and Danny Morseu retired.
Together with new imports Derek Rucker (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.6 steals) and Andre Moore (26.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals), the Bullets improved to finish in third place after recording 18 wins and 8 losses. They would even reach the grand final once again, a rematch of the 1987 Grand Final, where they faced the Perth Wildcats. This time around the Bullets lost game one in Perth, 112–106, before levelling the series in Game two in front of the largest crowd the NBL had seen at the time. 13,221 fans filled the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to see the Bullets defeat Perth 106–90. This would stand the highest ever grand final crowd for a game played outside of Melbourne until game two of the 2012/13 Grand Final series between the Wildcat's and New Zealand Breakers in Perth. The attendance record remains the eighth largest for a NBL Grand Final game. Game three was held in front of a near-equal crowd of (13,159), but this time, the Bullets would fall short, losing 86–109 as Perth won their first NBL championship. Additionally, Brian Kerle received the Coach of the Year award for the second time, while the Bullets would make history by having three players Derek Rucker (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals), Leroy Loggins (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals) and Andre Moore (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals) all named to the All-NBL First Team (something which has still never been replicated). Rucker, additionally, won the league's MVP award, becoming the second Bullets player to do so. Adams finished the year by averaging 1.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game also.
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 41% | 45% | 0% | 28% | 1.0 | 84.5 | 0.17 | 11.7% | 16.30 | 19.83 | 0.7 | 117 | 1256 | 7 | 0.263 | 0.263 | 0.075 | 0.031 | 0.025 | 0.091 | 0.187 | 0.263 | 0.043 | Hobart Devils | Brisbane Bullets | Craig Adams was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Traralgon basketball program. | Brisbane entered the season with a new-look squad, ready to rebound from their dismal eighth-placed finish in '89, which saw the Bullets miss the playoffs for the first time under coach Brian Kerle. Only three of the 13 players who wore a Bullets singlet the previous year returned - Leroy Loggins, Robert Sibley, and Greg Fox. Those exiting included captain Larry Sengstock and Ron Radliff, who had been with the team for eight and seven seasons, respectively, leaving to join the new Queensland expansion team, the Gold Coast Cougars and second-year guard Rodger Smith, joining them. John Dorge (to Geelong), Darren Perry (to Eastside), and Dan Clausen (to Adelaide) all headed elsewhere. Greg Giddings, Shane Edwards and import Winston Crite were not offered a contract to return, and Danny Morseu retired.
Together with new imports Derek Rucker (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.6 steals) and Andre Moore (26.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals), the Bullets improved to finish in third place after recording 18 wins and 8 losses. They would even reach the grand final once again, a rematch of the 1987 Grand Final, where they faced the Perth Wildcats. This time around the Bullets lost game one in Perth, 112–106, before levelling the series in Game two in front of the largest crowd the NBL had seen at the time. 13,221 fans filled the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to see the Bullets defeat Perth 106–90. This would stand the highest ever grand final crowd for a game played outside of Melbourne until game two of the 2012/13 Grand Final series between the Wildcat's and New Zealand Breakers in Perth. The attendance record remains the eighth largest for a NBL Grand Final game. Game three was held in front of a near-equal crowd of (13,159), but this time, the Bullets would fall short, losing 86–109 as Perth won their first NBL championship. Additionally, Brian Kerle received the Coach of the Year award for the second time, while the Bullets would make history by having three players Derek Rucker (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals), Leroy Loggins (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals) and Andre Moore (33.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.6 steals) all named to the All-NBL First Team (something which has still never been replicated). Rucker, additionally, won the league's MVP award, becoming the second Bullets player to do so. Adams finished the year by averaging 1.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game also.
| Craig Adams made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Craig Adams played seven seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Newcastle Falcons, Illawarra Hawks and Hobart Devils. He averaged 3.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 173 NBL games. | Coached the Latrobe City Energy in the Victorian state league (BIGV) after finishing his NBL career. | Was employed by Dahlsens Building Centres as a Branch Manager. | 0 | Craig Adams played seven seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Brisbane Bullets, Newcastle Falcons, Illawarra Hawks and Hobart Devils. He averaged 3.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 173 NBL games. | COACHING HISTORYCoached the Latrobe City Energy in the Victorian state league (BIGV) after finishing his NBL career. LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLWas employed by Dahlsens Building Centres as a Branch Manager. |
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| 1232 | Banovic, Mark | AUS | Banovic | Mark | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | PG | 183 | 70 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 4 | 75.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 31% | 21% | 0% | 0% | 29% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.5 | 24.0 | 9328.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13/05/78 | 10/05/96 | 31/05/96 | 18 | 18 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEMark Banovic made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 18 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 400% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1.667 | 0.333 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.333 | 1.667 | 1.000 | Hobart Devils | Hobart Devils | Mark Banovic made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 18 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Mark Banovic played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Mark Banovic played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1233 | Blades, David | AUS | Blades | David | 1993 | 1996 | 4 | PG | 183 | 80 | 91 | 1921 | 611 | 254 | 297 | 76 | 178 | 86 | 7 | 183 | 160 | 222 | 499 | 44.5% | 44.5% | 54 | 154 | 35.1% | 35.1% | 113 | 159 | 71.1% | 71.1% | 168 | 345 | 48.7% | 48.7% | 6.7 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 21.1 | 55% | 58% | 90% | 57% | 60% | 79% | 44% | 77% | 32 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 8 | -6 | -0.3 | 158.1 | 21069.1 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1993-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Toowoomba (QLD) | QLD - Toowoomba | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Toowoomba 1990-91 | Townsville 1998 | 28/05/66 | 17/04/93 | 28/09/96 | 26 | 30 | 0 | BIO: David Blades was born in Toowoomba (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Toowoomba basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEDavid Blades made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 26 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. In 1993, the Townsville Suns entered the NBL and recruited blades to be a part of the team's inaugural season. Under head coach Mark Bragg Townsville went winless during their first month of NBL competition. It wasn't until their fifth game before they recorded their first-ever NBL win, a victory over the Newcastle Falcons. Over the course of the season, Blades transitioned from backup guard to starting point guard and averaged 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assist per game finished as runner-up in the Rookie of the Year award. The Suns would claim the league's wooden spoon in their first year, finishing with a record of 4–22. 1995 saw Blades average 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds and play a key role in helping the Suns to a tenth place finish in the regular season with a 9-17 record. In Blades last NBL season he averaged 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds, and helped guide the Suns to a regular season record of 9-17 record in 1996. | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.4 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 50% | 54% | 24% | 32% | 1.2 | 79.6 | 2.20 | 17.2% | 28.31 | 17.45 | 1.0 | 93 | 1162 | 13 | 0.318 | 0.132 | 0.155 | 0.045 | 0.004 | 0.095 | 0.083 | 0.318 | 0.044 | Townsville Suns | Townsville Suns | David Blades was born in Toowoomba (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Toowoomba basketball program. | In 1993, the Townsville Suns entered the NBL and recruited blades to be a part of the team's inaugural season. Under head coach Mark Bragg Townsville went winless during their first month of NBL competition. It wasn't until their fifth game before they recorded their first-ever NBL win, a victory over the Newcastle Falcons. Over the course of the season, Blades transitioned from backup guard to starting point guard and averaged 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assist per game finished as runner-up in the Rookie of the Year award. The Suns would claim the league's wooden spoon in their first year, finishing with a record of 4–22. 1995 saw Blades average 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds and play a key role in helping the Suns to a tenth place finish in the regular season with a 9-17 record. In Blades last NBL season he averaged 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds, and helped guide the Suns to a regular season record of 9-17 record in 1996. | David Blades made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 26 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. | David Blades played four seasons the Townsville Suns. He averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 91 NBL games. | Blades was the joint MVP, with Glenn Stump, in 1990 while playing for Toowoomba where he also helped lead the mountain men to back-to-back titles in 1990 and 1991. He won the Queensland state league MVP award in 1992. He is widely regarded as one of the best Australians to have played in the state league He would then go on to play several seasons with the Townsville Heat to end his career. | Blades worked as a Sales Manager at Oakdale Heights after his NBL career. | 0 | David Blades played four seasons the Townsville Suns. He averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 91 NBL games. | LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLBlades worked as a Sales Manager at Oakdale Heights after his NBL career. |
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| 1234 | Bowman, Ira | USA | Bowman | Ira | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | GRD | 196 | 88 | 13 | 563 | 307 | 45 | 62 | 10 | 35 | 52 | 2 | 54 | 53 | 101 | 225 | 44.9% | 44.9% | 14 | 39 | 35.9% | 0.0% | 91 | 116 | 78.4% | 78.4% | 87 | 186 | 46.8% | 46.8% | 23.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 43.3 | 97% | 65% | 97% | 54% | 70% | 100% | 57% | 98% | 33 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 8 | -15 | -0.3 | 11.0 | 2947.5 | 18.5 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Newark, New Jersey (USA) | None | Providence (1991-1993) / Penn (1994-1996) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 17 | 0 | 68 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 64% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 11/06/73 | 28/06/96 | 21/09/96 | 23 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Ira Bowman was born in Newark, New Jersey (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEIra Bowman made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 23 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game. | Bowman played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks from 1999 to 2001, as well as Grand Rapids Hoops of the Continental Basketball Association in 2002. Bowman played 17 games in the NBA. He averaged 0.9 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - February 24, 2000: Signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers. | 17 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.8 | 17.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 48% | 56% | 14% | 52% | 1.4 | 81.1 | 4.62 | 23.1% | 15.81 | 13.77 | 4.2 | 54 | 414 | 32 | 0.545 | 0.080 | 0.110 | 0.092 | 0.004 | 0.096 | 0.094 | 0.545 | 0.059 | Gold Coast Rollers | Gold Coast Rollers | Ira Bowman was born in Newark, New Jersey (USA). | Ira Bowman made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 23 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game. | Ira Bowman played one season in the NBL. He averaged 23.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 13 NBL games. | COLLEGEHe was also the Ivy League Player of the Year (1995–1996) when he was playing for the University of Pennsylvania. | He was also the Ivy League Player of the Year (1995–1996) when he was playing for the University of Pennsylvania. | Bowman played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks from 1999 to 2001, as well as Grand Rapids Hoops of the Continental Basketball Association in 2002. | - February 24, 2000: Signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers. - October 2, 2000: Signed as a free agent with the Utah Jazz. - October 25, 2000: Waived by the Utah Jazz. - February 16, 2001: Signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks. - October 2, 2001: Signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers. - November 6, 2001: Waived by the Philadelphia 76ers. | 0 | Ira Bowman played one season in the NBL. He averaged 23.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 13 NBL games. | COLLEGEHe was also the Ivy League Player of the Year (1995–1996) when he was playing for the University of Pennsylvania. |
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| 1235 | Brenton, Tim | AUS | Brenton | Tim | 1993 | 1996 | 4 | G/F | 201 | 96 | 57 | 1092 | 440 | 108 | 87 | 44 | 64 | 31 | 20 | 92 | 122 | 137 | 386 | 35.5% | 35.5% | 72 | 226 | 31.9% | 31.9% | 94 | 110 | 85.5% | 85.5% | 65 | 160 | 40.6% | 40.6% | 7.7 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 19.2 | 60% | 47% | 69% | 54% | 46% | 61% | 75% | 68% | 29 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -7 | -0.4 | 169.5 | 20182.2 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1993-95 | Hobart 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 3 | 1992, 1993 | Adelaide (SA) | SA - Woodville | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1992-93 | Hobart 1997 | Woodville 1998 | 26/01/74 | 18/09/93 | 27/09/96 | 19 | 22 | 0 | BIO: Tim Brenton was born in Adelaide (SA) where he attended Seaton High School. He began playing basketball as a junior with the Woodville Warriors Under 14 division 4 team. Brenton received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1992. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1992, 1993). NBL EXPERIENCETim Brenton made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. After two losing seasons under coach Don Shipway, Adelaide hired American coach Don Monson to replace him and steer the team back to its winning ways. With the 36ers still regrouping from the loss of Australian Boomers big man Mark Bradtke (to Melbourne), they built up the team's frontcourt by adding Chris Blakemore, a talented young big man from the Australian Institute of Sport, import Paris McCurdy and welcomed back former 36er Willie Simmons (via Canberra). Key additions to the back court included Australian Boomers guard Phil Smyth (via Canberra) and the return of local prodigy Scott Ninnis (via South East Melbourne) who had spent two seasons playing under Brian Goorjian in Melbourne. After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn't what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake. While Brenton saw very limited minutes, appearing in only three games and failing to score, Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs. Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league's Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours. Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne.
The team finished in fourth place with a 19–8 record and went on to win their semi-final series against defending champions, the Melbourne Tigers and earning a matchup against the North Melbourne Giants to decide the NBL championship. The win over the Tigers came at a cost though as team captain Mark Davis's court time was limited in the Grand Final after dislocating his right shoulder during the first game of the semi finals. Adelaide would lose both games to North Melbourne (0-2), losing game one at the Powerhouse in overtime (93–95) and game two in Melbourne (97-117). Robert Rose averaged 32 points for the 36ers over the two grand final games, scoring 33 in game one and 31 in Game 2. He played a major role in game one as Adelaide came back from 63–77 down in the last period down to level the game at 84-84 at the end of regulation time and most felt that had Adelaide won the series he would have been the leading candidate for the Grand Final MVP award. The award was deservedly won by Giants centre and future three time 36ers championship player Paul Rees. Blakemore improved his production from 6 points in 19 minutes per game to 13 points in 33 minutes per game and was awarded the league's Most Improved Player award. Adelaide finished in sixth place (17-9) and then eliminated Newcastle in the Quarterfinals. A semifinal matchup against Perth saw national media headlines when Blakemore elbowed Perth forward Martin Cattalini in game one, delivering a cut to his mouth that required 15 stitches. The incident almost led to a brawl and saw Blakemore suspended for game two. Perth went on to win the second game (85-76) and Adelaide’s playoff run was ended by the Wildcats for the fourth time in eight years (1987, 1989, 1991 and 1995). Brenton recorded a career high 23 points against Newcastle this season, and averaged 3.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists for the year. His efforts were rewared with a spot in the 1995 Future Forces game during All-Star Weekend.
With the Devils disbanding the following season, Brenton's career in the NBL was over. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.4 | 6.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.0 | 45% | 51% | 53% | 28% | 1.1 | 79.3 | 0.46 | 8.0% | 14.18 | 15.00 | 0.9 | 51 | 635 | 11 | 0.403 | 0.099 | 0.080 | 0.028 | 0.018 | 0.084 | 0.112 | 0.403 | 0.055 | Hobart Devils | Adelaide 36ers | Tim Brenton was born in Adelaide (SA) where he attended Seaton High School. He began playing basketball as a junior with the Woodville Warriors Under 14 division 4 team. | After two losing seasons under coach Don Shipway, Adelaide hired American coach Don Monson to replace him and steer the team back to its winning ways. With the 36ers still regrouping from the loss of Australian Boomers big man Mark Bradtke (to Melbourne), they built up the team's frontcourt by adding Chris Blakemore, a talented young big man from the Australian Institute of Sport, import Paris McCurdy and welcomed back former 36er Willie Simmons (via Canberra). Key additions to the back court included Australian Boomers guard Phil Smyth (via Canberra) and the return of local prodigy Scott Ninnis (via South East Melbourne) who had spent two seasons playing under Brian Goorjian in Melbourne. After nine games it was clear McCurdy (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals) wasn't what the team needed and he was replaced by import David Robinson (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) a serviceable import for sure, but not quite the same player as his NBA namesake. While Brenton saw very limited minutes, appearing in only three games and failing to score, Adelaide improved on last season under Monson, finishing in seventh place (14-12) and returning to the playoffs. Mark Davis (22.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding, Ninnis (19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals) delivered the best season of his career and was selected as the league's Most Improved Player and Blakemore (5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds) went on to claim Rookie of the Year honours. Once into the playoffs, Adelaide were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by defending champions South East Melbourne.
The team finished in fourth place with a 19–8 record and went on to win their semi-final series against defending champions, the Melbourne Tigers and earning a matchup against the North Melbourne Giants to decide the NBL championship. The win over the Tigers came at a cost though as team captain Mark Davis's court time was limited in the Grand Final after dislocating his right shoulder during the first game of the semi finals. Adelaide would lose both games to North Melbourne (0-2), losing game one at the Powerhouse in overtime (93–95) and game two in Melbourne (97-117). Robert Rose averaged 32 points for the 36ers over the two grand final games, scoring 33 in game one and 31 in Game 2. He played a major role in game one as Adelaide came back from 63–77 down in the last period down to level the game at 84-84 at the end of regulation time and most felt that had Adelaide won the series he would have been the leading candidate for the Grand Final MVP award. The award was deservedly won by Giants centre and future three time 36ers championship player Paul Rees. Blakemore improved his production from 6 points in 19 minutes per game to 13 points in 33 minutes per game and was awarded the league's Most Improved Player award. Adelaide finished in sixth place (17-9) and then eliminated Newcastle in the Quarterfinals. A semifinal matchup against Perth saw national media headlines when Blakemore elbowed Perth forward Martin Cattalini in game one, delivering a cut to his mouth that required 15 stitches. The incident almost led to a brawl and saw Blakemore suspended for game two. Perth went on to win the second game (85-76) and Adelaide’s playoff run was ended by the Wildcats for the fourth time in eight years (1987, 1989, 1991 and 1995). Brenton recorded a career high 23 points against Newcastle this season, and averaged 3.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists for the year. His efforts were rewared with a spot in the 1995 Future Forces game during All-Star Weekend.
With the Devils disbanding the following season, Brenton's career in the NBL was over. | Tim Brenton made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Tim Brenton played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Adelaide 36ers and the Hobart Devils. He averaged 7.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 57 NBL games. | Brenton received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1992. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1992, 1993). | 0 | Tim Brenton played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Adelaide 36ers and the Hobart Devils. He averaged 7.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 57 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1236 | Brunson, Rick | USA | Brunson | Rick | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | GRD | 193 | 86 | 31 | 1317 | 671 | 128 | 200 | 54 | 74 | 76 | 3 | 136 | 116 | 228 | 546 | 41.8% | 41.8% | 86 | 262 | 32.8% | 32.8% | 129 | 181 | 71.3% | 71.3% | 142 | 284 | 50.0% | 50.0% | 21.6 | 4.1 | 6.5 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 42.5 | 95% | 72% | 99% | 77% | 66% | 99% | 48% | 99% | 38 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 9 | -17 | -0.4 | 43.4 | 4984.4 | 16.2 | 16.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Adelaide 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Syracuse, New York (USA) | None | Temple (1991–1995) | 0 | 0 | 0 | Portland 1997/98, 2001/02 : New York 1998-00 : New York/Boston 2000/01 : Chicago 2002/03 : Chicago/Toronto 2003/04 : LA Clippers 2004/05 : Seattle/Houston 2005/06 | 337 | 51 | 4533 | 1090 | 447 | 876 | 85 | 362 | 201 | 21 | 356 | 362 | 397 | 1050 | 38% | 100 | 276 | 36% | 196 | 283 | 69% | 13.5 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | Philippines - Ginebra (1998) | 14/6/1972 | 14/04/96 | 19/10/96 | 23 | 24 | 1991 | 0 | BIO: Born in Syracuse, New York, Brunson attended Salem High School, becoming the only McDonald's All-American from Massachusetts in 1991. NBL EXPERIENCERick Brunson made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 23 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. After losing to Perth in the semifinals in 1995, a series which included a vicious elbow from Chris Blakemore to the head of Wildcats forward Martin Cattalini, head coach Mike Dunlap had lost favour with Blakemore and 36ers MVP Robert Rose, who both left the team and signed with the Canberra Cannons. Long distance specialist Mike McKay also found Dunlap hard to play for a he left to play with the Brisbane Bullets. Despite this the 36ers recruited well going into the 1996 NBL season, starting with Brunson, who had just narrowly missed out on being drafted to the NBA and then forwards Leon Trimmingham from the Sydney Kings and, funnily enough, Martin Cattalini from the championship winning Perth Wildcats. John Rillie, who was coming off a Rookie of the Year winning season with Brisbane also signed to play alongside Brett Maher and Brunson in the backcourt.
Brunson averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists alongside stars Trimmingham (22 points per game), Brett Maher (16 points and 4 rebounds per game), John Rillie (14 points per game) and Davis (13 points and 8 rebounds per game) as the 36ers saw continued good form and yet again, ended the year by making the playoffs. The team finished with a record of 16-10 and after the 6th placed 36ers defeated the 3rd ranked Perth Wildcats in the quarter-finals, they were eliminated in the semifinals in two straight games by eventual champions the South East Melbourne Magic. This season would also be Dunlap's last with the team after he requested the team release 36ers legend Mark Davis and focus on the team's younger players. Since joining the 36ers, Dunlap had been systematically removing the older players from the squad, but the club board instead retained Davis (who went on to play another four seasons) and agreed that Dunlap would not return as coach. Brunson was named Adelaide 36ers team MVP for the 1996 season. | Bruson returned to the United States after his season in Adelaide to play in the CBA. He caught the eyes of the Portland Trail Blazers and signed with them as a free agent by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1997/98. Brunson found himself playing again in the CBA again at the start of the 1998/99 season but was signed by the New York Knicks mid-season. He was a member of the 1999 Eastern Conference championship team who went on to lose to a San Antonio Spurs team that included Andrew Gaze. In 2000/01, he started off with the Boston Celtics, but finished the season with the Knicks again. He rejoined the Trail Blazers in 2001/02. He then signed with the Chicago Bulls the next season, splitting between the Bulls and the Toronto Raptors in 2003/04, before moving on to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004/05. A breakout season in which he averaged a career-high 5.5 points per game landed him a 2005/06 contract with the Seattle SuperSonics, but only appeared in four games due to injury. On February 28, 2006, the Sonics waived Brunson. He was subsequently signed by the Houston Rockets, with whom he finished his ninth and final season as a professional basketball player. Brunson played 337 games in the NBA. He averaged 3.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game over his NBA career. NBA TRANSACTIONS: - September 30, 1997: Signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic. | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.4 | 17.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 8.5 | 50% | 54% | 38% | 33% | 1.2 | 78.6 | 4.52 | 13.9% | 20.80 | 14.14 | 2.5 | 79 | 999 | 32 | 0.509 | 0.097 | 0.152 | 0.058 | 0.002 | 0.103 | 0.088 | 0.509 | 0.029 | Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide 36ers | Born in Syracuse, New York, Brunson attended Salem High School, becoming the only McDonald's All-American from Massachusetts in 1991. | After losing to Perth in the semifinals in 1995, a series which included a vicious elbow from Chris Blakemore to the head of Wildcats forward Martin Cattalini, head coach Mike Dunlap had lost favour with Blakemore and 36ers MVP Robert Rose, who both left the team and signed with the Canberra Cannons. Long distance specialist Mike McKay also found Dunlap hard to play for a he left to play with the Brisbane Bullets. Despite this the 36ers recruited well going into the 1996 NBL season, starting with Brunson, who had just narrowly missed out on being drafted to the NBA and then forwards Leon Trimmingham from the Sydney Kings and, funnily enough, Martin Cattalini from the championship winning Perth Wildcats. John Rillie, who was coming off a Rookie of the Year winning season with Brisbane also signed to play alongside Brett Maher and Brunson in the backcourt.
Brunson averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists alongside stars Trimmingham (22 points per game), Brett Maher (16 points and 4 rebounds per game), John Rillie (14 points per game) and Davis (13 points and 8 rebounds per game) as the 36ers saw continued good form and yet again, ended the year by making the playoffs. The team finished with a record of 16-10 and after the 6th placed 36ers defeated the 3rd ranked Perth Wildcats in the quarter-finals, they were eliminated in the semifinals in two straight games by eventual champions the South East Melbourne Magic. This season would also be Dunlap's last with the team after he requested the team release 36ers legend Mark Davis and focus on the team's younger players. Since joining the 36ers, Dunlap had been systematically removing the older players from the squad, but the club board instead retained Davis (who went on to play another four seasons) and agreed that Dunlap would not return as coach. Brunson was named Adelaide 36ers team MVP for the 1996 season. | Rick Brunson made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 23 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game. | Rick Brunson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 31 NBL games. | COLLEGEBrunson graduated from Temple University and after being a suprise omission from the NBA draft he signed to play with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia as his first year as a professional. | Brunson graduated from Temple University and after being a suprise omission from the NBA draft he signed to play with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia as his first year as a professional. | - 16th in assists per game. - 17th in steals per game. | Bruson returned to the United States after his season in Adelaide to play in the CBA. He caught the eyes of the Portland Trail Blazers and signed with them as a free agent by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1997/98. Brunson found himself playing again in the CBA again at the start of the 1998/99 season but was signed by the New York Knicks mid-season. He was a member of the 1999 Eastern Conference championship team who went on to lose to a San Antonio Spurs team that included Andrew Gaze. In 2000/01, he started off with the Boston Celtics, but finished the season with the Knicks again. He rejoined the Trail Blazers in 2001/02. He then signed with the Chicago Bulls the next season, splitting between the Bulls and the Toronto Raptors in 2003/04, before moving on to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004/05. A breakout season in which he averaged a career-high 5.5 points per game landed him a 2005/06 contract with the Seattle SuperSonics, but only appeared in four games due to injury. On February 28, 2006, the Sonics waived Brunson. He was subsequently signed by the Houston Rockets, with whom he finished his ninth and final season as a professional basketball player. | - September 30, 1997: Signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic. - October 20, 1997: Waived by the Orlando Magic. - October 23, 1997: Signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks. - December 2, 1997: Signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers. - January 21, 1999: Signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks. - September 28, 2000: Signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat. - October 20, 2000: Waived by the Miami Heat. - November 6, 2000: Signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics. - November 27, 2000: Claimed on waivers by the New York Knicks from the Boston Celtics December 21, 2001: Signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers. - September 18, 2002: Signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls. - August 13, 2003: Signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors. - September 30, 2003: Signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers. - December 16, 2003: Traded by the Toronto Raptors to the Chicago Bulls for Roger Mason. - March 15, 2004: Waived by the Chicago Bulls. - August 3, 2005: Waived by the Los Angeles Clippers. - August 5, 2005: Signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics. - March 2, 2006: Claimed on waivers by the Houston Rockets from the Seattle SuperSonics | - Adelaide 36ers MVP (1996) | Brunson moved into coaching after playing nine seasons in the NBA. After retiring he also worked with Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach. | 0 | Rick Brunson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 31 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEBrunson graduated from Temple University and after being a suprise omission from the NBA draft he signed to play with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia as his first year as a professional. AWARDS- McDonald's All-American (1991) COACHING HISTORYBrunson moved into coaching after playing nine seasons in the NBA. After retiring he also worked with Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach. |
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| 1237 | Cole, Aaron | AUS | Cole | Aaron | 1995 | 1996 | 2 | GRD | 197 | 93 | 28 | 197 | 46 | 26 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 23 | 18 | 45 | 40.0% | 0.0% | 4 | 11 | 36.4% | 0.0% | 6 | 12 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 14 | 34 | 41.2% | 0.0% | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 7.0 | 25% | 30% | 36% | 32% | 33% | 34% | 37% | 31% | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -0.3 | 156.1 | 8119.7 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1995 | Hobart 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Nunawading | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/08/73 | 5/05/95 | 27/09/96 | 21 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Aaron Cole was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Nunawading basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEAaron Cole made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 21 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 44% | 46% | 22% | 27% | 1.0 | 81.6 | 0.14 | 11.1% | 15.94 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 6 | 84 | 3 | 0.234 | 0.132 | 0.061 | 0.025 | 0.005 | 0.066 | 0.117 | 0.234 | 0.076 | Hobart Devils | Hobart Devils | Aaron Cole was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Nunawading basketball program. | Aaron Cole made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 21 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. | Aaron Cole played two seasons in the NBL. He averaged 1.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 28 NBL games. | 0 | Aaron Cole played two seasons in the NBL. He averaged 1.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 28 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1238 | Crombie, Paul | AUS | Crombie | Paul | 1994 | 1996 | 3 | PG | 185 | 82 | 56 | 461 | 155 | 27 | 29 | 7 | 20 | 24 | 1 | 21 | 41 | 51 | 140 | 36.4% | 36.4% | 32 | 87 | 36.8% | 0.0% | 21 | 31 | 67.7% | 0.0% | 19 | 53 | 35.8% | 0.0% | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 8.2 | 33% | 21% | 41% | 21% | 25% | 53% | 34% | 27% | 15 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -0.3 | 58.0 | 23082.3 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1994-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Wynyard (TAS) | TAS | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Launceston 1993 | Hobart 1996-00 | 15/01/75 | 8/04/94 | 27/09/96 | 19 | 21 | 0 | BIO: Paul Crombie was born in Wynyard (TAS) NBL EXPERIENCEPaul Crombie made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 19 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.9 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 48% | 50% | 63% | 22% | 1.1 | 77.6 | 0.57 | 17.1% | 14.24 | 0.00 | 0.4 | 25 | 211 | 4 | 0.336 | 0.059 | 0.063 | 0.052 | 0.002 | 0.046 | 0.089 | 0.336 | 0.069 | Hobart Devils | Hobart Devils | Paul Crombie was born in Wynyard (TAS) | Paul Crombie made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 19 years of age. He scored five points in his first game. | Paul Crombie played three seasons the Hobart Devils. He averaged 2.7 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 56 NBL games. | 0 | Paul Crombie played three seasons the Hobart Devils. He averaged 2.7 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 56 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1239 | Dennis, Shawn | AUS | Dennis | Shawn | 1986 | 1996 | 10 | GRD | 187 | 80 | 197 | 3584 | 1153 | 284 | 308 | 86 | 198 | 151 | 16 | 234 | 322 | 433 | 1062 | 40.8% | 40.8% | 188 | 487 | 38.6% | 38.6% | 99 | 137 | 72.3% | 72.3% | 245 | 575 | 42.6% | 42.6% | 5.9 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 18.2 | 52% | 41% | 70% | 37% | 44% | 72% | 46% | 57% | 22 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | -5 | -0.3 | 128.0 | 21627.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1986-89, 1992-96 | Hobart 1991 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Swan Hill | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Albury 1985 | 27/10/65 | 26/04/86 | 21/09/96 | 20 | 30 | 0 | BIO: Shawn Dennis was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Swan Hill basketball program. As a teenager his family moved to Wangaratta where he played football and basketballl for the town's local clubs. He decided to focus on basketball at 16 and shortly after began playing with Albury in the SEABL state league competition. NBL EXPERIENCEShawn Dennis made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. 6.9 assists, all career lows. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season.
Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.2 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 50% | 51% | 43% | 13% | 1.1 | 78.2 | 1.14 | 14.2% | 18.51 | 14.06 | 0.8 | 167 | 1745 | 9 | 0.320 | 0.079 | 0.085 | 0.042 | 0.004 | 0.065 | 0.089 | 0.320 | 0.034 | Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle Falcons | Shawn Dennis was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Swan Hill basketball program. As a teenager his family moved to Wangaratta where he played football and basketballl for the town's local clubs. He decided to focus on basketball at 16 and shortly after began playing with Albury in the SEABL state league competition. | 6.9 assists, all career lows. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season.
Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. | Shawn Dennis made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Shawn Dennis played ten seasons in the NBL. He averaged 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 197 NBL games. | In his last three playing seasons with the Falcons he also took on a role as an assistant-coach. As a result of the Falcons being in financial strife In 1997, coach Tom Wiseman was released in a cost-cutting measure and Dennis was elevated into the head coaching role. When he assumed the coaching position at the age of 30, he found himself in charge of players he'd shared the court with only two years earlier. Dennis was almost a ‘one-man band’……doing his own video edits, taking players for individual sessions , besides team practice……If there was nobody available to fill the water bottles, he’d do that as well…… Inevitably, the Newcastle Falcons closed their doors in 1999 and he moved to the Wollongong Hawks as an assistant-coach
| 0 | | Shawn Dennis played ten seasons in the NBL. He averaged 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 197 NBL games. | COACHING HISTORYIn his last three playing seasons with the Falcons he also took on a role as an assistant-coach. As a result of the Falcons being in financial strife In 1997, coach Tom Wiseman was released in a cost-cutting measure and Dennis was elevated into the head coaching role. When he assumed the coaching position at the age of 30, he found himself in charge of players he'd shared the court with only two years earlier. Dennis was almost a ‘one-man band’……doing his own video edits, taking players for individual sessions , besides team practice……If there was nobody available to fill the water bottles, he’d do that as well…… Inevitably, the Newcastle Falcons closed their doors in 1999 and he moved to the Wollongong Hawks as an assistant-coach
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| 1240 | Earp, Matthew | AUS | Earp | Matthew | 1994 | 1996 | 3 | FRD | 200 | 108 | 47 | 236 | 50 | 54 | 5 | 21 | 33 | 7 | 2 | 24 | 39 | 16 | 40 | 40.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 16 | 28 | 57.1% | 0.0% | 14 | 38 | 36.8% | 0.0% | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 5.0 | 19% | 36% | 22% | 38% | 36% | 32% | 38% | 34% | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | -0.4 | 150.4 | 32468.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0 | Perth (1995) | 1 | 0 | Perth 1994-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Beverly (WA) | WA - Perth | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Perth 1991-2003 | 8/03/74 | 7/04/94 | 6/10/96 | 20 | 22 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Earpy BIO: Matthew Earp was born in Beverly (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perth basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEMatthew Earp made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. Played primarily as a backup forward to the 'Perth Wall' which included Andrew Vlahov, Scottt Fisher and James Crawford in the Wildcats'frontcourt and reknown for setting 'bone-crunching' screens. In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 43% | 48% | 0% | 70% | 1.3 | 83.1 | -0.26 | 17.5% | 6.15 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 9 | 109 | 2 | 0.212 | 0.229 | 0.021 | 0.030 | 0.008 | 0.102 | 0.165 | 0.212 | 0.059 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Matthew Earp was born in Beverly (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Perth basketball program. | Played primarily as a backup forward to the 'Perth Wall' which included Andrew Vlahov, Scottt Fisher and James Crawford in the Wildcats'frontcourt and reknown for setting 'bone-crunching' screens. In 1995 he was part of the Wildcat's NBL championship winning team that travelled to the McDonald's Championship in London that competed against the NBA's Houston Rockets and Spain's Real Madrid. | Matthew Earp made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Matthew Earp played three seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 47 NBL games. | Perth 1991-2003, 276g, 3227pt @ 11.7 | Earpy | 0 | Matthew Earp played three seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 47 NBL games. HIGHLIGHTS: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1241 | Exum, Cecil | USA/AUS | Exum | Cecil | 1989 | 1996 | 8 | FRD | 198 | 98 | 197 | 4772 | 2104 | 1354 | 359 | 576 | 778 | 232 | 136 | 428 | 633 | 806 | 1587 | 50.8% | 50.8% | 35 | 104 | 33.7% | 33.7% | 457 | 626 | 73.0% | 73.0% | 771 | 1483 | 52.0% | 52.0% | 10.7 | 6.9 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 24.2 | 70% | 88% | 75% | 91% | 84% | 87% | 88% | 79% | 32 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 8 | -8 | -0.3 | 135.0 | 296082.6 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 0 | North Melbourne (1989) | 1 | 0 | North Melbourne 1989, 1991 | Melbourne 1990 | Geelong 1992-96 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Dudley, North Carolina (USA) | None | North Carolina (1980–1984) | 1984 | 194 | DEN | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bulleen 1986-1987 | 7/8/1962 | 12/05/89 | 28/09/96 | 26 | 34 | 1 | BIO: Cecil Exum grew up in Dudley, North Carolina where he attended Southern Wayne High School. He went on to play collegiate basketball for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina from 1980 to 1984. FAMILY: Cecil's son Dante Exum also played 0 games in the NBL. NBL EXPERIENCECecil Exum made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 26 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. 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 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 and Exum added 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists as the team finished second in the regular season (17-7).
Both North Melbourne and Canberra would receive a first round bye and automatic entry to the semi finals. There, Canberra would eliminate Sydney (2-1), while North Melbourne defeated Perth (2-1) in similar fashion. Canberra, who would reach their fourth time in seven years, would host game one, where a combination of Fisher (37 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals), Dillon (24 points and 12 rebounds), Borner (18 points and 9 rebounds) and Exum (13 points and 10 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 Canberra'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.
Andrew Gaze, who had spent the off-seasonplaying with Seton Hall University and narrowly missing out on a contract with the Seattle Supersonics, looked to light up the league. Gaze (37.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), Colbert (31.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Simmons (27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3) filled every column in the stats sheet every night, as well as combing for 96 points per game. Melbourne hit a major speed bump when Gaze was diagnosed as having a blood clot in his right shoulder, a issue that almost ended his playing career. As a result, Gaze would miss the Tigers' last two games of the regular season and all playoff games, but Melbourne still managed to finish in fourth place (17-9). They faced off against fifth-seed Perth in the elimination finals, where Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze's absence, but it wasn't enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn't score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100). In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Exum appeared in 24 games and averaged 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the season.
Scott Fisher (30.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.0 steals) led the team offensively once again, and Maley (27.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals) benefitted from playing alongside Fisher, improving his scoring from 25.8 points per game the season prior. Other standouts this season included veteran Ray Borner (14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists) and second year talent Pat Reidy (14.7 points, 4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals) would play his way into the Giants' regular rotation. North Melbourne (16-10) squeezed into the playoffs as the sixth seed and faced third seed Geelong (17-9) in the Elimination Finals. Game one saw Fisher (44 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks) do everything he could, but the Supercats easily accounted for the Fiants, winning by 20 points (139-119). North Melbourne would regroup and win both games two (136-116) and three (125-113), with Fisher averaging 37 points and 12 rebounds for the series. Their semi final opponent would be Eastside Melbourne, who featured a impressive frontcourt of Bruce Bolden, Dean Uthoff, and Kent Lockhart. They were able to 'put the handcuffs' on Fisher, who managed only 14 points in North Melbourne's game one loss (93-99) and 16 points in game two (104-115), ending the Giants' season. Exum (5.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) returned to the club but was unable to deliver the same production as his first stint with the Giants. as a result, North Melbourne chose not to retain him at the end of the season.
The Supercats attempted to fill the gaps by signing naturalised import Exum (via North Melbourne), Wayne Larkins (via South East Melbourne), rookie Matthew Alexander. Import Lafester Rhodes was also signed with the team playing out the season with only eight players getting regular minutes. Rhodes (23.5 points, 7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks) put up impressive numbers during his stint with Geelong, but six games in and the team elected to replace him with Chris Harris (20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.3 steals). Geelong was able to get productive seasons from both the returning Bobby Locke (31.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals) and new additions Exum (17.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Larkins (12.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists). Despite this, Geelong would still plummet to the bottom of the ladder, finishing dead last (2-22). This equalled the second fewest win total in a NBL season, a record set by Geelong's zero win season in 1988.
Six games into the season, the Supercats received a letter from coach Steve Breheny, which outlined he felt he did not have the support of the club. It was reported that he did not want Branch as part of the team, but the club chose to sign him to a two-year deal anyways. After a loss to Melbourne, Breheny brought Branch off the bench in their next game against Adelaide, feeling he cared more about stats than winning (a sentiment echoed by his former Brisbane coach Brian Kerle). Geelong would win this game (113-100), with Branch playing 36 minutes and scoring 30 points. Branch then skipped trainings, prompting Breheny to pen a letter to management asking for their support or agreeing to re-sign. The Supercats (2-4) accepted his resignation and continued the season under interim coach Terry Kealey. Jim Calvin was hired as a permanent solution shortly after. Branch (26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals) would go on to lead the team statistically, with Morrison (22.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals), Cecil Exum (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals), Borner (16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) and Vince Hinchen (14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals) adding support. The team saw very little support from the bench, with its starting five all playing a minimum of 35 minutes a game and only Wayne Larkins (6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) playing meaningful minutes off the bench. The team basically played with six players for the entire season. With three rounds left, Geelong sat equal last alongside Hobart and Townsville, all three team's sitting on four wins. Geelong, however, reeled off three wins in a row to end the season, knocking off Sydney (126–115), Gold Coast (113–108) and fourth-placed Brisbane (118–115) to end the season on a high note.
| Cecil Exum was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with pick #194 in the 1984 NBA Draft. | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.1 | 8.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 52% | 56% | 4% | 39% | 1.3 | 80.9 | 0.83 | 14.6% | 13.55 | 16.15 | 1.9 | 368 | 3817 | 19 | 0.441 | 0.284 | 0.075 | 0.049 | 0.028 | 0.090 | 0.133 | 0.441 | 0.037 | Geelong Supercats | North Melbourne Giants | Cecil Exum grew up in Dudley, North Carolina where he attended Southern Wayne High School. He went on to play collegiate basketball for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina from 1980 to 1984. | 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 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 and Exum added 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists as the team finished second in the regular season (17-7).
Both North Melbourne and Canberra would receive a first round bye and automatic entry to the semi finals. There, Canberra would eliminate Sydney (2-1), while North Melbourne defeated Perth (2-1) in similar fashion. Canberra, who would reach their fourth time in seven years, would host game one, where a combination of Fisher (37 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals), Dillon (24 points and 12 rebounds), Borner (18 points and 9 rebounds) and Exum (13 points and 10 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 Canberra'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.
Andrew Gaze, who had spent the off-seasonplaying with Seton Hall University and narrowly missing out on a contract with the Seattle Supersonics, looked to light up the league. Gaze (37.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), Colbert (31.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Simmons (27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3) filled every column in the stats sheet every night, as well as combing for 96 points per game. Melbourne hit a major speed bump when Gaze was diagnosed as having a blood clot in his right shoulder, a issue that almost ended his playing career. As a result, Gaze would miss the Tigers' last two games of the regular season and all playoff games, but Melbourne still managed to finish in fourth place (17-9). They faced off against fifth-seed Perth in the elimination finals, where Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze's absence, but it wasn't enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn't score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100). In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Exum appeared in 24 games and averaged 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the season.
Scott Fisher (30.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.0 steals) led the team offensively once again, and Maley (27.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals) benefitted from playing alongside Fisher, improving his scoring from 25.8 points per game the season prior. Other standouts this season included veteran Ray Borner (14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists) and second year talent Pat Reidy (14.7 points, 4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals) would play his way into the Giants' regular rotation. North Melbourne (16-10) squeezed into the playoffs as the sixth seed and faced third seed Geelong (17-9) in the Elimination Finals. Game one saw Fisher (44 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks) do everything he could, but the Supercats easily accounted for the Fiants, winning by 20 points (139-119). North Melbourne would regroup and win both games two (136-116) and three (125-113), with Fisher averaging 37 points and 12 rebounds for the series. Their semi final opponent would be Eastside Melbourne, who featured a impressive frontcourt of Bruce Bolden, Dean Uthoff, and Kent Lockhart. They were able to 'put the handcuffs' on Fisher, who managed only 14 points in North Melbourne's game one loss (93-99) and 16 points in game two (104-115), ending the Giants' season. Exum (5.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) returned to the club but was unable to deliver the same production as his first stint with the Giants. as a result, North Melbourne chose not to retain him at the end of the season.
The Supercats attempted to fill the gaps by signing naturalised import Exum (via North Melbourne), Wayne Larkins (via South East Melbourne), rookie Matthew Alexander. Import Lafester Rhodes was also signed with the team playing out the season with only eight players getting regular minutes. Rhodes (23.5 points, 7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks) put up impressive numbers during his stint with Geelong, but six games in and the team elected to replace him with Chris Harris (20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.3 steals). Geelong was able to get productive seasons from both the returning Bobby Locke (31.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals) and new additions Exum (17.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Larkins (12.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists). Despite this, Geelong would still plummet to the bottom of the ladder, finishing dead last (2-22). This equalled the second fewest win total in a NBL season, a record set by Geelong's zero win season in 1988.
Six games into the season, the Supercats received a letter from coach Steve Breheny, which outlined he felt he did not have the support of the club. It was reported that he did not want Branch as part of the team, but the club chose to sign him to a two-year deal anyways. After a loss to Melbourne, Breheny brought Branch off the bench in their next game against Adelaide, feeling he cared more about stats than winning (a sentiment echoed by his former Brisbane coach Brian Kerle). Geelong would win this game (113-100), with Branch playing 36 minutes and scoring 30 points. Branch then skipped trainings, prompting Breheny to pen a letter to management asking for their support or agreeing to re-sign. The Supercats (2-4) accepted his resignation and continued the season under interim coach Terry Kealey. Jim Calvin was hired as a permanent solution shortly after. Branch (26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals) would go on to lead the team statistically, with Morrison (22.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals), Cecil Exum (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals), Borner (16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) and Vince Hinchen (14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals) adding support. The team saw very little support from the bench, with its starting five all playing a minimum of 35 minutes a game and only Wayne Larkins (6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) playing meaningful minutes off the bench. The team basically played with six players for the entire season. With three rounds left, Geelong sat equal last alongside Hobart and Townsville, all three team's sitting on four wins. Geelong, however, reeled off three wins in a row to end the season, knocking off Sydney (126–115), Gold Coast (113–108) and fourth-placed Brisbane (118–115) to end the season on a high note.
| Cecil Exum made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 26 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. | Cecil Exum played eight seasons across three NBL teams. This included the North Melbourne Giants, Melbourne Tigers and Geelong Supercats. He averaged 10.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 197 NBL games. | COLLEGEAt UNC, Exum was a member of the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team as a sophomore with future Hall of Fame players James Worthy and Michael Jordan. Although Exum played sparingly at UNC, he was drafted by the Denver Nugget. | At UNC, Exum was a member of the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team as a sophomore with future Hall of Fame players James Worthy and Michael Jordan. Although Exum played sparingly at UNC, he was drafted by the Denver Nugget. | Cecil Exum was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with pick #194 in the 1984 NBA Draft. | FAMILY: Cecil's son Dante Exum also played 0 games in the NBL. | - NCAA champion (1982) | Cecil Exum passed away on July 3rd, 2023 whilst in intensive care in the United States. | 0 | Cecil Exum played eight seasons across three NBL teams. This included the North Melbourne Giants, Melbourne Tigers and Geelong Supercats. He averaged 10.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 197 NBL games. | COLLEGEAt UNC, Exum was a member of the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team as a sophomore with future Hall of Fame players James Worthy and Michael Jordan. Although Exum played sparingly at UNC, he was drafted by the Denver Nugget. AWARDS- NCAA champion (1982) LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLCecil Exum passed away on July 3rd, 2023 whilst in intensive care in the United States. |
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| 1242 | Gladwin, John | AUS | Gladwin | John | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | FRD | 200 | 98 | 4 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 12.5% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 | 5 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 7 | 14.3% | 0.0% | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 20% | 31% | 49% | 0% | 42% | 57% | 67% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2 | -0.4 | 268.3 | 25146.6 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Canberra (ACT) | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17/05/74 | 19/04/96 | 24/05/96 | 21 | 22 | 0 | BIO: John Gladwin was born in Canberra (ACT) NBL EXPERIENCEJohn Gladwin made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 21 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 63% | 0.0 | 94.8 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.8 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 0.238 | 0.190 | 0.143 | 0.095 | 0.048 | 0.000 | 0.143 | 0.238 | 0.143 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | John Gladwin was born in Canberra (ACT) | John Gladwin made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 21 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. | John Gladwin played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.2 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 4 NBL games. | 0 | John Gladwin played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.2 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 4 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1243 | Gribble, Luke | AUS | Gribble | Luke | 1989 | 1996 | 8 | GRD | 190 | 95 | 191 | 4072 | 927 | 371 | 443 | 103 | 268 | 146 | 12 | 259 | 315 | 307 | 744 | 41.3% | 41.3% | 68 | 194 | 35.1% | 35.1% | 245 | 347 | 70.6% | 70.6% | 239 | 550 | 43.5% | 43.5% | 4.9 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 21.3 | 47% | 47% | 81% | 44% | 51% | 72% | 42% | 62% | 25 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 8 | -5 | -0.2 | 82.5 | 38086.8 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1989-91 | Brisbane 1992-96 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Swan Hill (VIC) | VIC - Swan Hill | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1997 | 30/12/68 | 21/04/89 | 9/10/96 | 20 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Luke Gribble was born in Swan Hill (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Swan Hill basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCELuke Gribble made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 20 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.6 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 46% | 52% | 22% | 47% | 1.2 | 81.1 | 1.73 | 19.6% | 27.71 | 16.20 | 0.8 | 158 | 1741 | 9 | 0.228 | 0.091 | 0.109 | 0.036 | 0.003 | 0.064 | 0.077 | 0.228 | 0.029 | Brisbane Bullets | Hobart Devils | Luke Gribble was born in Swan Hill (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Swan Hill basketball program. | Luke Gribble made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 20 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. | Luke Gribble played eight seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Hobart Devils and the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 191 NBL games. | 0 | Luke Gribble played eight seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Hobart Devils and the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 191 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1244 | Guy, Shaun | AUS | Guy | Shaun | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | FRD | 205 | 94 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 16% | 31% | 39% | 40% | 29% | 0% | 81% | 32% | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | -0.4 | 67.1 | 15751.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Grafton (NSW) | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1996 | Cairns 1997 | 19/02/73 | 10/05/96 | 14/06/96 | 23 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Shaun Guy was born in Grafton (NSW) NBL EXPERIENCEShaun Guy made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0.222 | 0.222 | 0.111 | 0.000 | 0.111 | 0.111 | 0.222 | 0.222 | 0.222 | Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane Bullets | Shaun Guy was born in Grafton (NSW) | Shaun Guy made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 23 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Shaun Guy played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Shaun Guy played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1 points, 1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 2 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1245 | Hansen, Peter | USA | Hansen | Peter | 1991 | 1996 | 4 | CTR | 200 | 105 | 72 | 2229 | 978 | 597 | 125 | 227 | 370 | 79 | 58 | 160 | 223 | 358 | 679 | 52.7% | 52.7% | 13 | 35 | 37.1% | 0.0% | 249 | 386 | 64.5% | 64.5% | 345 | 644 | 53.6% | 53.6% | 13.6 | 8.3 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 31.0 | 78% | 94% | 73% | 93% | 93% | 85% | 90% | 80% | 27 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 7 | -9 | -0.3 | 157.9 | 16496.7 | 12.6 | 12.6 | 0 | Perth (1991, 1995) | 2 | 0 | Perth 1991-92, 1995-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA) | None | St Mary's of California | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Perry Lakes 1989-1990, 1993-1997 | 15/02/65 | 13/04/91 | 8/10/96 | 26 | 31 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Ox BIO: Peter Hansen was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA). Pete Hansen arrived in Australia originally to play for state league team Perry Lakes in 1989. FAMILY: Married to Suzy and together they have a daughter named Skylar. NBL EXPERIENCEPeter Hansen made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 26 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game. After spending a number of seasons playing for Perry Lakes in the WA state league competition, he received the opportunity to play with the Wildcats saw him become one of the league's most consistent players. Alongside James Crawford and Andrew Vlahov the team's frontline became known as the "Perth Wall".
| 10 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.0 | 9.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 54% | 58% | 4% | 57% | 1.4 | 80.5 | 0.61 | 11.6% | 11.02 | 14.11 | 1.9 | 137 | 1700 | 24 | 0.439 | 0.268 | 0.056 | 0.035 | 0.026 | 0.072 | 0.100 | 0.439 | 0.034 | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats | Peter Hansen was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA). Pete Hansen arrived in Australia originally to play for state league team Perry Lakes in 1989. | After spending a number of seasons playing for Perry Lakes in the WA state league competition, he received the opportunity to play with the Wildcats saw him become one of the league's most consistent players. Alongside James Crawford and Andrew Vlahov the team's frontline became known as the "Perth Wall".
| Peter Hansen made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 26 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game. | Peter Hansen played four seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 72 NBL games. | Hansen arrived in Australia to play as a import for Perry Lakes. There he played for the team from 1989-1997, winning a state league championship (SBL) in 1994. | FAMILY: Married to Suzy and together they have a daughter named Skylar. | Married to Suzy and together they have a daughter named Skylar. | - SBL MVP (1989) | Ox | 0 | Peter Hansen played four seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 72 NBL games. | AWARDS- SBL MVP (1989) |
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| 1246 | Harmison, Chuck | USA/GER | Harmison | Chuck | 1982 | 1996 | 15 | F/C | 202 | 97 | 386 | 7733 | 4931 | 2986 | 761 | 1088 | 1898 | 349 | 294 | 567 | 1108 | 2165 | 4210 | 51.4% | 51.4% | 10 | 40 | 25.0% | 0.0% | 591 | 816 | 72.4% | 72.4% | 2155 | 4170 | 51.7% | 51.7% | 12.8 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 20.0 | 76% | 92% | 77% | 90% | 91% | 78% | 89% | 65% | 38 | 22 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 7 | -8 | -0.4 | 170.4 | 39860.6 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Nunawading 1982-83 | Coburg 1983-84 | Bankstown 1985 | West Sydney 1985-86 | Illawarra 1987-96 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Germany | None | Iowa State | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24/02/58 | 13/02/82 | 20/09/96 | 23 | 38 | 0 | BIO: Born in Germany but raised in Ames, Iowa (USA), Harmison was one of the most coveted recruits in the nation coming out of high school. The 6-9 center led Ames High School to a undefeated state championship season in 1976. He then chose to remain in Ames for college where he put up solid numbers for Iowa State from 1977-80. NBL EXPERIENCEChuck Harmison made his NBL debut with the Nunawading Spectres at 23 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game. In 1983, the Spectres paired Harmison with his friend and college teammate Dean Uthoff to form a formiddable frontcourt combination.
| 17 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.6 | 10.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 52% | 54% | 0% | 19% | 1.2 | 81.5 | 1.41 | 8.3% | 12.90 | 9.61 | 1.7 | 643 | 8678 | 22 | 0.360 | 0.214 | 0.073 | 0.031 | 0.023 | 0.048 | 0.095 | 0.360 | 0.033 | Illawarra Hawks | Nunawading Spectres | Born in Germany but raised in Ames, Iowa (USA), Harmison was one of the most coveted recruits in the nation coming out of high school. The 6-9 center led Ames High School to a undefeated state championship season in 1976. He then chose to remain in Ames for college where he put up solid numbers for Iowa State from 1977-80. | In 1983, the Spectres paired Harmison with his friend and college teammate Dean Uthoff to form a formiddable frontcourt combination.
| Chuck Harmison made his NBL debut with the Nunawading Spectres at 23 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game. | Chuck Harmison played fifteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Nunawading Spectres, Coburg Giants, West Sydney Westars and Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 386 NBL games. | COLLEGEIn 1976 the University of Iowa State recruited Harmison, along with future NBL legend Dean Uthoff. Together they helped the Cyclones win eight games as freshman. Harmison averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rrebounds per game.
| In 1976 the University of Iowa State recruited Harmison, along with future NBL legend Dean Uthoff. Together they helped the Cyclones win eight games as freshman. Harmison averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rrebounds per game.
| - 17th in total rebounds - 24th in total blocks | Harmison played one year in Belgium before moving to Australia. | Harmison was a general manager for the Illawarra/Wollongong Hawks for seven years, and the general manager of the NBL from 2004-11. | 0 | | Chuck Harmison played fifteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Nunawading Spectres, Coburg Giants, West Sydney Westars and Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 386 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEIn 1976 the University of Iowa State recruited Harmison, along with future NBL legend Dean Uthoff. Together they helped the Cyclones win eight games as freshman. Harmison averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rrebounds per game.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLHarmison was a general manager for the Illawarra/Wollongong Hawks for seven years, and the general manager of the NBL from 2004-11. |
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| 1247 | Hinchen, Vince | USA | Hinchen | Vince | 1985 | 1996 | 10 | G/F | 195 | 90 | 188 | 5318 | 4039 | 873 | 607 | 397 | 476 | 202 | 80 | 607 | 516 | 1574 | 3358 | 46.9% | 46.9% | 168 | 441 | 38.1% | 38.1% | 723 | 930 | 77.7% | 77.7% | 1406 | 2917 | 48.2% | 48.2% | 21.5 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 28.3 | 95% | 75% | 90% | 84% | 68% | 84% | 78% | 94% | 52 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -15 | -0.5 | 54.7 | 16526.1 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Bankstown 1985 | Nunawading 1986 | Eastside 1987 | Westside Melbourne 1989 | Geelong 1990-91, 1993-94 | Perth 1992 | Melbourne 1996 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | California (USA) | None | Oregon (1979-1980) / Boise State University (1980-1984) | 1984 | 96 | CLE | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/09/63 | 13/04/85 | 3/11/96 | 21 | 33 | 0 | BIO: Vince Hinchen was born in California (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEVince Hinchen made his NBL debut with the Bankstown Bruins at 21 years of age. He scored 36 points in his first game. After being drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1984 and narrowly missing the cut, Hinchen signed with Bankstown prior to the 1985 season.
Hinchen (12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.8 steals across 10 games) made an immediate impression, offering valuable offensive versatility and veteran poise. He was effective both as a scorer and facilitator, helping the team through a turbulent early stretch that saw them start the year 0–4. Unfortunately, Hinchen’s season was cut short, limiting him to just 10 appearances, but his presence was felt during his time on court. The Supercats reshuffled their roster early, replacing Vaughns with high-scoring guard Bobby Locke, whose 50-point debut became one of the league’s most talked-about performances. With Locke (31.6 points per game), 19-year-old Shane Heal (22.4 points, 8.3 assists), and Daren Rowe (18.3 points, league-leading 3.2 blocks) driving the offense, Geelong began to find their rhythm and won 11 games—more than they had in the previous two seasons combined. Although injuries kept Hinchen from fully establishing himself in the rotation, his production in limited minutes demonstrated his potential value to the group. Geelong finished 10th with an 11–15 record and missed the playoffs, but the improvement was clear.
The offseason brought key roster moves. Import forward Daren Rowe was replaced by athletic defender Terry Dozier, who would later be crowned NBL Best Defensive Player. The departure of Andrew Parkinson to Southern Melbourne also opened the door for rookie Leigh Cleary to join the rotation. But it was the returning core—including Vince Hinchen—that laid the foundation for Geelong’s success. The Supercats opened the season with three losses—falling to North Melbourne (109–112), Eastside Spectres (100–119), and Perth (105–110)—before securing a breakthrough 126–106 win on the road against Brisbane. That victory marked a turning point, sparking a red-hot run in which Geelong won 16 of their final 22 games and climbed into the upper tier of the league. At the heart of that success was Vince Hinchen. The 6'5" swingman delivered a career-best season, averaging 24.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.4 steals while consistently playing over 33 minutes a night. Hinchen’s ability to score in isolation, create for teammates, and defend multiple positions made him one of the most complete players in the competition. Whether as a secondary ball-handler or spot-up threat, Hinchen complemented Geelong’s dynamic guard play and brought balance to the offense. Hinchen teamed with sharpshooter Bobby Locke (25.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.0 steals), young star Shane Heal (23.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists), and newcomers Terry Dozier (22.0 points, 9.7 rebounds) and John Dorge (14.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks), forming one of the strongest starting groups in the league. Together, they averaged over 33 minutes per game and did the bulk of the heavy lifting for coach Barry Barnes. Veteran Jim Bateman (7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds) anchored the bench unit, with support from Bruce Hultgren, Leigh Cleary, Mark Griffin, and Shane Crothers. The team leaned into a tight rotation built around chemistry, hustle, and defensive grit. Geelong’s 17–9 finish tied them with Eastside for second spot, but the NBL’s head-to-head tiebreaker rule dropped them to third. Although both teams split their season series 1–1, Eastside claimed the tiebreaker by a single point in overall margin (+1). The Supercats opened the Elimination Finals with a dominant 139–119 win at The Arena over North Melbourne. Hinchen was sensational, scoring 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting while adding 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Shane Heal torched the Giants for 36 points and 11 assists with nine threes, and Dozier delivered 17 points and 13 rebounds in an explosive team performance. North Melbourne bounced back in Game 2, holding serve at home with a 136–116 win. In Game 3, played back in Geelong, the Supercats fell short 125–113. Hinchen again delivered with 23 points and 7 rebounds, but the Giants had too much firepower. Scott Fisher (30 points) and Paul Maley (24 points, 12 rebounds) led the visitors to victory, ending Geelong’s finals run.
Six games into the season, the Supercats received a letter from coach Steve Breheny, which outlined he felt he did not have the support of the club. It was reported that he did not want Branch as part of the team, but the club chose to sign him to a two-year deal anyways. After a loss to Melbourne, Breheny brought Branch off the bench in their next game against Adelaide, feeling he cared more about stats than winning (a sentiment echoed by his former Brisbane coach Brian Kerle). Geelong would win this game (113-100), with Branch playing 36 minutes and scoring 30 points. Branch then skipped trainings, prompting Breheny to pen a letter to management asking for their support or agreeing to re-sign. The Supercats (2-4) accepted his resignation and continued the season under interim coach Terry Kealey. Jim Calvin was hired as a permanent solution shortly after. Branch (26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals) would go on to lead the team statistically, with Morrison (22.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals), Cecil Exum (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals), Borner (16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) and Vince Hinchen (14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals) adding support. The team saw very little support from the bench, with its starting five all playing a minimum of 35 minutes a game and only Wayne Larkins (6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) playing meaningful minutes off the bench. The team basically played with six players for the entire season. With three rounds left, Geelong sat equal last alongside Hobart and Townsville, all three team's sitting on four wins. Geelong, however, reeled off three wins in a row to end the season, knocking off Sydney (126–115), Gold Coast (113–108) and fourth-placed Brisbane (118–115) to end the season on a high note.
Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring. The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne's highest-attended NBL game ever. Gaze (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) led the Tigers in scoring in the loss, while the Magic were led by Tony Ronaldson (28 points) and Mike Kelly (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals). The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne's field goal percentage be the game's deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout. Hinchen played in all three games of the Grand Final series but failed to score any points. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series. | Vince Hinchen was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with pick #96 in the 1984 NBA Draft. | 36 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.4 | 17.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 49% | 54% | 11% | 28% | 1.2 | 81.0 | 1.07 | 6.0% | 12.19 | 12.19 | 1.5 | 282 | 5519 | 29 | 0.561 | 0.116 | 0.095 | 0.030 | 0.012 | 0.084 | 0.075 | 0.561 | 0.048 | Melbourne Tigers | Bankstown Bruins | Vince Hinchen was born in California (USA). | After being drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1984 and narrowly missing the cut, Hinchen signed with Bankstown prior to the 1985 season.
Hinchen (12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.8 steals across 10 games) made an immediate impression, offering valuable offensive versatility and veteran poise. He was effective both as a scorer and facilitator, helping the team through a turbulent early stretch that saw them start the year 0–4. Unfortunately, Hinchen’s season was cut short, limiting him to just 10 appearances, but his presence was felt during his time on court. The Supercats reshuffled their roster early, replacing Vaughns with high-scoring guard Bobby Locke, whose 50-point debut became one of the league’s most talked-about performances. With Locke (31.6 points per game), 19-year-old Shane Heal (22.4 points, 8.3 assists), and Daren Rowe (18.3 points, league-leading 3.2 blocks) driving the offense, Geelong began to find their rhythm and won 11 games—more than they had in the previous two seasons combined. Although injuries kept Hinchen from fully establishing himself in the rotation, his production in limited minutes demonstrated his potential value to the group. Geelong finished 10th with an 11–15 record and missed the playoffs, but the improvement was clear.
The offseason brought key roster moves. Import forward Daren Rowe was replaced by athletic defender Terry Dozier, who would later be crowned NBL Best Defensive Player. The departure of Andrew Parkinson to Southern Melbourne also opened the door for rookie Leigh Cleary to join the rotation. But it was the returning core—including Vince Hinchen—that laid the foundation for Geelong’s success. The Supercats opened the season with three losses—falling to North Melbourne (109–112), Eastside Spectres (100–119), and Perth (105–110)—before securing a breakthrough 126–106 win on the road against Brisbane. That victory marked a turning point, sparking a red-hot run in which Geelong won 16 of their final 22 games and climbed into the upper tier of the league. At the heart of that success was Vince Hinchen. The 6'5" swingman delivered a career-best season, averaging 24.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.4 steals while consistently playing over 33 minutes a night. Hinchen’s ability to score in isolation, create for teammates, and defend multiple positions made him one of the most complete players in the competition. Whether as a secondary ball-handler or spot-up threat, Hinchen complemented Geelong’s dynamic guard play and brought balance to the offense. Hinchen teamed with sharpshooter Bobby Locke (25.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.0 steals), young star Shane Heal (23.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists), and newcomers Terry Dozier (22.0 points, 9.7 rebounds) and John Dorge (14.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks), forming one of the strongest starting groups in the league. Together, they averaged over 33 minutes per game and did the bulk of the heavy lifting for coach Barry Barnes. Veteran Jim Bateman (7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds) anchored the bench unit, with support from Bruce Hultgren, Leigh Cleary, Mark Griffin, and Shane Crothers. The team leaned into a tight rotation built around chemistry, hustle, and defensive grit. Geelong’s 17–9 finish tied them with Eastside for second spot, but the NBL’s head-to-head tiebreaker rule dropped them to third. Although both teams split their season series 1–1, Eastside claimed the tiebreaker by a single point in overall margin (+1). The Supercats opened the Elimination Finals with a dominant 139–119 win at The Arena over North Melbourne. Hinchen was sensational, scoring 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting while adding 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Shane Heal torched the Giants for 36 points and 11 assists with nine threes, and Dozier delivered 17 points and 13 rebounds in an explosive team performance. North Melbourne bounced back in Game 2, holding serve at home with a 136–116 win. In Game 3, played back in Geelong, the Supercats fell short 125–113. Hinchen again delivered with 23 points and 7 rebounds, but the Giants had too much firepower. Scott Fisher (30 points) and Paul Maley (24 points, 12 rebounds) led the visitors to victory, ending Geelong’s finals run.
Six games into the season, the Supercats received a letter from coach Steve Breheny, which outlined he felt he did not have the support of the club. It was reported that he did not want Branch as part of the team, but the club chose to sign him to a two-year deal anyways. After a loss to Melbourne, Breheny brought Branch off the bench in their next game against Adelaide, feeling he cared more about stats than winning (a sentiment echoed by his former Brisbane coach Brian Kerle). Geelong would win this game (113-100), with Branch playing 36 minutes and scoring 30 points. Branch then skipped trainings, prompting Breheny to pen a letter to management asking for their support or agreeing to re-sign. The Supercats (2-4) accepted his resignation and continued the season under interim coach Terry Kealey. Jim Calvin was hired as a permanent solution shortly after. Branch (26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals) would go on to lead the team statistically, with Morrison (22.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals), Cecil Exum (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals), Borner (16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) and Vince Hinchen (14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals) adding support. The team saw very little support from the bench, with its starting five all playing a minimum of 35 minutes a game and only Wayne Larkins (6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) playing meaningful minutes off the bench. The team basically played with six players for the entire season. With three rounds left, Geelong sat equal last alongside Hobart and Townsville, all three team's sitting on four wins. Geelong, however, reeled off three wins in a row to end the season, knocking off Sydney (126–115), Gold Coast (113–108) and fourth-placed Brisbane (118–115) to end the season on a high note.
Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history. Melbourne would ride the coattails of their 'Big Three' through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring. The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne's highest-attended NBL game ever. Gaze (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) led the Tigers in scoring in the loss, while the Magic were led by Tony Ronaldson (28 points) and Mike Kelly (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals). The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne's field goal percentage be the game's deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout. Hinchen played in all three games of the Grand Final series but failed to score any points. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series. | Vince Hinchen made his NBL debut with the Bankstown Bruins at 21 years of age. He scored 36 points in his first game. | Vince Hinchen played ten seasons across seven NBL teams. This included the Bankstown Bruins, Nunawading Spectres, Westside Melbourne Saints, Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Geelong Supercats, Perth Wildcats and Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 21.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 188 NBL games. | Vince Hinchen was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with pick #96 in the 1984 NBA Draft. | 1000 | Vince Hinchen played ten seasons across seven NBL teams. This included the Bankstown Bruins, Nunawading Spectres, Westside Melbourne Saints, Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Geelong Supercats, Perth Wildcats and Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 21.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 188 NBL games. | AWARDS- 1x All-NBL Second Team |
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| 1248 | Houle, Matthew | USA | Houle | Matthew | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | FRD | 199 | #N/A | 4 | 173 | 88 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 33 | 73 | 45.2% | 0.0% | 9 | 30 | 30.0% | 0.0% | 13 | 14 | 92.9% | 0.0% | 24 | 43 | 55.8% | 0.0% | 22.0 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 43.3 | 96% | 81% | 68% | 73% | 85% | 81% | 81% | 97% | 28 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 6 | -14 | -0.3 | 146.3 | 7544.5 | 13.3 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Phoenix, Arizona (USA) | None | Portland (1989-94) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Southern 1999 | 7/1/71 | 1/06/96 | 14/06/96 | 25 | 25 | 0 | BIO: Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona (USA), Houle attended Saint Mary’s High School where he averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds as a senior. His 1988-89 team was ranked third in Arizona and finished with a 20-5 record. Averaged 15 points and was named honorable mention all-Skyline and all-state as a sophomore which included a 45 point, 17 rebound game vs. state champion Corona Del Sol. FAMILY: Parents Harry and Emma Lu Houle NBL EXPERIENCEMatthew Houle made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 25 years of age. He scored 12 points in his first game. | 12 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.3 | 18.3 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 7.5 | 51% | 56% | 27% | 19% | 1.2 | 78.9 | 0.00 | 5.5% | 5.99 | 0.00 | 1.5 | 6 | 116 | 29 | 0.509 | 0.127 | 0.035 | 0.023 | 0.012 | 0.087 | 0.046 | 0.509 | 0.162 | Gold Coast Rollers | Gold Coast Rollers | Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona (USA), Houle attended Saint Mary’s High School where he averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds as a senior. His 1988-89 team was ranked third in Arizona and finished with a 20-5 record. Averaged 15 points and was named honorable mention all-Skyline and all-state as a sophomore which included a 45 point, 17 rebound game vs. state champion Corona Del Sol. | Matthew Houle made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 25 years of age. He scored 12 points in his first game. | Matthew Houle played one season in the NBL. He averaged 22 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 4 NBL games. | Played for the Southern Tigers in 1999. | COLLEGEPlayed 110 games at the University of Portland where he averaged 11.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. Led the West Coast Conference in Free Throw Percentage (.832) during the 1993-94 season. As a freshman (1989-90), he was named West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. Houle started in 19 games and played all 28. Led the team in free throw percentage (31-of-35). Scored a season-high 16 points, including 9-of-10 free throws, in his collegiate start vs. Seattle.
Declared a redshirt due to a ongoing shoulder injury during the 1991-92 season.
| Played 110 games at the University of Portland where he averaged 11.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. Led the West Coast Conference in Free Throw Percentage (.832) during the 1993-94 season. As a freshman (1989-90), he was named West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. Houle started in 19 games and played all 28. Led the team in free throw percentage (31-of-35). Scored a season-high 16 points, including 9-of-10 free throws, in his collegiate start vs. Seattle.
Declared a redshirt due to a ongoing shoulder injury during the 1991-92 season.
| FAMILY: Parents Harry and Emma Lu Houle | Parents Harry and Emma Lu Houle | 0 | Matthew Houle played one season in the NBL. He averaged 22 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 4 NBL games. | COLLEGEPlayed 110 games at the University of Portland where he averaged 11.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. Led the West Coast Conference in Free Throw Percentage (.832) during the 1993-94 season. As a freshman (1989-90), he was named West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. Houle started in 19 games and played all 28. Led the team in free throw percentage (31-of-35). Scored a season-high 16 points, including 9-of-10 free throws, in his collegiate start vs. Seattle.
Declared a redshirt due to a ongoing shoulder injury during the 1991-92 season.
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| 1249 | Hubbard, Greg | AUS | Hubbard | Greg | 1987 | 1996 | 10 | GRD | 186 | 86 | 253 | 8754 | 3772 | 814 | 948 | 240 | 574 | 409 | 10 | 652 | 574 | 1440 | 3288 | 43.8% | 43.8% | 497 | 1325 | 37.5% | 37.5% | 395 | 492 | 80.3% | 80.3% | 943 | 1963 | 48.0% | 48.0% | 14.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 34.6 | 82% | 62% | 93% | 61% | 65% | 95% | 38% | 86% | 40 | 11 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 | -11 | -0.3 | 136.5 | 10791.6 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Illawarra 1987-92, 1996 | Sydney 1993-95 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1994 | Australia | 2 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 67% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 6.5 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Wollongong (NSW) | NSW - Wagga Wagga | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Illawarra 1998 | 13/10/66 | 25/04/87 | 20/09/96 | 20 | 29 | 0 | BIO: Greg Hubbard was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Wagga Wagga basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEGreg Hubbard made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 20 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game. Greg Hubbard, a product of Wagga Wagga, joined the Illawarra Hawks in 1987 as a 21-year-old and averaged 11 points in 28 minutes per game en route to claiming the NBL Rookie of the Year Award (the first Hawk to do so).
The Hawks managed only six wins this season, finishing with a 6-20 record.
He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Import point guard Andre LaFleur in his sixth season had begun to show clear signs of slowing down, averaging 18.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, all career lows. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. Hubbard would finish the year averaging 6.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game." | Hubbard become part of the Boomers program in 1989 and represented Australia at the FIBA World Championships in 1994 where alongside Andrew Gaze, who led the tournament in scoring (23.9 ppg), he helped Australia finish second in their pool to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to Russia (76–103) in a game which eliminated them from the medal rounds. The Boomers would finish fifth overall, equalling their best ever result at a World Championship. | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.7 | 13.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 5.2 | 51% | 54% | 35% | 15% | 1.1 | 78.3 | 2.79 | 12.4% | 18.57 | 12.77 | 1.7 | 419 | 5534 | 22 | 0.431 | 0.093 | 0.108 | 0.047 | 0.001 | 0.074 | 0.066 | 0.431 | 0.033 | Illawarra Hawks | Illawarra Hawks | Greg Hubbard was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Wagga Wagga basketball program. | Greg Hubbard, a product of Wagga Wagga, joined the Illawarra Hawks in 1987 as a 21-year-old and averaged 11 points in 28 minutes per game en route to claiming the NBL Rookie of the Year Award (the first Hawk to do so).
The Hawks managed only six wins this season, finishing with a 6-20 record.
He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Import point guard Andre LaFleur in his sixth season had begun to show clear signs of slowing down, averaging 18.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, all career lows. Hawks legend Greg Hubbard also struggled to overcome a back injury which saw him average 6 points in 16 minutes per game (lowest minutes of career) and retire at the end of the season. Hubbard would finish the year averaging 6.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game." | Greg Hubbard made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 20 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game. | Greg Hubbard played ten seasons in the NBL. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 253 NBL games. | - 42nd in total steals | Hubbard become part of the Boomers program in 1989 and represented Australia at the FIBA World Championships in 1994 where alongside Andrew Gaze, who led the tournament in scoring (23.9 ppg), he helped Australia finish second in their pool to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to Russia (76–103) in a game which eliminated them from the medal rounds. The Boomers would finish fifth overall, equalling their best ever result at a World Championship. | 0 | | Greg Hubbard played ten seasons in the NBL. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 253 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | AWARDS- NBL Rookie Of The Year (1987) |
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| 1250 | LaFleur, Andre | USA | LaFleur | Andre | 1991 | 1996 | 6 | GRD | 190 | 93 | 150 | 6691 | 3152 | 443 | 1216 | 138 | 305 | 327 | 21 | 510 | 523 | 1117 | 2287 | 48.8% | 48.8% | 306 | 771 | 39.7% | 39.7% | 612 | 781 | 78.4% | 78.4% | 811 | 1516 | 53.5% | 53.5% | 21.0 | 3.0 | 8.1 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 44.6 | 95% | 59% | 100% | 60% | 62% | 99% | 55% | 95% | 38 | 10 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 9 | -13 | -0.3 | 36.4 | 48697.3 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1991-94 | Illawarra 1995-96 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Los Angeles, California (USA) | None | Northeastern University | 1987 | 104 | HOU | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mount Gambier 1989-90 | Gold Coast 1990 | Sydney 1998 | 22/03/65 | 13/04/91 | 20/09/96 | 26 | 31 | 0 | BIO: Andre LaFleur was born in Los Angeles, California (USA). LaFleur arrived in Australia in 1989 as a import for state league team Mount Gambier. At the end of the season, he was given a try-out with the Brisbane Bullets but ultimately beaten to the spot by Derek Rucker. LaFleur would spend another season playing for Mount Gambier, waiting for a second chance at the NBL, which came in 1991 when he was signed by the Gold Coast Rollers. NBL EXPERIENCEAndre LaFleur made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 26 years of age. He scored 27 points in his first game. In 1991, Gold Coast re-branded themselves from the Cougars to the Rollers and under new head coach Dave Claxton they recorded their best team result ever, finishing with 14 wins and 12 losses. The team was headlined by import stars Mike Mitchell (29 points per game) and Andre LaFleur (22 points per game) but despite the winning record the Rollers would not qualify for the post season. LaFleur contributed 22.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in what would be the most successful year of the franchise's six years of existance.
Mitchell had averaged 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3 assists prior to the injury and left a huge hole at both ends of the court. Willie Jennette, who had averaged 37.3 points over three seasons in the state league (SEABL) was signed as his replacement. LaFleur stepped up in Mitchell’s absence, he averaged 22.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 9.6 assists for the season but the Rollers were unable to cover Mitchell's loss. The team struggled to generate wins against any of the top team's and finished in 10th place, with a record of 11-13.
1994 was the third season in a row where the Rollers finished in 10th place, although they had won fewer and fewer games each year. LaFleur averaged 19.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 8 assists this season, which would end in a major revamp at the end of the year with the team not re-signing import duo Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur.
Under new head coach Brendan Joyce, The Hawks would struggle to find wins during the year and finished in 10th place with a record of 9-17. | Andre LaFleur was drafted by the Houston Rockets with pick #104 in the 1987 NBA Draft. | 27 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.4 | 15.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 5.1 | 56% | 60% | 27% | 34% | 1.4 | 77.5 | 6.89 | 14.3% | 27.91 | 11.71 | 2.3 | 348 | 4811 | 32 | 0.471 | 0.066 | 0.182 | 0.049 | 0.003 | 0.076 | 0.078 | 0.471 | 0.031 | Illawarra Hawks | Gold Coast Rollers | Andre LaFleur was born in Los Angeles, California (USA). LaFleur arrived in Australia in 1989 as a import for state league team Mount Gambier. At the end of the season, he was given a try-out with the Brisbane Bullets but ultimately beaten to the spot by Derek Rucker. LaFleur would spend another season playing for Mount Gambier, waiting for a second chance at the NBL, which came in 1991 when he was signed by the Gold Coast Rollers. | In 1991, Gold Coast re-branded themselves from the Cougars to the Rollers and under new head coach Dave Claxton they recorded their best team result ever, finishing with 14 wins and 12 losses. The team was headlined by import stars Mike Mitchell (29 points per game) and Andre LaFleur (22 points per game) but despite the winning record the Rollers would not qualify for the post season. LaFleur contributed 22.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in what would be the most successful year of the franchise's six years of existance.
Mitchell had averaged 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3 assists prior to the injury and left a huge hole at both ends of the court. Willie Jennette, who had averaged 37.3 points over three seasons in the state league (SEABL) was signed as his replacement. LaFleur stepped up in Mitchell’s absence, he averaged 22.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 9.6 assists for the season but the Rollers were unable to cover Mitchell's loss. The team struggled to generate wins against any of the top team's and finished in 10th place, with a record of 11-13.
1994 was the third season in a row where the Rollers finished in 10th place, although they had won fewer and fewer games each year. LaFleur averaged 19.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 8 assists this season, which would end in a major revamp at the end of the year with the team not re-signing import duo Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur.
Under new head coach Brendan Joyce, The Hawks would struggle to find wins during the year and finished in 10th place with a record of 9-17. | Andre LaFleur made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 26 years of age. He scored 27 points in his first game. | Andre LaFleur played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Gold Coast Rollers and the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 21 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 150 NBL games. | COLLEGELaFleur started in his very first game as a Husky, scoring nine points and adding four assists against Purdue. His last appearance was also versus Purdue, a NCAA Tournament game in which he had 22 points and four assists. As a freshman, he made the conference All-Rookie Team and during his junior and senior years he was named All-Conference.
| LaFleur started in his very first game as a Husky, scoring nine points and adding four assists against Purdue. His last appearance was also versus Purdue, a NCAA Tournament game in which he had 22 points and four assists. As a freshman, he made the conference All-Rookie Team and during his junior and senior years he was named All-Conference.
| - 33rd in total assists - 2nd in assists per game. - 29th in steals per game. | Andre LaFleur was drafted by the Houston Rockets with pick #104 in the 1987 NBA Draft. | | LaFleur joined the coaching staff at Connecticut under Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun in 2001 where he helped the Huskies capture two national championships (2004 and 2011) and record a 258-88 mark (.764). The team also went to a Sweet 16 and an Elite 8 during his time on the staff, which was the most successful era in program history.
After spent ten years at UConn, LaFLeur then took up a role as associate head coach at Providence under Ed Cooley. While at Providence the team played in the postseason during each of his last four years on the staff, including the last three in the NCAA Tournament where the team was led by All-America point guard Kris Dunn. After five seasons at Providence he joined the UNLV men's basketball program as an assistant coach in 2016. After completing his first season with the Runnin' Rebels, he helped bring in a recruiting class for the 2017-18 season that was ranked as high as No. 12 in the country. | 0 | Andre LaFleur played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Gold Coast Rollers and the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 21 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 150 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGELaFleur started in his very first game as a Husky, scoring nine points and adding four assists against Purdue. His last appearance was also versus Purdue, a NCAA Tournament game in which he had 22 points and four assists. As a freshman, he made the conference All-Rookie Team and during his junior and senior years he was named All-Conference.
AWARDS- 2x All-NBL Second Team COACHING HISTORYLaFleur joined the coaching staff at Connecticut under Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun in 2001 where he helped the Huskies capture two national championships (2004 and 2011) and record a 258-88 mark (.764). The team also went to a Sweet 16 and an Elite 8 during his time on the staff, which was the most successful era in program history.
After spent ten years at UConn, LaFLeur then took up a role as associate head coach at Providence under Ed Cooley. While at Providence the team played in the postseason during each of his last four years on the staff, including the last three in the NCAA Tournament where the team was led by All-America point guard Kris Dunn. After five seasons at Providence he joined the UNLV men's basketball program as an assistant coach in 2016. After completing his first season with the Runnin' Rebels, he helped bring in a recruiting class for the 2017-18 season that was ranked as high as No. 12 in the country. |
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| 1251 | Larkins, Wayne | AUS | Larkins | Wayne | 1982 | 1996 | 15 | GRD | 174 | 71 | 347 | 5700 | 1937 | 729 | 1062 | 212 | 517 | 504 | 12 | 523 | 864 | 712 | 1809 | 39.4% | 39.4% | 197 | 574 | 34.3% | 34.3% | 316 | 492 | 64.2% | 64.2% | 515 | 1235 | 41.7% | 41.7% | 5.6 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 16.4 | 50% | 51% | 89% | 47% | 53% | 93% | 37% | 66% | 23 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 7 | -6 | -0.4 | 13.5 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | St Kilda 1982-86 | Westside 1987-88 | Eastside 1989-90 | South East Melbourne 1991 | Geelong 1992-93 | Brisbane 1994-95 | Gold Coast 1996 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Swan Hill (VIC) | VIC - Swan Hill | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | St Kilda 1988 | 25/05/65 | 24/04/82 | 27/09/96 | 16 | 31 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Dog BIO: Wayne Larkins was born in Swan Hill (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Swan Hill basketball program. FAMILY: Wayne's son Nelson Larkins also played 20 games in the NBL. NBL EXPERIENCEWayne Larkins made his NBL debut with the St Kilda Pumas at 16 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. At 16 years of age, Larkins remains one of the youngest players to have ever played in the NBL. Larkins would see limited playing opportunities in his rookie season, appearing in only 4 games and scoring a total of 12 points. That year, the Puma's finished with a record of 17-9 and in sixth place during the regular season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
The only changes to the local roster were the exits of veterans Paul Hotchins and Warren Pink, who were then replaced with Darren Perry (Brisbane) and Nunawading junior Tony Ronaldson, who had just completed a year at the Australian Institute of Sport. The departure of import Arne Duncan then made room for the return of former Spectre Bruce Bolden. To kick off the season, Eastside was tipped to be the big improvers of 1990 after finishing 'best of the rest' the year prior. The team started off by winning its first three games on the schedule, but over the course of the season, the team never seemed to be able to beat the league's best. While they knocked off the majority of the league, losses they couldn't see to deliver wins against elite team's like Perth, Brisbane and North Melbourne. In Round 21, Eastside turned things around with a win over crosstown rivals North Melbourne (118-111), but then followed that up with a 3-2 run home.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Larkins also contributed 4.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
Six games into the season, the Supercats received a letter from coach Steve Breheny, which outlined he felt he did not have the support of the club. It was reported that he did not want Branch as part of the team, but the club chose to sign him to a two-year deal anyways. After a loss to Melbourne, Breheny brought Branch off the bench in their next game against Adelaide, feeling he cared more about stats than winning (a sentiment echoed by his former Brisbane coach Brian Kerle). Geelong would win this game (113-100), with Branch playing 36 minutes and scoring 30 points. Branch then skipped trainings, prompting Breheny to pen a letter to management asking for their support or agreeing to re-sign. The Supercats (2-4) accepted his resignation and continued the season under interim coach Terry Kealey. Jim Calvin was hired as a permanent solution shortly after. Branch (26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals) would go on to lead the team statistically, with Morrison (22.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals), Cecil Exum (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals), Borner (16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) and Vince Hinchen (14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals) adding support. The team saw very little support from the bench, with its starting five all playing a minimum of 35 minutes a game and only Wayne Larkins (6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) playing meaningful minutes off the bench. The team basically played with six players for the entire season. With three rounds left, Geelong sat equal last alongside Hobart and Townsville, all three team's sitting on four wins. Geelong, however, reeled off three wins in a row to end the season, knocking off Sydney (126–115), Gold Coast (113–108) and fourth-placed Brisbane (118–115) to end the season on a high note.
John Rillie, who had just graduated from Gonzaga University, was a late addition to the team signed to backup Brisbane's leading scorer Shane Heal.
Larkins averaged 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists but the only notable part of the Rollers final season would be a last ditch effort to draw crowds by adding former Sydney Kings star Dwayne McClain to the roster for the last six games of season. The team compiled a record of 6 wins and 20 losses and would not return in 1997. With the league reducing in size from 14 team's to 11, Larkins was unable to find another team to play with and retired at season's end. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.1 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 45% | 48% | 28% | 27% | 1.1 | 81.0 | 3.01 | 27.9% | 29.41 | 14.49 | 1.5 | 516 | 3728 | 11 | 0.262 | 0.093 | 0.142 | 0.063 | 0.002 | 0.068 | 0.111 | 0.262 | 0.025 | Gold Coast Rollers | St Kilda Pumas | Wayne Larkins was born in Swan Hill (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Swan Hill basketball program. | At 16 years of age, Larkins remains one of the youngest players to have ever played in the NBL. Larkins would see limited playing opportunities in his rookie season, appearing in only 4 games and scoring a total of 12 points. That year, the Puma's finished with a record of 17-9 and in sixth place during the regular season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
The only changes to the local roster were the exits of veterans Paul Hotchins and Warren Pink, who were then replaced with Darren Perry (Brisbane) and Nunawading junior Tony Ronaldson, who had just completed a year at the Australian Institute of Sport. The departure of import Arne Duncan then made room for the return of former Spectre Bruce Bolden. To kick off the season, Eastside was tipped to be the big improvers of 1990 after finishing 'best of the rest' the year prior. The team started off by winning its first three games on the schedule, but over the course of the season, the team never seemed to be able to beat the league's best. While they knocked off the majority of the league, losses they couldn't see to deliver wins against elite team's like Perth, Brisbane and North Melbourne. In Round 21, Eastside turned things around with a win over crosstown rivals North Melbourne (118-111), but then followed that up with a 3-2 run home.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Larkins also contributed 4.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
Six games into the season, the Supercats received a letter from coach Steve Breheny, which outlined he felt he did not have the support of the club. It was reported that he did not want Branch as part of the team, but the club chose to sign him to a two-year deal anyways. After a loss to Melbourne, Breheny brought Branch off the bench in their next game against Adelaide, feeling he cared more about stats than winning (a sentiment echoed by his former Brisbane coach Brian Kerle). Geelong would win this game (113-100), with Branch playing 36 minutes and scoring 30 points. Branch then skipped trainings, prompting Breheny to pen a letter to management asking for their support or agreeing to re-sign. The Supercats (2-4) accepted his resignation and continued the season under interim coach Terry Kealey. Jim Calvin was hired as a permanent solution shortly after. Branch (26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals) would go on to lead the team statistically, with Morrison (22.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals), Cecil Exum (16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals), Borner (16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) and Vince Hinchen (14.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals) adding support. The team saw very little support from the bench, with its starting five all playing a minimum of 35 minutes a game and only Wayne Larkins (6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) playing meaningful minutes off the bench. The team basically played with six players for the entire season. With three rounds left, Geelong sat equal last alongside Hobart and Townsville, all three team's sitting on four wins. Geelong, however, reeled off three wins in a row to end the season, knocking off Sydney (126–115), Gold Coast (113–108) and fourth-placed Brisbane (118–115) to end the season on a high note.
John Rillie, who had just graduated from Gonzaga University, was a late addition to the team signed to backup Brisbane's leading scorer Shane Heal.
Larkins averaged 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists but the only notable part of the Rollers final season would be a last ditch effort to draw crowds by adding former Sydney Kings star Dwayne McClain to the roster for the last six games of season. The team compiled a record of 6 wins and 20 losses and would not return in 1997. With the league reducing in size from 14 team's to 11, Larkins was unable to find another team to play with and retired at season's end. | Wayne Larkins made his NBL debut with the St Kilda Pumas at 16 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Wayne Larkins played fifteen seasons across seven NBL teams. This included the St Kilda Pumas, Westside Melbourne Saints, Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Geelong Supercats, Brisbane Bullets and Gold Coast Rollers. He averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3 assists in 347 NBL games. | - 44th in total assists - 26th in total steals | FAMILY: Wayne's son Nelson Larkins also played 20 games in the NBL. | Acted as Brisbane Bullets Assistant Coach under Brian Kerle. After Kerle was let go from the Bullets, Larkins became the head coach of South West Metro Pirates Head Coach in the Queensland state leagues. He spent three years (2000-2002) there before accepting a head coaching position with the Bendigo Braves. Whilst in Bendigo, LArkins guided the team to SEABL Conference finals in 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008, winning SEABL Championships in 2005 and 2007. Additionally, in 2005 the Bendigo Braves took the National ABA title. Larkins returned to coach the South West Metro Pirates in the Queensland state league during the 2019 QBL season. | Outside of basketball Larkins also built a successful business RampAttak an Indoor Skatepark and skate shop based in Geebung (QLD). | Dog | 2000.3 | Wayne Larkins played fifteen seasons across seven NBL teams. This included the St Kilda Pumas, Westside Melbourne Saints, Eastside Melbourne Spectres, Geelong Supercats, Brisbane Bullets and Gold Coast Rollers. He averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3 assists in 347 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COACHING HISTORYActed as Brisbane Bullets Assistant Coach under Brian Kerle. After Kerle was let go from the Bullets, Larkins became the head coach of South West Metro Pirates Head Coach in the Queensland state leagues. He spent three years (2000-2002) there before accepting a head coaching position with the Bendigo Braves. Whilst in Bendigo, LArkins guided the team to SEABL Conference finals in 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008, winning SEABL Championships in 2005 and 2007. Additionally, in 2005 the Bendigo Braves took the National ABA title. Larkins returned to coach the South West Metro Pirates in the Queensland state league during the 2019 QBL season. LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLOutside of basketball Larkins also built a successful business RampAttak an Indoor Skatepark and skate shop based in Geebung (QLD). |
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| 1252 | Leonard, Jarrod | AUS | Leonard | Jarrod | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | GRD | 188 | 80 | 5 | 47 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 4 | 7 | 57.1% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 3 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 3.2 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 9.4 | 36% | 28% | 63% | 25% | 32% | 35% | 0% | 63% | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | -0.3 | 103.1 | 14442.8 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Geelong (VIC) | VIC - Geelong | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1996-98 | 18/05/77 | 16/08/96 | 28/09/96 | 19 | 19 | 0 | BIO: Jarrod Leonard was born in Geelong (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Geelong basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEJarrod Leonard made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 19 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 80% | 80% | 67% | 0% | 1.6 | 67.2 | 0.00 | 10.0% | 26.09 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 1 | 26 | 5 | 0.340 | 0.085 | 0.128 | 0.021 | 0.000 | 0.149 | 0.064 | 0.340 | 0.170 | Geelong Supercats | Geelong Supercats | Jarrod Leonard was born in Geelong (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Geelong basketball program. | Jarrod Leonard made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 19 years of age. He scored three points in his first game. | Jarrod Leonard played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 5 NBL games. | 0 | Jarrod Leonard played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 5 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1253 | Lucas, Darren | AUS | Lucas | Darren | 1986 | 1996 | 11 | GRD | 188 | 85 | 313 | 7910 | 3613 | 1086 | 880 | 538 | 548 | 401 | 94 | 504 | 876 | 1496 | 2989 | 50.1% | 50.1% | 19 | 93 | 20.4% | 0.0% | 602 | 930 | 64.7% | 64.7% | 1477 | 2896 | 51.0% | 51.0% | 11.5 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 25.3 | 72% | 65% | 87% | 77% | 57% | 90% | 72% | 68% | 45 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | -8 | -0.3 | 32.4 | 43913.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 0 | South East Melbourne (1992, 1996) | 2 | 0 | Nunawading 1986 | Eastside 1987-90 | South East Melbourne 1991-96 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 1 | 1984 | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Bulleen | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1984 | Sandringham 1995 | Frankston 1998 | 21/05/66 | 27/04/86 | 3/11/96 | 19 | 30 | 0 | BIO: Darren Lucas was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Bulleen Boomers and then the Nunawading Spectres before receiving a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent one year there and played for the program's SEABL league team. There he developed his game alongside other future NBL stars like Shane Froling, David Graham, Graham Kubank, Trevor Torrance, Mark Dalton and NBA star Luc Longley. NBL EXPERIENCEDarren Lucas made his NBL debut with the Nunawading Spectres at 19 years of age. He scored 19 points in his first game. At 20 years of age, he returned from Canberra (AIS) to play for the Nunawading Spectres NBL squad in 1986. He averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in his first season, the Spectres however struggled, finishing 10th on the NBL ladder.
Once appointed as head coach Goorjian, import Bruce Bolden and Brendan Joyce left for rival club Westside Melbourne and Peter Blight headed to Hobart. Goorjian retained the younger players on the roster, Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon, Shane Froling and Darren Lucas and but decided not to re-sign the team's leading scorer from last season, Vince Hinchen. Instead, he would look to find a import better suited to the new look roster. Goorjian struggled to find the right US talent to balance out the team. His first import, Kevin Ross (14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds), lasted only two games before being sent back to the US, and his replacement Quentin Anderson (12.0 points, 9.5 rebounds), wasn't much better and was also given the axe after two games. Goorjian had also signed Harvard University's leading scorer Arne Duncan to pair with the aforementioned Ross and Anderson. Duncan (24.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists) was a totally different story. A blue-chip athlete who went on the lead the team in scoring and in fact, packed a suitcase and flew to Australia with just a week's notice after narrowly missing out on a contract with the Boston Celtics. Mid-season Goorjian then signed Rick Sharpe (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists), who had played for his father Ed Goorjian at the University of Loyola and formed a nice tandem with Dean Uthoff (18.3 points, 17.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists). 22-year-old Lucas would be given the green light in his second season. He saw his minutes almost double (25 per game to 38 per game) and, as a result, saw his numbers skyrocket from 8.8 points to 23.1 points per game while also adding 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals. This included his 45-point career-high against the Perth Wildcats. Alongside local talent Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon and Shane Froling the 22-year-old Lucas would be given the green light in his second season. He saw his minutes almost double (25 per game to 38 per game) and, as a result, saw his numbers skyrocket from 8.8 points to 23.1 points per game while also adding 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals. This included his 45-point career-high against the Perth Wildcats. Eastside finished the season with 11 wins, 13 losses, and in the eleventh spot, leading Goorjian to describe the season as a 'disaster'. Lucas would go on to be named the league's Most Improved Player that year in one of the few positives of the Spectres season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Lucas contributed 13.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
The team got off to a strong start to the year, winning six of their first seven games but felt a change was needed and released Newton, replacing him with LA Clippers guard Rob Rose. From there, the Magic rarely missed a beat, winning all 12 of their home games and losing only four games for the regular season. Lucas would average 10 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists that season, remarkably while working a full-time job at the same time. Throughout his NBL career, Lucas had permission from his coaches to avoid the early morning training sessions while he worked for Xerox and then join the team in their afternoon training sessions. Lucas would then return to his full-time work for another two-three hours before finishing for the day. The Magic's strong finish to the season would see head coach Brian Goorjian win the league's coach of the year award for the first time and set up a playoffs matchup against the Canberra Cannons. The Magic would make short work of the Cannons, defeating them in two straight games. This set-up a semi-final series against the North Melbourne Giants whom they would also elimate with two straight games. The win set up a NBL Grand Final against their crosstown rival Melbourne Tigers (15-9), who had finished third on the ladder.
On opening night, Lucas made an early statement with a well-rounded performance in the Magic’s 106–86 win over Canberra, finishing with 16 points (5-of-9 FG), 7 assists, and 2 steals while going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. His energy set the tone for the season and reinforced his status as one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders.
In a interesting nod to the future, due to injury the Magic replaced him with state league star Mike Kelly who would become a major part of the Magic roster in 1997. South East Melbourne was unbeatable at home all season (11-2) butcould never replicate that on the road, losing half their away games and finishing third on the ladder (18-18). In the postseason, South East swept Perth in two games to set up a semi-finals matchup against crosstown rival North Melbourne. The Giants delivered a major upset in game one, convincingly defeating the Magic (108-87). In game two, it was much closer. In fact, the game was only decided in the final minute (76-79), and if Adonis Jordan hadn't missed a three-point heave at the buzzer (many thought he could have made a extra pass to a open David Graham for a better shot), the Magic might have been able to force a third game. Instead, the South East Melbourne's season came to a end.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer Anstey a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn't match. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team's players were reinstated to their previous contracts.
Additionally, 33-year-old big man John Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge's improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season. Lucas also averaged 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league's Best Defensive Player award.
The Magic then eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in two straight games, Lucas had his best games of the postseason against the 36ers, scoring only 8 points in game one and 6 points in game two which helped propel the Magic past Adelaide and onto a Grand Final matchup with crosstown rival the Melbourne Tigers.
In the third and deciding game the Magic delivered the final blow a 30 point blowout victory, 107-70 with Lucas contributing 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three game series.
| 19 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.8 | 9.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 50% | 53% | 1% | 31% | 1.2 | 81.7 | 2.48 | 13.4% | 18.40 | 10.54 | 1.6 | 495 | 5579 | 18 | 0.425 | 0.125 | 0.106 | 0.046 | 0.010 | 0.058 | 0.103 | 0.425 | 0.031 | South East Melbourne Magic | Nunawading Spectres | Darren Lucas was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Bulleen Boomers and then the Nunawading Spectres before receiving a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent one year there and played for the program's SEABL league team. There he developed his game alongside other future NBL stars like Shane Froling, David Graham, Graham Kubank, Trevor Torrance, Mark Dalton and NBA star Luc Longley. | At 20 years of age, he returned from Canberra (AIS) to play for the Nunawading Spectres NBL squad in 1986. He averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in his first season, the Spectres however struggled, finishing 10th on the NBL ladder.
Once appointed as head coach Goorjian, import Bruce Bolden and Brendan Joyce left for rival club Westside Melbourne and Peter Blight headed to Hobart. Goorjian retained the younger players on the roster, Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon, Shane Froling and Darren Lucas and but decided not to re-sign the team's leading scorer from last season, Vince Hinchen. Instead, he would look to find a import better suited to the new look roster. Goorjian struggled to find the right US talent to balance out the team. His first import, Kevin Ross (14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds), lasted only two games before being sent back to the US, and his replacement Quentin Anderson (12.0 points, 9.5 rebounds), wasn't much better and was also given the axe after two games. Goorjian had also signed Harvard University's leading scorer Arne Duncan to pair with the aforementioned Ross and Anderson. Duncan (24.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists) was a totally different story. A blue-chip athlete who went on the lead the team in scoring and in fact, packed a suitcase and flew to Australia with just a week's notice after narrowly missing out on a contract with the Boston Celtics. Mid-season Goorjian then signed Rick Sharpe (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists), who had played for his father Ed Goorjian at the University of Loyola and formed a nice tandem with Dean Uthoff (18.3 points, 17.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists). 22-year-old Lucas would be given the green light in his second season. He saw his minutes almost double (25 per game to 38 per game) and, as a result, saw his numbers skyrocket from 8.8 points to 23.1 points per game while also adding 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals. This included his 45-point career-high against the Perth Wildcats. Alongside local talent Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon and Shane Froling the 22-year-old Lucas would be given the green light in his second season. He saw his minutes almost double (25 per game to 38 per game) and, as a result, saw his numbers skyrocket from 8.8 points to 23.1 points per game while also adding 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals. This included his 45-point career-high against the Perth Wildcats. Eastside finished the season with 11 wins, 13 losses, and in the eleventh spot, leading Goorjian to describe the season as a 'disaster'. Lucas would go on to be named the league's Most Improved Player that year in one of the few positives of the Spectres season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Lucas contributed 13.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
The team got off to a strong start to the year, winning six of their first seven games but felt a change was needed and released Newton, replacing him with LA Clippers guard Rob Rose. From there, the Magic rarely missed a beat, winning all 12 of their home games and losing only four games for the regular season. Lucas would average 10 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists that season, remarkably while working a full-time job at the same time. Throughout his NBL career, Lucas had permission from his coaches to avoid the early morning training sessions while he worked for Xerox and then join the team in their afternoon training sessions. Lucas would then return to his full-time work for another two-three hours before finishing for the day. The Magic's strong finish to the season would see head coach Brian Goorjian win the league's coach of the year award for the first time and set up a playoffs matchup against the Canberra Cannons. The Magic would make short work of the Cannons, defeating them in two straight games. This set-up a semi-final series against the North Melbourne Giants whom they would also elimate with two straight games. The win set up a NBL Grand Final against their crosstown rival Melbourne Tigers (15-9), who had finished third on the ladder.
On opening night, Lucas made an early statement with a well-rounded performance in the Magic’s 106–86 win over Canberra, finishing with 16 points (5-of-9 FG), 7 assists, and 2 steals while going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. His energy set the tone for the season and reinforced his status as one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders.
In a interesting nod to the future, due to injury the Magic replaced him with state league star Mike Kelly who would become a major part of the Magic roster in 1997. South East Melbourne was unbeatable at home all season (11-2) butcould never replicate that on the road, losing half their away games and finishing third on the ladder (18-18). In the postseason, South East swept Perth in two games to set up a semi-finals matchup against crosstown rival North Melbourne. The Giants delivered a major upset in game one, convincingly defeating the Magic (108-87). In game two, it was much closer. In fact, the game was only decided in the final minute (76-79), and if Adonis Jordan hadn't missed a three-point heave at the buzzer (many thought he could have made a extra pass to a open David Graham for a better shot), the Magic might have been able to force a third game. Instead, the South East Melbourne's season came to a end.
After some extremely creative salary tweaking where Magic CEO Graham McNaney and Goorjian convinced all of the Magic players to sign for less so they could offer Anstey a larger contract (which also fit within the NBL salary cap) that the Tigers couldn't match. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, all of the team's players were reinstated to their previous contracts.
Additionally, 33-year-old big man John Dorge (16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.0 blocks) turned the clock back and delivered a breakout season, leading the league in blocked shots. Dorge's improved play saw him selected to the All-NBL first team at the end of the season. Lucas also averaged 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and backup guard Darren Lucas (9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals) took home the league's Best Defensive Player award.
The Magic then eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in two straight games, Lucas had his best games of the postseason against the 36ers, scoring only 8 points in game one and 6 points in game two which helped propel the Magic past Adelaide and onto a Grand Final matchup with crosstown rival the Melbourne Tigers.
In the third and deciding game the Magic delivered the final blow a 30 point blowout victory, 107-70 with Lucas contributing 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three game series.
| Darren Lucas made his NBL debut with the Nunawading Spectres at 19 years of age. He scored 19 points in his first game. | Darren Lucas played eleven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Nunawading Spectres, Eastside Melbourne Spectres and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 313 NBL games. | - 47th in total steals | Lucas worked in the IT and print field during, and after, his NBL career. A budding entreprenuer, he also built a successful Luxury Travel Company, Luxcoach. 16 years after his NBL career was over he found himself once again on national television, a cast member of the reality show My Mum Your Dad. | 4000 | | Darren Lucas played eleven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Nunawading Spectres, Eastside Melbourne Spectres and South East Melbourne Magic. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 313 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | AWARDS- 2x time NBL Best Defensive Player (1994, 1995) LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLLucas worked in the IT and print field during, and after, his NBL career. A budding entreprenuer, he also built a successful Luxury Travel Company, Luxcoach.16 years after his NBL career was over he found himself once again on national television, a cast member of the reality show My Mum Your Dad. |
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| 1254 | McClendon, Chad | USA | McClendon | Chad | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | F/C | 201 | 101 | 26 | 991 | 482 | 296 | 42 | 109 | 187 | 32 | 18 | 92 | 111 | 203 | 376 | 54.0% | 54.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 76 | 112 | 67.9% | 67.9% | 203 | 375 | 54.1% | 54.1% | 18.5 | 11.4 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 7.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 38.1 | 91% | 98% | 71% | 98% | 98% | 88% | 88% | 96% | 34 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -13 | -0.3 | 115.3 | 21031.9 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Madisonville, Tennessee (USA) | None | Appalachian State (1992-1995) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18/03/73 | 13/04/96 | 27/09/96 | 23 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Chad McClendon was born in Madisonville, Tennessee (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEChad McClendon made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 23 years of age. He scored 16 points in his first game. | 16 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.8 | 14.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 54% | 57% | 0% | 30% | 1.3 | 80.8 | -0.69 | 8.5% | 7.51 | 16.45 | 1.9 | 50 | 820 | 32 | 0.486 | 0.299 | 0.042 | 0.032 | 0.018 | 0.093 | 0.112 | 0.486 | 0.034 | Gold Coast Rollers | Gold Coast Rollers | Chad McClendon was born in Madisonville, Tennessee (USA). | Chad McClendon made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers at 23 years of age. He scored 16 points in his first game. | Chad McClendon played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 26 NBL games. | - 35th in rebounds per game. | 0 | Chad McClendon played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 26 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1255 | Mckinnon, Ross | AUS | Mckinnon | Ross | 1994 | 1996 | 3 | CTR | 208 | 108 | 55 | 364 | 65 | 54 | 8 | 26 | 28 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 60 | 26 | 63 | 41.3% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 13 | 19 | 68.4% | 0.0% | 26 | 63 | 41.3% | 0.0% | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 6.6 | 19% | 31% | 24% | 39% | 31% | 24% | 61% | 31% | 9 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -0.3 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1994-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Ballarat (VIC) | VIC - Ballarat | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1996 | Ballarat 1993, 1997 | 5/02/73 | 8/04/94 | 27/09/96 | 21 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Ross Mckinnon was born in Ballarat (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ballarat basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCERoss Mckinnon made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 41% | 46% | 0% | 30% | 1.0 | 84.6 | -0.27 | 3.2% | 7.67 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 12 | 127 | 2 | 0.179 | 0.148 | 0.022 | 0.005 | 0.027 | 0.069 | 0.165 | 0.179 | 0.044 | Hobart Devils | Hobart Devils | Ross Mckinnon was born in Ballarat (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Ballarat basketball program. | Ross Mckinnon made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Ross Mckinnon played three seasons the Hobart Devils. He averaged 1.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 55 NBL games. | 0 | Ross Mckinnon played three seasons the Hobart Devils. He averaged 1.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists in 55 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1256 | O'Donnell, Simon | AUS | O'Donnell | Simon | 1992 | 1996 | 5 | FRD | 198 | 106 | 79 | 1287 | 303 | 336 | 52 | 129 | 207 | 32 | 16 | 93 | 137 | 128 | 284 | 45.1% | 45.1% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 47 | 80 | 58.8% | 0.0% | 128 | 283 | 45.2% | 45.2% | 3.8 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 16.3 | 41% | 73% | 45% | 76% | 70% | 52% | 63% | 56% | 16 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -4 | -0.3 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | North Melbourne 1992 | Newcaslte 1993 | Townsville 1994-95 | Adelaide 1996 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Sydney (NSW) | NSW - Sutherland | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Norwood 1996-97 | 30/03/69 | 23/05/92 | 19/10/96 | 23 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Simon O'Donnell was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sutherland basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCESimon O'Donnell made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 23 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.6 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 45% | 47% | 0% | 28% | 1.1 | 83.5 | -0.11 | 11.3% | 11.20 | 20.03 | 0.6 | 48 | 691 | 9 | 0.235 | 0.261 | 0.040 | 0.025 | 0.012 | 0.072 | 0.106 | 0.235 | 0.029 | Adelaide 36ers | North Melbourne Giants | Simon O'Donnell was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sutherland basketball program. | Simon O'Donnell made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 23 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Simon O'Donnell played five seasons across four NBL teams. This included the North Melbourne Giants, Townsville Suns, Newcastle Falcons and Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 79 NBL games. | 0 | Simon O'Donnell played five seasons across four NBL teams. This included the North Melbourne Giants, Townsville Suns, Newcastle Falcons and Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 79 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1257 | O'Neill, Leon | AUS | O'Neill | Leon | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | FRD | #N/A | #N/A | 15 | 81 | 17 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 31.6% | 0.0% | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5 | 5 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 6 | 16 | 37.5% | 0.0% | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 5.4 | 19% | 38% | 32% | 46% | 34% | 35% | 0% | 25% | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | -0.2 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Gold Coast 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13/04/96 | 21/09/96 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCELeon O'Neill made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers on 13/4/1996. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 32% | 40% | 0% | 26% | 0.9 | 87.8 | 0.20 | 15.8% | 16.03 | 0.00 | 0.2 | 3 | 41 | 3 | 0.210 | 0.235 | 0.062 | 0.037 | 0.000 | 0.062 | 0.049 | 0.210 | 0.086 | Gold Coast Rollers | Gold Coast Rollers | Leon O'Neill made his NBL debut with the Gold Coast Rollers on 13/4/1996. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Leon O'Neill played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 15 NBL games. | 0 | Leon O'Neill played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 15 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1258 | Proud, Nick | AUS | Proud | Nick | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | F/C | 208 | #N/A | 24 | 191 | 97 | 57 | 7 | 26 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 22 | 36 | 38 | 78 | 48.7% | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 21 | 34 | 61.8% | 0.0% | 38 | 77 | 49.4% | 0.0% | 4.0 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 8.0 | 42% | 54% | 31% | 65% | 49% | 37% | 67% | 48% | 14 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -4 | -0.5 | 54.6 | 6782.4 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Sydney (NSW) | NSW - Manly | Kansas (1993-1994) / | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13/04/96 | 20/10/96 | 0 | 0 | 0 | BIO: Nick Proud was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Manly basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCENick Proud made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 13/4/1996. He scored four points in his first game. | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.6 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 49% | 52% | 0% | 44% | 1.2 | 82.3 | -0.42 | 6.4% | 5.74 | 0.00 | 0.5 | 11 | 161 | 7 | 0.508 | 0.298 | 0.037 | 0.026 | 0.031 | 0.115 | 0.188 | 0.508 | 0.073 | Canberra Cannons | Canberra Cannons | Nick Proud was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Manly basketball program. | Nick Proud made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons on 13/4/1996. He scored four points in his first game. | Nick Proud played one season in the NBL. He averaged 4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 24 NBL games. | 0 | Nick Proud played one season in the NBL. He averaged 4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 24 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1259 | Ramsay, Andrew | AUS | Ramsay | Andrew | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | FRD | 203 | 102 | 7 | 56 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 6 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 8.0 | 0% | 29% | 0% | 30% | 32% | 0% | 70% | 36% | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -0.3 | 0.0 | 17356.9 | -0.6 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Brisbane (QLD) | VIC - Geelong | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brisbane 1997 | 22/04/78 | 13/04/96 | 28/09/96 | 17 | 18 | 0 | BIO: Andrew Ramsay was born in Brisbane (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Geelong basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEAndrew Ramsay made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.9 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 100.0 | -0.57 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.107 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.036 | 0.071 | 0.107 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Geelong Supercats | Geelong Supercats | Andrew Ramsay was born in Brisbane (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Geelong basketball program. | Andrew Ramsay made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Andrew Ramsay played one season in the NBL. | 0 | Andrew Ramsay played one season in the NBL. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1260 | Roberts, Jonathan | USA | Roberts | Jonathan | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | FRD | 201 | 113 | 26 | 1086 | 558 | 214 | 58 | 84 | 130 | 42 | 23 | 118 | 104 | 172 | 333 | 51.7% | 51.7% | 9 | 20 | 45.0% | 0.0% | 205 | 259 | 79.2% | 79.2% | 163 | 313 | 52.1% | 52.1% | 21.5 | 8.2 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 41.8 | 95% | 94% | 80% | 94% | 92% | 95% | 92% | 99% | 33 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -13 | -0.3 | 82.9 | 52387.8 | 17.3 | 17.3 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) | None | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/06/68 | 13/04/96 | 27/09/96 | 27 | 28 | 0 | BIO: Jonathan Roberts was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). NBL EXPERIENCEJonathan Roberts made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 27 years of age. He scored 24 points in his first game. | 24 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.6 | 12.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 53% | 62% | 5% | 78% | 1.7 | 80.5 | -0.69 | 12.6% | 9.31 | 18.94 | 2.5 | 65 | 830 | 32 | 0.514 | 0.197 | 0.053 | 0.039 | 0.021 | 0.109 | 0.096 | 0.514 | 0.030 | Hobart Devils | Hobart Devils | Jonathan Roberts was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). | Jonathan Roberts made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 27 years of age. He scored 24 points in his first game. | Jonathan Roberts played one season in the NBL. He averaged 21.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 26 NBL games. | 0 | Jonathan Roberts played one season in the NBL. He averaged 21.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 26 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1261 | Scott, Jerome | USA | Scott | Jerome | 1995 | 1996 | 2 | PG | 191 | 86 | 52 | 2354 | 1082 | 226 | 192 | 70 | 156 | 111 | 16 | 166 | 139 | 397 | 933 | 42.6% | 42.6% | 99 | 272 | 36.4% | 36.4% | 189 | 255 | 74.1% | 74.1% | 298 | 661 | 45.1% | 45.1% | 20.8 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 45.3 | 94% | 74% | 93% | 71% | 74% | 98% | 72% | 94% | 43 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 8 | -14 | -0.3 | 63.5 | 10695.9 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1995-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Great Falls, Virginia (USA) | None | University of Miami (1988-1992) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26/09/69 | 22/04/95 | 27/09/96 | 25 | 27 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Icewater BIO: Jerome Scott was born in Great Falls, Virginia (USA) where he attended South Lakes High School in nearby Reston, Virginia.
As a senior year he finished the season averaging 22 points, five assists, and four steals per game while shooting 45% on two-point field goals, 38% on three-pointers and 85% from the free-throw line. Finished his time in high school as South Lakes career high scorer with 1,197 career points.
NBL EXPERIENCEJerome Scott made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 25 years of age. He scored 28 points in his first game. Scott wasn't shy to launch a shot during his debut season in the NBL. He finished the year with 528 attempts, bettered only by Derek Rucker, Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland. | 28 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 7.6 | 17.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 5.2 | 48% | 52% | 25% | 27% | 1.2 | 80.2 | 2.63 | 11.9% | 13.68 | 11.83 | 2.4 | 127 | 1500 | 29 | 0.460 | 0.096 | 0.082 | 0.047 | 0.007 | 0.071 | 0.059 | 0.460 | 0.035 | Hobart Devils | Hobart Devils | Jerome Scott was born in Great Falls, Virginia (USA) where he attended South Lakes High School in nearby Reston, Virginia.
As a senior year he finished the season averaging 22 points, five assists, and four steals per game while shooting 45% on two-point field goals, 38% on three-pointers and 85% from the free-throw line. Finished his time in high school as South Lakes career high scorer with 1,197 career points.
| Scott wasn't shy to launch a shot during his debut season in the NBL. He finished the year with 528 attempts, bettered only by Derek Rucker, Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland. | Jerome Scott made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 25 years of age. He scored 28 points in his first game. | Jerome Scott played two seasons the Hobart Devils. He averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 52 NBL games. | COLLEGEAs a freshman Scott saw action in 17 contests, averaging seven minutes per outing. He racked up four points, four rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of action in his first collegiate game vs. Maryland-East Shore. Scored a then career-high 12 points and pulled down three rebounds in 12 minutes vs. VCU. He finished the season averaging 3.2 points per game.
| As a freshman Scott saw action in 17 contests, averaging seven minutes per outing. He racked up four points, four rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of action in his first collegiate game vs. Maryland-East Shore. Scored a then career-high 12 points and pulled down three rebounds in 12 minutes vs. VCU. He finished the season averaging 3.2 points per game.
| - 33rd in steals per game. | - All-Big East Tournament - 1st Team (1992) | Icewater | 0 | Jerome Scott played two seasons the Hobart Devils. He averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 52 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEAs a freshman Scott saw action in 17 contests, averaging seven minutes per outing. He racked up four points, four rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of action in his first collegiate game vs. Maryland-East Shore. Scored a then career-high 12 points and pulled down three rebounds in 12 minutes vs. VCU. He finished the season averaging 3.2 points per game.
AWARDS- All-Big East Tournament - 1st Team (1992) |
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| 1262 | Sengstock, Larry | AUS | Sengstock | Larry | 1979 | 1996 | 18 | PF | 198 | 98 | 456 | 7715 | 5466 | 3221 | 824 | 1173 | 2048 | 395 | 296 | 682 | 1661 | 2345 | 5102 | 46.0% | 46.0% | 72 | 229 | 31.4% | 31.4% | 704 | 1176 | 59.9% | 59.9% | 2273 | 4873 | 46.6% | 46.6% | 12.0 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 16.9 | 74% | 89% | 74% | 89% | 88% | 77% | 86% | 65% | 36 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 8 | -10 | -0.6 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0 | St. Kilda (1979-80), Brisbane (1985, 1987), North Melbourne (1994) | 5 | 0 | St Kilda 1979-81 | Brisbane 1982-89 | Gold Coast 1990-92 | North Melbourne 1993-96 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992 | Australia | 60 | 410 | 343 | 160 | 43 | 45 | 115 | 26 | 3 | 39 | 178 | 71 | 149 | 48% | 1 | 6 | 17% | 59 | 118 | 50% | 6.8 | 5.7 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 3.0 | #N/A | Maryborough (QLD) | QLD - Lang Park | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/03/60 | 25/02/79 | 6/10/96 | 18 | 36 | 0 | BIO: Larry Sengstock was born in Maryborough (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Lang Park basketball club. He was a champion swimmer but was lured to the sport of basketball by his primary school teacher Ray Alloway. Larry was a tall boy for his age and Alloway thought he would be a great asset to the game of basketball. Larry was taught the fundamentals of the game by his school teacher, which led them both to succeed together in Regional, State and Australian Championships becoming the First Queensland team to win at a Australian Championship in 1975. Larry completed his senior year at Aldridge State High School in Maryborough. Many visiting team's from the USA made offers for him to move to the US, but he stayed in Australia. NBL EXPERIENCELarry Sengstock made his NBL debut with the St. Kilda Saints at 18 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. During the league's first season, Sengstock averaged 17.6 points for the St Kilda Saints, who finished the season with a record of 12-6. The Saints lineup began that first season with a 3-3 record but proved they were the best team by finishing the season on a 12-game winning streak. To crown the first champions of the national league, only the first and second team's progressed into the postseason, which saw St Kilda (1st) defeating Canberra (2nd) 94–93 in the Grand Final match. Sengstock finished the game with a career-high 33 points, while his Canberra counterpart Cal Stamp finished with 32 points, illustrating just how much of the game came down to the centre position. Cal Stamp (23.8 ppg) was one of three imports on the Cannons roster, the other two being Herb McEachin (23.8 ppg) and Jerry Lee (8.9 ppg). St Kilda, however, had decided to play with a all Aussie lineup, relying on Sengstock, Tony Barnett (22.3 ppg) and Danny Morseau (15.8 ppg). To date, St Kilda is the only team to ever win a NBL championship without any import players.
As the team battled it out with West Adelaide for the top position throughout the season, with five rounds to go, the Saints (10-3) added import Mike Slusher (12.3 ppg) would play the team's last nine games of the season. Adding Slusher to the offensive brilliance of first year import Rocky Smith (33 ppg) and veteran Danny Morseau (18.5 ppg) ensured the Pumas would finish the regular season right alongside West Adelaide, with the team's facing each other in the final game of the season to decide who would finish in top spot. West Adelaide rode the offensive talents of Ken Richardson (31 points) and Rick Hodges (21 points) to defeat St Kilda, 88-90, resulting in both team's ending the regular season on 17 wins and 5 losses. The Bearcats' win equalled the team's head to head record (1-1) but with St Kilda having won their first encounter by ten points, they retained first place on the ladder as they headed into the playoffs. Rocky Smith, who finished the year as the league's leading scorer, notched up 32 points in the team's semi-final game to defeat Nunawading (101-77). In the opposite bracket, Rick Hodges (31 points) led the Bearcats to a win over Brisbane (101-94), setting up a grand final matchup with both St Kilda and West Adelaide on one win a piece. The Grand Final resulted in a blowout, with the Saints fuelled by their end of the regular season loss and controlling the scoreboard (53-39) heading into half-time. Hodges (27 points) and Richardson (20 points) would then do everything they could for West Adelaide, but a well-balanced offensive attack saw Rocky Smith (26 points), Danny Morseu (19 points), Mike Slusher (18 points), Larry Sengstock (16 points) and Tony Barnett (14 points) all finish in double figures, making it impossible for the Bearcats to stop the Saints from scoring. St Kilda would claim back-to-back NBL titles, winning the Grand Final 113-88. Sengstock averaged 9.3 points for the Saints in 1980 and later that year was also named to the Australian Olympic team for the first time and played for the Boomers in 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia.
St Kilda then entered 1981 clear favorites, even coming out on top of a pre-season poll of the league's coaches and administrators who were asked to predict the order team's would finish. Kerle would roll out a starting lineup consisting of Morseu, Sengstock, Steve Breheny, the team's leading scorer from last season Rocky Smith and import Mike Slusher, who joined the team mid-season the year prior. After missing two seasons with injuries, Andy Blicavs would return to action for the Saints and Ken Burbridge, would be the key players from the bench. With Smith (28.8 ppg), Morseu (20 ppg), Sengstock (14 ppg) and Slusher (11.9 ppg) leading the team offensively, St Kilda finished on top of the NBL ladder (17-5), three games ahead of the nearest opponent (Launceston Casino City). As the league prepared to hold their 1981 NBL Finals, St Kilda informed them that they would chose to participate in the 1981 FIBA Club World Cup in Brazil instead. There, they finished sixth behind winners Real Madrid (Spain), Sirio (Brazil), Clemson (USA), Atletica Francana (Brazil) and Ferro Carril Oeste (Argentina). Having won the title back to back already, and feeling there were no strong contenders for the title this season, they forfeited their place in the playoffs and were replaced by Brisbane. Second place team Launceston Casino City would eliminate Brisbane (71–69) in the semifinals and then convincingly defeat Nunawading (75–54) in the Grand Final game.
The Bullets then finished in eighth place, missing out on qualifying for the finals.
The 1983 playoffs were played in unusual circumstances. As a cost-cutting measure, the NBL decided to play two divisional finals, a three-game round-robin tournament for the top eight team's. This strangely saw the league's two best team's excluded from the NBL playoffs as both the first-placed team in the Western Divison (Sydney) and the first place team in the Eastern Division (Geelong) finished third in the three-game 'play-in tournament', eliminating them from the playoffs. West Adelaide and Cobourg, who both had the same record (2-1) as Sydney but squeaked through to the finals thanks to a better points percentage, then faced Nunawading and Canberra in the semifinals. The semi finals resulted in reigning champions West Adelaide defeating Nunawading 84-77 and Canberra eliminating Coburg 80-75. Canberra would go on to become champions, going undefeated in the playoffs and defeating Loggins and West Adelaide 75-73 in the championship game.
It clearly worked, as Loggins (29.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.9 blocks) delivered his finest season to date, going on to be selected to the All NBL First team and voted the league's Most Valuable Player. Alongside Loggins and Radliff (20.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.0 steals), Sengstock added 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. The Bullets' made their first playoff appearance since 1981, finishing the regular season in first place with a 19–5 record, a major improvement on their 10–12 record in 1983. After defeating the Coburg Giants and the Geelong Supercats, they had reached the Grand Final for the first in Bullets history. The Grand Final would be played at a pre-determined 'neutral' venue that season (the last time the NBL held the Grand Final at a neutral location), the 'Glass House' in Melbourne. Despite all the improvement Brisbane had delivered that season, the team ultimately fell short, losing to the defending champs Canberra 84–82. First year coach Kerle and his efforts in turning the team around were rewarded by the league voting him Coach of the Year.
Behind the brilliance of Leroy Loggins (27.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.7 steals, and 2.0 blocks), the returning Cal Bruton (17.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) and team captain Larry Sengstock (16.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) the Bullets emerged to be the league's most powerful team. With head coach Brian Kerle having a season of experience behind him, he delivered a first-place finish for the second year in a row, this time with a 20–6 record. The Bullets received a first-round bye in the NBL playoffs and would meet the winner of the elimination final between the Coburg Giants and last year's champs, Canberra. Canberra eliminated Coburg convincingly by 23 points which would give Brisbane a chance at revenge after being beaten by the Cannons in the previous year's Grand Final. Loggins would lead the attack, racking up 28 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, Bruton added 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists and Sengstock finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds as Brisbane nabbed a 93-76 victory. Adelaide then defeated Newcastle by a record score of 151–103 on the other side of the semi final bracket. With the game being held at their home venue, the Chandler Arena, the Bullets went into the series as favourites against the Adelaide 36ers, who, after merging with West Adelaide in 1985, had seen them become one of the strongest team's in NBL history. The grand final would be played as a single-game elimination (the last time the NBL decided a grand final this way) on Brisbane's home court, the Sleeman Sports Centre. Leading 78–74 and going into the last period of play, the Bullets then outscored Adelaide 42–21, setting a NBL grand final record for points scored in the final period and easily accounting for the 36ers. Sengstock recorded 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, Bruton nearly replicated his semi final performance with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Loggins unleashed one of his finest games, notching up 41 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in Brisbane's 121-95 championship win. Although there was no Grand Final MVP awarded that year, Loggins was named player of the game. Loggins form also saw him selected to his fourth straight All NBL First team.
The team was led by Leroy Loggins (29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks), who would win the NBL MVP that season, alongside Cal Bruton (16.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) and team captain Sengstock (12.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists).
In the opening game, over 11,000 fans, a then indoor sports attendance record in Australia, saw the 36ers defeat the Bullets 122–119 in overtime at the Entertainment Centre. In game two, Brisbane became the only team to defeat the 36ers in Adelaide that year winning 104–83 at the Apollo Stadium. The Bullets would lose the deciding game three in Adelaide (113–91), Delivering Adelaide their first championship. Sengstock had a great individual game, contributing 12 points and 14 rebounds and crucially, Loggins fouled out of both game one and 3 of the Grand Final series, which limited his on-court impact. | Sengstock played for the Australian Boomers at the 1978 FIBA World Championship in the Philippines, helping the team to a then best 7th place. He also represented the Boomers at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow where the team finished in 8th position despite the boycott of the games by the gold medal favourite United States. He also represented Australia in the 1982 World Championships in Colombia. The squad, which was in the middle of a rebuilding phase, featured a number of first-time Boomers which included Brad Dalton, Wayne Carroll, Ray Borner, Mark Gaze, Damian Keogh and Robert Scringi. Ian Davies was the team's leading scorer, finishing with the second most total points in the tournament (187), at a average of 23.4 per game. During that time the Boomers would generally fail to reach the medal rounds, finishing in fifth place with a record of 4-4. It was the team's best result at a major FIBA tournament to date. Sengstock went on to play with the national team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Australia finished seventh. The seventh place finish in 1984 being the Boomers best Olympic result to that date and the 1988 Olympics. Sengstock continued his run with the Boomers, playing for Australia at the 1986 FIBA World Championships, a year where the Boomers struggled against much stronger competition. Australia finished with a 2-3 record and failed to progress past the initial stages. Sengstock's next tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall.
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 5.1 | 11.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 47% | 49% | 3% | 23% | 1.1 | 82.6 | 1.18 | 7.7% | 11.56 | 9.57 | 1.5 | 691 | 9511 | 21 | 0.336 | 0.260 | 0.073 | 0.033 | 0.026 | 0.055 | 0.125 | 0.336 | 0.029 | North Melbourne Giants | St. Kilda Saints | Larry Sengstock was born in Maryborough (QLD) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Lang Park basketball club. He was a champion swimmer but was lured to the sport of basketball by his primary school teacher Ray Alloway. Larry was a tall boy for his age and Alloway thought he would be a great asset to the game of basketball. Larry was taught the fundamentals of the game by his school teacher, which led them both to succeed together in Regional, State and Australian Championships becoming the First Queensland team to win at a Australian Championship in 1975. Larry completed his senior year at Aldridge State High School in Maryborough. Many visiting team's from the USA made offers for him to move to the US, but he stayed in Australia. | During the league's first season, Sengstock averaged 17.6 points for the St Kilda Saints, who finished the season with a record of 12-6. The Saints lineup began that first season with a 3-3 record but proved they were the best team by finishing the season on a 12-game winning streak. To crown the first champions of the national league, only the first and second team's progressed into the postseason, which saw St Kilda (1st) defeating Canberra (2nd) 94–93 in the Grand Final match. Sengstock finished the game with a career-high 33 points, while his Canberra counterpart Cal Stamp finished with 32 points, illustrating just how much of the game came down to the centre position. Cal Stamp (23.8 ppg) was one of three imports on the Cannons roster, the other two being Herb McEachin (23.8 ppg) and Jerry Lee (8.9 ppg). St Kilda, however, had decided to play with a all Aussie lineup, relying on Sengstock, Tony Barnett (22.3 ppg) and Danny Morseau (15.8 ppg). To date, St Kilda is the only team to ever win a NBL championship without any import players.
As the team battled it out with West Adelaide for the top position throughout the season, with five rounds to go, the Saints (10-3) added import Mike Slusher (12.3 ppg) would play the team's last nine games of the season. Adding Slusher to the offensive brilliance of first year import Rocky Smith (33 ppg) and veteran Danny Morseau (18.5 ppg) ensured the Pumas would finish the regular season right alongside West Adelaide, with the team's facing each other in the final game of the season to decide who would finish in top spot. West Adelaide rode the offensive talents of Ken Richardson (31 points) and Rick Hodges (21 points) to defeat St Kilda, 88-90, resulting in both team's ending the regular season on 17 wins and 5 losses. The Bearcats' win equalled the team's head to head record (1-1) but with St Kilda having won their first encounter by ten points, they retained first place on the ladder as they headed into the playoffs. Rocky Smith, who finished the year as the league's leading scorer, notched up 32 points in the team's semi-final game to defeat Nunawading (101-77). In the opposite bracket, Rick Hodges (31 points) led the Bearcats to a win over Brisbane (101-94), setting up a grand final matchup with both St Kilda and West Adelaide on one win a piece. The Grand Final resulted in a blowout, with the Saints fuelled by their end of the regular season loss and controlling the scoreboard (53-39) heading into half-time. Hodges (27 points) and Richardson (20 points) would then do everything they could for West Adelaide, but a well-balanced offensive attack saw Rocky Smith (26 points), Danny Morseu (19 points), Mike Slusher (18 points), Larry Sengstock (16 points) and Tony Barnett (14 points) all finish in double figures, making it impossible for the Bearcats to stop the Saints from scoring. St Kilda would claim back-to-back NBL titles, winning the Grand Final 113-88. Sengstock averaged 9.3 points for the Saints in 1980 and later that year was also named to the Australian Olympic team for the first time and played for the Boomers in 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia.
St Kilda then entered 1981 clear favorites, even coming out on top of a pre-season poll of the league's coaches and administrators who were asked to predict the order team's would finish. Kerle would roll out a starting lineup consisting of Morseu, Sengstock, Steve Breheny, the team's leading scorer from last season Rocky Smith and import Mike Slusher, who joined the team mid-season the year prior. After missing two seasons with injuries, Andy Blicavs would return to action for the Saints and Ken Burbridge, would be the key players from the bench. With Smith (28.8 ppg), Morseu (20 ppg), Sengstock (14 ppg) and Slusher (11.9 ppg) leading the team offensively, St Kilda finished on top of the NBL ladder (17-5), three games ahead of the nearest opponent (Launceston Casino City). As the league prepared to hold their 1981 NBL Finals, St Kilda informed them that they would chose to participate in the 1981 FIBA Club World Cup in Brazil instead. There, they finished sixth behind winners Real Madrid (Spain), Sirio (Brazil), Clemson (USA), Atletica Francana (Brazil) and Ferro Carril Oeste (Argentina). Having won the title back to back already, and feeling there were no strong contenders for the title this season, they forfeited their place in the playoffs and were replaced by Brisbane. Second place team Launceston Casino City would eliminate Brisbane (71–69) in the semifinals and then convincingly defeat Nunawading (75–54) in the Grand Final game.
The Bullets then finished in eighth place, missing out on qualifying for the finals.
The 1983 playoffs were played in unusual circumstances. As a cost-cutting measure, the NBL decided to play two divisional finals, a three-game round-robin tournament for the top eight team's. This strangely saw the league's two best team's excluded from the NBL playoffs as both the first-placed team in the Western Divison (Sydney) and the first place team in the Eastern Division (Geelong) finished third in the three-game 'play-in tournament', eliminating them from the playoffs. West Adelaide and Cobourg, who both had the same record (2-1) as Sydney but squeaked through to the finals thanks to a better points percentage, then faced Nunawading and Canberra in the semifinals. The semi finals resulted in reigning champions West Adelaide defeating Nunawading 84-77 and Canberra eliminating Coburg 80-75. Canberra would go on to become champions, going undefeated in the playoffs and defeating Loggins and West Adelaide 75-73 in the championship game.
It clearly worked, as Loggins (29.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.9 blocks) delivered his finest season to date, going on to be selected to the All NBL First team and voted the league's Most Valuable Player. Alongside Loggins and Radliff (20.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.0 steals), Sengstock added 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. The Bullets' made their first playoff appearance since 1981, finishing the regular season in first place with a 19–5 record, a major improvement on their 10–12 record in 1983. After defeating the Coburg Giants and the Geelong Supercats, they had reached the Grand Final for the first in Bullets history. The Grand Final would be played at a pre-determined 'neutral' venue that season (the last time the NBL held the Grand Final at a neutral location), the 'Glass House' in Melbourne. Despite all the improvement Brisbane had delivered that season, the team ultimately fell short, losing to the defending champs Canberra 84–82. First year coach Kerle and his efforts in turning the team around were rewarded by the league voting him Coach of the Year.
Behind the brilliance of Leroy Loggins (27.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.7 steals, and 2.0 blocks), the returning Cal Bruton (17.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) and team captain Larry Sengstock (16.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) the Bullets emerged to be the league's most powerful team. With head coach Brian Kerle having a season of experience behind him, he delivered a first-place finish for the second year in a row, this time with a 20–6 record. The Bullets received a first-round bye in the NBL playoffs and would meet the winner of the elimination final between the Coburg Giants and last year's champs, Canberra. Canberra eliminated Coburg convincingly by 23 points which would give Brisbane a chance at revenge after being beaten by the Cannons in the previous year's Grand Final. Loggins would lead the attack, racking up 28 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, Bruton added 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists and Sengstock finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds as Brisbane nabbed a 93-76 victory. Adelaide then defeated Newcastle by a record score of 151–103 on the other side of the semi final bracket. With the game being held at their home venue, the Chandler Arena, the Bullets went into the series as favourites against the Adelaide 36ers, who, after merging with West Adelaide in 1985, had seen them become one of the strongest team's in NBL history. The grand final would be played as a single-game elimination (the last time the NBL decided a grand final this way) on Brisbane's home court, the Sleeman Sports Centre. Leading 78–74 and going into the last period of play, the Bullets then outscored Adelaide 42–21, setting a NBL grand final record for points scored in the final period and easily accounting for the 36ers. Sengstock recorded 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, Bruton nearly replicated his semi final performance with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Loggins unleashed one of his finest games, notching up 41 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in Brisbane's 121-95 championship win. Although there was no Grand Final MVP awarded that year, Loggins was named player of the game. Loggins form also saw him selected to his fourth straight All NBL First team.
The team was led by Leroy Loggins (29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks), who would win the NBL MVP that season, alongside Cal Bruton (16.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) and team captain Sengstock (12.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists).
In the opening game, over 11,000 fans, a then indoor sports attendance record in Australia, saw the 36ers defeat the Bullets 122–119 in overtime at the Entertainment Centre. In game two, Brisbane became the only team to defeat the 36ers in Adelaide that year winning 104–83 at the Apollo Stadium. The Bullets would lose the deciding game three in Adelaide (113–91), Delivering Adelaide their first championship. Sengstock had a great individual game, contributing 12 points and 14 rebounds and crucially, Loggins fouled out of both game one and 3 of the Grand Final series, which limited his on-court impact. | 1987 With Brisbane looking to go 'younger, bigger and faster' with their roster to compete with the likes of Adelaide's Mark Davis and Perth's James Crawford, the decision was made to release US born players Cal Bruton and Dave Nelson in favour of incoming import Emery Atkinson and giving more playing time to young local talent.
Beyond Loggins, the Bullets had built a roster so full of talent that the team's second-leading scorer, import Emery Atkinson (15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals), came off the bench. Veterans Ron Radliff (15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.9 steals) and team captain Larry Sengstock (12.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) supported the two imports offensively, while 25-year-old John Dorge (11.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks), 21-year-old Robert Sibley (11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists), and 19-year-old Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) all made huge contributions despite their inexperience.
Brisbane made it to the NBL grand final for a league-record fourth consecutive season and would face off against the Perth Wildcats, who had just upset the defending champions Adelaide on the other side of the semi final bracket. Perth was led by player/coach and former Bullets' favourite Cal Bruton. Bruton's exit had also come on the back of a very public falling out with coach Brian Kerle. In a surprise move, Brisbane elevated teenage point guard Darren Perry (10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) into the starting lineup for the playoffs and alongside Atkinson (22 points on 10/16 shooting and 9 rebounds) and Loggins (17 points and 5 rebounds) the Bullets defeated Perth in a low scoring, grind it out, 80-79 victory. Kendall Pinder (27 points and 15 rebounds) and James Crawford (23 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks) led the way for the visitors. In game two, although Pinder (25 points, 15 rebounds) and Crawford (22 points, 11 rebounds) still proved hard to stop, Brisbane's frontcourt of Sengstock (8 points and 6 rebounds), John Dorge (7 points and 10 rebounds) and Emery Atkinson (12 points and 4 rebounds), made it almost impossible for the Wildcats' guards to score inside. The Wildcats guard rotation of Bruton (9), Mike Ellis (6) and Alan Black (2) combined for just 17 points and after the Bullets won a tightly fought first half (47-44), they owned the Wildcat's in the second. Brisbane outscored Perth by 16 points, with Loggins (36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) doing most of the damage on the scoreboard. With the final score reading 106-87 and Brisbane winning their second championship, Loggins, who averaged 26.5 points over the two games, was named Grand Final MVP.
Brisbane remained a top-tier contender all season long and were sitting second on the ladder with two rounds left. However, a costly 97–105 loss to Canberra at home saw them slip into a tie with the North Melbourne Giants at 18–6. With both teams splitting their regular season series 1–1, North Melbourne edged ahead based on points differential (+9), dropping Brisbane to third place. Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals) led the way once again, securing his seventh consecutive All-NBL First Team nod while also finishing first in the league in free throw percentage (85.6%). Import Emery Atkinson (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks) played a major role in the paint, while veterans Larry Sengstock (11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) continued to deliver consistent performances. Rookie guard Shane Heal (15.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) was a revelation in his debut season, becoming one of the league’s most talked-about young players. Averaging 27 minutes per game while backing up starting point guard Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), Heal capped off his breakout year by earning NBL Rookie of the Year honours. Brisbane’s third-place finish meant they missed out on an automatic semi-final berth and instead hosted the sixth-seeded Perth Wildcats in a knockout quarterfinal at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Leroy Loggins turned in a monster performance with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals in 45 minutes. Larry Sengstock added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Emery Atkinson contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds. Despite their efforts, the Bullets struggled mightily from long range, hitting just 2-of-16 from beyond the arc. Perth, on the other hand, executed with precision, shooting 52% from the field. Former Bullets champion Calvin Bruton returned to haunt his old club with 31 points, 4 assists, and a flawless 9-of-9 showing at the line. James Crawford was equally dominant, piling up 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks to completely shut down Brisbane's interior game. The 98–113 defeat eliminated Brisbane in the quarterfinals and ended their bid for a fifth straight Grand Final appearance.
Leroy Loggins (22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) remained the team’s standout performer, leading the Bullets in both scoring and defense. However, despite another strong individual season, Loggins was left out of the All-NBL First Team for the first time since 1981—his omission likely linked to the team’s struggles. New import Winston Crite (20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) delivered impressive stats but lacked the chemistry with Loggins that previous international recruits had developed. Veteran mainstays Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) continued to contribute at a high level, though both showed signs of wear as their production began to decline. One of the season’s major positives was the emergence of Robert Sibley (15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who stepped up in a big way after a more limited role the previous year. Sibley’s breakout campaign provided Brisbane with a key scoring option in the paint and much-needed offensive depth. Despite those individual bright spots, the Bullets were unable to recapture the rhythm and depth that had defined their success in previous years. They closed out the regular season with an 11–13 record, finishing in eighth place and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1983.
Australian Boomers big man Paul Kuiper (15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds), who had been playing for the St Kilda Saints, was also added to the roster while Radliff (13.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 steals) and team captain Sengstock (11.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) provided veteran leadership. Overall, the team struggled to deliver wins over the league's more successful team's and replaced Wiseman with rookie coach Brian Lester mid-way through the season. The Cougars then finished their first NBL season with a record of 9 wins, 17 losses with Combs being named the team's MVP.
Under Claxton, they recorded their best team result ever, finishing with 14 wins and 12 losses. The team was headlined by import stars Mike Mitchell (29 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks) and Andre LaFleur (22 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), while veterans like Paul Kuiper (13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds) and team captain Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) provided leadership from the bench. The team also got a added boost from the development of talented youngster Rodger Smith (8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5 assists), who developed into one of the league's most exciting young guards. Despite the winning record, the Rollers would not qualify for the postseason.
Gold Coast also re-signed stars Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur and looked to return to the playoffs for a second straight season. Nine games into the season, however, the Rollers suffered a huge blow when they lost Mitchell on May 31, 1992, after he suffered a horrific injury after a loss in Illawarra. Mitchell had punched a wire-reinforced glass panel of a locker-room door after Gold Coast narrowly lost to the Illawarra Hawks, which saw his arm almost severed, and his muscle cut from the bone. Mitchell was found slumped on the floor in a pool of blood by Rollers teammate Ron Radliff. Doubt was initially cast over whether Mitchell would ever play again, miraculously he recovered, making his return to the court the following season. Mitchell (26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) left a huge hole at both ends of the court. Willie Jennette, who had averaged 37.3 points over three seasons in the state league (SEABL) was then signed as his replacement, and the team looked to LaFleur (22.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 2.2 steals) and Sengstock (13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) to step things up in Mitchell's absence. The Rollers struggles to cover Mitchell's loss saw them lose nearly all games against the league's top team's and end the year with tenth-place finish (11-13) in a disappointing season for Gold Coast fans.
Brown began his search for Fisher's replacement first with import Chuckie White, who failed to cut it during pre-season, before settling on Jason Reese. Reese was known around the league as 'workhorse' and dominant inside scorer that had spent the past two seasons with Hobart (1991) and Canberra (1992) and Mark Leader, who had became a naturalised Australian in 1993, replaced Fisher as team captain. Reese went on to lead the team in scoring (26.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg), fellow import Paul Maley led the team in rebounding (22.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg) and Sengstock also contributed 5.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. The Giants finished the season with a 13-13 record and just managed to sneak into the playoffs with the final eighth spot. The would then familiar face familiar foes, Scott Fisher and the Perth Wildcats (21-5), who finished the season in first place. Despite winning game one at home, 105-101, the Giants would lose games two (98-108) and three (104-117) to Perth to put a end to their season.
The Giants' roster had aged considerably in the years between its 1989 championship and 1994, with its roster now being the oldest roster in the league. Their decision to replace high-scoring forward Jason Reese with a 30-year-old point guard named Darryl McDonald was met with much surprise. The media and betting agencies promptly wrote off the Giants' season, most tipping them to finish dead last. The pundits couldn't have been more wrong, however, with McDonald (17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists and 3.0 steals per game) leading the league in steals and assists and when the Giants came home undefeated after the 'Doomsday Double', first avenging a home loss to Perth then holding off Adelaide at the Clipsal Powerhouse (a feat which hadn't been achieved since 1986) fans really started to become excited. Pat Reidy (19.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.4) and Paul Maley (19.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg) became the main beneficiaries of many of McDonald's flashy assists, while Sengstock finished the season averaging 9.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. The Giants would finish the season in second place, winning 19 of their 26 games. At season's end, Brown would be named Coach of the Year. Also, quite controversially, McDonald finished second in both the NBL MVP (behind Andrew Gaze) and Best Defensive Player (Darren Lucas) awards, but McDonald responded by taking his game to a entirely new level for the playoffs. After Sydney blitzed the Giants (131–109) in the opening game of the quarter-finals, McDonald led the Giants to a 112-91 victory in game two and a 104-95 victory in game three. In the deciding game, 'D-Mac' played all 48 minutes and filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists while shooting 70% (7/10) from the field. On the other side of the bracket, South East Melbourne eliminated Perth before being knocked out by the Giants after a Adonis Jordan three-point heave (he could have found a open David Graham for a better shot but missed him) in the game's closing moments missed its mark and the chance to force a third game. Game one of the Grand Final series was held at the Clipsal Powerhouse in Adelaide and after Robert Rose had dragged the Sixers back into the match when they still had trailed by 14 inside the last six minutes of regulation the ball ended up in McDonald's hands before he nailed the game-winning shot in overtime, delivering a 95–93 win. As the series moved to the Glasshouse in Melbourne for game two Rose would come out firing, his 31 point effort would see him finish as the game's high scoring. Still, a balanced attack from North Melbourne proved too strong for the 36ers. The Giants would control the first half, the scoreboard reading 51-41 at halftime, and with 36ers forward Mark Davis in serious pain, the Giants were able to put the foot down in the third quarter and then closed out the game with a 117-97 victory. Paul Rees, who benefitted greatly from McDonald's passing all series, finished up earning the Finals MVP award after delivering 17 points and 5 rebounds in game one and 20 points (making all seven of his shots) and 7 rebounds in game two. The 1994 NBL season made history bypassed the one-million spectator mark during the regular season for the first time.
| Larry Sengstock made his NBL debut with the St. Kilda Saints at 18 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. | Larry Sengstock played eighteen seasons across four NBL teams. This included the St. Kilda Saints, Gold Coast Cougars, Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane Bullets and North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 11.9 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 456 NBL games. | - 29th in total games played. - 39th in total points - 13rd in total rebounds - 49th in total steals - 22nd in total blocks | Sengstock played for the Australian Boomers at the 1978 FIBA World Championship in the Philippines, helping the team to a then best 7th place. He also represented the Boomers at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow where the team finished in 8th position despite the boycott of the games by the gold medal favourite United States. He also represented Australia in the 1982 World Championships in Colombia. The squad, which was in the middle of a rebuilding phase, featured a number of first-time Boomers which included Brad Dalton, Wayne Carroll, Ray Borner, Mark Gaze, Damian Keogh and Robert Scringi. Ian Davies was the team's leading scorer, finishing with the second most total points in the tournament (187), at a average of 23.4 per game. During that time the Boomers would generally fail to reach the medal rounds, finishing in fifth place with a record of 4-4. It was the team's best result at a major FIBA tournament to date. Sengstock went on to play with the national team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Australia finished seventh. The seventh place finish in 1984 being the Boomers best Olympic result to that date and the 1988 Olympics. Sengstock continued his run with the Boomers, playing for Australia at the 1986 FIBA World Championships, a year where the Boomers struggled against much stronger competition. Australia finished with a 2-3 record and failed to progress past the initial stages. Sengstock's next tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall.
| - Member of NBL 25th Anniversary Team (named 2003) - Australian Basketball Hall of Fame (2001) | During his time playing in St Kilda, he compelted a PE teaching degree. He was the CEO of Basketball Australia and the NBL until April 2012. | 1000 | 1987 With Brisbane looking to go 'younger, bigger and faster' with their roster to compete with the likes of Adelaide's Mark Davis and Perth's James Crawford, the decision was made to release US born players Cal Bruton and Dave Nelson in favour of incoming import Emery Atkinson and giving more playing time to young local talent.
Beyond Loggins, the Bullets had built a roster so full of talent that the team's second-leading scorer, import Emery Atkinson (15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals), came off the bench. Veterans Ron Radliff (15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.9 steals) and team captain Larry Sengstock (12.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) supported the two imports offensively, while 25-year-old John Dorge (11.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks), 21-year-old Robert Sibley (11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists), and 19-year-old Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) all made huge contributions despite their inexperience.
Brisbane made it to the NBL grand final for a league-record fourth consecutive season and would face off against the Perth Wildcats, who had just upset the defending champions Adelaide on the other side of the semi final bracket. Perth was led by player/coach and former Bullets' favourite Cal Bruton. Bruton's exit had also come on the back of a very public falling out with coach Brian Kerle. In a surprise move, Brisbane elevated teenage point guard Darren Perry (10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) into the starting lineup for the playoffs and alongside Atkinson (22 points on 10/16 shooting and 9 rebounds) and Loggins (17 points and 5 rebounds) the Bullets defeated Perth in a low scoring, grind it out, 80-79 victory. Kendall Pinder (27 points and 15 rebounds) and James Crawford (23 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks) led the way for the visitors. In game two, although Pinder (25 points, 15 rebounds) and Crawford (22 points, 11 rebounds) still proved hard to stop, Brisbane's frontcourt of Sengstock (8 points and 6 rebounds), John Dorge (7 points and 10 rebounds) and Emery Atkinson (12 points and 4 rebounds), made it almost impossible for the Wildcats' guards to score inside. The Wildcats guard rotation of Bruton (9), Mike Ellis (6) and Alan Black (2) combined for just 17 points and after the Bullets won a tightly fought first half (47-44), they owned the Wildcat's in the second. Brisbane outscored Perth by 16 points, with Loggins (36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) doing most of the damage on the scoreboard. With the final score reading 106-87 and Brisbane winning their second championship, Loggins, who averaged 26.5 points over the two games, was named Grand Final MVP.
Brisbane remained a top-tier contender all season long and were sitting second on the ladder with two rounds left. However, a costly 97–105 loss to Canberra at home saw them slip into a tie with the North Melbourne Giants at 18–6. With both teams splitting their regular season series 1–1, North Melbourne edged ahead based on points differential (+9), dropping Brisbane to third place. Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals) led the way once again, securing his seventh consecutive All-NBL First Team nod while also finishing first in the league in free throw percentage (85.6%). Import Emery Atkinson (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks) played a major role in the paint, while veterans Larry Sengstock (11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals) continued to deliver consistent performances. Rookie guard Shane Heal (15.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) was a revelation in his debut season, becoming one of the league’s most talked-about young players. Averaging 27 minutes per game while backing up starting point guard Darren Perry (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals), Heal capped off his breakout year by earning NBL Rookie of the Year honours. Brisbane’s third-place finish meant they missed out on an automatic semi-final berth and instead hosted the sixth-seeded Perth Wildcats in a knockout quarterfinal at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Leroy Loggins turned in a monster performance with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals in 45 minutes. Larry Sengstock added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Emery Atkinson contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds. Despite their efforts, the Bullets struggled mightily from long range, hitting just 2-of-16 from beyond the arc. Perth, on the other hand, executed with precision, shooting 52% from the field. Former Bullets champion Calvin Bruton returned to haunt his old club with 31 points, 4 assists, and a flawless 9-of-9 showing at the line. James Crawford was equally dominant, piling up 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks to completely shut down Brisbane's interior game. The 98–113 defeat eliminated Brisbane in the quarterfinals and ended their bid for a fifth straight Grand Final appearance.
Leroy Loggins (22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks) remained the team’s standout performer, leading the Bullets in both scoring and defense. However, despite another strong individual season, Loggins was left out of the All-NBL First Team for the first time since 1981—his omission likely linked to the team’s struggles. New import Winston Crite (20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) delivered impressive stats but lacked the chemistry with Loggins that previous international recruits had developed. Veteran mainstays Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and Ron Radliff (12.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) continued to contribute at a high level, though both showed signs of wear as their production began to decline. One of the season’s major positives was the emergence of Robert Sibley (15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who stepped up in a big way after a more limited role the previous year. Sibley’s breakout campaign provided Brisbane with a key scoring option in the paint and much-needed offensive depth. Despite those individual bright spots, the Bullets were unable to recapture the rhythm and depth that had defined their success in previous years. They closed out the regular season with an 11–13 record, finishing in eighth place and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1983.
Australian Boomers big man Paul Kuiper (15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds), who had been playing for the St Kilda Saints, was also added to the roster while Radliff (13.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 steals) and team captain Sengstock (11.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) provided veteran leadership. Overall, the team struggled to deliver wins over the league's more successful team's and replaced Wiseman with rookie coach Brian Lester mid-way through the season. The Cougars then finished their first NBL season with a record of 9 wins, 17 losses with Combs being named the team's MVP.
Under Claxton, they recorded their best team result ever, finishing with 14 wins and 12 losses. The team was headlined by import stars Mike Mitchell (29 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks) and Andre LaFleur (22 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), while veterans like Paul Kuiper (13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds) and team captain Larry Sengstock (12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) provided leadership from the bench. The team also got a added boost from the development of talented youngster Rodger Smith (8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5 assists), who developed into one of the league's most exciting young guards. Despite the winning record, the Rollers would not qualify for the postseason.
Gold Coast also re-signed stars Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur and looked to return to the playoffs for a second straight season. Nine games into the season, however, the Rollers suffered a huge blow when they lost Mitchell on May 31, 1992, after he suffered a horrific injury after a loss in Illawarra. Mitchell had punched a wire-reinforced glass panel of a locker-room door after Gold Coast narrowly lost to the Illawarra Hawks, which saw his arm almost severed, and his muscle cut from the bone. Mitchell was found slumped on the floor in a pool of blood by Rollers teammate Ron Radliff. Doubt was initially cast over whether Mitchell would ever play again, miraculously he recovered, making his return to the court the following season. Mitchell (26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) left a huge hole at both ends of the court. Willie Jennette, who had averaged 37.3 points over three seasons in the state league (SEABL) was then signed as his replacement, and the team looked to LaFleur (22.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 2.2 steals) and Sengstock (13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) to step things up in Mitchell's absence. The Rollers struggles to cover Mitchell's loss saw them lose nearly all games against the league's top team's and end the year with tenth-place finish (11-13) in a disappointing season for Gold Coast fans.
Brown began his search for Fisher's replacement first with import Chuckie White, who failed to cut it during pre-season, before settling on Jason Reese. Reese was known around the league as 'workhorse' and dominant inside scorer that had spent the past two seasons with Hobart (1991) and Canberra (1992) and Mark Leader, who had became a naturalised Australian in 1993, replaced Fisher as team captain. Reese went on to lead the team in scoring (26.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg), fellow import Paul Maley led the team in rebounding (22.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg) and Sengstock also contributed 5.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. The Giants finished the season with a 13-13 record and just managed to sneak into the playoffs with the final eighth spot. The would then familiar face familiar foes, Scott Fisher and the Perth Wildcats (21-5), who finished the season in first place. Despite winning game one at home, 105-101, the Giants would lose games two (98-108) and three (104-117) to Perth to put a end to their season.
The Giants' roster had aged considerably in the years between its 1989 championship and 1994, with its roster now being the oldest roster in the league. Their decision to replace high-scoring forward Jason Reese with a 30-year-old point guard named Darryl McDonald was met with much surprise. The media and betting agencies promptly wrote off the Giants' season, most tipping them to finish dead last. The pundits couldn't have been more wrong, however, with McDonald (17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists and 3.0 steals per game) leading the league in steals and assists and when the Giants came home undefeated after the 'Doomsday Double', first avenging a home loss to Perth then holding off Adelaide at the Clipsal Powerhouse (a feat which hadn't been achieved since 1986) fans really started to become excited. Pat Reidy (19.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.4) and Paul Maley (19.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg) became the main beneficiaries of many of McDonald's flashy assists, while Sengstock finished the season averaging 9.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. The Giants would finish the season in second place, winning 19 of their 26 games. At season's end, Brown would be named Coach of the Year. Also, quite controversially, McDonald finished second in both the NBL MVP (behind Andrew Gaze) and Best Defensive Player (Darren Lucas) awards, but McDonald responded by taking his game to a entirely new level for the playoffs. After Sydney blitzed the Giants (131–109) in the opening game of the quarter-finals, McDonald led the Giants to a 112-91 victory in game two and a 104-95 victory in game three. In the deciding game, 'D-Mac' played all 48 minutes and filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists while shooting 70% (7/10) from the field. On the other side of the bracket, South East Melbourne eliminated Perth before being knocked out by the Giants after a Adonis Jordan three-point heave (he could have found a open David Graham for a better shot but missed him) in the game's closing moments missed its mark and the chance to force a third game. Game one of the Grand Final series was held at the Clipsal Powerhouse in Adelaide and after Robert Rose had dragged the Sixers back into the match when they still had trailed by 14 inside the last six minutes of regulation the ball ended up in McDonald's hands before he nailed the game-winning shot in overtime, delivering a 95–93 win. As the series moved to the Glasshouse in Melbourne for game two Rose would come out firing, his 31 point effort would see him finish as the game's high scoring. Still, a balanced attack from North Melbourne proved too strong for the 36ers. The Giants would control the first half, the scoreboard reading 51-41 at halftime, and with 36ers forward Mark Davis in serious pain, the Giants were able to put the foot down in the third quarter and then closed out the game with a 117-97 victory. Paul Rees, who benefitted greatly from McDonald's passing all series, finished up earning the Finals MVP award after delivering 17 points and 5 rebounds in game one and 20 points (making all seven of his shots) and 7 rebounds in game two. The 1994 NBL season made history bypassed the one-million spectator mark during the regular season for the first time.
CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | AWARDS- 1x time NBL Finals MVP (1979) LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLDuring his time playing in St Kilda, he compelted a PE teaching degree.He was the CEO of Basketball Australia and the NBL until April 2012. |
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| 1263 | Stelzer, John | AUS | Stelzer | John | 1987 | 1996 | 10 | FRD | 203 | 97 | 252 | 4806 | 1550 | 800 | 212 | 235 | 565 | 90 | 64 | 230 | 526 | 527 | 1293 | 40.8% | 40.8% | 181 | 484 | 37.4% | 37.4% | 315 | 406 | 77.6% | 77.6% | 346 | 809 | 42.8% | 42.8% | 6.2 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 19.1 | 53% | 62% | 51% | 60% | 64% | 48% | 68% | 48% | 26 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -6 | -0.3 | 102.8 | 39898.2 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 0 | Canberra (1988), North Melbourne (1994) | 2 | 0 | Canberra 1987-93 | North Melbourne 1994-96 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 3 | 1984, 1985, 1986 | Canberra (ACT) | ACT - Canberra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1984-86 | Canberra 1994 | 18/08/68 | 24/04/87 | 4/10/96 | 18 | 28 | 0 | BIO: John Stelzer was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. Stelzer received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1984, 1985, 1986). NBL EXPERIENCEJohn Stelzer made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 18 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.1 | 5.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 48% | 53% | 34% | 31% | 1.2 | 79.5 | 0.29 | 7.0% | 11.08 | 12.02 | 0.6 | 154 | 2562 | 10 | 0.323 | 0.166 | 0.044 | 0.019 | 0.013 | 0.048 | 0.109 | 0.323 | 0.037 | North Melbourne Giants | Canberra Cannons | John Stelzer was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. | John Stelzer made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 18 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game. | John Stelzer played ten seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Canberra Cannons and the North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 252 NBL games. | Stelzer received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent three years year there and played for the program's state league team (1984, 1985, 1986). | 0 | John Stelzer played ten seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Canberra Cannons and the North Melbourne Giants. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 252 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1264 | Svaldenis, Andrew | AUS | Svaldenis | Andrew | 1984 | 1996 | 13 | CTR | 205 | 110 | 299 | 4361 | 2348 | 1566 | 233 | 672 | 894 | 238 | 50 | 462 | 837 | 917 | 1778 | 51.6% | 51.6% | 1 | 16 | 6.3% | 0.0% | 513 | 815 | 62.9% | 62.9% | 916 | 1762 | 52.0% | 52.0% | 7.9 | 5.2 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 14.6 | 60% | 79% | 50% | 86% | 74% | 73% | 59% | 67% | 34 | 18 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 11 | -7 | -0.5 | 10.3 | 42604.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Bankstown 1984-85 | Sydney 1986-91 | Hobart 1992-93 | Adelaide 1994 | Geelong 1995-96 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Lithuania | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Penrith 1998 | Manly Warringah 2003 | 11/04/65 | 11/02/84 | 21/09/96 | 18 | 31 | 0 | BIO: Andrew Svaldenis was born in Lithuania NBL EXPERIENCEAndrew Svaldenis made his NBL debut with the Bankstown Bruins at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. After a remarkable turnaround in 1983 under head coach Robbie Cadee—where the Bankstown Bruins improved from a league-worst 2–24 to a respectable 12–10 record—expectations were raised heading into 1984. The sixth season of the NBL was played in two divisions as the competition expand to 17 teams. Bankstown, situated in the Eastern Division, retained most of their core roster in hopes of building on last season’s playoff contention.
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.1 | 5.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 52% | 55% | 0% | 46% | 1.3 | 81.5 | 0.03 | 13.4% | 8.23 | 16.32 | 1.0 | 288 | 4147 | 14 | 0.418 | 0.278 | 0.044 | 0.044 | 0.008 | 0.083 | 0.153 | 0.418 | 0.041 | Geelong Supercats | Bankstown Bruins | Andrew Svaldenis was born in Lithuania | After a remarkable turnaround in 1983 under head coach Robbie Cadee—where the Bankstown Bruins improved from a league-worst 2–24 to a respectable 12–10 record—expectations were raised heading into 1984. The sixth season of the NBL was played in two divisions as the competition expand to 17 teams. Bankstown, situated in the Eastern Division, retained most of their core roster in hopes of building on last season’s playoff contention.
| Andrew Svaldenis made his NBL debut with the Bankstown Bruins at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Andrew Svaldenis played thirteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Bankstown Bruins, Sydney Supersonics, Hobart Devils, Sydney Kings, Adelaide 36ers and Geelong Supercats. He averaged 7.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 299 NBL games. | 0 | Andrew Svaldenis played thirteen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Bankstown Bruins, Sydney Supersonics, Hobart Devils, Sydney Kings, Adelaide 36ers and Geelong Supercats. He averaged 7.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 299 NBL games. | AWARDS- NBL Most Improved Player (1992) |
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| 1265 | Torrance, Trevor | AUS | Torrance | Trevor | 1986 | 1996 | 11 | G/F | 198 | 95 | 305 | 7106 | 2836 | 970 | 419 | 398 | 572 | 250 | 89 | 415 | 699 | 1123 | 2597 | 43.2% | 43.2% | 237 | 621 | 38.2% | 38.2% | 353 | 467 | 75.6% | 75.6% | 886 | 1976 | 44.8% | 44.8% | 9.3 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 23.3 | 65% | 62% | 67% | 70% | 59% | 75% | 71% | 62% | 31 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 9 | -8 | -0.3 | 59.7 | 21266.3 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 0 | Perth (1990-91) | 2 | 0 | Perth 1986-94 | Gold Coast 1995-96 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 2 | 1984, 1985 | Perth (WA) | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1984-85 | 18/06/66 | 25/04/86 | 27/09/96 | 19 | 30 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: TT BIO: Trevor Torrance was born in Perth (WA) Torrance received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1984, 1985). NBL EXPERIENCETrevor Torrance made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. the Wildcats had retained almost their entire roster and looked to improve on their 13-win season, which had set a club record. The only changes being Glen Dunsmore and Robbie Dempster being replaced with local guard guard Torrance and 29-year-old Alan Black (via Nunawading). Perth started the season with five wins and five losses before losing import Roland Brooks (18.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals) to a season-ending injury. During the 1986 season, local businessman Bob Williams was invited to attend a game by the state government. Williams agreed and, after one game, liked what he saw and signed on as the club's major sponsor. His company 'Interstuct' appeared across the front of the team's uniform. At the end of the 1986 season, Bob Williams was called to a meeting by the WA state government. Williams was told that the WABF was bankrupt and that there was to be no Government assistance. Unless Bob Williams bought the licence from the state government, the Wildcats would cease to exist in the NBL. Williams left the meeting not only as the major sponsor but as the Wildcats, and the NBL's first private owner and president of the WABF. Losing Brooks, the team's second leading scorer and rebounder, proved too much to recover from, resulting in Perth struggling to be competitive against the rest of the league and finishing in twelfth place (8–18). The team was led by Dan Clausen (21.3 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), captain Mike Ellis (16.2 points and 6.6 assists), newcomer Alan Black (12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists) and Torrance also contributing 8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. Additionally, the team moved from the small confines of Perry Lakes Stadium to what was known in those days as the Perth Superdrome (now HBF Stadium) that season—presenting the task of having to fill a 5,000 seat stadium instead of a 800-seat stadium. To make sure that happened, they recruited James Crawford, who was coming off three straight All-NBL First Team seasons playing with the Geelong Supercats and Canberra Cannons and was sure to fill the building.
the Wildcats were repeatedly referred to as the 'Cinderella' story as they entered the season, having finished in third-last position in 1986, only to go on to make the Grand Final. The 'run, stun and have some fun' style of play that had been implemented that season had worked wonders until the Grand Final series. The series was a promoter's dream: East Coast versus West; solid fundamentals versus 'run and gun' - future Hall of Fame members on both sides on the floor; and two coaches who couldn't stand each other (Brian Kerle versus Cal Bruton). The Bullets defeated the Wildcat's by just one point in front of a sell-out Perth crowd in game one of the three-match series before claiming the Championship in Brisbane in game two a few days later. The team even got stronger on paper by allowing Craig Fitzsimmons to move to Geelong and replacing him with Westside Melbourne star Paul Kuiper and signing up-and-coming talent Scott Fenton to replace the retiring Glenn Ellis.
Kuiper (15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds) made a immediate impact while 22-year-old Trevor Torrence had a breakout season with his production jumping from 6.2 points in 18 minutes per game to 12.4 points in 27 minutes per game.
Eager for the team to win its first NBL Championship, Bruton looked to create a roster at Perth that echoed the makeup of the Adelaide 36ers team's of the mid-80s. Oklahoma guard Ricky Grace was signed to play a 'Al Green' type role, and he was teamed up with Mike Ellis, who would replicate the Darryl Pearce/shooting guard role. Young talent Trevor Torrance and David Close would be able to space the floor as Mike McKay did, and Crawford, Pinder, and the newly signed import Jeff Allen would replicate the scoring and rebounding that Mark Davis and Bill Jones brought to the 36ers. The 1990 season began with turmoil as coach Alan Black was controversially fired after only two games and replaced by Cal Bruton. Bruton's appointment was met with negativity from both the players and the fans, who booed the Wildcats' new coach whenever he was introduced at tip-off. In fact, with a record of 6-4 and in the middle of a game against the Sydney Kings, these issues boiled over, resulting in Arnold and Pinder laying hands on each other during halftime. Later, Bruton would get himself ejected from the game, and a players-only meeting was held afterwards, with the primary topic being giving the boot to 'Coach Cal'. The players were told by management to come together as a team as they wouldn't be removing Bruton as coach mid-season but gave Bruton notice that his job was up for review at season's end. The season ended with Kendal Pinder (20.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals) earning the Wildcats club MVP and James Crawford (23.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.1 blocks) and Ricky Grace (21.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks) leading the team in scoring as Perth headed into the playoffs as the fifth seed (17-9). The team got lucky by facing a Melbourne Tigers unit who were without leading scorer Andrew Gaze, who had been hospitalised with a blood clot in his shoulder. In game one, Tigers forward David Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze's absence, but it wasn't enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn't score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100). In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Kendal Pinder (29 points and 7 rebounds) was the star game two, but on the eve of facing the North Melbourne in the semifinals, Pinder was arrested and spent the night in jail the night prior to the first game of the series. With the team unaware of the events from the evening prior, Pinder (20 points and 14 rebounds) and Ricky Grace (39 points and 5 rebounds) led the Wildcats to a win over the Giants in the opening game (121-11). Scott Fisher (27 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists) would top score for the Giants in the loss. In game two, Perth still couldn't find a answer for Fisher (35 points and 14 rebounds) who was unstoppable and led North Melbourne over Perth (131-110) to even the series. The Wildcats barely made it out of the semi finals, with Fisher (32 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists) doing everything he could to win the game, but in the final seconds, Perth were able to hold off the Giants to win by two points (112-110) behind some stellar play from Pinder (28 points and 13 rebounds) once again. After defeating the Giants, Perth moved forward face a tough Brisbane Bullets squad featuring Leroy Loggins, Derek Rucker and Andre Moore in the Grand Final series. Tens of thousands of people across Western Australia tuned in to the live coverage to see the Wildcat's triumph 112–106 in Game one of the Grand Final series in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,200 at the Perth Entertainment Centre. Brisbane tied the series (1–1) after winning game two at home in convincing fashion (106–90). In the deciding game, the Wildcat's blew the game wide open in the third quarter, creating a 20 point buffer before coming home easily in the fourth quarter (109-86). The win would mark the first time a team from Western Australian had won the national championship. Ricky Grace was recognised as Grand Final MVP, averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists over the three-game series, and while Cal Bruton hoped to return as head coach in 1991, his attempt to repeat was denied with the team deciding to replace him with Murray Arnold and return Bruton to his position of General Manager.
With game two being played on a Friday night and game three scheduled for Sunday, The Wildcats had little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games Wildcats for game two back at home. However, with their backs against the wall, the Spectres performed with a never-say-die attitude and upset the favourites at home by five points (86–81). game two was played on a Friday night and game three was scheduled for Sunday, leaving the Wildcat's little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games.
Massop failed to live up to expectations and was cut prior to the season starting. The team replacing him with Kansas University product Steve Woodberry. Woodberry (25 points per game) and Herzog (20 points per game) were both very talented players but failed to deliver the success or excitement that Mitchell and LaFleur had brought to the Carrara Indoor Stadium previously. Torrance saw a return to form, averaging 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists as the team managed only five wins for the season.
Torrance averaged 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists but the only notable part of the Rollers final season would be a last ditch effort to draw crowds by adding former Sydney Kings star Dwayne McClain to the roster for the last six games of season. The team compiled a record of 6 wins and 20 losses and would not return in 1997. With the league reducing in size from 14 team's to 11, Torrance was unable to find another team to play with and retired at season's end. | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.7 | 8.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 48% | 51% | 21% | 18% | 1.1 | 80.6 | 0.83 | 9.6% | 11.52 | 11.41 | 1.1 | 339 | 4225 | 14 | 0.370 | 0.127 | 0.056 | 0.034 | 0.011 | 0.054 | 0.091 | 0.370 | 0.030 | Gold Coast Rollers | Perth Wildcats | Trevor Torrance was born in Perth (WA) | the Wildcats had retained almost their entire roster and looked to improve on their 13-win season, which had set a club record. The only changes being Glen Dunsmore and Robbie Dempster being replaced with local guard guard Torrance and 29-year-old Alan Black (via Nunawading). Perth started the season with five wins and five losses before losing import Roland Brooks (18.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals) to a season-ending injury. During the 1986 season, local businessman Bob Williams was invited to attend a game by the state government. Williams agreed and, after one game, liked what he saw and signed on as the club's major sponsor. His company 'Interstuct' appeared across the front of the team's uniform. At the end of the 1986 season, Bob Williams was called to a meeting by the WA state government. Williams was told that the WABF was bankrupt and that there was to be no Government assistance. Unless Bob Williams bought the licence from the state government, the Wildcats would cease to exist in the NBL. Williams left the meeting not only as the major sponsor but as the Wildcats, and the NBL's first private owner and president of the WABF. Losing Brooks, the team's second leading scorer and rebounder, proved too much to recover from, resulting in Perth struggling to be competitive against the rest of the league and finishing in twelfth place (8–18). The team was led by Dan Clausen (21.3 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), captain Mike Ellis (16.2 points and 6.6 assists), newcomer Alan Black (12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists) and Torrance also contributing 8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. Additionally, the team moved from the small confines of Perry Lakes Stadium to what was known in those days as the Perth Superdrome (now HBF Stadium) that season—presenting the task of having to fill a 5,000 seat stadium instead of a 800-seat stadium. To make sure that happened, they recruited James Crawford, who was coming off three straight All-NBL First Team seasons playing with the Geelong Supercats and Canberra Cannons and was sure to fill the building.
the Wildcats were repeatedly referred to as the 'Cinderella' story as they entered the season, having finished in third-last position in 1986, only to go on to make the Grand Final. The 'run, stun and have some fun' style of play that had been implemented that season had worked wonders until the Grand Final series. The series was a promoter's dream: East Coast versus West; solid fundamentals versus 'run and gun' - future Hall of Fame members on both sides on the floor; and two coaches who couldn't stand each other (Brian Kerle versus Cal Bruton). The Bullets defeated the Wildcat's by just one point in front of a sell-out Perth crowd in game one of the three-match series before claiming the Championship in Brisbane in game two a few days later. The team even got stronger on paper by allowing Craig Fitzsimmons to move to Geelong and replacing him with Westside Melbourne star Paul Kuiper and signing up-and-coming talent Scott Fenton to replace the retiring Glenn Ellis.
Kuiper (15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds) made a immediate impact while 22-year-old Trevor Torrence had a breakout season with his production jumping from 6.2 points in 18 minutes per game to 12.4 points in 27 minutes per game.
Eager for the team to win its first NBL Championship, Bruton looked to create a roster at Perth that echoed the makeup of the Adelaide 36ers team's of the mid-80s. Oklahoma guard Ricky Grace was signed to play a 'Al Green' type role, and he was teamed up with Mike Ellis, who would replicate the Darryl Pearce/shooting guard role. Young talent Trevor Torrance and David Close would be able to space the floor as Mike McKay did, and Crawford, Pinder, and the newly signed import Jeff Allen would replicate the scoring and rebounding that Mark Davis and Bill Jones brought to the 36ers. The 1990 season began with turmoil as coach Alan Black was controversially fired after only two games and replaced by Cal Bruton. Bruton's appointment was met with negativity from both the players and the fans, who booed the Wildcats' new coach whenever he was introduced at tip-off. In fact, with a record of 6-4 and in the middle of a game against the Sydney Kings, these issues boiled over, resulting in Arnold and Pinder laying hands on each other during halftime. Later, Bruton would get himself ejected from the game, and a players-only meeting was held afterwards, with the primary topic being giving the boot to 'Coach Cal'. The players were told by management to come together as a team as they wouldn't be removing Bruton as coach mid-season but gave Bruton notice that his job was up for review at season's end. The season ended with Kendal Pinder (20.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals) earning the Wildcats club MVP and James Crawford (23.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.1 blocks) and Ricky Grace (21.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks) leading the team in scoring as Perth headed into the playoffs as the fifth seed (17-9). The team got lucky by facing a Melbourne Tigers unit who were without leading scorer Andrew Gaze, who had been hospitalised with a blood clot in his shoulder. In game one, Tigers forward David Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze's absence, but it wasn't enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn't score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100). In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers' player and ended Melbourne's season behind a ten point win (123-113). Kendal Pinder (29 points and 7 rebounds) was the star game two, but on the eve of facing the North Melbourne in the semifinals, Pinder was arrested and spent the night in jail the night prior to the first game of the series. With the team unaware of the events from the evening prior, Pinder (20 points and 14 rebounds) and Ricky Grace (39 points and 5 rebounds) led the Wildcats to a win over the Giants in the opening game (121-11). Scott Fisher (27 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists) would top score for the Giants in the loss. In game two, Perth still couldn't find a answer for Fisher (35 points and 14 rebounds) who was unstoppable and led North Melbourne over Perth (131-110) to even the series. The Wildcats barely made it out of the semi finals, with Fisher (32 points, 21 rebounds and 4 assists) doing everything he could to win the game, but in the final seconds, Perth were able to hold off the Giants to win by two points (112-110) behind some stellar play from Pinder (28 points and 13 rebounds) once again. After defeating the Giants, Perth moved forward face a tough Brisbane Bullets squad featuring Leroy Loggins, Derek Rucker and Andre Moore in the Grand Final series. Tens of thousands of people across Western Australia tuned in to the live coverage to see the Wildcat's triumph 112–106 in Game one of the Grand Final series in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,200 at the Perth Entertainment Centre. Brisbane tied the series (1–1) after winning game two at home in convincing fashion (106–90). In the deciding game, the Wildcat's blew the game wide open in the third quarter, creating a 20 point buffer before coming home easily in the fourth quarter (109-86). The win would mark the first time a team from Western Australian had won the national championship. Ricky Grace was recognised as Grand Final MVP, averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists over the three-game series, and while Cal Bruton hoped to return as head coach in 1991, his attempt to repeat was denied with the team deciding to replace him with Murray Arnold and return Bruton to his position of General Manager.
With game two being played on a Friday night and game three scheduled for Sunday, The Wildcats had little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games Wildcats for game two back at home. However, with their backs against the wall, the Spectres performed with a never-say-die attitude and upset the favourites at home by five points (86–81). game two was played on a Friday night and game three was scheduled for Sunday, leaving the Wildcat's little time to formulate a new strategy. However, in front of a electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90–80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL Championships. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games.
Massop failed to live up to expectations and was cut prior to the season starting. The team replacing him with Kansas University product Steve Woodberry. Woodberry (25 points per game) and Herzog (20 points per game) were both very talented players but failed to deliver the success or excitement that Mitchell and LaFleur had brought to the Carrara Indoor Stadium previously. Torrance saw a return to form, averaging 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists as the team managed only five wins for the season.
Torrance averaged 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists but the only notable part of the Rollers final season would be a last ditch effort to draw crowds by adding former Sydney Kings star Dwayne McClain to the roster for the last six games of season. The team compiled a record of 6 wins and 20 losses and would not return in 1997. With the league reducing in size from 14 team's to 11, Torrance was unable to find another team to play with and retired at season's end. | Trevor Torrance made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Trevor Torrance played eleven seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Gold Coast Rollers. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 305 NBL games. | Torrance received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1984. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1984, 1985). | TT | 0 |
| | Trevor Torrance played eleven seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Gold Coast Rollers. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 305 NBL games. HIGHLIGHTS:
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| 1266 | Turner, Neil | AUS | Turner | Neil | 1989 | 1996 | 8 | FRD | 209 | 95 | 145 | 2248 | 554 | 336 | 107 | 123 | 213 | 37 | 200 | 150 | 353 | 221 | 487 | 45.4% | 45.4% | 14 | 36 | 38.9% | 0.0% | 98 | 140 | 70.0% | 70.0% | 207 | 451 | 45.9% | 45.9% | 3.8 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 15.5 | 41% | 53% | 48% | 57% | 52% | 41% | 97% | 52% | 14 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 6 | -4 | -0.2 | 34.7 | 44148.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Newcastle 1989-92 | Hobart 1993 | Sydney 1994-96 | 3 | 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 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | 2 | 1987, 1988 | Newcastle (NSW) | NSW - Newcastle | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1987-88 | Hornsby 2004 | 26/09/70 | 21/04/89 | 5/10/96 | 18 | 26 | 0 | BIO: Neil Turner was born in Newcastle (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Newcastle basketball program. Turner received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1987. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1987, 1988). NBL EXPERIENCENeil Turner made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 18 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. | 9 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.5 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 47% | 50% | 6% | 29% | 1.1 | 82.3 | -0.04 | 7.6% | 13.28 | 18.62 | 1.6 | 237 | 997 | 7 | 0.246 | 0.149 | 0.048 | 0.016 | 0.089 | 0.067 | 0.157 | 0.246 | 0.034 | Sydney Kings | Newcastle Falcons | Neil Turner was born in Newcastle (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Newcastle basketball program. | Neil Turner made his NBL debut with the Newcastle Falcons at 18 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game. | Neil Turner played eight seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Newcastle Falcons, Hobart Devils and Sydney Kings. He averaged 3.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 145 NBL games. | Turner received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1987. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1987, 1988). | 0 | Neil Turner played eight seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Newcastle Falcons, Hobart Devils and Sydney Kings. He averaged 3.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 145 NBL games. | AWARDS- 1x NBL Blocks Leader |
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| 1267 | Uthoff, Dean | USA/AUS | Uthoff | Dean | 1983 | 1996 | 12 | CTR | 208 | 120 | 260 | 6794 | 3755 | 3369 | 725 | 1243 | 2126 | 247 | 138 | 838 | 794 | 1596 | 2645 | 60.3% | 60.3% | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 0.0% | 562 | 1004 | 56.0% | 56.0% | 1595 | 2641 | 60.4% | 60.4% | 14.4 | 13.0 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 8.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 26.1 | 81% | 100% | 86% | 99% | 99% | 80% | 83% | 94% | 34 | 34 | 10 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 12 | -10 | -0.4 | 74.0 | 22724.3 | 14.9 | 14.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Nunawading 1983-85 | Eastside Melb 1988-91 | Sydney 1992-96 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Cedar Rapids, Iowa (USA) | None | Iowa State University | 1980 | 129 | SAS | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dandenong 1986-87 | 7/07/58 | 13/02/83 | 27/04/96 | 24 | 37 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: The Man Mountain BIO: Dean Uthoff was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (USA) and measuring in at 208 cm and 119 kgs, Uthoff is one of the largest and most physical players to have ever played in Australia. FAMILY: His third cousin Jarrod Uthoff also played basketball at Iowa State before playing in the NBA. Dean’s brother, Ed, also distinguished himself in college ball and was team captain at San Jose State. NBL EXPERIENCEDean Uthoff made his NBL debut with the Nunawading Spectres at 24 years of age. He scored 20 points in his first game. In 1983, Uthoff averaged 16.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as the Spectres finished with a record of 15-7 and in fifth place during the regular season. Nunawading would defeat Adelaide, 108–101 in their Elimination Final before losing to Geelong in the Qualifying Finals, 91–115, in the next game. Uthoff would lead the league in rebounding this season and average 20.1 points, 18.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. His 18.5 rebounds per game remains the highest single season rebound total of all-time.
He would spend the 1986 and 1987 seasons playing in the state leagues as he rehabilitated the injury before returning to the Spectres (who had since been re-named to the Eastside Melbourne Spectres in 1988). During his time away from the NBL Uthoff had become a naturalised Australian and played as a local player from 1988 onwards.
Once appointed as head coach Goorjian, import Bruce Bolden and Brendan Joyce left for rival club Westside Melbourne and Peter Blight headed to Hobart. Goorjian retained the younger players on the roster, Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon, Shane Froling and Darren Lucas and but decided not to re-sign the team's leading scorer from last season, Vince Hinchen. Instead, he would look to find a import better suited to the new look roster. Goorjian struggled to find the right US talent to balance out the team. His first import, Kevin Ross (14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds), lasted only two games before being sent back to the US, and his replacement Quentin Anderson (12.0 points, 9.5 rebounds), wasn't much better and was also given the axe after two games. Goorjian had also signed Harvard University's leading scorer Arne Duncan to pair with the aforementioned Ross and Anderson. Duncan (24.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists) was a totally different story. A blue-chip athlete who went on the lead the team in scoring and in fact, packed a suitcase and flew to Australia with just a week's notice after narrowly missing out on a contract with the Boston Celtics. Mid-season Goorjian then signed Rick Sharpe (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists), who had played for his father Ed Goorjian at the University of Loyola. By the time Eastside had got its import situation sorted they were already 0-6 which included losses to both Hobart and Sydney, both among the league's weakest team's that season. Uthoff lead the league in rebounding and average 18.3 points, 17.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Eastside finished the season with 11 wins, 13 losses, and in the eleventh spot, leading Goorjian to describe the season as a 'disaster'. Lucas would go on to be named the league's Most Improved Player that year in one of the few positives of the Spectres season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
The only changes to the local roster were the exits of veterans Paul Hotchins and Warren Pink, who were then replaced with Darren Perry (Brisbane) and Nunawading junior Tony Ronaldson, who had just completed a year at the Australian Institute of Sport. The departure of import Arne Duncan then made room for the return of former Spectre Bruce Bolden. To kick off the season, Eastside was tipped to be the big improvers of 1990 after finishing 'best of the rest' the year prior. The team started off by winning its first three games on the schedule, but over the course of the season, the team never seemed to be able to beat the league's best. While they knocked off the majority of the league, losses they couldn't see to deliver wins against elite team's like Perth, Brisbane and North Melbourne. In Round 21, Eastside turned things around with a win over crosstown rivals North Melbourne (118-111), but then followed that up with a 3-2 run home.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 ppg and 10.4 rpg) and Kent Lockhart (18.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Uthoff also contributed 16.8 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
The season started with a narrow 85-86 loss to Bolden's former team, the Magic, before a up-and-down season, where the Kings defeated a number of league’s top team's but failed to close out games against those at the bottom of the ladder. Sydney would start the season with a 3-6 record, which included wins over Perth and North Melbourne, who would finish first and third, respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to Canberra (who would finish tenth) and lost games to Townsville (finished 12th) and Gold Coast (finished 13th).
Uthoff averaged 4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists for the season.
| Dean Uthoff was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with pick #129 in the 1980 NBA Draft. Uthoff attended Spurs training camp in 1980 before returning to college to get his degree. The following year the Spurs offered Uthoff another tryout but again he failed to make the team's roster. | Uthoff was invited to the Pan American games tryouts for the US Olympic Team in 1979. As a naturalised Australia was part of the Australian Boomers training camp for the 1992 Olympics. Uthoff was eligible to represent Australia but due to FIBA rules stating only one naturalised player is allowed to a major international event, he lost that spot to Leroy Loggins. | 20 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.1 | 10.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 60% | 61% | 0% | 38% | 1.4 | 79.0 | 0.52 | 9.3% | 15.59 | 18.02 | 1.5 | 385 | 7849 | 30 | 0.430 | 0.384 | 0.079 | 0.029 | 0.016 | 0.098 | 0.096 | 0.430 | 0.031 | Sydney Kings | Nunawading Spectres | Dean Uthoff was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (USA) and measuring in at 208 cm and 119 kgs, Uthoff is one of the largest and most physical players to have ever played in Australia. | In 1983, Uthoff averaged 16.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as the Spectres finished with a record of 15-7 and in fifth place during the regular season. Nunawading would defeat Adelaide, 108–101 in their Elimination Final before losing to Geelong in the Qualifying Finals, 91–115, in the next game. Uthoff would lead the league in rebounding this season and average 20.1 points, 18.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. His 18.5 rebounds per game remains the highest single season rebound total of all-time.
He would spend the 1986 and 1987 seasons playing in the state leagues as he rehabilitated the injury before returning to the Spectres (who had since been re-named to the Eastside Melbourne Spectres in 1988). During his time away from the NBL Uthoff had become a naturalised Australian and played as a local player from 1988 onwards.
Once appointed as head coach Goorjian, import Bruce Bolden and Brendan Joyce left for rival club Westside Melbourne and Peter Blight headed to Hobart. Goorjian retained the younger players on the roster, Ron Lemons, Warren Pink, Steve Lunardon, Shane Froling and Darren Lucas and but decided not to re-sign the team's leading scorer from last season, Vince Hinchen. Instead, he would look to find a import better suited to the new look roster. Goorjian struggled to find the right US talent to balance out the team. His first import, Kevin Ross (14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds), lasted only two games before being sent back to the US, and his replacement Quentin Anderson (12.0 points, 9.5 rebounds), wasn't much better and was also given the axe after two games. Goorjian had also signed Harvard University's leading scorer Arne Duncan to pair with the aforementioned Ross and Anderson. Duncan (24.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists) was a totally different story. A blue-chip athlete who went on the lead the team in scoring and in fact, packed a suitcase and flew to Australia with just a week's notice after narrowly missing out on a contract with the Boston Celtics. Mid-season Goorjian then signed Rick Sharpe (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists), who had played for his father Ed Goorjian at the University of Loyola. By the time Eastside had got its import situation sorted they were already 0-6 which included losses to both Hobart and Sydney, both among the league's weakest team's that season. Uthoff lead the league in rebounding and average 18.3 points, 17.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Eastside finished the season with 11 wins, 13 losses, and in the eleventh spot, leading Goorjian to describe the season as a 'disaster'. Lucas would go on to be named the league's Most Improved Player that year in one of the few positives of the Spectres season.
The Spectres retained the core group of last season's roster, team captain Warren Pink, Dean Uthoff, the league's leading rebounder and the league's most improved player Darren Lucas. The rest of the roster was built around a bunch of young talent, with Shane Froling, Paul Hotchin and Steve Lunardon all returning with one more season of experienced, 17-year-old Spectres junior player Rupert Sapwell and 24-year-old Wayne Larkins from Westside Melbourne. During the pre-season, Duncan suffered a injury that saw him miss the first half of the regular season. The Spectres then signed Kent Lockhart, who had been playing in the state league for Sandringham, as an injury replacement for Duncan. Goorjian, who had been playing pickup basketball games against state league players during the offseason, was impressed by his ability to play both sides of the ball.
The only changes to the local roster were the exits of veterans Paul Hotchins and Warren Pink, who were then replaced with Darren Perry (Brisbane) and Nunawading junior Tony Ronaldson, who had just completed a year at the Australian Institute of Sport. The departure of import Arne Duncan then made room for the return of former Spectre Bruce Bolden. To kick off the season, Eastside was tipped to be the big improvers of 1990 after finishing 'best of the rest' the year prior. The team started off by winning its first three games on the schedule, but over the course of the season, the team never seemed to be able to beat the league's best. While they knocked off the majority of the league, losses they couldn't see to deliver wins against elite team's like Perth, Brisbane and North Melbourne. In Round 21, Eastside turned things around with a win over crosstown rivals North Melbourne (118-111), but then followed that up with a 3-2 run home.
Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 ppg and 10.4 rpg) and Kent Lockhart (18.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Uthoff also contributed 16.8 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
He paired Donaldson with a relatively unknown forward, Leon Trimmingham, who had played at Briar Cliff University and was recommended to Turner by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. The majority of the remaining roster was retained, with the only major loss being Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), who was replaced with young guns Neil Turner and Brad Williams.
At the halfway mark (8-3), the Kings looked like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster started to show, and Sydney went 8-7 for the remainder of the year and narrowly scraped into the playoffs in seventh place (16-10).
The second half was a mere formality as the purple and gold cruised to the win, but the biggest story to come out of the game was Sydney's unbelievable performance from the perimeter, with the team setting a franchise playoff record by knocking down 15 three-pointers from just 18 attempts – a success rate beyond the arc of a absurd 83.3%. It was arguably the greatest three-point shooting exhibition ever by a team in a NBL playoff game. The Kings finished the game having hit 15 of 18 three-point shots. Greg Hubbard was the chief destroyer, going eight of nine from long distance and finishing with 32 points in just 28 minutes of court time, and he had plenty of help. Mario Donaldson went three of four from the outside as part of his 27-point performance, and co-captain Damian Keogh chipped in with four threes at 80% in his near triple-double of 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
The season started with a narrow 85-86 loss to Bolden's former team, the Magic, before a up-and-down season, where the Kings defeated a number of league’s top team's but failed to close out games against those at the bottom of the ladder. Sydney would start the season with a 3-6 record, which included wins over Perth and North Melbourne, who would finish first and third, respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to Canberra (who would finish tenth) and lost games to Townsville (finished 12th) and Gold Coast (finished 13th).
Uthoff averaged 4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists for the season.
| Dean Uthoff made his NBL debut with the Nunawading Spectres at 24 years of age. He scored 20 points in his first game. | Dean Uthoff played twelve seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Nunawading Spectres, Eastside Melbourne Spectres and Sydney Kings. He averaged 14.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 260 NBL games. | Played 39 games for the Dandenong Rangers (1986-1987). He still holds the team's record of collected 37 rebounds in a single game. | COLLEGEIn 1976 the University of Iowa State recruited Uthoff (along with future NBL legend Chuck Harmison) and the 'Man Mountain' made quite the impact in his freshman year. That season the Cyclones won eight games, but it became apparent they had a burgeoning star in the making when Uthoff was forced into action, averaging a double-double (11.5 points, 11.3 rebounds) due to the team being short on upperclassmen. Uthoff was the league’s top rookie rebounder. He also was the first freshman in Big Eight history to record 300 points and 300 rebounds in a season and his incredible rebounding skills were on full display. In Uthoff's second season the team finished second in the Big Eight with a 9-5 mark. During the 1977-78 season The Cyclones jumped out to 6-1 in the league and finished the year tied for second in the Big Eight standings at 9-5. The season also included a 79-78 win over Iowa in the season-opener. It was one of ISU’s best conference seasons in years, and Uthoff’s improvement was one of its biggest stories. Uthoff led the nation in rebounding throughout much of the year. He grabbed over 20 boards in a game three times, including 22 caroms vs. Drake and Colorado. Uthoff ended his sophomore year averaging 12.9 points and 14.0 rebounds, the top board man in the Big Eight for the second-straight year and third nationally. It’s still the third-best single-season rebounding average in Cyclone history. The honours poured in for Uthoff: first team All-Big Eight, first team All-District, AP Honorable Mention All-American and UPI 25-Man All-American.
| In 1976 the University of Iowa State recruited Uthoff (along with future NBL legend Chuck Harmison) and the 'Man Mountain' made quite the impact in his freshman year. That season the Cyclones won eight games, but it became apparent they had a burgeoning star in the making when Uthoff was forced into action, averaging a double-double (11.5 points, 11.3 rebounds) due to the team being short on upperclassmen. Uthoff was the league’s top rookie rebounder. He also was the first freshman in Big Eight history to record 300 points and 300 rebounds in a season and his incredible rebounding skills were on full display. In Uthoff's second season the team finished second in the Big Eight with a 9-5 mark. During the 1977-78 season The Cyclones jumped out to 6-1 in the league and finished the year tied for second in the Big Eight standings at 9-5. The season also included a 79-78 win over Iowa in the season-opener. It was one of ISU’s best conference seasons in years, and Uthoff’s improvement was one of its biggest stories. Uthoff led the nation in rebounding throughout much of the year. He grabbed over 20 boards in a game three times, including 22 caroms vs. Drake and Colorado. Uthoff ended his sophomore year averaging 12.9 points and 14.0 rebounds, the top board man in the Big Eight for the second-straight year and third nationally. It’s still the third-best single-season rebounding average in Cyclone history. The honours poured in for Uthoff: first team All-Big Eight, first team All-District, AP Honorable Mention All-American and UPI 25-Man All-American.
| - 12th in total rebounds - 7th in rebounds per game. | Uthoff was invited to the Pan American games tryouts for the US Olympic Team in 1979. As a naturalised Australia was part of the Australian Boomers training camp for the 1992 Olympics. Uthoff was eligible to represent Australia but due to FIBA rules stating only one naturalised player is allowed to a major international event, he lost that spot to Leroy Loggins. | Dean Uthoff was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with pick #129 in the 1980 NBA Draft. | Uthoff attended Spurs training camp in 1980 before returning to college to get his degree. The following year the Spurs offered Uthoff another tryout but again he failed to make the team's roster. | FAMILY: His third cousin Jarrod Uthoff also played basketball at Iowa State before playing in the NBA. Dean’s brother, Ed, also distinguished himself in college ball and was team captain at San Jose State. | His third cousin Jarrod Uthoff also played basketball at Iowa State before playing in the NBA. Dean’s brother, Ed, also distinguished himself in college ball and was team captain at San Jose State. | In his post-playing days, the Kings employed Uthoff as an on-court celebrity for promotions at timeouts and halftime. | The Man Mountain | 2000 | Dean Uthoff played twelve seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Nunawading Spectres, Eastside Melbourne Spectres and Sydney Kings. He averaged 14.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 260 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: HIGHLIGHTS: | COLLEGEIn 1976 the University of Iowa State recruited Uthoff (along with future NBL legend Chuck Harmison) and the 'Man Mountain' made quite the impact in his freshman year. That season the Cyclones won eight games, but it became apparent they had a burgeoning star in the making when Uthoff was forced into action, averaging a double-double (11.5 points, 11.3 rebounds) due to the team being short on upperclassmen. Uthoff was the league’s top rookie rebounder. He also was the first freshman in Big Eight history to record 300 points and 300 rebounds in a season and his incredible rebounding skills were on full display. In Uthoff's second season the team finished second in the Big Eight with a 9-5 mark. During the 1977-78 season The Cyclones jumped out to 6-1 in the league and finished the year tied for second in the Big Eight standings at 9-5. The season also included a 79-78 win over Iowa in the season-opener. It was one of ISU’s best conference seasons in years, and Uthoff’s improvement was one of its biggest stories. Uthoff led the nation in rebounding throughout much of the year. He grabbed over 20 boards in a game three times, including 22 caroms vs. Drake and Colorado. Uthoff ended his sophomore year averaging 12.9 points and 14.0 rebounds, the top board man in the Big Eight for the second-straight year and third nationally. It’s still the third-best single-season rebounding average in Cyclone history. The honours poured in for Uthoff: first team All-Big Eight, first team All-District, AP Honorable Mention All-American and UPI 25-Man All-American.
AWARDS- 2x All-NBL Second Team LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLIn his post-playing days, the Kings employed Uthoff as an on-court celebrity for promotions at timeouts and halftime. |
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| 1268 | Virtue, Michael | AUS | Virtue | Michael | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | FRD | 200 | 104 | 23 | 217 | 71 | 32 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 29 | 55 | 52.7% | 0.0% | 5 | 15 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 8 | 22 | 36.4% | 0.0% | 24 | 40 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 9.4 | 36% | 41% | 29% | 39% | 41% | 53% | 38% | 28% | 16 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -3 | -0.3 | 13.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Kograh (NSW) | George Mason | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27/11/72 | 20/04/96 | 28/09/96 | 23 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Michael Virtue was born in Kograh (NSW) NBL EXPERIENCEMichael Virtue made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 23 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 57% | 55% | 17% | 40% | 1.3 | 77.9 | 0.30 | 18.2% | 7.53 | 0.00 | 0.5 | 11 | 109 | 5 | 0.327 | 0.147 | 0.028 | 0.046 | 0.005 | 0.041 | 0.147 | 0.327 | 0.074 | Geelong Supercats | Geelong Supercats | Michael Virtue was born in Kograh (NSW) | Michael Virtue made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 23 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | Michael Virtue played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 23 NBL games. | 0 | Michael Virtue played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 23 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1269 | Ward, Carl | AUS | Ward | Carl | 1995 | 1996 | 2 | G/F | 193 | 82 | 11 | 164 | 42 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 29 | 48.3% | 0.0% | 8 | 16 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 6 | 8 | 75.0% | 0.0% | 6 | 13 | 46.2% | 0.0% | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 14.9 | 41% | 31% | 55% | 38% | 31% | 75% | 69% | 47% | 13 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -0.2 | 82.4 | 18606.2 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Townsville 1995-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Werribee (VIC) | VIC - Werribee | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Burdekin 1996-97 | Townsville 2005 | 20/04/74 | 21/04/95 | 28/09/96 | 21 | 22 | 0 | BIO: Carl Ward was born in Werribee (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Werribee basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCECarl Ward made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 21 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.3 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 62% | 65% | 57% | 28% | 1.4 | 73.2 | 0.91 | 31.0% | 20.55 | 0.00 | 1.1 | 12 | 64 | 6 | 0.256 | 0.067 | 0.067 | 0.055 | 0.018 | 0.061 | 0.073 | 0.256 | 0.091 | Townsville Suns | Townsville Suns | Carl Ward was born in Werribee (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Werribee basketball program. | Carl Ward made his NBL debut with the Townsville Suns at 21 years of age. He scored two points in his first game. | Carl Ward played two seasons the Townsville Suns. He averaged 3.8 points, 1 rebounds, and 1 assists in 11 NBL games. | 0 | Carl Ward played two seasons the Townsville Suns. He averaged 3.8 points, 1 rebounds, and 1 assists in 11 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1270 | Williams, Orlando | USA | Williams | Orlando | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | GRD | 196 | #N/A | 21 | 867 | 494 | 69 | 51 | 14 | 55 | 28 | 3 | 76 | 55 | 179 | 406 | 44.1% | 44.1% | 87 | 237 | 36.7% | 36.7% | 49 | 62 | 79.0% | 0.0% | 92 | 169 | 54.4% | 54.4% | 23.5 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 41.3 | 97% | 63% | 83% | 50% | 69% | 90% | 56% | 96% | 34 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -16 | -0.4 | 57.1 | 21209.2 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | Oregon | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10/05/96 | 21/09/96 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEOrlando Williams made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats on 10/5/1996. He scored 23 points in his first game. | 23 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.5 | 19.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 11.3 | 55% | 57% | 49% | 15% | 1.2 | 76.1 | 0.14 | 6.9% | 9.10 | 13.56 | 1.5 | 31 | 614 | 29 | 0.570 | 0.080 | 0.059 | 0.032 | 0.003 | 0.088 | 0.063 | 0.570 | 0.039 | Geelong Supercats | Geelong Supercats | Orlando Williams made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats on 10/5/1996. He scored 23 points in his first game. | Orlando Williams played one season in the NBL. He averaged 23.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 21 NBL games. | 0 | Orlando Williams played one season in the NBL. He averaged 23.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 21 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1271 | Wilson, Bill | AUS | Wilson | Bill | 1996 | 1996 | 1 | GRD | #N/A | #N/A | 2 | 42 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 53.8% | 0.0% | 5 | 9 | 55.6% | 0.0% | 2 | 4 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 2 | 4 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 10.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 21.0 | 69% | 42% | 84% | 40% | 42% | 81% | 93% | 76% | 14 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | -0.2 | 104.1 | 10703.5 | 9.1 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | SA - Murray Bridge | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28/04/96 | 3/05/96 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEBill Wilson made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats on 28/4/1996. He scored 14 points in his first game. | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 3.5 | 6.5 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 73% | 71% | 71% | 31% | 1.6 | 68.9 | 0.00 | 15.4% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.0 | 4 | 29 | 15 | 0.500 | 0.071 | 0.119 | 0.048 | 0.048 | 0.095 | 0.071 | 0.500 | 0.333 | Geelong Supercats | Geelong Supercats | Bill Wilson made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats on 28/4/1996. He scored 14 points in his first game. | Bill Wilson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 10.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Bill Wilson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 10.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 2 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1272 | Witkowski, Matt | AUS | Witkowski | Matt | 1992 | 1996 | 5 | FRD | 201 | 103 | 103 | 1464 | 657 | 139 | 73 | 49 | 90 | 33 | 15 | 102 | 191 | 249 | 522 | 47.7% | 47.7% | 83 | 202 | 41.1% | 41.1% | 76 | 105 | 72.4% | 72.4% | 166 | 320 | 51.9% | 51.9% | 6.4 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 14.2 | 54% | 40% | 47% | 39% | 40% | 46% | 56% | 49% | 25 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -5 | -0.4 | 67.8 | 11690.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Canberra 1992-95 | Gold Coast 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1993 | 2 | 1990, 1991 | Canberra (ACT) | ACT - Canberra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AIS 1990-91 | Geelong 1996-98 | 28/07/72 | 3/04/92 | 27/09/96 | 19 | 24 | 0 | BIO: Matt Witkowski was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. Witkowski received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1990. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1990, 1991). NBL EXPERIENCEMatt Witkowski made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 19 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 2.4 | 5.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 56% | 58% | 33% | 20% | 1.3 | 77.0 | 0.04 | 6.3% | 9.82 | 13.72 | 0.5 | 48 | 869 | 8 | 0.449 | 0.095 | 0.050 | 0.023 | 0.010 | 0.070 | 0.130 | 0.449 | 0.053 | Gold Coast Rollers | Canberra Cannons | Matt Witkowski was born in Canberra (ACT) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Canberra basketball program. | Matt Witkowski made his NBL debut with the Canberra Cannons at 19 years of age. He scored one point in his first NBL game. | Matt Witkowski played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Canberra Cannons and the Gold Coast Rollers. He averaged 6.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 103 NBL games. | Witkowski received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1990. He spent two years year there and played for the program's state league team (1990, 1991). | 0 | Matt Witkowski played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Canberra Cannons and the Gold Coast Rollers. He averaged 6.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 103 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1273 | Wright, Joey | USA | Wright | Joey | 1995 | 1996 | 2 | GRD | 191 | 84 | 27 | 1172 | 574 | 143 | 152 | 53 | 90 | 46 | 6 | 116 | 89 | 176 | 400 | 44.0% | 44.0% | 56 | 144 | 38.9% | 38.9% | 166 | 203 | 81.8% | 81.8% | 120 | 256 | 46.9% | 46.9% | 21.3 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 43.4 | 95% | 80% | 98% | 81% | 78% | 96% | 65% | 99% | 39 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 8 | -15 | -0.3 | 60.7 | 0.0 | 16.8 | 16.8 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1995-96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Alton, Illinois (USA) | None | Drake (1986-1987) / Texas (1988-1991) | 1991 | 50 | PHO | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/9/1968 | 22/04/95 | 20/04/96 | 26 | 27 | 0 | BIO: Wright was born in Alton, Illinois (USA) and enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa after high school. NBL EXPERIENCEJoey Wright made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 26 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game. | Joey Wright was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with pick #50 in the 1991 NBA Draft. | 10 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 6.5 | 14.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 5.3 | 51% | 59% | 32% | 51% | 1.4 | 78.6 | 3.04 | 11.5% | 20.07 | 15.32 | 1.9 | 52 | 869 | 32 | 0.490 | 0.122 | 0.130 | 0.039 | 0.005 | 0.099 | 0.076 | 0.490 | 0.045 | Geelong Supercats | Geelong Supercats | Wright was born in Alton, Illinois (USA) and enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa after high school. | Joey Wright made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats at 26 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game. | Joey Wright played two seasons the Geelong Supercats. He averaged 21.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 27 NBL games. | COLLEGEHe played on the Drake Bulldogs basketball squad during the 1986-87 NCAA season but received little playing time on the court. Wright transferred after his freshman year to the University of Texas for a chance to play with the school's prestigious Longhorns basketball team. After sitting out as a redshirt sophomore in 1987-88, Wright was selected as the Longhorn's point guard from 1988 through 1991. Wright and teammates' Lance Blanks and Travis Mays stellar offensive performance dubbed the trio as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the 1989-90 basketball season. Wright was particularly known for his hustling and effective jump shots that greatly helped contribute to the "Scoring Machine". The Longhorn team won the Southwest Conference tournament that season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. | He played on the Drake Bulldogs basketball squad during the 1986-87 NCAA season but received little playing time on the court. Wright transferred after his freshman year to the University of Texas for a chance to play with the school's prestigious Longhorns basketball team. After sitting out as a redshirt sophomore in 1987-88, Wright was selected as the Longhorn's point guard from 1988 through 1991. Wright and teammates' Lance Blanks and Travis Mays stellar offensive performance dubbed the trio as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the 1989-90 basketball season. Wright was particularly known for his hustling and effective jump shots that greatly helped contribute to the "Scoring Machine". The Longhorn team won the Southwest Conference tournament that season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. | - 39th in assists per game. | Joey Wright was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with pick #50 in the 1991 NBA Draft. | Wright was the head coach of three team's in the NBL, the Brisbane Bullets, which won an NBL championship in 2007, the now-defunct Gold Coast Blaze and the Adelaide 36ers. He is a three-time NBL Coach of the Year (2003/04, 2006/07 and 2016/17), and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. | 0 | | Joey Wright played two seasons the Geelong Supercats. He averaged 21.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 27 NBL games. CAREER RANKINGS: | COLLEGEHe played on the Drake Bulldogs basketball squad during the 1986-87 NCAA season but received little playing time on the court. Wright transferred after his freshman year to the University of Texas for a chance to play with the school's prestigious Longhorns basketball team. After sitting out as a redshirt sophomore in 1987-88, Wright was selected as the Longhorn's point guard from 1988 through 1991. Wright and teammates' Lance Blanks and Travis Mays stellar offensive performance dubbed the trio as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the 1989-90 basketball season. Wright was particularly known for his hustling and effective jump shots that greatly helped contribute to the "Scoring Machine". The Longhorn team won the Southwest Conference tournament that season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. COACHING HISTORYWright was the head coach of three team's in the NBL, the Brisbane Bullets, which won an NBL championship in 2007, the now-defunct Gold Coast Blaze and the Adelaide 36ers. He is a three-time NBL Coach of the Year (2003/04, 2006/07 and 2016/17), and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. |
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| 1274 | Agrums, Lucas | AUS | Agrums | Lucas | 1991 | 1995 | 5 | FRD | 198 | 106 | 101 | 1605 | 423 | 267 | 70 | 84 | 183 | 47 | 20 | 145 | 236 | 168 | 389 | 43.2% | 43.2% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 87 | 127 | 68.5% | 68.5% | 168 | 388 | 43.3% | 43.3% | 4.2 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 15.9 | 43% | 56% | 47% | 56% | 58% | 55% | 62% | 64% | 24 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | -0.3 | 116.6 | 14764.5 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 0 | South East Melbourne (1992) | 1 | 0 | South East Melbourne 1991-93 | Townsville 1994-95 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1993 | Wollongong (NSW) | NSW - Illawarra | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cairns 1998 | 21/06/72 | 27/04/91 | 16/09/95 | 18 | 23 | 0 | BIO: Lucas Agrums was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCELucas Agrums made his NBL debut with the Eastside Melbourne Spectres at 18 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. After making the playoffs for the first time in three years, coach Brian Goorjian was able to bring back almost the entire squad for another shot at the championship, the team's only key loss being bruising forward Shane Froling, who was replaced with Scott Ninnis. Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Agrums contributed 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.1 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
Agrums appeared in 13 games throughout the 1992 regular season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per contest. He played limited minutes behind an established rotation but made the most of his opportunities when called upon, showing flashes of energy and defensive effort in short bursts. His best scoring performance came late in the season, when he added 4 points and a rebound in a win over Newcastle.
While Agrums did not see any court time in the Magic’s playoff run, he remained active within the team structure as the Magic swept through Canberra and North Melbourne before overcoming the Melbourne Tigers in a memorable three-game Grand Final series. The championship win capped off a dream inaugural season for the franchise, with Agrums part of the 12-man squad that lifted the trophy.
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 1.7 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 43% | 48% | 0% | 33% | 1.1 | 84.0 | -0.28 | 12.1% | 10.61 | 21.97 | 0.7 | 67 | 760 | 8 | 0.264 | 0.166 | 0.044 | 0.029 | 0.012 | 0.090 | 0.147 | 0.264 | 0.036 | Townsville Suns | Eastside Melbourne Spectres | Lucas Agrums was born in Wollongong (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. | After making the playoffs for the first time in three years, coach Brian Goorjian was able to bring back almost the entire squad for another shot at the championship, the team's only key loss being bruising forward Shane Froling, who was replaced with Scott Ninnis. Behind Eastside's formidable frontcourt, led by Bruce Bolden (27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds), Kent Lockhart (18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) and Dean Uthoff (16.8 points and 13.6 rebounds) the Spectres finished the season with a 17-9 record. Agrums contributed 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.1 assists as Eastside finished in second place, earning them a first-round bye in the playoffs. Eastside would then eliminate North Melbourne, 2–0 in the semifinals before facing off against the Perth Wildcats, who had finished the season in first place (22-4) and eliminated the Adelaide 36ers in their semi-final matchup. The Grand Final series would see Perth come away victorious with a 109-83 win in game one before the Spectres evened things up with a 86-81 win in game two. Behind the stellar play from Perth imports Ricky Grace and Pete Hanson, who would be awarded the Grand Final MVP, Perth defeated Eastside in the deciding game, 90-80.
Agrums appeared in 13 games throughout the 1992 regular season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per contest. He played limited minutes behind an established rotation but made the most of his opportunities when called upon, showing flashes of energy and defensive effort in short bursts. His best scoring performance came late in the season, when he added 4 points and a rebound in a win over Newcastle.
While Agrums did not see any court time in the Magic’s playoff run, he remained active within the team structure as the Magic swept through Canberra and North Melbourne before overcoming the Melbourne Tigers in a memorable three-game Grand Final series. The championship win capped off a dream inaugural season for the franchise, with Agrums part of the 12-man squad that lifted the trophy.
| Lucas Agrums made his NBL debut with the Eastside Melbourne Spectres at 18 years of age. He scored four points in his first game. | Lucas Agrums played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Eastside Melbourne Spectres and the Townsville Suns. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 101 NBL games. | 1000 | Lucas Agrums played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Eastside Melbourne Spectres and the Townsville Suns. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 101 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1275 | Arnold, Jeff | USA | Arnold | Jeff | 1995 | 1995 | 1 | CTR | 211 | #N/A | 21 | 775 | 402 | 198 | 44 | 64 | 134 | 18 | 21 | 47 | 89 | 170 | 327 | 52.0% | 52.0% | 9 | 27 | 33.3% | 0.0% | 53 | 78 | 67.9% | 0.0% | 161 | 300 | 53.7% | 53.7% | 19.1 | 9.4 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 36.9 | 92% | 96% | 79% | 93% | 97% | 76% | 93% | 81% | 35 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -13 | -0.3 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 15.8 | 15.8 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Geelong 1995 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22/04/95 | 26/08/95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCEJeff Arnold made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats on 22/4/1995. He scored 35 points in his first game. In 1995, Arnold averaged 19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as the Supercats finished with a record of 9-17.
| 35 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 8.1 | 15.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 53% | 56% | 5% | 24% | 1.2 | 80.4 | 0.71 | 5.5% | 9.73 | 0.00 | 1.9 | 39 | 644 | 31 | 0.519 | 0.255 | 0.057 | 0.023 | 0.027 | 0.061 | 0.115 | 0.519 | 0.045 | Geelong Supercats | Geelong Supercats | In 1995, Arnold averaged 19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as the Supercats finished with a record of 9-17.
| Jeff Arnold made his NBL debut with the Geelong Supercats on 22/4/1995. He scored 35 points in his first game. | Jeff Arnold played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 21 NBL games. | 0 | Jeff Arnold played one season in the NBL. He averaged 19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 21 NBL games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1276 | Barber, Tim | AUS | Barber | Tim | 1995 | 1995 | 1 | GRD | 188 | #N/A | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 23% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.5 | 1.0 | #DIV/0! | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | Hobart 1995 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | North East Melbourne 1998-00 | 5/05/95 | 11/05/95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NBL EXPERIENCETim Barber made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils on 5/5/1995. He scored three points in his first game. | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.750 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.250 | 0.750 | 0.750 | Hobart Devils | Hobart Devils | Tim Barber made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils on 5/5/1995. He scored three points in his first game. | Tim Barber played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.5 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | 0 | Tim Barber played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.5 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists in 2 NBL games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1277 | Barry, Richard | USA | Barry | Richard | 1995 | 1995 | 1 | GRD | 191 | 84 | 4 | 110 | 57 | 11 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 19 | 35 | 54.3% | 0.0% | 4 | 10 | 40.0% | 0.0% | 15 | 17 | 88.2% | 0.0% | 15 | 25 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 14.3 | 2.8 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 27.5 | 81% | 57% | 98% | 53% | 60% | 99% | 67% | 81% | 25 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -7 | -0.2 | 55.8 | 18168.8 | 14.8 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | South East Melbourne 1995 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | San Francisco, California (USA) | None | Kansas (1985–1989) | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Germany - SG Braunschweig (1991–1992), Hertener Löwen (1995–1996), SG Braunschweig (1996–1998), Gießen 46ers (1998–2000) | Spain - Tau Cerámica (1992) | Italy - Messina (2000–2001) | France - FC Mulhouse Basket (2001), Cholet Basket (2001–2003), Tenerife (2004–2005), Baloncesto León (2005–2006) | Belgium - Spirou Charleroi (2003–2004) | 13/08/66 | 7/07/95 | 28/07/95 | 28 | 28 | 0 | NICKNAME/S: Scooter BIO: Richard Barry was given his nickname "Scooter" shortly after being born in San Francisco, California. He attended De La Salle in Concord, California. FAMILY: Richard's brother, Drew Barry also played 8 games in the NBL. The son of NBA Hall of Fame member, Rick Barry and Lynn Barry, also a distinguished basketball player at William & Mary, has three younger brothers Jon, Brent and Drew, who all played in the NBA, he also has a half brother, Canyon Barry, who played at the College of Charleston. The basketball Barry family shares an NCAA Championship, an NBA Slam Dunk Championship and 3 NBA Championship titles between them. Barry has two children from a previous marriage, Lauren (2003) and Grant (2006). He is now happily married with Ruby Palmore, since March 2020, and currently live in the Bay Area NBL EXPERIENCERichard Barry made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 28 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. With the Magic deciding to focus on young, local talent the Magic would replace veteran big man Bruce Bolden with Chris Anstey from the Melbourne Tigers, add young Nunawading junior Jason Smith and signed Richard' Scooter' Barry to play alongside import Adonis Jordan. Barry, unfortunately, didn't quite make the impact in the NBL his father did in the NBA and was shown the door after four games. He was replaced in the lineup with 23-year-old development player Shane Bright.
Then Magic went on to reach the semi finals where they were eliminated by the North Melbourne Giants in three games. | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 4.8 | 8.8 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 60% | 67% | 21% | 49% | 1.6 | 76.8 | 0.00 | 25.7% | 28.97 | 0.00 | 2.5 | 10 | 89 | 22 | 0.518 | 0.100 | 0.191 | 0.082 | 0.009 | 0.082 | 0.100 | 0.518 | 0.227 | South East Melbourne Magic | South East Melbourne Magic | Richard Barry was given his nickname "Scooter" shortly after being born in San Francisco, California. He attended De La Salle in Concord, California. | With the Magic deciding to focus on young, local talent the Magic would replace veteran big man Bruce Bolden with Chris Anstey from the Melbourne Tigers, add young Nunawading junior Jason Smith and signed Richard' Scooter' Barry to play alongside import Adonis Jordan. Barry, unfortunately, didn't quite make the impact in the NBL his father did in the NBA and was shown the door after four games. He was replaced in the lineup with 23-year-old development player Shane Bright.
Then Magic went on to reach the semi finals where they were eliminated by the North Melbourne Giants in three games. | Richard Barry made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Magic at 28 years of age. He scored six points in his first game. | Richard Barry played one season in the NBL. He averaged 14.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 4 NBL games. | FAMILY: Richard's brother, Drew Barry also played 8 games in the NBL. The son of NBA Hall of Fame member, Rick Barry and Lynn Barry, also a distinguished basketball player at William & Mary, has three younger brothers Jon, Brent and Drew, who all played in the NBA, he also has a half brother, Canyon Barry, who played at the College of Charleston. The basketball Barry family shares an NCAA Championship, an NBA Slam Dunk Championship and 3 NBA Championship titles between them. Barry has two children from a previous marriage, Lauren (2003) and Grant (2006). He is now happily married with Ruby Palmore, since March 2020, and currently live in the Bay Area | The son of NBA Hall of Fame member, Rick Barry and Lynn Barry, also a distinguished basketball player at William & Mary, has three younger brothers Jon, Brent and Drew, who all played in the NBA, he also has a half brother, Canyon Barry, who played at the College of Charleston. The basketball Barry family shares an NCAA Championship, an NBA Slam Dunk Championship and 3 NBA Championship titles between them. Barry has two children from a previous marriage, Lauren (2003) and Grant (2006). He is now happily married with Ruby Palmore, since March 2020, and currently live in the Bay Area | - Belgian League champion (2004) - CBA champion (1995) - NCAA champion (1988) | Since retiring from basketball Barry now works as a corporate business coach. | Scooter | 0 | Richard Barry played one season in the NBL. He averaged 14.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 4 NBL games. | AWARDS- Belgian League champion (2004) LIFE AFTER BASKETBALLSince retiring from basketball Barry now works as a corporate business coach. |
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| 1278 | Barry, Adam | AUS | Barry | Adam | 1995 | 1995 | 1 | GRD | 181 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | None | 0 | 0 | North Melbourne 1995 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | #N/A | Melbourne (VIC) | VIC - Cobourg | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | #N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | North East Melbourne 1993-97 | 11/09/75 | 7/07/95 | 7/07/95 | 19 | 19 | 0 | BIO: Adam Barry was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Cobourg basketball program. NBL EXPERIENCEAdam Barry made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Abercrombie, Thomas | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | North Melbourne Giants | North Melbourne Giants | Adam Barry was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Cobourg basketball program. | Adam Barry made his NBL debut with the North Melbourne Giants at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game. | Adam Barry played in one NBL game during the 1995 season, scoring 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists. | 0 | Adam Barry played in one NBL game during the 1995 season, scoring 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists. |
NBL salary cap information is listed below:
- The NBL salary cap has increased by 4% for the 2025/26 season, rising from a soft cap of $1,947,662.58 to $2,025,569.08, with the minimum team spend also lifting from $1,752,913.85 to $1,823,030.40.
- Soft Cap Clarity: $1,638,237.24m salary cap is a soft cap, with teams able to spend over and above this figure. However, they will be required to contribute to the salary equalisation Subsidy Account. Funds accrued in this account will be able to be distributed to clubs that are struggling to meet the Salary Floor. To qualify for the subsidy, teams need to prove they are; doing their best to make the salary floor without the subsidy and are making an attempt not to be reliant on the subsidy on a repeating basis.
- Teams who spend over the cap are subject to a luxury tax with the rate determined by just how much over the cap they have spent:
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- 1 – 15% over : 25c on each dollar over
- 16 – 30% over : 50c on each dollar over
- 31 – 50% over : $1 on each dollar over
- > 50% over : $1.50 on each dollar over
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- Teams must spend at least 90% of the salary cap, i.e. the ‘NBL salary floor’ (the minimum amount each team must spend on its roster) is $1,823,030.40.
- Rosters include 11 fully contracted players.
- Minimum salaries for players during the 2025-26 have risen from $74,540.23 to $79,758.05.
- Minimum salaries for development players during the 2025-26 have risen from $21,630.42 to $22,495.64.
- During NBL26, the aggregate salaries of at least 5 players on each team must not exceed $729,212.16. This rule is an attempt by the league to bring parity to the teams. It states that the five lowest-paid players on a roster cannot have their combined salaries add to more than 40% of the salary cap in that season. On average, the five lowest-paid players on a team are paid $131,059.
- Player values for salary cap purposes are to be assigned by the contract review committee – their values will override the salary submitted on paperwork to the NBL as a measure to police the Salary Cap and ensure players are appropriately valued.
- The salary cap in future years is determined by averaging all teams’ salary payments for the prior season.
- The combined value of the five lowest-paid players on every team cannot be more than 40% of the salary floor.
- No matter how much teams spend in a previous season, the cap must increase by a minimum of 4% and a maximum of 7% the following season.
Player Exceptions
Development Players (DP)
- Teams are allowed a maximum of 4 development players and a minimum of one. A development player must be Australian or New Zealand born, under 25 years old and never been contracted by an NBL club and registered as a development player.
- Development players are now permitted to play in all home and away games, and the age limit has risen from 24 to 25.
Import Players (*)
Also known as Restricted Player. The player is not Australian or New Zealander.
- Maximum of three imports per team. As most negotiations are done in USD, the salary cap converts to USD at 92 cents.
Injury Replacement Players (IR)
- Should a rostered player get injured, a team has the option of either filling that spot with a development player or getting in an Injury Replacement Player to fill the injured player’s roster spot. This player’s salary is counted towards the cap for any games he plays in. Once the nominated injured player returns, the IR player must vacate his spot.
Marquee Players
A high-level Australian or New Zealander player. Teams are limited to four per team (marquees and imports players combined). Regardless of the actual player’s salary, it has a limited (fixed) impact on the team’s salary cap.
Marquee player system to apply to non-restricted (local) players only.
NBL teams are permitted a combined four imports and marquee players on the roster and only a specified component of their salaries will be counted toward the salary cap.
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1st Marquee: $250,056.15
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2nd Marquee: $333,409.66
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3rd Marquee: $416,761.71
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4th Marquee: $500,113.77
Next Stars Player Exception (NS)
- Elite prospects who chose to develop for the NBA in the 1-2 years prior to the NBA draft or post the NBA draft.
- Generally, an elite high school prospect with NBA Draft interest or a player recently drafted by an NBA team who wants to develop him in another league prior to playing in the NBA
- Players are generally signed on two-year deals.
- Next Stars are not included in the regular roster count and do not count as an import. No restrictions on nationality. Salaries do not count towards the salary cap.
Reconciliation Action Plan Player (RAP)
From the 2021-22 season onwards, the NBL funds 50% of the minimum salary for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander players signed on development player deals (approx $9,095 per Reconciliation Action Plan Player is funded by the league.
- The funding does not apply for any player signing a full NBL contract (non-development contract), but their salary (like the special restriction player) does not count towards the team’s salary cap.
- Should they re-sign a second contract, 50% of the salary will be counted towards the cap.
- Additionally, in respect of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players engaged by NBL Clubs as rostered players:
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- 0% of their salary will count towards the salary cap for the duration of their first contract term; and
- 50% of the salary will count towards the salary cap for the duration of their second contract term.
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Special Restriction Player (Former Asian Player Exception)
The Special Restricted Player rule encourages teams to sign talent from a number of Asian countries — Japan, China, India, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Singapore — as a non-restricted player, with the added incentive that the contract doesn’t hit the cap at all.
- Countries eligible include China, the Philippines, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Singapore and Japan.
- Players are considered local players, and their contracts are not counted toward the team’s salary cap.
- With this exemption classifying them as a local player, they can also be listed as a marquee player and gain a salary cap exemption for their salary.
- This makes them very attractive to teams who want to spend more on their roster but have limited cap space. The system is designed to attract players from ‘large viewership markets’ in the geographic region in order to promote the league internationally.
Team/Player/Mutual Options
On signing a multi-year contract, stipulations can be added to additional seasons which give either the team or player control over whether that contract is continued in the future.
- Player option = The player can decide whether or not to return on the agreed contract terms
- Team option = The team will decide if the player returns on the agreed contract terms i.e. typically, a player option will be added to entice a player to sign with their club by essentially giving them control over future commitments.
- A mutual option requires both the team and the player to opt into that year of the deal.
Contract Length: The maximum contract length in the NBL is 3 years
Salary Note: A team’s actual player salary total is not what is counted towards each team’s salary-cap figure. The NBL independently reviews each full roster salary and assigns a value to each player based on what they deem the ‘market value’ of that player to be. This is the actual value counted towards a team’s cap. Often the independent review simply matches what the team has agreed to pay the player, but the panel of reviewers have been known to override with amounts fluctuating by $100k in either direction.
This means that if a team decides to ‘over-pay’ for a player, they can do so, with the benefit being the additional monies spent will count towards the cap. On the contrary – a player that agrees to sign with a team at a very low rate will have their market value counted towards the team’s cap, not their salary.
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.
2 Responses to the post:
Just wondering, you have Zylan Cheatham as a F/C, yet he is 6ft 5 and Luca Yates for the Hawks is 6ft 10 but you have him as a small forward. You are doing a great job other than that.
Thanks John, some of the player data wasn’t pulling through from the player profiles correctly, we’ve fixed this now. Thanks for pointing that out.