BIO: Nic Pozoglou was born in Penrith (NSW).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Nic Pozoglou made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Pozoglou appeared in only four games as a development player with the Hawks, scoring a total of two points. Illawarra would narrowly miss out on making the playoffs the season, finishing in fifth place (12-16).

2018/19
After falling short of making the playoffs by only a few games in 2018, the Hawks saw several key players depart, including Demitrius Conger (to Serbia), Rotnei Clarke (to Greece), Nicholas Kay (to Perth), Delvon Johnson (to Slovakia), and Cody Ellis and Rhys Martin, who both retired. In response, Illawarra made significant roster changes, adding Jordair Jett (via NZNBL), Brian Conklin (via France), David Andersen (via Melbourne), Cedric Jackson (via USA), and rookies Emmett Naar and Daniel Grida. They retained key players AJ Ogilvy, Tim Coenraad, Nic Pozoglou, and team captain Kevin White, aiming to build on their existing core.

Illawarra began the season with a dramatic quadruple-overtime thriller, narrowly losing to Melbourne (122–123). They followed this heartbreaking defeat with a heavy loss to Perth (101–61) but rebounded with a road win against Cairns (104–93). A brief two-game win streak later in October saw the Hawks secure victories against Brisbane (86–78) and Adelaide (120–109), momentarily seeing them sit in fifth place. However, inconsistency plagued the team, and they later endured a four-game losing streak in November, including defeats to Perth (90–81), Sydney (81–90), and Adelaide (104–79). Despite flashes of potential, the Hawks finished with a 12-16 record, missing the playoffs.

Nic Pozoglou had limited opportunities to contribute during the 2018-19 season. Despite being part of the core team, Pozoglou saw action primarily off the bench, playing a modest role throughout the season. He featured in several games but with minimal impact on the stat sheet. His best performances included a 2-point, 2-rebound, 2-assist, and 2-steal game against Brisbane (1 Feb 2019), and a 3-point effort against Adelaide (25 Nov 2018). Though his minutes were limited, Pozoglou made the most of his opportunities when called upon.

Alongside Pozoglou, Illawarra was led offensively by Brian Conklin (14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), Todd Blanchfield (13.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who earned the Hawks’ club MVP award, Jordair Jett (11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists), and AJ Ogilvy (9.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks). Despite strong individual performances, the Hawks couldn’t maintain consistency and ultimately missed the playoffs in what was one of the most competitive NBL seasons.

2018/19
After narrowly missing the playoffs with a 12-16 record the previous season, Illawarra underwent significant roster changes under coach Rob Beveridge. Oscar Forman (retired), Nick Kay (to Perth), Mitch Norton (to Perth), Rotnei Clarke, Demitrius Conger and Delvon Johnson departed, while Cody Ellis and Rhys Martin became free agents. AJ Ogilvy, Tim Coenraad and captain Kevin White returned, with Todd Blanchfield (via Sydney), David Andersen (via Melbourne), Cedric Jackson (via USA), Brian Conklin (via France), Jordair Jett, Daniel Grida and Emmett Naar among the additions.

Nic Pozoglou returned as a development player after appearing in four games for Illawarra during 2017/18. During the off-season he played with the Ballarat Miners in the SEABL while continuing his development, saying, “I am looking forward to working with my team mates and to work on my game and get better.”

Pozoglou (1.8 points across 5 games) remained outside the regular rotation and made all five appearances off the bench. There was no reported injury behind his limited number of games, with his development-player role providing only occasional opportunities.

His first appearance of the season was against Adelaide on November 25, where Pozoglou (3 points) made his only field-goal attempt, a three-pointer, during four minutes as Illawarra defeated the 36ers 120-109. Blanchfield (24 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Ogilvy (19 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Hawks, while former Hawk Demitrius Conger (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) led Adelaide.

Pozoglou’s best game came in Perth on February 1, where Pozoglou (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) played a season-high 16 minutes and made his only field-goal attempt as Illawarra lost 90-104. Conklin (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Jett (19 points) led the Hawks, while Bryce Cotton (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists) led Perth.

Conklin (14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds) led Illawarra in scoring, while Blanchfield (13.5 points and 4.2 rebounds) was named Hawks MVP. Jett (11.8 points and 1.5 steals) and Ogilvy (9.4 points and 6.6 rebounds) were the other major contributors.

Following the season, Pozoglou (to Perth) became a free agent and joined the Wildcats for 2019/20 after Wani Swaka Lo Buluk suffered an ankle injury, later remaining with Perth as a development player on its championship roster.

Pozoglou’s fifth and final appearance for Illawarra came against New Zealand on February 9, where Pozoglou (2 points and 1 rebound) played two minutes as the Hawks lost 81-96. Conklin (20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Jett (14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals) led Illawarra, while Shawn Long (24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks) led New Zealand as the Hawks finished the season with a 12-16 record.

PERTH WILDCATS
2019/20
After Perth defeated Melbourne United 3-1 to claim its ninth NBL championship, Trevor Gleeson re-signed on a three-year deal and Damian Martin, Jesse Wagstaff and Terrico White returned. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (elevated from development player) was promoted to replace Greg Hire (retired), while Dario Hunt (via Spirou Charleroi) and Majok Majok (via New Zealand) joined after Tom Jervis (retired) and Angus Brandt (to Europe) departed. Nic Pozoglou (via Illawarra) began the season without an NBL contract before Swaka Lo Buluk suffered a serious ankle injury during the pre-season, leading Perth to sign Pozoglou as an injury replacement.

Perth opened its championship defence with a 94-93 win over Melbourne United at RAC Arena. Pozoglou (1 point across 10 games) was used at the end of the rotation and was not sidelined by an injury himself, with his limited opportunities resulting from his replacement and development-player role. His first appearance came in the opening-night win, where Pozoglou (1 rebound) played two minutes as Bryce Cotton (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Perth, while Melo Trimble (25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) was Melbourne’s best.

Perth started 5-1 before falling to 8-5, then recovered with four consecutive wins to finish December at 13-6. Martin (3.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 26 games) missed January with a left heel injury, while Hunt (8.6 points and 6 rebounds across 21 games) was released (to Mornar Bar) and replaced by Miles Plumlee (via Zhejiang Lions; 8.6 points and 6.7 rebounds across 12 games).

Pozoglou’s best game of the season came in Perth’s final regular-season game against Adelaide, where Pozoglou (4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) played a season-high 14 minutes as the Wildcats won 94-79. Nick Kay (23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) led Perth, while Daniel Johnson (18 points and 11 rebounds) was Adelaide’s best. The Wildcats won six of their final seven games to finish second with a 19-9 record and secure their 34th consecutive finals appearance.

Cotton (22.6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.6 steals across 32 games) won his second NBL MVP award, while Kay (15.9 points, 8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals across 33 games) was named to the All-NBL First Team. White (15 points and 3.6 rebounds across 30 games), Clint Steindl (9.6 points across 32 games), Mitchell Norton (6.8 points across 33 games) and Wagstaff (5.8 points across 33 games) were Perth’s other main contributors.

Pozoglou did not play in semifinal game one, where Perth defeated Cairns 108-107 in overtime behind Cotton (42 points and 6 assists) and Kay (23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals), while Scott Machado (31 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists) and DJ Newbill (25 points) led Cairns.

Pozoglou remained on the bench in game two as Cairns defeated Perth 85-74 behind Cameron Oliver (22 points and 19 rebounds) and Newbill (16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals), while Steindl (18 points and 3 rebounds) led Perth.

Pozoglou did not enter the deciding game three, where Perth defeated Cairns 93-82 behind White (26 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Kay (24 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), while Oliver (20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) and Machado (19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) led Cairns as Perth won the series 2-1.

Pozoglou remained on the bench in Grand Final game one as Perth defeated Sydney 88-86 behind Cotton (32 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Kay (14 points and 6 rebounds), while Andrew Bogut (18 points) and Kevin Lisch (17 points) led Sydney.

With game two played behind closed doors due to COVID-19, Pozoglou (2 rebounds) played 73 seconds as Sydney defeated Perth 97-83. Cotton (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Kay (17 points and 7 rebounds) led Perth, while Jae’Sean Tate (20 points), Bogut (19 points and 14 rebounds) and Lisch (19 points) led Sydney.

Pozoglou did not take the court in game three, where Perth defeated Sydney 111-96 behind Cotton (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Kay (30 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists), while Tate (20 points and 6 rebounds) and Brad Newley (19 points and 5 rebounds) led Sydney. Sydney withdrew before game four amid concerns surrounding COVID-19 and travel restrictions, leading the remaining games to be cancelled before Perth was awarded the championship two days later.

Nic Pozoglou played three seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 1.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 19 NBL games.