FAMILY: Robbie’s son Jason Cadee also played 417 games in the NBL.

Robbie’s wife Debbie (formerly Debbie Lee) represented the Opals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Robbie Cadee made his NBL debut with the St. Kilda Saints at 27 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game.

St Kilda launched the inaugural NBL season under coach Brian Kerle with a fully Australian lineup anchored by Tony Barnett, Larry Sengstock, Danny Morseu, Steve Breheny and veteran guard Robbie Cadee, a group whose shared state-league background translated smoothly into the new national competition.

After a steady 3–3 opening, the Saints settled into a consistent rhythm, with Cadee’s experience and shot selection providing calm structure in the backcourt. Alongside Breheny’s organisation, Barnett’s wing scoring and Sengstock’s inside presence, St Kilda developed one of the league’s most reliable and disciplined rotations, built on continuity rather than import firepower.

As the season progressed, St Kilda tightened its execution and produced the decisive stretch of the year, closing the regular season with 12 straight victories and completing a perfect 9–0 home record. Cadee’s role during this run was defined by control and efficiency, spacing the floor, converting at the line and helping manage tempo in late-game situations as the Saints consistently closed out tight contests.

Barnett delivered several defining scoring performances during the winning streak, including 36 points against Bankstown and 35 in a late-season victory over Canberra that secured top position on the ladder. Cadee complemented that output by drawing defensive attention on the perimeter and punishing rotations, reinforcing his status as one of the competition’s most dependable shooting guards across the campaign.

St Kilda finished the regular season 15–3 and advanced directly to the one-game Grand Final against the Canberra Cannons, a matchup that contrasted the Saints’ all-local lineup with Canberra’s import-driven attack led by Cal Stamp. The championship decider unfolded as a physical, momentum-shifting contest, with 19-year-old Larry Sengstock delivering a defining performance, scoring 33 points and matching Stamp’s 32-point output in a centre duel that dictated the game’s flow.

The outcome was decided on the final possession, where Cadee calmly drew the defence before delivering a composed pass to Peter Vitols for the decisive basket at the buzzer, sealing a 94–93 victory and delivering the first NBL championship in league history. While Sengstock claimed Grand Final MVP honours, Cadee’s late-game decision-making proved pivotal in the defining moment of the inaugural season.

St Kilda’s 15–3 finish reflected the depth and balance of their all-Australian roster, a group that also captured multiple state and domestic titles during 1979 and established itself as the benchmark club of the period.

Key contributors included leading scorer Tony Barnett (22.3 points), Grand Final MVP Larry Sengstock (17.6 points), Danny Morseu (15.8 points), Steve Breheny (13.3 points) and Robbie Cadee (12.3 points), who also led the entire league in free-throw percentage at 89.7 percent, reinforcing his reputation as one of the competition’s most reliable closers.

In the league’s first season, only the top two teams progressed to the postseason, with St Kilda finishing first and defeating Canberra second 94–93 in the Grand Final. Sengstock’s 33 points and Cadee’s final-pass execution capped a campaign built on cohesion rather than imports, with St Kilda remaining the only club in NBL history to win a championship with a fully local roster.

1980

1981

1982

1983
Coming off a dismal 2–24 record in 1982, the Bankstown Bruins entered the 1983 NBL season with a transformed roster and a new sense of purpose. Player-coach Robbie Cadee returned to lead the team both on the court and from the sidelines, taking on the dual role of captain and head coach. A trio of high-impact imports—Cliff Martin, Eric Claus, and Wayne Ricarte—joined the squad, replacing outgoing top scorers Kelvin Henderson, Donnie Cruse, and Doug Vukalovich.

The league itself underwent a major restructure in 1983, expanding from 14 to 16 teams and introducing a two-conference format for the first time. Teams were split into Eastern and Western Divisions, with each club playing 22 games—twice against divisional opponents and once against those from the opposite division.

The fresh lineup produced immediate improvement. Martin (20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds), Claus (18.9 points, 8.0 rebounds), and Ricarte (17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds) delivered consistently strong performances. Cadee, operating as the starting point guard, provided veteran leadership and direction, finishing the season with averages of 6.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

Beyond the star imports, key contributions came from Ray Dawson (6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds), Mark Ryan (3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds), and Peter Sheehan (3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds). While the team still lacked depth beyond its top six, the improved talent and chemistry helped turn around a franchise that had been at the bottom of the standings just a season earlier.

Bankstown’s resurgence culminated in a 12–10 regular season record and a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Division—an astonishing ten-win improvement. Although the Bruins were eliminated in the postseason by the St. Kilda Saints, the turnaround was one of the most remarkable in league history.

At season’s end, Robbie Cadee was named the NBL’s Coach of the Year, becoming just the second player-coach in league history to receive the honour, following Cal Bruton effort in 1982. Cadee would retire from playing the following season, focusing on the head coaching role for Bankstown.

Cadee would play in 100 NBL games, averaging 9.1 points per game. His recorded assist average of 0.9 per game is misleading, however, as assists were not officially tracked during the early years of the league, rendering the career total inaccurately low.

Robbie Cadee played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the St. Kilda Saints and the Bankstown Bruins. He averaged 9.1 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 100 NBL games.