NICKNAME/S: The Rat

BIO: Ron Radliff is a naturalised Australian citizen who was born and raised in Enumclaw, Washington. Radliff, more commonly known as “The Rat”, graduated from Enumclaw Senior High School in Washington State in 1976. He then attended and graduated from Western Washington University.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Ron Radliff made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 25 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.

In 1983, Larry Sengstock (13.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) took over as sole team captain of the Bullets and together with first year talent Radliff (10.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) guided the Bullets to a fifth place finish behind a record of 10 wins and 12 losses.

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.

1984
Under new coach Brian Kerle the Bullets underwent a number of roster changes, the biggest being the return of Leroy Loggins, who had spent the previous two seasons with the West Adelaide Bearcats. The team then added import guard Ron ‘The Rat’ Radliff, known for his long curly hair and brilliant outside shooting, to help spread the floor for Loggins and co.

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, Radliff (20.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.0 steals) and captain Larry Sengstock (18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) provided the additional firepower the Bullets needed to make their first playoff appearance since 1981. The team 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.

1985
After falling short against Canberra Cannons in the previous year’s Grand Final, the Brisbane Bullets added the legendary Cal Bruton to the squad and a young John Dorge to the squad.

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. Radliff would also add 17.5 points, 2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for the season.

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.

Radliff contributed 12 points and 3 assists alongside Loggins, who led the Bullets in most categories, racking up 28 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, and Cal Bruton who added 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Brisbane were able to come away victorious behind a 93-76 victory while Adelaide 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. Radliff seemingly had saved his one of his best game’s of the season for the encounter, notching up 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists while 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.

1986
The team’s major change during the 1986 season was when they moved out of the Chandler Arena (2,700 seats) and into the brand new Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which could seat up to 13,500 fans. The move easily gave the Bullets the largest and newest home arena in the NBL at the time (the next largest venue in the league was The Glass House, which could only seat 7,200). At the time, the Entertainment Centre was not only the NBL’s but also Australia’s largest indoor arena.

Brisbane finished the regular season in third place (17–8) and progressed to their third Grand Final in a row after wins over the Sydney Supersonics and regular postseason rivals, the Canberra Cannons.

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). Radliff also contributed 16.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

This season’s Grand Final would be decided in a best-of-three series for the first time ever. Brisbane would face Adelaide in a rematch of last year’s Grand Final, who, behind coach Ken Cole, had lost only two games all year and were unbeaten at home.

In the opening game, over 11,000 fans, a then indoor sports attendance record in Australia, watched Radliff fill the box score with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in game one but it wasn’t enough to overcome the 36ers. Adelaide would narrowly defeat Brisbane 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 with Radliff playing a key role, finishing with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Bullets would lose the deciding game three in Adelaide (113–91), Delivering Adelaide their first championship. Crucially, Loggins fouled out of both game one and 3 of the Grand Final series, which limited his on-court impact.

The Bullets moved from the 2,700-seat Chandler Arena into the larger, 13,500-capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre in 1986 and Radliff would play a key role in Brisbane finishing the season in second spot, behind the Adelaide 36ers whom they beat in the NBL Finals the season prior. This would also prompt the NBL to extend the deciding series from a one-game playoff to a three-game series from here onwards.

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.

The Bullets were led by star Leroy Loggins (28.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.9 steals), who became the first player to win back-to-back NBL Most Valuable Player awards, sharing the award with Mark Davis of the Adelaide 36ers. Behind Loggins’s brilliance, Brisbane finished with 20 wins and 6 losses and finished in second place (behind Adelaide) during the regular season.

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 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.

Ending the season with a 20-6 record, the Bullets finished in second place (Adelaide claimed top spot) and, as a result, received a first-round bye. There, they would face the Illawarra Hawks after they defeated the North Melbourne Giants in the elimination finals. With Illawarra advancing, the Bullets easily won game one of the semi finals (109-87) before losing game two in a nail-biter (77-78). Brisbane rebounded in game three (100-82), earning 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 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, Radliff finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals in 42 minutes of court time and Loggins, who averaged 26.5 points over the two games, was named Grand Final MVP.

1988
The Bullets finished third during the regular season with a 18–6 record, but they couldn’t manage to reach their fifth grand final in a row after losing to Perth in the quarterfinals. Notable highlights for the Bullet’s 1988 season were 17-year-old Shane Heal (15 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 27 minutes per game), backing up starting point guard Darren Perry and winning the Rookie of the Year award and Leroy Loggins (24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals) being selected to his seventh straight All NBL First team.

Radliff would play in 25 games and averaged 12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for the season.

1989
Entering 1989, the Bullets had lost two of their three leading scorers from last season, rising star Shane Heal (to Geelong) and import Emery Atkinson (to Canberra). The Bullets looked to fill the offensive gap with new import Winston Crite (20.8 points and 7.5 rebounds), who also became the team’s leading rebounder. The development of backup centre Robert Sibley (15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 31 minutes), who increased his numbers from 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 21 minutes to provide some additional scoring punch.

After finishing the season in eighth place (11-13), Brisbane missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 1983. Even with Leroy Loggins (22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) leading the team in scoring and being second in assists, the Bullets poor record no doubt played a part in Loggins being absent from the All-NBL First Team for the first time since 1981. Radliff added 12 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while appearing in 24 games.

1990
1990 saw Gold Coast Cougars enter the NBL, playing home games out of Carrara Indoor Stadium. Tom Wiseman was named the team’s first-ever head coach, and his first move was filling his roster with a number of players from state rival club Brisbane. In their inaugural season, Gold Coast boasted four ex-Bullets, veterans Larry Sengstock and Ron Radliff, as well as 1989 Bullets rookie Rodger Smith and early 1980s bench player Mark Kitching.

The team would be led by its imports Leroy Combs (23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.3 blocks) and Brian Kellybrew (14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists) as well as US born Eric Bailey (17.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), who after playing a number of seasons in both the NBL and the state league, had become a naturalised Australian.

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.

1991
In 1991, Gold Coast re-branded themselves from the Cougars to the Rollers, a effort to engage with Jupiter’s Casino at the time. After replacing inaugural head coach Tom Wiseman with Brian Lester mid-way through the team’s first year, the Rollers looked for stability and brought in Gold Coast local Dave Claxton, who had previously coached the Brisbane Bullets, as the team’s new coach.

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.

1992
A stroke of luck saw the Rollers able to retain team captain Larry Sengstock who signed a three-year deal (worth $300,000) to play with Westside Melbourne only to see that disintegrate after they merged with Eastside Melbourne (forming South East Melbourne) and had no room on the roster. Sengstock then returned to the Gold Coast who re-signed star imports Mike Mitchell and Andre LaFleur and looked to take things one step further after narrowly missing out on the playoffs in their first season playing together. 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.

Radliff also added 13.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.5 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.

Ron Radliff played ten seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Brisbane Bullets and the Gold Coast Rollers. He averaged 14.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 263 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 48th in total assists
– 29th in total steals

Dan Boyce (798 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.