BIO: Simon Cottrell was born in England and began playing basketball as a junior with the Beaconsfield basketball program. Cottrell received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1981. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Simon Cottrell made his NBL debut with the Launceston Casino City Tigers at 18 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.

1983
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.

Despite the impressive contributions of Jones and the addition of Steurer, McLeod’s absence was sorely felt.

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.

Throughout the season, the team faced several more losing streaks, including a significant stretch where they dropped six consecutive games from March 5 to April 23.

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.

HOBART DEVILS
1984
At age twenty and in his third NBL season the bruising forward was already a monster. In 1984, the Hobart Devils had minimal talent on their roster and would win only four of their 23 games that season, but Cottrell had a breakout season for the team, averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 1 assist as one of the few positives of the Devils season.

Cottrell’s play in 1984 propelled him into national team selection and saw him earn a Boomers jersey for the 1986 FIBA World Championships.

Simon Cottrell played thirteen seasons across six NBL teams. This included the Launceston Casino City Tigers, Nunawading Spectres, Hobart Devils, Illawarra Hawks, Adelaide 36ers and Canberra Cannons. He averaged 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 304 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 45th in total rebounds

Dan Boyce (817 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.