BIO: Simon O’Donnell was born in Sydney (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Sutherland basketball program.

NBL EXPERIENCE

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.

1994
Townsville returned for their sophomore NBL season aiming to build on the foundation laid during their inaugural campaign. Under head coach Mark Bragg, the Suns made several changes to the roster, parting ways with Lithuanian Olympian Rimas Kurtinaitis and local talents Tonny Jensen and Paul Simpson (both joining Newcastle). Their departures paved the way for the arrivals of Simon O’Donnell (via Newcastle), Cameron Dickinson (via state league), and import forward Jeff Warren, who joined returning franchise stars Ricky Jones and team captain Graham Kubank.

The Suns started the season on a high note, defeating Hobart 96–79 in front of their home crowd. Ricky Jones (32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 assists) dominated both ends, while newcomer Jeff Warren (20 points and 7 rebounds) made an immediate impact. Hobart’s Lamont Middleton (22 points) led the scoring for the Devils.

Warren’s stint was short-lived, lasting only five appearances before being replaced. Former import Howard Chambers played a single game, contributing 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists in a loss to Newcastle. The Suns then landed former NBA guard Darryl Johnson (25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.8 steals), who brought much-needed control and scoring to the backcourt across the final 20 games of the campaign.

Ricky Jones (27.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks) was again the focal point of Townsville’s offense and interior defence, reaffirming his status as one of the league’s most dominant performers. Cameron Dickinson (12.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) emerged as a key backcourt threat, captain Graham Kubank (9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists) and Simon O’Donnell (7.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists), who finished as the team’s leading rebounder, were also key contributors this season.

Townsville’s strongest outing came in a 114–90 home win over Canberra, where Darryl Johnson (40 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals) was unstoppable, and Jones (36 points, 8 rebounds) dominated inside. Jason Reese (23 points) top-scored for the Cannons. Later in the season, Johnson (31 points) and Jones (39 points) again put on a show in a 140–111 loss to Geelong, which saw Vince Hinchen lead the Supercats with 35 points.

A season highlight came in Round 25, when the Suns stunned the South East Melbourne Magic 108–107 at home. Jones (34 points), Johnson (23 points and 10 assists), and Dickinson (23 points) outdueled Magic stars Adonis Jordan (23 points) and Andrew Parkinson (23 points) in a thrilling upset.

The Suns’ final game of the season ended in a blowout loss to Brisbane (141–105), where Shane Heal exploded for 61 points (12/19 from three). Jones (32 points) and Johnson (29 points and 5 assists) led the resistance but were ultimately overwhelmed by Heal, Loggins (19 points), and Moore (18 points).

Townsville closed the year with a 6–20 record—two wins better than the previous season—avoiding the wooden spoon, which instead went to Hobart. The season marked further growth for the Suns, particularly from role players like O’Donnell, whose rebounding and hustle gave the team valuable interior support throughout their second campaign.

1995
Simon O’Donnell had a one game stint with Townsville in 1995. A season where the Suns reshaped the roster, farewelling long-time captain Graham Kubank (retired), Jeff Warren (released), and the import duo Ricky Jones and Darryl Johnson, while installing a new core built around Derek Rucker (via Newcastle) and Clarence Tyson (via USA), with veteran Shane Froling (via Brisbane) brought in to replace Kubank’s frontcourt presence.

The revamped identity was on display from the jump in a 106–116 opening-night loss to Brisbane. Clarence Tyson (38 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks), Derek Rucker (28 points, 9 assists, 4 steals), and Cameron Dickinson (23 points) set the tone for a higher-octane attack, and O’Donnell logged his lone appearance of the season—14:43 with a tidy line (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal)—as Townsville searched for rotation answers on the road.

The Suns’ breakthrough arrived after five early defeats with a 105–104 thriller over Sydney and then saw the team finish 9–17 in 11th spot of the ladder.

Team captain Derek Rucker (30.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 2.5 steals) led the team in scoring, with Clarence Tyson (24.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.7 blocks) and Cameron Dickinson (20.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals) combing to form a potent offensive trio.

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.