Before the 2009-10 season, the NBL decided to move in line with FIBA and shorten the playing length of games from 48 to 40 minutes per game.
This move has made the game a much more attractive product to families and TV stations but ultimately has changed the landscape of the league’s all-time single game performances with current NBL stars having at least eight minutes less than their predecessors in the 1980’s, 1990’s and 2000’s.
This change in landscape makes comparing today’s NBL achievements with those of yesteryear almost unachievable. Will anyone be able to match Andrew Gaze’s 18,908 total points or Al Green’s 71-point game with two fewer minutes each quarter… unlikely.
In Aussie Hoopla’s stats section, we’ve listed every statistic tallied from any player who ever took the court. But here, we’ve separated NBL records into two categories: the 48-minute “Classic” Era, and the 40 minute “Modern” Era.
Everything before the 2009-10 season will be Classic, after, Modern. This three-part series will look at the Modern Era single-game, season and career records.
Modern Era Career Records
Games
250 – Jesse Wagstaff
246 – Mika Vukona
245 – Shawn Redhage
236 – Oscar Forman
232 – Thomas Abercrombie
229 – Stephen Weigh
227 – Tim Coenraad
227 – Damian Martin
221 – Adam Gibson
212 – Daniel Johnson
With Perth and New Zealand competing in every single championship series in the Modern Era, either against each other or other teams, it’s obvious to see many Wildcats and Breakers on this list. With Shawn Redhage retiring and Mika Vukona at the tail end of his career, Jesse Wagstaff has a chance to extend his lead at the top of the list.
Points
3102 – Daniel Johnson
2863 – Kevin Lisch
2862 – Thomas Abercrombie
2839 – Shawn Redhage
2817 – Chris Goulding
2595 – Mark Worthington
2452 – Adam Gibson
2399 – Jesse Wagstaff
2294 – Cameron Tragardh
2271 – Oscar Forman
At only 29 years of age, Daniel Johnson has an opportunity to be well ahead on this record when his career ends. Having Cameron Tragardh on this list is impressive as he started his career in 2004, so only had half of his time in the Modern Era.
Field Goal Percentage (minimum 500 attempts)
55.9 – David Gruber (317/567)
55.0 – Alex Pledger (634/1153)
53.1 – Luke Nevill (406/765)
52.5 – Mika Vukona (792/1510)
52.4 – Daniel Kickert (441/841)
52.4 – Andrew Ogilvy (463/883)
52.1 – Ian Crosswhite (409/785)
51.6 – Gary Wilkinson (538/1043)
51.5 – Mitchell Creek (501/973)
51.1 – Tom Jervis (323/632)
As expected, this list is dominated by big men, who usually have a higher field goal percentage than guards. What wasn’t expected is seeing Daniel Kickert so high on the list, as he is more of an outside shooting threat. It goes to show how efficient a shooter he is.
Three Point Percentage (minimum 200 attempts)
48.1 – Daniel Kickert (138/287)
43.0 – Oscar Forman (478/1111)
42.5 – Aaron Grabau (111/261)
42.3 – Kirk Penney (331/782)
42.0 – Darren Ng (115/274)
40.1 – Thomas Abercrombie (338/842)
40.1 – Glen Saville (101/252)
40.1 – Mat Campbell (145/362)
39.8 – Rotnei Clarke (186/467)
39.7 – Russell Hinder (115/290)
Daniel Kickert not only has the best three-point shooting percentage, but he’s also well ahead of everyone else that has played in the Modern Era. Over five percent separates him and second place, which is a huge gap, as the gap between second and tenth is only 3.3%. Oscar Forman has made the most three-pointers in the NBL Modern Era and has the second best three-point percentage, making him more than deadly from beyond the arc.
Free Throw Percentage (minimum 100 attempts)
89.6 – Daryl Corletto (173/193)
89.3 – Jacob Holmes (183/205)
88.7 – Jerome Randle (227/256)
88.2 – Clint Steindl (105/119)
87.4 – Daniel Kickert (139/159)
87.0 – Steven Markovic (114/131)
86.6 – Phillip Jones (110/127)
85.8 – James Harvey (194/226)
84.7 – Rotnei Clarke (177/209)
84.3 – Aaron Bruce (129/153)
In Jerome Randle’s two seasons in the NBL, he has been in the top six in free throw attempts. Couple that with his astounding free throw shooting percentage, it makes an extremely dangerous offensive force. Again, Daniel Kickert is on this list, a primary example of why Kickert is the only member of the 50-40-90 club.
Rebounds
1605 – Mika Vukona
1431 – Daniel Johnson
1191 – Mark Worthington
1174 – Anthony Petrie
1163 – Matthew Knight
1149 – Alex Pledger
1145 – Damian Martin
1110 – Thomas Abercrombie
1097 – Larry Davidson
1073 – Jacob Holmes
With over 150 rebounds more than second place and 400 more than third, Mika Vukona has been the most dominant rebounder in the Modern Era. To show how impressive his all-around game is, Damian Martin is the only guard on this list, averaging five boards a game.
Assists
1047 – Adam Gibson
881 – Cedric Jackson
783 – Damian Martin
602 – Rhys Martin
545 – Kevin Lisch
514 – Mika Vukona
485 – Shawn Redhage
483 – Jason Cadee
478 – Gary Ervin
442 – Mark Worthington
The only player to record over a thousand helpers in the Modern Era, Adam Gibson’s longevity is second to none for point guards. He may near the end of his career but no-one can deny how good he has been in this league. Cedric Jackson had an unceremonious end to last season, but he has been the premier point guard for the previous five seasons. Damian Martin’s name rears its head again, this time third on this list.
Blocks
225 – Alex Pledger
173 – Thomas Abercrombie
171 – Andrew Ogilvy
151 – Luke Schenscher
142 – Daniel Johnson
134 – Julian Khazzouh
132 – Anthony Petrie
130 – Tom Garlepp
129 – Tom Jervis
122 – Mark Worthington
To showcase why the New Zealand Breakers have been so dominant in the Modern Era, just look at the top two spots here. Alex Pledger uses his height to stuff opposing players, while Thomas Abercrombie’s length and athleticism to deny shots. AJ Ogilvy may not have played as many games as the rest of this list, but his defense is undeniable. He’s the only player in Modern Era NBL history to average at least one steal and one block per game.
Steals
469 – Damian Martin
291 – Cedric Jackson
236 – Kevin Lisch
221 – Adam Gibson
204 – Rhys Martin
187 – Mika Vukona
171 – Mark Worthington
164 – Thomas Abercrombie
163 – Cameron Gliddon
154 – Peter Crawford
There is only one name in this category that matters: Damian Martin. The Perth superstar has 178 more steals than Cedric Jackson which is phenomenal. When Martin retires (if Martin retires) his name should be favourite for naming rights of the Defensive Player of the Year Award just like Andrew Gaze’s name is on the MVP award and Lindsay Gaze has his name on the Coach of the Year award.
Turnovers
482 – Mika Vukona
470 – Shawn Redhage
441 – Adam Gibson
424 – Cedric Jackson
372 – Rhys Martin
366 – Daniel Johnson
357 – Damian Martin
356 – Chris Goulding
354 – Mark Worthington
341 – Kevin Lisch
Eight of the top turnover leaders are also in the top assist leaderboard. Which makes sense, as these players would have the highest usage rates. The two players on the assist top ten that aren’t in the turnover list are Jason Cadee and Gary Ervin, while the opposite two players are Daniel Johnson and Chris Goulding.
Points Per Game (minimum 50 games/no minimum)
22.0 – Jerome Randle 23.1 – Bryce Cotton
19.9 – Kirk Penney 22.1 – Casper Ware
19.1 – Rotnei Clarke 22.0 – Jerome Randle
18.0 – Casey Prather 21.9 – Sam Young
17.9 – Corey Williams 21.2 – James Ennis
16.9 – Brian Conklin 21.0 – Josh Childress
16.7 – Gary Ervin 19.9 – Kirk Penney
16.6 – Jamar Wilson 19.9 – Jordan McRae
16.5 – Adris Deleon 19.1 – Rotnei Clarke
16.1 – Julian Khazzouh 18.6 – Patrick Mills
There has been some spectacular ‘one and done’ players in our league over the course of the Modern Era, with over half having NBA experience. Jerome Randle again leads the list, but it surprising to see underappreciated players like Jamar Wilson and Adris Deleon making the top ten.
Rebounds Per Game (minimum 50 games/no minimum)
9.7 – Julian Khazzouh 9.8 – Mike Dunigan
8.2 – Andrew Ogilvy 9.7 – Julian Khazzouh
6.8 – Daniel Johnson 9.3 – Josh Boone
6.7 – Ian Crosswhite 8.9 – Omar Samhan
6.6 – Jacob Holmes 8.6 – Josh Childress
6.6 – Matthew Knight 8.6 – Diamon Simpson
6.5 – Torrey Craig 8.2 – Andrew Ogilvy
6.5 – Mika Vukona 8.1 – Jerai Grant
6.5 – Majok Majok 7.9 – Charles Jackson
6.2 – Mark Worthington 7.8 – Damion James
Mike Dunigan only played four games for the Wildcats, so his numbers are a little misleading. Julian Khazzouh has been far and away the best rebounder when healthy, which would disappoint Kings’ fans who didn’t get to see him last season due to his injury.
Assists Per Game (minimum 50 games/no minimum)
6.3 – Cedric Jackson 6.3 – Cedric Jackson
5.3 – Jerome Randle 6.2 – Myron Allen
4.8 – Corey Williams 5.9 – Julius Hodge
4.7 – Adam Gibson 5.9 – Jonny Flynn
4.3 – Gary Ervin 5.5 – Ben Woodside
4.2 – Steven Markovic 5.3 – Jerome Randle
3.6 – Ayinde Ubaka 5.0 – Patrick Mills
3.4 – Damian Martin 4.9 – Mark Dickel
3.4 – Aaron Bruce 4.8 – Corey Williams
3.1 – Nate Tomlinson 4.8 – Kevin Dillard
Cedric Jackson’s dominance of the assist rankings is on show here, as his career average is one full assist per game more than anyone else that has played more than 50 games. Adam Gibson’s numbers are also impressive, as his longevity and consistency is something that should not be overlooked.
Blocks Per Game (minimum 50 games/no minimum)
1.9 – Julian Khazzouh 2.2 – Mickell Gladness
1.8 – Andrew Ogilvy 1.9 – Ekene Ibekwe
1.1 – Luke Nevill 1.9 – Julian Khazzouh
1.1 – Alex Pledger 1.9 – Josh Childress
1.0 – Tom Jervis 1.8 – Andrew Ogilvy
0.9 – Torrey Craig 1.8 – Mike Dunigan
0.8 – Adam Ballinger 1.5 – Diamon Simpson
0.8 – Luke Schenscher 1.4 – Jerai Grant
0.7 – Thomas Abercrombie 1.4 – Ater Majok
0.7 – Angus Brandt 1.4 – Rolan Roberts
Out of the players that have participated in at least 50 games, two names stand well ahead of everyone else. Julian Khazzouh and AJ Ogilvy are at the pinnacle of this list, with Ogilvy still going strong. As the game has become more guard orientated, it would be good to see some more shot blocking monsters in the league in the future.
Steals Per Game (minimum 50 games/no minimum)
2.1 – Cedric Jackson 2.1 – Cedric Jackson
2.1 – Damian Martin 2.1 – Damian Martin
1.4 – Casey Prather 2.0 – Mike English
1.4 – Adris Deleon 1.8 – Jesse Sanders
1.3 – Kevin Lisch 1.6 – Kevin Dillard
1.2 – Corey Williams 1.5 – Kevin Braswell
1.2 – Ron Dorsey 1.5 – Greg Whittington
1.1 – Cameron Gliddon 1.4 – James Ennis
1.1 – Gary Ervin 1.4 – Casey Prather
1.1 – Brad Robbins 1.4 – Adris Deleon
Another category that belongs to two players with Cedric Jackson and Damian Martin well ahead of the rest of the pack. These two are so close that only 0.03 of a steal separates their averages. Mike English played only one game which skews the data a bit.
Turnovers Per Game (minimum 50 games/no minimum)
4.4 – Corey Williams 4.6 – Julius Hodge
3.5 – Jerome Randle 4.4 – Corey Williams
3.1 – Cedric Jackson 4.4 – Myron Allen
2.9 – Jamar Wilson 4.1 – Jonny Flynn
2.8 – Adris Deleon 4.0 – Mike English
2.7 – Casey Prather 4.0 – Kevin Dillard
2.6 – Kirk Penney 3.5 – Jerome Randle
2.5 – Gary Ervin 3.5 – Kevin Braswell
2.4 – Andrew Ogilvy 3.3 – Sam Young
2.3 – Nathan Jawai 3.1 – Cedric Jackson
With his single game and season turnover totals, it’s not surprising to see Corey Williams at the top of the list for players with over fifty games. What was surprising is that he wasn’t the highest of any NBL player, as Julius Hodge had a whopping 87 turnovers in only 19 games. He does have a better assist to turnover ratio than Williams, Kevin Dillard and Kevin Braswell.
Kyle has barracked for the North Melbourne Giants, Victoria Titans, Victoria Giants and the South Dragons. He's hoping the Melbourne United don't fold like the rest of them
