William Stewart
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth:
- Place of Birth: Geelong (VIC)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 196
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc: VIC - Geelong
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 6/02/82
- AGE AT DEBUT: 0
- LAST NBL GAME: 18/07/82
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 0
- NBL History: Geelong 1982
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: William Stewart was born in Geelong (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Geelong basketball program.
NBL EXPERIENCE
William Stewart made his NBL debut with the Geelong Cats on 6/2/1982. He scored two points in his first game.
On the back of winning a state league title in 1981, Geelong and a successful appeareance in the NBL preseason tournament where the Cats defeated multiple NBL squads, Geelong was entered into the NBL for the 1982 season.
No one would have predicted that Geelong would reach the NBL Grand Final in their first year in the competition, especially after starting the year with a 2-3 record which included a drubbing at the hands of Nunawading.
Bruton began the year carrying the offensive load for the Cats, in fact, he was the league-leading scorer for the first seven weeks of the season until eventual winner Reg Biddings took over, on the back of his 63 point effort, which remains the highest score in a 40-minute NBL game.
As a result of the team’s slow start, coach Tim Kaiser was fired and replaced with the team’s high-scoring guard Cal Bruton, who would act as a player-coach for the remainder of the season. A stunning 13-game winning streak followed, culminating with Geelong finishing in second place (20-6).
Stewart averaged 3.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists for the season, alongside Bruton (23.4 points 3.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists) and fellow import James Crawford (26.0 points and 10.9 rebounds) as the team got their revenge on Nunawading by defeating them in the semifinals (71-59).
Geelong then advanced to the Grand Final where they would face West Adelaide who had lost only five games for the year, twice by one point and once by two points before eliminating Coburg in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final. In fact, during the last round of the season, West Adelaide had thrashed Geelong by 29 points at Apollo Stadium to cement themselves into a first-place finish.
The championship game was played at the neutral venue of Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium (Newcastle), as a neutral venue, where the Bearcats would prove far too strong.
Behind the team’s ‘Big Three’ of Al Green (23.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists), Leroy Loggins (25.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and player/coach Ken Richardson (14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists), they resisted a courageous second-half challenge by Geelong to win the Grand Final (80-74), becoming the team from South Australia to win the national championship.
In their 15 seasons of NBL competition from 1982 to 1996, this would prove to be Geelong’s only NBL Grand Final appearance.
William Stewart played one season in the NBL. He averaged 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 24 NBL games.
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.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0 | Geelong | 20-6 (2) | 24 | 0.0 | 79 | 47 | 13 | 22 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 44 | 28 | 81 | 35% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 23 | 34 | 68% | 41% | 35% | 10 | Totals | 24 | 0 | 79 | 47 | 13 | 22 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 44 | 28 | 81 | 34.6% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 23 | 34 | 67.6% | 41% | 35% | 10 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0 | Geelong | 20-6 (2) | 24 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 35% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.0 | 1.4 | 68% | 40.7% | 35% | 10 | Total | 24 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 34.6% | 0.0 | 0.0% | 67.6% | 41% | 35% | 10 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 10 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
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