BIO: Anthony Drmic was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Dandenong basketball program. Drmic holds a Croatian passport. Drmic received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2009. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2009, 2010, 2011).

FAMILY: Anthony’s brother, Frank Drmic also played 255 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Anthony Drmic made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 24 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

On 5 May 2016, Drmic signed a two-year deal with the Adelaide 36ers. Drmic appeared in 27 games for the 36ers during the 2016/17 regular season and played a important role off the bench, averaging 14 minutes per game. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, connecting on 45.2 percent of his field goal attempts. He led all rookies in scoring and rebounding, and as a result, he was named the recipient of the NBL Rookie of the Year Award. He became the fourth 36ers player to win the award, joining Mike McKay (1985), Chris Blakemore (1993) and Aaron Bruce (2009).

2017/18
With the 36ers’ roster proving it had what it takes to contend the championship, Joey Wright locked in all eight Australians players (Mitch Creek, Nathan Sobey, Daniel Johnson, Matthew Hodgson, Brendan Teys, Majok Deng, Anthony Drmic and Adam Doyle) from the 2016-17 for another season. One notable absence from the roster was star US import, Jerome Randle, who reportedly had asked for $300k per season which was far outside what Adelaide or other NBL team’s were able to pay. Randle then chose to play in Turkey with Bahçeşehir instead of staying Adelaide and the team replaced him with experienced guard, Shannon Shorter.

Philadelphian shooting guard, Ramone Moore, and athletic forward Ronald Roberts were signed as the team’s other two imports, completing the roster.

In mid-September 2017, the 36ers travelled to Singapore in the pre-season to compete in the Merlion Cup. The team remained undefeated throughout the tournament and defeated the Shanghai Sharks in the final to be crowned the 2017 Merlion Cup Champions.

Import woes began early in the season for Adelaide. It began with import Ronald Roberts who was released a week before the season tipped off with the team citing the big man had suffered a ‘knee injury’ although Roberts responded via Twitter stating he’s ‘100 percent fine’. Veteran forward Alan Wiggins was signed as a replacement for Roberts but he suffered a broken arm in his NBL debut against the Sydney Kings. With Wiggins requiring surgery and set to miss eight weeks the team signed former Sydney Kings star Josh Childress.

Despite the import roller-coaster the Sixers impressed on the road early, but struggled to string consistent performances together, winning half of their first 16 games. It was around this time Randle, who had left Turkey claiming he hadn’t been paid his salary on time enquired about returning to the 36ers, but with the team being already finalised Randle instead signed with the Sydney Kings as a replacement for import guard Travis Leslie.

Injuries crippled the 36ers over the next month. Both Creek, who was ruled out for three weeks on December 12 2017, after tearing a small muscle from the bone from his hamstring and then Drmic (6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds), after a medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee, would spend the next three weeks alongside him.

A disappointing 19-point loss against the Cairns Taipans at home on Christmas Eve summed up the Sixers start to the season. This loss however seemed to be the turning point for the Sixers, who went on to win 10 of their last 12 games, including seven-in-a-row, and booked themselves second spot on the ladder at the end of the regular season.

in the semifinals, Adelaide would make short work of third ranked Perth, defeating the Wildcats 109–74 in game one, the second biggest finals loss in Wildcats history. The 36ers then defeated Perth 89–88 in game two behind the stellar play of Josh Childress who top scored with 22 points in game one and 25 points, 10 rebounds in game two.

A Grand Final series against Melbourne United was next on the schedule which featured United guard Casper Ware erupt in game one, racking up 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first half before going down with a hip injury. United sharp-shooter Chris Goulding would then step up with a impressive shooting display (26 points) to give Melbourne the victory (107-96) at Hisense Arena. Daniel Johnson (18 points) led the 36ers in scoring alongside Mitch Creek (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists).

In game two, Adelaide came out firing behind Majok Deng (18 points), Mitch Creek (17 points) and Ramone Moore (17 points) and tied the series with a 15-point win (110-95). Melbourne were led by Casey Prather (20 points), who had re-joined the team just prior to the Grand Final series, and Chris Goulding (19 points).

The 36ers win came at a cost, with import Josh Childress (13 points and 8 rebounds) going down with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter that would remove him from the remaining Grand Final games.

The series returned to Melbourne for game three, where tensions exploded at the end of the first half, Adelaide’s Nathan Sobey clashing heads with Casey Prather after the United import hit a three-pointer on the stroke of halftime. The Adelaide guard was called for a disqualifying foul and ejected from the match. There was further drama at the end of the game with players from both team’s needing to be separated after the final buzzer. The incident also resulted in 36ers head coach Joey Wright being fined handsomely for questioning the integrity of the referees.

When the smoke settled, Melbourne had squeaked out a narrow victory (101-98) after Adelaide’s Majok Deng missed a game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds. Casper Ware (25 points), Prather (23 points) and Chris Goulding (15 points), who hit three clutch triples to take control of the game, were among United’s best.

Game four saw Adelaide swingman Nathan Sobey (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists), who was ejected in game three for his part in the halftime melee, lead the way for the 36ers in the first half with the scoreboard reading 55-31 at the halfway mark. Again the home team was victorious, Adelaide getting a comfortable win over Melbourne United (90-81). Johnson (29 points and 10 rebounds) and Prather (23 points) top scoring for their respective sides.

In the deciding game five, Goulding, Ware (both 23 points) and Prather (19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals) came to play and Melbourne defeated Adelaide (100-82) in front of a sold-out crowd at Hisense Arena, winning their first title since rebranding from the Tigers. Shannon Shorter (20 points) led Adelaide in scoring, while Chris Goulding was named Finals MVP after averaging 16.6 points and 3.6 rebounds over the five-game series. With the win, Prather collected his third NBL championship to become the first player in NBL history to win three straight titles in his first three seasons in the league.

2018/19
In 2018/19, Drmic averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists as the 36ers finished with a record of 14-14 and in fifth place during the regular season.

2019/20
The 2019/20 season saw Drmic average 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists and play a key role in helping the 36ers to a seventh-place finish during the regular season with a 12-16 record.

At the end of his contract, although Drmic intended to re-sign with the 36ers, Adelaide decided they would instead let him pursue offers with other team’s.

BRISBANE BULLETS
2020/21
On 15 July 2020 Drmic signed a two-year deal with Brisbane who had struggled to build a solid foundation and culture in their fourth year since re-entering the league. The Bullets released Cam Gliddon (to South East Melbourne), Lamar Patterson (New Zealand) and Will Magnay (NBA), who signed a deal to play with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Entering the Bullets camp were rookie Tanner Krebs (St Mary’s – NCAA), and Harry Froling (via Adelaide), as well as import signings Vic Law and Orlando Johnson.

The Bullets had put together a high-scoring side onto the floor, with Law (18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks) shooting the ball at 47% from the field and team captain Nathan Sobey (21.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists) shooting the ball at 46 FG%, and both finishing among the top five scorers in the league. A solid local frontcourt of Matthew Hodgson (10.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks), Harry Froling (8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds) and Tyrell Harrison (5.2 points, 5.8 rebounds) made sure the Bullets outrebounded most team’s, finishing third in offensive rebounding and second in defensive rebounds across the league.

Brisbane showcased what they ‘could be’ in a win over Illawarra (97-91) where Law (29 points and 9 rebounds) and Sobey (18 points and seven assists) piled on the points while Froling and Hodgson notched up 13 rebounds combined.

Memorable games for the team included a win against top-of-the-table Melbourne (96-88). Law (10 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists) delivered his best rebounding effort to date, and Hodgson (24 points in 27 minutes) had a season-high scoring night as well and a win over Perth (95-92), where Law (23 points and 5 rebounds) and Sobey (31 points and 4 assists) would combine for 54 points, more than half the team’s score.

The high-scoring offence and strong rebounding still saw Brisbane (8-8) struggling to win half of their games. Orlando Johnson (6.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) was released mid-March after posting average numbers across 15 games, a move which coincided with New Zealand releasing Lamar Patterson after a niggling knee injury and sluggish start to the season.

Patterson (14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals) returned to Brisbane, overcame the knee injury and set the stage for the Bullets to return to the playoffs, but a knee injury to Law in the very next game would rule him out for the rest of the season.

Brisbane (10-8) had been floating in and out of the top four, and while Sobey would attempt to fill the void created by Law’s injury, the Bullets would lose five of their next seven games, giving up a average of 90 points while putting up 80 of their own. This led to the mid-season signing of BJ Johnson (10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) who they hoped would help stem the bleeding, which it somewhat did, resulting in a 8-10 run to end the Bullets season.

Brisbane’s worst performance came against South East Melbourne (95-66) in round 19. With Sobey injured, Brisbane struggled to score at all, only putting up 66 for their season low. Anthony Drmic (20 points) and Patterson (11 points) were the only players putting up more than six points.

Despite flashes of brilliance, Brisbane stumbled to a sixth-place finish at the end of the season (18-18) and failed to reach the playoffs.

Anthony Drmic delivered a solid maiden campaign in blue and gold, averaging over 24 minutes a game and putting up 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.

CHAOS. GAME. DRMIC CALLS IT.#NBL22 live on @ESPNAusNZ + @kayosports ???? pic.twitter.com/of1qWzMmJF

— The NBL (@NBL) March 24, 2022

2021/22
Coming off the back of finishing sixth last season, it was announced that Andrej Lemanis was leaving the side after five years as head coach. After considering assistant coach and former Bullets player CJ Bruton for the role, they instead brought in former Sydney Kings assistant James Duncan as the team’s new head coach.

The Bullets were also forced to re-tool their roster, making several changes to key personnel. While import Lamar Patterson returned, the Bullets lost Vic Law to Perth, and with BJ Johnson signing a NBA deal with Orlando, they were unable to retain him either. Local bigs Matt Hodgson (to Perth), Harry Froling (to Illawarra) and development player Callum Dalton (to Melbourne) all headed elsewhere, looking for better opportunities.

Brisbane re-signed Tyrell Harrison (two-year deal) and Jason Cadee (two-year deal) and filled the remaining gaps with international flavour, signing Chuanxing Liu (China), Jack Salt (New Zealand), Deng Deng (South Sudan), Next Star Tom Digbeu (France) and import Robert Franks (USA).

In the opening game of the season, the Bullets fell short against the JackJumpers in Tasmania (74-83). While the overtime loss didn’t end the team’s season, it set the tone for the Bullets, who saw single-digit losses pile up against the league’s top team’s all season.

As the competition hit the halfway mark, Brisbane’s record was 5-9, and with injuries to Harrison (elbow) and star guard Nathan Sobey (knee), Brisbane struggled to find any rhythm during the second half of the season with the duo missing 11 and 16 games respectively.

Robert Franks (18.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) was the Bullets high scorer in 13 games, and leading vote getter for the Leroy Loggins MVP Award (Club MVP). While leading the team in scoring, he shot 50% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line and finished fifth in the league for points per game.

Patterson (16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.0 steals), Sobey (16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), and Jason Cadee (10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists) were the only other players scoring in double figures.

This season new head coach James Duncan wanted the Bullets to be better defensively, at the start of the season the 44-year-old would have been impressed with how his team was playing defensively. However, Brisbane wasn’t able to maintain it, and its defence fluctuated throughout the year, it finished the year as the worst defensive team, conceding 89.3 points per game and finishing first for turnovers, averaging 14.6 per game.

Although the Bullets did show small glimpses of potential under the reigns of new coach Duncan, Brisbane would miss the finals for the third straight year, finishing in eighth place (10-18). Drmic would appear in 26 games for the Bullets, averaging 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
2022/23/B>
After limping through NBL22, unable to build a cohesive core and injuries decimating the team’s frontcourt, head coach CJ Bruton was optimistic about where he could take the squad with a full offseason’s preparation.

The core group of Mitch McCarron (captain), Anthony Drmic, Daniel Johnson, Sunday Dech, Hyrum Harris, and Kai Sotto would all return. Adelaide spent big during the off-season also, inking proven NBL imports Antonius Cleveland (via Illawarra) and Robert Franks (via Brisbane) to multi-year deals and adding G-League star Craig Randall II (Long Island Nets) for offensive firepower.

Their season began with a historic preseason win over the NBA’s Phoenix Suns (Adelaide became the first overseas team to beat NBA opposition since Turkish side Fenerbahce beat the Nets in 2015) and a strong showing against Oklahoma City a few days later.

Then the wheels fell off.

Adelaide returned to Australia with the 36ers viewed as championship favourites, but instead, they amassed a 3–4 record in their first month.

During this time, Randall II (20.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals), the team’s leading scorer at the time, had multiple on-court verbal altercations with coach Bruton, and after a negative response to coming off the bench from a game, he was released six games into the season.

Imports Franks (17.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) and Cleveland (15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals) picked up the offensive slack, while Johnson (11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) put in his lowest-scoring campaign in almost a decade, and the side lost six of its final eight games of the season to end their campaign with a whimper to not even make the Play-In.

McCarron (7.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals) and Drmic (10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals) had solid contributions, while NBL Next Star Sotto (6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds) showed glimpses of NBA talent.

Mid-way through the season Adelaide (6-8) brought former King Ian Clark (12.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) in for the final 10 games of the season, hoping he could propel them into the post-season, but ultimately they fell short. At the time of adding Clark, Adelaide was vying for the final two playoff spots with Melbourne, Perth and South East Melbourne, but they ended their season with just two wins from their last eight games.

The win over the Phoenix Suns may have placed what became unrealistic expectations on the 36ers, who, despite possibly the greatest NBL preseason of all time, finished in eighth place (13-18).

Anthony Drmic currently plays for the Tasmania JackJumpers and has played 236 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists since entering the league in 2016.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Tasmania JackJumpers – 1 Year Deal (2024-25)

HIGHLIGHTS:

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.