Basketball NSW is the governing body for basketball in New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1938, Basketball NSW has a rich history of promoting and developing the game of basketball throughout the state. As an affiliated member of Basketball Australia (BA), the national governing body, Basketball NSW is committed to growing and advancing the sport at all levels.
With a strong focus on supporting its members, stakeholders, and the basketball community, Basketball NSW strives to create opportunities for all to participate in this all-inclusive sport. Currently boasting over 85,800+ registered members across New South Wales, Basketball NSW provides a platform for individuals of all genders, ages, and abilities to engage in the game they love.
Basketball NSW dedicates itself to the sport with passion and a commitment to excellence. It works tirelessly to promote the game's growth through initiatives, programs, and competitions for players, coaches, officials, and administrators, earning a reputation for professionalism, integrity, and innovation.
Basketball NSW is dedicated to promoting the game, developing talent, and building a strong basketball culture across the state. With a proud history and an ambitious vision for the future, Basketball NSW continues to significantly impact the basketball landscape in New South Wales and beyond.
If you’re passionate about basketball and coaching, find out how you can get started.
The role of the technical officials is to ensure the game is played in a fair and safe manner and within the rules. Refereeing is the most physical active as they are on-court and “call” the game. Other technical officials perform various roles on the scoretable and statistics and further information about each role is given below.
Basketball NSW competitions and tournaments for men, women, youth and juniors.
Each year Basketball NSW enters teams into Basketball Australia's National Championships in the U20's, U18', U16', Wheelchair Basketball and for Players with an Intellectual Impairment.
Basketball NSW offers community programs from participation, learn-to-play through to development programs for;
- Children
- Women and Girls
- First Nations
- People with a physical impairment
- People with an intellectual impairment
- LGBTQ community
- Seniors/Elderly
Basketball is Everyone's Game!
Our first inaugural BNSW Hall of Fame was held in 2011, where we inducted 28 BNSW members whose services deserved to be acknowledged. From 2011, & every two years, BNSW and its Hall of Fame committee identify Hall of Fame recipients, being those who have given above and beyond as a player, coach, referee, administrator or contributor to Basketball within our state.
Every inductee into BNSW Hall of Fame is a true servant to the game. Their stories are inspiring to those who are not only part of our game today, but our future basketball generations to come. Their stories and contributions showcase our sport, encouraging our members to strive to reach their own goals; give benchmarks to break and have wonderful milestones to admire and be remembered by.
Additionally, at each Hall of Fame ceremony, previous inductees are considered by the committee to be elevated to the status of “Legend” – the highest honour in Basketball. A status that ensures that their contributions and achievements will never be forgotten and their legacy will always be celebrated.
Click through to read more about our Legends & Hall of Fame recipients.
A man who was always switched on from the day he started, Alistair Ramsay worked hard night and day to get Basketball organised in this country. He started off as the secretary of the NSWABA in 1954 and continued to ply his trade until 1968.
Alistair’s ability to communicate and professionalism served him well as the secretary of the Australian Basketball Union for 14 years. In that time, his knowledge and experience paved the way for him to establish the NSW Basketball Office in 1960.
The more work he did, the more he was recognised and in 1968 he was acknowledged as “the father of Oceania” for creating the FIBA Oceania Region.
Alistair’s passion for Basketball secured him a place on the Olympic Technical Committee for three Olympics. He was part of the Committee for the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics.
Most people won’t even attend one Olympics, but Alistair’s contribution to the game of Basketball involved 10 Olympics and 10 World Championships.
His continuous contribution for the good of the game was renowned. He established the Oceania Office at Coffs Harbour for overseeing the whole region. Indeed, there’s a regional competition named after him. The
Ramsay Shield is a trophy sought after by teams from Australia and New Zealand.
His hard work and dedication to bring out the best basketball in this country and are acknowledged through several awards:
• Secretary of Oceania 1968-2001 Elected President of Oceania 1997.
• Life Member Basketball NSW and Basketball Australia.
• Inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame in 2006 as a Legend.
• Member of FIBA Hall of Fame.
• Honorary Life Member FIBA and Order of Merit FIBA.
• Awarded an MBE (1980) and an OAM (1988) for services to basketball.
• Elevated to Basketball NSW Legend Status in 2013.
Once a dream – it became a reality. The National Basketball League was just a vision for John Raschke, and he was widely known in the community as “the father of the NBL”. He was the inaugural Commissioner and Chairman of our professional league.
John could play the game of basketball himself; he represented Sydney University and NSW.
Not all great players make conscientious coaches, but John was an exception. He coached Newcastle Men’s team to 9 NSW titles and his intelligent methods helped NSW to the Australian title in 1967.
He was well renowned for his mentoring capabilities and that led him to the coach’s role for Australia at the 1970 World Men’s Championships.
John continued to serve basketball in this country and in 1974 he found himself as the Chairman of Basketball NSW. He continued in the role until 1990.
Simultaneously, his leadership and energy benefited him in his role as president of the Australian Basketball Federation (ABF) 1972-1982.
John’s work wasn’t just apparent in the Basketball community. He was also getting noticed by the wider sports community. In 1981, he received the Australian Sports Administrator of the Year award.
John will forever be one of our basketball legends. He is now a life member of the Newcastle Basketball Association, Basketball NSW, the National Basketball League and Basketball Australia.
He was awarded the OAM for services to basketball.
Bob Staunton was renowned throughout Australia as a pioneering administrator with a great work ethic, passion, and for meticulous record-keeping.
He was a major force in YMCA basketball, held the position of NSW secretary for 19 years and refereed Australian junior championships for 5 years. His early passion was for junior basketball, and he managed many NSW State junior teams. He was National Junior Secretary of the ABF from 1966-77, national Men’s team manager 1971-80 and managed the Australian Men’s team at the Montreal (1976) and Moscow (1980) Olympics.
In his role as the Secretary of the ABF and then BA, he was instrumental in establishing the Australian Junior Championships, the AIS basketball program, and the National Youth teams. Bob was a member of the FIBA Technical Commission and is a Life member of Sydney YMCA, City of Sydney Basketball, BNSW and Basketball Australia. He was awarded an OAM in 1987 and is a member of the BA Hall of Fame.
Dr. Adrian Hurley has been an outstanding contributor to New South Wales and Australian basketball for more than four decades. A New South Wales representative for five years, including captaining the team in 1971, Adrian’s natural forte is in education and he went on to become one of the countries greatest basketball coaches.
After a stint as head coach of the Illawarra Hawks, Adrian was the founding coach of the Australian Institute of Sport basketball program, a position he held for eleven years at a time when Australian basketball was booming at both a local level through the NBL and in international competitions.
After assisting Lindsey Gaze at the World Championships in 1982 and Olympic Games in 1984, he took the reigns as the national senior coach for seven years. In 1988, Adrian created history by leading the Australian Boomers to the medal rounds of the Olympic Games.
Among other outstanding achievements, Adrian coached the Perth Wildcats to the NBL title in 1995, was named NBL Coach of the Year in 2004-5 and NSW Coach of the Year in 2001-2003.
Bob has been around the game of basketball for many years. It is his ability to manage and direct that has put him in some of the game’s finest roles.
He started off as a NSW State selector and coach of junior and senior teams in the 1960s. From the experience he gained from coaching and selecting, he was the man in charge of bringing home a NSW Championship for the Sydney Paratels. The Paratels won numerous NSW Championships.
Bob’s name was well known in NSW basketball circles, and that was all that was needed for him to stake his claim as the NSW head coach for both Men and Women. He coached the NSW Men on a tour to the USA in 1973 and then the NSW Women’s team in 1975.
Bob’s love for basketball enabled him to be heavily involved in the formative years of the Bankstown Association and the building of the association’s basketball stadium. He is now a life member.
It was in 1982 that Bob took the next step in his basketball career when he managed the Australian Men’s Team at the 1982 World Championships and the 1984 Olympic Games.
Having so many years of experience in basketball took Bob to new heights. The NBL needed someone who could make decisions to better our game. That’s when Bob came calling. He was a member of the formative NBL Board, and the President of the national body as well.
Bob’s knowledge and management skills helped establish The renowned NSW State Sports Centre at Homebush. The facility has been used for some of the biggest sporting events including Netball and basketball.
After all his hard work in the national game, it was time for Bob to take the step up to the international game. He was given the chance to become the president of FIBA from 2006-2010. Bob was the first member from Oceania to hold this position.
Bob has done it all for the sport in Australia and he was rewarded for his services when he became a member of the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.
He was Awarded an OAM (2002) for service to sport through the Sydney Olympic 2000 Bid Company and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
With all that he has done for basketball in this state, he was afforded the opportunity to lead from the front and the game hasn’t looked back since.
The most decorated Australian basketballer and one of the world’s greatest players, Lauren Jackson’s induction into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame was never in doubt.
Born in Albury, New South Wales, Jackson was just a child when she declared that she would play for Australia and follow in the footsteps of her parents, Gary and Maree.
She began playing at the age of 4 and by the time she reached Murray High School, Jackson was identified as a future national player.
Through the junior pathway, she represented NSW Country at the Under-16 and Under-18 National Championships before winning the Under-20’s title and School Championships with Murray High.
Jackson was offered an AIS scholarship when she was only 14 and her maturity and drive to succeed, even at that age, saw her make her Australian debut with the Under-20 Gems that same year.
She earned a spot in the Gems team for the 1997 World Junior Championships and played a pivotal role in their silver-medal winning performance, averaging 14.3 points (ninth-best) and 9.9 rebounds (third).
Realising her potential, Opals coach Tom Maher fast-tracked Jackson into the senior program and she made her Opals debut in 1997, the same year she began her WNBL career.
Jackson was named the Rookie of the Year in her first season, putting up 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds and it did not take long for her to create history, winning the 1999 Championship with the AIS- their first and only title.
The top scorer in that season with 23.2 points per contest, Jackson was crowned the league MVP and won the Grand Final MVP- an award she went on to win four times (2000, 2003 and 2004).
After graduating from the AIS, Jackson moved to Canberra where she would spend 1999-2004 as well as the 2005/06 and 2009/10 seasons, leading a dynasty that made the playoffs in each of those seven seasons, reaching the Grand Final six times and winning five Championships (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2010).
In that time, Jackson took her MVP tally to four with wins in 2000, 2003 and 2004 while she earned six consecutive All-Star awards from 1999-2004.
Statistically, Jackson’s dominance of the league is exemplified by the fact she is only placed 119th for games played but sits 13th for points, tenth for rebounds and fourth for blocks.
While the WNBL showcased Jackson’s talents to Australia, the world was able to see what all the fuss was about at the 1998 World Championships when a 17-year old Jackson helped the Opals to a bronze medal- their first podium finish at a World Championships.
Two years later, Jackson, still a teenager, competed in her first Olympics and the occasion was made even more special by playing on home soil in front of family and friends in Sydney.
The Opals won the silver medal and Jackson was a standout in the final, recording 20 points, 13 rebounds and two steals while she finished the tournament third for points (15.9), fourth for rebounds (8.4), third for steals (1.5) and first for blocks (2.4).
Her arrival into the national team sparked a golden era for the Opals as they went on to win bronze at the 2002 World Championships, silver at the 2004 Olympics, gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, silver at the 2008 Olympics and bronze at the 2012 Olympics.
However, Jackson’s career highlight came in 2006 as the Opals claimed an elusive FIBA gold medal, winning the World Championships just six months after claiming victory at the Commonwealth Games.
Starting the tournament in ominous style with 31 points on 10-10 shooting against Senegal, Jackson then recorded consecutive double-doubles against Spain and Brazil before scoring 30 points in 20 minutes against Argentina to lead the Opals into the Quarter-Finals.
They held off a late charge from France as Jackson collected 19 points and 11 rebounds before advancing to the gold medal game with a 12-point win over Brazil behind 19 points, seven rebounds, one steal and three blocks from Jackson.
With the USA losing to Russia in the other Semi-Final, Australia had their best shot at a gold medal and they did not let the chance slip as they claimed a comprehensive victory over Russia, 91-74.
One of four Opals to reach double-figures in scoring, Jackson had another double-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and one rejection in the final as she finished the World Championships first for points (21.3 per game), second for rebounds (8.9) and fourth for blocks (1.4).
Following the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championships, Jackson announced her retirement from the national team after 220 games while she also departed as the all-time leading points scorer in Olympic women’s basketball history.
Not just a hero of Australian basketball, Jackson grew her legend with incredible performances in the WNBA, Europe and Asia.
The only player to have their jersey retired by the Seattle Storm, Jackson played 12 seasons and 338 games in the WNBA, winning the league MVP in her third season when she led the competition for scoring.
A year later, Jackson won the WNBA Championship and she claimed another MVP in 2007, pacing the competition for scoring and rebounds, before combining her third MVP (equal most in league history) with a second Championship in 2010.
Jackson competed in Russia and Spain where she won three Championships as well as being a three-time EuroLeague Champion, two-time EuroLeague All-Star and a EuroLeague final four MVP while she was also a Korean league MVP where she owns the single-season scoring record and game-high scoring record with 56 points.
In addition to her induction, Jackson was named the Australian International Player of the Year five times (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2008), the AIS’ ‘Best of the Best’ in 2005, had the Albury Sports Stadium renamed in her honour and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
There is no doubt that Lorraine Landon is one of the greatest administrators in the history of Australian sport. And Lorraine’s impact on basketball in this state has been profound over more than 50 years. Starting all the way back from her early years as a player in the 1960s, her contribution has been enormous at a number of levels .
She was one of the key individuals who built and ran a powerhouse association in Bankstown, then became part of a legendary management troika that included Mike Wrublewski and Bob Turner which turned the newly-formed Sydney Kings into an iconic franchise in the National Basketball League.
Her belief in women’s basketball as an elite product and her drive to see the sport succeed in Sydney led her to convince the Kings to bring the Sydney WNBL women’s team under the organisation’s umbrella, a decision that turned the Sydney Flames into a powerhouse and made Lorraine the first female to ever concurrently manage teams in both the NBL and WNBL. The Flames won two titles under her stewardship and became the first Sydney basketball team to win either an NBL or WNBL championship.
Then there was Lorraine’s incredible work over many decades with FIBA and the Australian men’s and women’s Olympic teams, added to her magnificent advocacy of wheelchair athletes and athletes with an intellectual impairment.
Already a life member of Basketball New South Wales, Lorraine also has been awarded the IOC Women in Sports Award 2004, the IOC Golden Rings 2000 and the FIBA Merit Award in 2000, not to mention her Order of Australia award in 2011 for services to basketball, induction in to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2011 and her elevation to Hall of Fame Legend status is a just reward for one of the finest careers ever seen in the sport in New South Wales.
Elevated to Basketball NSW Legend Status in 2021.
Overcoming a tragic mountain bike accident in 1988 thanks to her trademark courage and tenacity. Liesl turned into one of the best wheelchair basketball players this state has ever produced, and did so in short order.
Her ability was noticed during her rehabilitation when one of her physiotherapists noticed how skilled she was at shooting with a foam basketball and perspex backboard.
In just two years, she was named to the New South Wales team and then the national team in 1990, playing in that year’s World Championships. She followed that up with the first of an astounding five Paralympic appearances with the Gliders starting with the 1992 Barcelona Games. She was the vice-captain of the silver medal winning Australian team at Sydney 2000 and the captain in Athens in 2004, also coming home with silver. Liesl kept her form going and won a bronze medal at the
2008 Beijing Paralympics. In total she won three Paralympic medals in Wheelchair Basketball coupled with being named in the All-Star Five at
the 1994 Gold Cup and Most Valuable Player at the 1998 Gold Cup.
Such was her remarkable talent and will to win, she caught the eye of several professional men’s teams in Europe and would play five years on the continent, becoming the first woman in the world to play wheelchair basketball professionally with stints in Spain, Italy and France. Off the court, she established the women’s wheelchair basketball teams in Spain, Italy and France and initiated the women’s first All-Star Game.
After spending considerable time traveling in developing nations conducting wheelchair basketball training camps, Liesl co-founded Sport Matters, an international aid and development organisation using sport to empower individuals and change communities.
She retired from the national team in 2011 to focus on another sport – sailing – at the 2012 London Paralympic Games, and showed what an incredible athlete she was with a gold medal triumph in the Mixed Two Person Sailing discipline, repeating as Paralympic Champion in Rio 2016.
Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2014 Australia Day Honours List, added to Basketball Australia’s Hall of Fame in 2016 and inducted into the New South Wales Hall of Champions in 2022, Liesl Tesch is an individual whose devotion to the promotion and facilitation of sport for people with disabilities is to be admired and applauded.
Liesl was elected as the Member for Gosford in the NSW Parliament in 2017 and is the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Basketball and also the Parliamentary Friends of Olympic and Paralympic Sport. She recently returned from Ghana as part of a delegation of parliamentarians with disabilities - an effort to get more people with disabilities involved in parliamentary recognition - and is planning to host a game of wheelchair basketball for over 600 delegates from around the Commonwealth next November in Sydney.
For everything she accomplished in wheelchair basketball during an extraordinary career, the elevation of Liesl Tesch to Legend status in the BNSW Hall of Fame is an easy decision.
Elevated to Basketball NSW Legend Status in 2023.
A man who was always switched on from the day he started, Alistair Ramsay worked hard night and day to get Basketball organised in this country. He started off as the secretary of the NSWABA in 1954 and continued to ply his trade until 1968.
Alistair’s ability to communicate and professionalism served him well as the secretary of the Australian Basketball Union for 14 years. In that time, his knowledge and experience paved the way for him to establish the NSW Basketball Office in 1960.
The more work he did, the more he was recognised and in 1968 he was acknowledged as “the father of Oceania” for creating the FIBA Oceania Region.
Alistair’s passion for Basketball secured him a place on the Olympic Technical Committee for three Olympics. He was part of the Committee for the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics.
Most people won’t even attend one Olympics, but Alistair’s contribution to the game of Basketball involved 10 Olympics and 10 World Championships.
His continuous contribution for the good of the game was renowned. He established the Oceania Office at Coffs Harbour for overseeing the whole region. Indeed, there’s a regional competition named after him. The
Ramsay Shield is a trophy sought after by teams from Australia and New Zealand.
His hard work and dedication to bring out the best basketball in this country and are acknowledged through several awards:
• Secretary of Oceania 1968-2001 Elected President of Oceania 1997.
• Life Member Basketball NSW and Basketball Australia.
• Inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame in 2006 as a Legend.
• Member of FIBA Hall of Fame.
• Honorary Life Member FIBA and Order of Merit FIBA.
• Awarded an MBE (1980) and an OAM (1988) for services to basketball.
• Elevated to Basketball NSW Legend Status in 2013.
Bob has been around the game of basketball for many years. It is his ability to manage and direct that has put him in some of the game’s finest roles.
He started off as a NSW State selector and coach of junior and senior teams in the 1960s. From the experience he gained from coaching and selecting, he was the man in charge of bringing home a NSW Championship for the Sydney Paratels. The Paratels won numerous NSW Championships.
Bob’s name was well known in NSW basketball circles, and that was all that was needed for him to stake his claim as the NSW head coach for both Men and Women. He coached the NSW Men on a tour to the USA in 1973 and then the NSW Women’s team in 1975.
Bob’s love for basketball enabled him to be heavily involved in the formative years of the Bankstown Association and the building of the association’s basketball stadium. He is now a life member.
It was in 1982 that Bob took the next step in his basketball career when he managed the Australian Men’s Team at the 1982 World Championships and the 1984 Olympic Games.
Having so many years of experience in basketball took Bob to new heights. The NBL needed someone who could make decisions to better our game. That’s when Bob came calling. He was a member of the formative NBL Board, and the President of the national body as well.
Bob’s knowledge and management skills helped establish The renowned NSW State Sports Centre at Homebush. The facility has been used for some of the biggest sporting events including Netball and basketball.
After all his hard work in the national game, it was time for Bob to take the step up to the international game. He was given the chance to become the president of FIBA from 2006-2010. Bob was the first member from Oceania to hold this position.
Bob has done it all for the sport in Australia and he was rewarded for his services when he became a member of the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.
He was Awarded an OAM (2002) for service to sport through the Sydney Olympic 2000 Bid Company and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
With all that he has done for basketball in this state, he was afforded the opportunity to lead from the front and the game hasn’t looked back since.
Bruce Flick commenced playing basketball at the National Fitness Camp at Broken Bay. When the game was introduced to his school, North Newtown Intermediate Boys High School, he learnt the rules and became a fanatic. His basketball career took off when he joined Ken Finch at the Camperdown Playground team which played in the Sydney City competition.
Bruce went on to be a member of the Newtown Police Boys Club under the coaching of Harry Burgess who was to become the 1956 Australian Olympic Team Assistant Coach. While playing for Newtown Police Boys Club he was a member of teams that won the NSW State Open Championships and the Intermediate State Championships in 1954. In 1955 he played with the NSW Open Men’s team at the Australian Championships and was selected for the 16 man 1956 Olympic squad along with club mates Ken Finch and Merv Moy.
Bruce made the Olympic team in 1956 which was Australia’s first ever Olympic team. He continued to play after the Olympics as a member of the Open NSW Men’s team at the Australian Championships from 1958 to 1962. In 1962 he was captain of the team while Charlie Ammit was the coach. Bruce Flick is a member of that very unique team… Australia’s first ever Olympic Basketball team!
Passion, pride and a determination to make basketball a big sport in our region is what sums up Charlie Ammit. He was a coach, mentor, and teacher to many people involved with basketball.
Charlie is a long-time coach at arguably one of Sydney’s oldest clubs, Sydney’s YMCA. His preferred association, the City of Sydney Association harnesses his talents as well.
As much as Charlie loved to coach, he also liked to get his hands on the ball and became a very successful coach and a player with the Neutrons Basketball Club.
His performance on the court was enough to convince selectors that he should represent NSW, and he did so in 1953 and 1957. From 1962 on he coached NSW to glory for 27 years. Charlie was a respected coach and he did everything he could to put NSW on the basketball map.
Charlie’s basketball smarts won Sydney YMCA the NSW State Open Men’s Championships when he was the club’s coach.
His coaching success at lower levels gave him a chance to prove himself on the national stage. He did so in the National Basketball League coaching Sydney for 4 seasons, Illawarra for 2 seasons and Hobart for 1 season.
After coaching and playing at the state level, he wanted to expand his horizons. Charlie was a prolific coaching clinician taking the game to many regions of NSW. His enthusiasm for the game took him to New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, Guam and Palau where he became a long-time coach. Recognized as a highly talented teacher of the game and its fundamentals, he represented FIBA conducting coaching clinics in Malaysia and Pakistan.
Charlie is now a life member of the City of Sydney Basketball Association and Basketball NSW.
One of the most accomplished coaches this country has produced, Dr Hurley led teams to NBL championships and steered Australian sides on the world’s biggest stage.
His first major success as a coach came in the 1960s, winning multiple state titles with school sides and teams representing Illawarra.
His success at various levels led to his appointment as the Foundation coach of the Australian Institute of Sport in 1981, which he served until 1992.
At the international level Dr Hurley coached the Australian men’s sides at the 1988 (first team to qualify for the medal rounds) and 1992 Olympic games, as well as the 1986 and 1990 World Championships.
He coached the AIS Women’s team to an Australian Club Championship in 1986 and in 1990 was selected as the Sports Australia Sports Educator of the Year.
Dr Hurley also has an NBL championship under his belt, leading the Perth Wildcats to two grand finals – and the 1995 title – in his five years in charge.
Returning to NSW, he was named coach of the Year 2001 and 2003 and is a Life Member of Basketball Australia, Illawarra Basketball and the Australian Basketball Coaches Association.
He was awarded an OAM for services to basketball in 1990 and was the recipient of the 2000 Australian sports medal.
He also was a player of some note, playing five years for the NSW Open Representative side, captaining them in 1971.
Adrian Hurley has been an outstanding contributor to New South Wales and Australian basketball for more than four decades. A New South Wales representative for five years, including captaining the team in 1971, Adrian’s natural forte is in education and he went on to become one of the countries greatest basketball coaches.
After a stint as head coach of the Illawarra Hawks, Adrian was the founding coach of the Australian Institute of Sport basketball program, a position he held for eleven years at a time when Australian basketball was booming at both a local level through the NBL and in international competitions.
After assisting Lindsey Gaze at the World Championships in 1982 and Olympic Games in 1984, he took the reigns as the national senior coach for seven years. In 1988, Adrian created history by leading the Australian Boomers to the medal rounds of the Olympic Games.
Among other outstanding achievements, Adrian coached the Perth Wildcats to the NBL title in 1995, was named NBL Coach of the Year in 2004-5 and NSW Coach of the Year in 2001-2003.
Once a dream – it became a reality. The National Basketball League was just a vision for John Raschke, and he was widely known in the community as “the father of the NBL”. He was the inaugural Commissioner and Chairman of our professional league.
John could play the game of basketball himself; he represented Sydney University and NSW.
Not all great players make conscientious coaches, but John was an exception. He coached Newcastle Men’s team to 9 NSW titles and his intelligent methods helped NSW to the Australian title in 1967.
He was well renowned for his mentoring capabilities and that led him to the coach’s role for Australia at the 1970 World Men’s Championships.
John continued to serve basketball in this country and in 1974 he found himself as the Chairman of Basketball NSW. He continued in the role until 1990.
Simultaneously, his leadership and energy benefited him in his role as president of the Australian Basketball Federation (ABF) 1972-1982.
John’s work wasn’t just apparent in the Basketball community. He was also getting noticed by the wider sports community. In 1981, he received the Australian Sports Administrator of the Year award.
John will forever be one of our basketball legends. He is now a life member of the Newcastle Basketball Association, Basketball NSW, the National Basketball League and Basketball Australia.
He was awarded the OAM for services to basketball.
Initiative and a can-do attitude are the biggest factors when it comes to inventing and establishing new ideas. Eric Callaway had both when he was involved with Basketball NSW.
Eric was the Foundation President of NSW’s Amateur basketball Association in 1939. He was in that role for 15 years until he finished in 1954.
His mindset was always focused on making ideas come to life, and he was instrumental in establishing domestic basketball competitions in Sydney. It didn’t stop there for him as was involved in the establishment of the first interstate basketball competition for the national championships.
Eric was always sure about what he did. Most people would shy away from ideas that may seem impossible. Despite considerable hurdles, Eric was a prime mover in the establishment of the Australian Basketball Union (ABU), the first governing body of basketball in Australia.
After creating the governing body, he was put right into the hot seat as the foundation president. He held the position from 1942 to 1952.
Eric was a patron of the NSW Amateur basketball Association for 25 years ( 1954 to 1979).
George Thompson was a stand-out player for NSW. He represented the state in the Open men’s team for 6 years. George also coached while he played, putting into practice what he learnt as a valuable team member. He was a highly successful women’s coach, particularly for the Barbarians Women’s club. George was the coach of the Sydney Open Women’s team for 6 years. However, as coach of the NSW State Women’s team, he won three Australian Championship titles. His talents, drive, teaching skills and passion for the game made him an excellent coach who won the respect of his players.
George was also an NSW State selector, Sydney selector, and Australian women’s team selector. He was a tremendous contributor to the Manly Association where he held positions of president, Treasurer and Coaching Director at various times. At the Warringah Basketball club, he was a foundation member and Coaching Director. George worked for the Rothmans National Sports Foundation as Head Basketball Coach. He is a Life member of the Manly and Warringah Associations. Fittingly, the George Thompson Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Women’s basketball in NSW is named in his honour.
Jack started out playing basketball in 1928 at the Sydney YMCA. He was a keen gymnast and was the Sydney YMCA champion in 1930-31-32. From 1948 to 1955, he was the Vice President of the Amateur Gymnastics Association of NSW.
Jack also represented NSW YMCA as a basketball player and in 1936 he helped establish a Sydney YMCA basketball competition. By 1939 he was instrumental in establishing the City of Sydney Basketball Association, held the position of chairman of that Association until 1960 and was Vice President of the newly established BNSWABA. During World War Two he established the Sydney Metropolitan Association which took in teams from all over the city. Jack then reverted competition back to separate Associations after the war.
In 1946, Jack was influential in the staging of the first national men’s championship which was held in Sydney. The British Standard Trophy for that inter-state competition was introduced by him. He was an active member of the State Association from 1946 to 1955, its president from 1955 to 1974 and became a patron in 1982. Jack was an NSW delegate to the ABU, a basketball official at the 1976 Olympics, and a member of the FIBA Commission on By-Laws. He is a Life Member of the Sydney Basketball Association, BNSW, and BA. He was awarded an OAM for services to basketball in 1979.
John commenced playing basketball with the Dynamo Club in Newcastle, NSW in 1957 as a 14-year-old. His representative career with Newcastle spanned 15 years, highlights of which were 12 NSW titles. He also represented NSW Open Men for 8 consecutive years from 1961 to 1968 being a part of the 1967 National Championship team. His long and distinguished career with NSW is outstanding as he represented his state with great passion and was team captain for many of those years. Internationally, he represented Australia in the Olympic Games of Tokyo (1964), Mexico (1968) and in the Yugoslavian World Basketball Championships of 1970.
Following his retirement from play, John began a long and successful coaching career, coaching Newcastle on its first overseas tour of North America in 1974. His administrative career began as Athletic Director in the Newcastle ABA from 1977-1980, and he was the inaugural Commissioner of the National Basketball League of Australia from 1979-1980.
John moved to WA and established a long and distinguished career as a coach and administrator in the state. John is a Life Member of the Newcastle Association, a member of the Newcastle Region Hall of Fame and received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
John Martin is synonymous with refereeing in NSW and Australia. Nevertheless, his early contributions to country basketball and Shoalhaven basketball as an administrator are legendary. He went on to officiate at NSW and Australian Championships for many years.
John served as President and Vice President of the NSW Referees Association, was an NBL referee for 6 years, and was awarded the Don Hutton Memorial Medal for Refereeing at National Championships. Among other positions held, John has been co-editor of the Basketball Australia Rule Book, Chairman of the Basketball Australia Technical Commission and Chairman of the Basketball Australia Score-Table Committee.
Internationally, he made substantial contributions to Australian and FIBA basketball. He was a delegate to the World Men’s Championships in 1990, a member of the organising Committee for the 1994 World Women’s Championships, Technical Commissioner at the 1997 World Under 20’s Men’s Championships, the 1998 World Women’s Championship and the 1998 World Wheelchair Championships. He was a member of the advisory and Technical Committees for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, and Technical Director for the 2009 World Masters Games. As the first FIBA accredited international referee instructor and examiner in Australia he conducted many clinics in the Oceania Region.
A Life Member of the Barrengarry Conference, Shoalhaven Association, BNSW, and BA, he has been widely recognised for a lifetime of excellence, teaching, and skill for his contributions to basketball in Australia. In 2010, John Martin was awarded the FIBA Radomer Shaper Award for Contribution to the Rules of Basketball.
When we talk about milestones, none come much bigger than Karen Dalton’s achievements. On 342 occasions, Karen has represented her country, whether it be as a player or coach both junior or senior levels.
Karen’s experience put her in a good position as she was a member of Australia’s first ever Women’s Olympic team in 1988. Subsequently, her dedication for playing for Australia and a desire to win a medal allowed her to participate in 4 World Championships and two Olympic Games.
She is one of our longest serving female international athletes with over 14 years playing for Australia. Karen was also an assistant coach for the Australian team at the 2004 Olympic Games when our team won a silver medal.
Karen’s hard work and discipline paid off when she received two Defensive Player of the Year awards in the WNBL. Indeed, nobody knows the WNBL just like Karen does. To play even 100 matches in any professional league is a huge task, but she played an extraordinary 375 games in the league.
She wanted to pursue coaching while showing a new generation of women just what it takes to win a competition. Fittingly, Karen won a WNBL Championship with the Flames as head coach in 2003. Previously, Karen’s inspiration and results landed her WNBL Coach of the Year honours in 2001-2002.
Karen’s awards include:
• Inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions.
• Life Member of the WNBL.
• Member of the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.
Keith Fenton commenced his basketball with the Beverley Hills Club where he ran local competitions and representative teams. Keith joined the Bankstown Association as a secretary in 1965 and held the position for 15 years. In 1966 he was appointed treasurer of NSW Basketball and then held the position of secretary for over 10 years. He managed many junior and senior NSW teams during the ’70s and ’80s.
He managed and coached Bankstown senior and junior teams for 14 years and for 7 years was the manager of the Bankstown NBL team. He was instrumental in the building of the Bankstown stadium. For his outstanding efforts at Bankstown, Keith became the first Life Member of that Association and this was followed by Life Membership of BNSW in 1982.
Keith is a keen historian of basketball in NSW and a prolific collector of memorabilia on basketball and it’s history.
Ken Finch commenced playing basketball at 14 years of age alongside Bruce Flick. Both men were to become foundation Olympians.
They were members of the Camperdown Playground team in the City of Sydney competition. In 1951, he joined Newtown Police Boys Basketball Club with Bruce Flick and met Merv Moy. The team was mentored by the future 1956 Olympic Assistant Coach Harry Burgess, who Ken credits with much of his early success. In 1954, Police Boy’s Club team won the NSW under 16, under 18 and senior NSW’s titles. Indeed, Ken represented and captained NSW at that first national Under 18 championships held in Launceston.
In 1955, he represented NSW on the senior team at the national championships which were held in Sydney. At the conclusion of those championships at the age of 19, he was selected in the 16 man Olympic squad. When he was selected to the subsequent 1956 Olympic team he was 20 years of age and the youngest player. At 5 feet 10 inches in height, he played the guard position and so was also one of the shortest players. Despite that, he was one of the toughest. Ken continued to represent NSW until 1958 before chronic knee injuries forced his early retirement from basketball. In 2000, Ken carried the Olympic torch through the streets of Newtown where he had grown up and played basketball.
Ken has the honour of being a member of Australia’s first Olympic basketball team.
The most decorated Australian basketballer and one of the world’s greatest players, Lauren Jackson’s induction into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame was never in doubt.
Born in Albury, New South Wales, Jackson was just a child when she declared that she would play for Australia and follow in the footsteps of her parents, Gary and Maree.
She began playing at the age of 4 and by the time she reached Murray High School, Jackson was identified as a future national player.
Through the junior pathway, she represented NSW Country at the Under-16 and Under-18 National Championships before winning the Under-20’s title and School Championships with Murray High.
Jackson was offered an AIS scholarship when she was only 14 and her maturity and drive to succeed, even at that age, saw her make her Australian debut with the Under-20 Gems that same year.
She earned a spot in the Gems team for the 1997 World Junior Championships and played a pivotal role in their silver-medal winning performance, averaging 14.3 points (ninth-best) and 9.9 rebounds (third).
Realising her potential, Opals coach Tom Maher fast-tracked Jackson into the senior program and she made her Opals debut in 1997, the same year she began her WNBL career.
Jackson was named the Rookie of the Year in her first season, putting up 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds and it did not take long for her to create history, winning the 1999 Championship with the AIS- their first and only title.
The top scorer in that season with 23.2 points per contest, Jackson was crowned the league MVP and won the Grand Final MVP- an award she went on to win four times (2000, 2003 and 2004).
After graduating from the AIS, Jackson moved to Canberra where she would spend 1999-2004 as well as the 2005/06 and 2009/10 seasons, leading a dynasty that made the playoffs in each of those seven seasons, reaching the Grand Final six times and winning five Championships (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2010).
In that time, Jackson took her MVP tally to four with wins in 2000, 2003 and 2004 while she earned six consecutive All-Star awards from 1999-2004.
Statistically, Jackson’s dominance of the league is exemplified by the fact she is only placed 119th for games played but sits 13th for points, tenth for rebounds and fourth for blocks.
While the WNBL showcased Jackson’s talents to Australia, the world was able to see what all the fuss was about at the 1998 World Championships when a 17-year old Jackson helped the Opals to a bronze medal- their first podium finish at a World Championships.
Two years later, Jackson, still a teenager, competed in her first Olympics and the occasion was made even more special by playing on home soil in front of family and friends in Sydney.
The Opals won the silver medal and Jackson was a standout in the final, recording 20 points, 13 rebounds and two steals while she finished the tournament third for points (15.9), fourth for rebounds (8.4), third for steals (1.5) and first for blocks (2.4).
Her arrival into the national team sparked a golden era for the Opals as they went on to win bronze at the 2002 World Championships, silver at the 2004 Olympics, gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, silver at the 2008 Olympics and bronze at the 2012 Olympics.
However, Jackson’s career highlight came in 2006 as the Opals claimed an elusive FIBA gold medal, winning the World Championships just six months after claiming victory at the Commonwealth Games.
Starting the tournament in ominous style with 31 points on 10-10 shooting against Senegal, Jackson then recorded consecutive double-doubles against Spain and Brazil before scoring 30 points in 20 minutes against Argentina to lead the Opals into the Quarter-Finals.
They held off a late charge from France as Jackson collected 19 points and 11 rebounds before advancing to the gold medal game with a 12-point win over Brazil behind 19 points, seven rebounds, one steal and three blocks from Jackson.
With the USA losing to Russia in the other Semi-Final, Australia had their best shot at a gold medal and they did not let the chance slip as they claimed a comprehensive victory over Russia, 91-74.
One of four Opals to reach double-figures in scoring, Jackson had another double-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and one rejection in the final as she finished the World Championships first for points (21.3 per game), second for rebounds (8.9) and fourth for blocks (1.4).
Following the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championships, Jackson announced her retirement from the national team after 220 games while she also departed as the all-time leading points scorer in Olympic women’s basketball history.
Not just a hero of Australian basketball, Jackson grew her legend with incredible performances in the WNBA, Europe and Asia.
The only player to have their jersey retired by the Seattle Storm, Jackson played 12 seasons and 338 games in the WNBA, winning the league MVP in her third season when she led the competition for scoring.
A year later, Jackson won the WNBA Championship and she claimed another MVP in 2007, pacing the competition for scoring and rebounds, before combining her third MVP (equal most in league history) with a second Championship in 2010.
Jackson competed in Russia and Spain where she won three Championships as well as being a three-time EuroLeague Champion, two-time EuroLeague All-Star and a EuroLeague final four MVP while she was also a Korean league MVP where she owns the single-season scoring record and game-high scoring record with 56 points.
In addition to her induction, Jackson was named the Australian International Player of the Year five times (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2008), the AIS’ ‘Best of the Best’ in 2005, had the Albury Sports Stadium renamed in her honour and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Les Gough commenced playing basketball at the Sydney YMCA and in 1963 became NSW State Secretary. He made outstanding contributions early, as at a very young age he became Secretary of the Eastern Suburbs ABA, Secretary of the Sydney Basketball Referees Association, and the Secretary of the NSW Basketball Referees Association.
Les served on the State Junior Men’s Committee and was a selector. However, it was as a referee that he would have the most recognition in NSW and Australia. A NSW referee badge holder from 1959, he gained his Australian Badge in 1962 and in 1964 gained his FIBA badge. Using these qualifications and his undeniable talent, Les established himself as a highly skilled and dedicated adjudicator in the Sydney and NSW competitions.
Subsequently, Les refereed at Australian Junior, Senior Men, and Senior Women’s Australian Championships. As he held his FIBA badge for over 10 years, he holds an honorary FIBA Referees award. A Rules Interpreter at Australian Championships and holding the rank of Number 1 referee in NSW for 12 years from 1964 to 1976, he clearly demonstrated his skills as the best referee in NSW and one of the best in Australia. His great abilities in refereeing were recognised when he was chosen to represent Australia at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and the 1971 World Women’s Championships. He is a life member of the NSW Basketball Referees Association.
Lorraine Landon has established herself as one of the outstanding administrators in Australian basketball. She played for NSW, was a long-time junior coach and administrator for the Bankstown club. Lorraine also lent her hand at the Sydney Kings, the Sydney Flames, and Basketball Australia.
Lorraine was the Australian Women’s team manager at two Olympics (1984 and 1988) and General Manager for Basketball at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. She has been a driving force behind the WNBL in Australia and women’s basketball in general. Lorraine has been the Executive director of the NBL, chair of the FIBA Women’s Commission and a member of the NSW Sports Advisory Committee. She is a Life-Member of the Bankstown club and BNSW. Her contributions to international basketball have been recognised with the IOC Women in Sports Award 2004, IOC Golden Rings 2000 and the FIBA Merit Award 2000. Lorraine Landon was awarded an OAM for services to basketball in 2011.
Maree Jackson represented NSW on many occasions, both at the junior and senior level and established herself as Australia’s premier player of her era. If truth be told, she represented and excelled for Australia when the national women’s team was striving for international recognition and status.
Maree played in two World Championships ( 1975 and 1979) and in the Moscow Olympic Qualification Tournament in 1980. She was a member of the Opals team that finished fourth at the World Championships in 1979, thereby establishing Australia’s legitimate place in the upper ranks of women’s world basketball. A stand-out competitive player, she was the first female Australian basketball player to win a scholarship to an American University (LSU). In the American college system, she established herself as one of the premier players in the USA.
The Australian Under 18 Women’s Championships is named in her honour. She was inducted into the BA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Merv Emms was more than an outstanding basketball coach. He was also a great contributor to basketball’s progress, helping to develop stadiums, competitions, associations and administration throughout NSW and Oceania.
His beginnings in the sport were in Lithgow where he was the Association Secretary and then Country Secretary (1952-62). Under his guidance, Country grew from seven associations to seventy.
Merv was a credentialed coach. His Lithgow teams won Country Championships while as coach of the NSW Under 18 men’s team, he won Australian titles in 1954, 1955 and 1957. Concurrently, Merv’s NSW State Under 16 teams were National Champions in 1955 and 1956. He also coached in Newcastle and Coffs Harbour. By 1962 Merv had coached at 11 National Championships.
During his career, Merv was both a NSW and a National selector. As an authority on the game, he wrote many coaching articles for Hoop High magazine. He is well known for his vast contribution to Oceania basketball where he gave countless coaching clinics to island nations such as New Guinea, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Guam, Kiribati, Fiji. His mentorship, passion, skills and love for the game had a profound effect on basketball in the Oceania Region.
He is a Life member of BNSW and a member of the BA Hall of Fame.
Merv Moy joined the YMCA in 1948 aged 18 years and played his first game in C grade in the City of Sydney competition. He soon made A grade and continued playing for the “ Y” for the next 5 years. In that time he was selected to the Sydney YMCA representative side that played regular matches in Sydney, in regional areas and, in fact, all around Australia against other YMCA teams.
In 1951, Merv was selected into his first NSW representative team and played in the Australian Men’s Championships in Perth. He went on to represent NSW in 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, and 1958 ( captain).
In 1953 he left the YMCA to join Newtown Police Boys Club where he played alongside Ken Fitch and Bruce Flick under soon to be 1956 Olympic Assistant Coach Harry Burgess. Many of the featured games he played in that period were against Mormon teams based in Sydney or touring from the USA.
Merv was named in the “ All Australian Team” at the 1955 and 1956 Australian Championships. This was a tremendous feat for someone who had only been playing the game for a short time. In 1955 at the conclusion of the Australian Championships, Merv, along with other NSW players, Bruce Flick and Ken Finch, were named in the Olympic squad of 16 players and then in the team to compete in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He would be 26 years of age at the Olympics and a member of Australia’s first ever Olympic team. Merv went on to join the NSW Police Force and retired in 1989 after 30 years of service. Commendably, Merv reached the rank of Superintendent.
Michael Wrublewski was an outstanding contributor to the popularity of basketball in Sydney and Australia. He was extremely passionate about the game and in selling the game to fans. His drive, energy, vision and leadership helped basketball to flourish in the late ’80s and through the ’90s. The emergence of the Sydney Kings driven by the man known as the “ King of the Kings” took Sydney by storm and was immensely influential in the basketball boom as Mike took games to the Entertainment Centre. He established the Sydney Flames and recognized them as a force in Australian women’s basketball. A key member of the management team staging the 1994 FIBA Women’s World Championship, he was also involved in the promotion and staging of the 1988 World Championships for Wheelchair Basketball and the Sydney 2000 Olympic games. He was inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame in 2010.
Nancy Hill started playing basketball in Lithgow in 1950 at the age of 16. She soon represented Lithgow and Country NSW before being selected to play for NSW in the first ever NSW Open Women’s team in 1955. Nancy went on to represent NSW women in 1955, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64 and was captain twice. Her record of representing NSW in 8 Australian Women’s Championships is outstanding.
Nancy was selected to Australia’s first ever Women’s team which competed in the 2nd World Basketball Championship which was held in Brazil in 1957. This Australian team was also the first Australian team (men or women) to represent Australia at an international or Olympic championship. After she retired from playing, Nancy continued to contribute to Lithgow basketball as a president, a coach, and a referee. Nancy is a member of the Lithgow Sporting Hall of Fame.
Pam Willmette started her playing career with the Barbarians club (1957) where she was a founding team member, captain of the team and club president. As Pam Wedupp, she played for NSW from 1959 to 1961 and also in 1963.
Pam managed the NSW State women’s team for 6 years in the sixties and early ’70s. She also coached the State women’s team in 1968 and 1969 and was a State women’s selector from 1964 to 1981. Pam managed the State U20 women’s tours to New Zealand in 1972 and 1973 and was the Head of the delegation for the NSW women’s tours to Hong Kong, Taiwan (1978), Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (1981).
In the 1970’s Pam managed the Sutherland Association women’s team, coached Grafton to a State Division 2 championship, coached Illawarra Under 17’s and Sutherland Under 18’s. She was the NSW delegate to the Australian Women’s Council from 1962 to 1981 and coached the Parramatta Under 20 team in 1983.
Perhaps her best-known roles were as Treasurer of the ABU Women’s Council ( 1965-81), Australian Women’s selector ( 1968-1971), and team manager of the Australian women’s teams ( Brazil 1971, Japan-China 1974 and Colombia 1975). She received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 1977, the Order of Australia ( OAM) in 1981 and is a Life member of BNSW and the Australian Women’s Council.
There’s no one that sums up coaching in this country quite like Robbie Cadee. His ability to form relationships with both players and management makes him unique.
Coaching is a fine art and he is an authentic artisan. Robbie won the NSW Coach of the year in 1981, 1986 and 1988. It was his ability to stay consistent for so long that won him more awards in the NSW Conference.
He won the 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988 and 1993 Coach of the Year awards.
His efficient coaching techniques landed him both NBL and WNBL coaching jobs and he thrived. He won the National Basketball League Coach of the Year in 1983 and the Women’s National Basketball League Coach of the Year in 1988.
Achieving all that he could at both state and national levels left Robbie wanting more. In 1986 he got his first shot on the international stage. Robbie went to Russia to lead the Australian Women’s team at the World Championships. He continued as coach of the Women’s Team until 1992 and enjoyed travelling the world as coach of the women’s team.
His international basketball resume took him on some incredible campaigns including:
• Pre- Olympic Qualifying Tournament- 1988 Malaysia Head Coach.
• Seoul Olympic 1988 – Head Coach.
• World Championships – 1990 Malaysia Head Coach.
• Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament – 1992 Spain Head Coach.
Robbie was the first ever coach to take an Australian women’s team to a medal round which he achieved at the 1988 Olympics. After a number of World Championships and Pre-Olympic Qualifying tournaments, he got his shot with the Australian Men’s team at the 1994 Toronto World championships as the Assistant coach.
Bob Staunton was renowned throughout Australia as a pioneering administrator with a great work ethic, passion, and for a meticulous record keeping. He was a major force in YMCA basketball, held the position of NSW secretary for 19 years and refereed Australian junior championships for 5 years. His early passion was for junior basketball and he managed many NSW State junior teams. He was National Junior Secretary of the ABF from 1966-77, national Men’s team manager 1971-80 and managed the Australian Men’s team at the Montreal (1976) and Moscow (1980) Olympics. In his role as the Secretary of the ABF and then BA he was instrumental in establishing the Australian Junior Championships, the AIS basketball program, and the National Youth teams. Bob was a member of the FIBA technical Commission and is a Life member of Sydney YMCA, City of Sydney Basketball, BNSW and Basketball Australia. He was awarded an OAM in 1987 and is a member of the BA Hall of Fame.
Sid Taylor has had a long and distinguished career in basketball. He has been a lifetime contributor to basketball in NSW, Australia, and for the Australian Police Basketball Association. Significantly, his contributions to refereeing in Sydney and NSW over many years had a profound influence on the game by setting standards and pathways for others to follow.
As one of those who helped form the Australian Referee Associations, he was appointed National Rules interpreter in 1963 and held positions as Chairman of the Australian Basketball Union Technical and Referees Standards Committees. During his career as a referee, he was rated as the No 1 official in Australia. A FIBA qualified referee, he served as the Oceania Rules Interpreter and officiated at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 1974 World Men’s Basketball Championships.
FIBA awarded him the title of Honorary International Referee in 1975. A Life Member of the Referees Associations of Sydney, Basketball NSW, and Australia, as well as the Sydney, NSW and Australian Basketball Associations, he has been recognised for his many years of outstanding service to the game. Sid Taylor is a member of the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame and was awarded the Australian Sports Medal and the AM for services to basketball.
Trish Fallon was a member of the Opals during one of the teams most successful periods. She played 224 games for her country and won two Silvers and one Bronze medal at Olympic competition, and won a Bronze medal at the World Championships. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Trish was the captain of the Opals.
In 1991 she was voted Youth Player of the Year in the WNBL. She has played in Europe with clubs in Germany, Italy, and Spain and played in the WNBA with Minnesota and Phoenix.
Trish had a memorable career with the Sydney Flames and was named MVP in the team’s 1997 grand final win, and was named WNBL Most Valuable Player ( with Lauren Jackson) in 1999-2000 her last season in the WNBL. She has played 251 games in the WNBL and won two titles with the Sydney Flames in 1993 and 1997. In 2003 she was awarded the Maher Medal for the Female International Player of the Year. In 2004 she was named to the WNBL’s 25th Anniversary Team.
Trish is a member of the BA Hall of Fame.
Brad started his playing days on the Northern Beaches where he played for Manly.
He donned the NSW and Australian colours when he was selected in the respected Under 20’s teams.
Brad was a long servant in our national league, playing a mammoth 290 games with City of Sydney Astronauts, West Adelaide Bearcats, Sydney Supersonics, Geelong and Sydney Kings.
In 1978, he had the chance to travel the world with the Australian Junior Men’s team. He also took his talents to Europe where he played with and against some of the best.
He didn’t have to wait long for the Australian selectors to realise that he had immense talent. Brad was selected in the 1981 team due to some enormous performances in the lead-up to the Olympic Games.
Playing in the Olympics, the pinnacle of sport events, was always his number one goal and he had the opportunity to do so in 1984 and 1988. In 1982 and 1986 he also had the chance to represent Australia and with his good form, there was no way the Australian jersey was going to be taken away from him. The Inaugural Australian Games was played in 1985 and Brad Laced up once again for Australia.
Nothing comes much bigger than playing against some of the world’s best, but in particular, players that went on to achieving success overseas. In 1989 Brad played for the ‘Boomers‘ against the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar team and then toured and played 14 games in the USA and Argentina.
Brad’s passion for the game of basketball has kept him in the sport following his playing career. Since stepping down from being a player, he has concentrated on his coaching of juniors, mainly through his involvement with schools and the Manly Basketball Association.
Colin became involved with Basketball in the 1940s when he took to the courts. His passion and talent afforded him engrossed him in some of the biggest basketball projects in NSW.
His planning and attention to detail assisted in the creation of basketball competitions at Scarborough Park in the late 1940s and early 1950s, which soon expanded from foundation street teams to adjoining suburbs.
From creating basketball competitions to becoming an original member of an Association, Colin got involved early on his basketball career and became a member of the St George Australian Basketball Association in 1947.
He put his thinking cap on and led from the front when it came to negotiating access to the Civic Hall at Kogarah. The competition grew very quickly soon basketball was played four nights each week. Colin then moved the competition to new premises in Hurstville.
Colin profile became bigger and better. He became the NSWBA treasurer in 1954 and Vice President in 1956. Two of the finest gentleman to be involved with basketball in this state, Sid Taylor and Dave Thomas were both mentored by him. They were both founding members of the NSW State Referee’s Association.
One of the most dominant basketball schools in Sydney, Sydney Boys High School, had a court complex inaugurated by Colin. His management skills and ability to get things done put him in a position to be involved in the building a court at the school. One of the home teams, The Sydney Comets have been one of the leading Associations in Sydney. Behind them at the start was Colin.
With the experience, he gained from being around influential people in the game, Colin was able to use his skills to coach the 1959 and 1961 NSW Women’s teams that participated in the Australian Women’s Championships.
During his time as coach of the NSW Women’s team, Scarborough Park had 11 NSW State Women’s representatives and won 11 Women’s NSW State Championship titles between 1959 and 1961. He stayed involved in the game and Colin became President and Vice President of the Western Suburbs Women’s and Men’s ABA.
Evan commenced playing in 1942, but it was the urge to mentor and inform the younger generation of basketballers that made him change paths and become a coach in 1952. He coached for 20 consecutive years at representative level, coaching at the Hills Basketball Association.
He had the opportunity to represent NSW and he did so with pride at the 1958, 1959 and 1961 National Championships. With all the acquired knowledge Evan was appointed Assistant Coach of the NSW Senior Women in 1959.
His methods and basketball smarts made him a very successful coach at all levels of women’s basketball, winning several Championships between 1970 and 1975.
Evan transferred over to the disability side of basketball and was heavily involved in Men’s Wheelchair basketball, in a coaching capacity from 1993 to 1999.
His success continued and his hunger never stopped. Evan became the Head Coach of the NSW Senior Men’s Wheelchair team between 1993 and 1997, Assistant Coach of the Australian Senior Men’s Wheelchair team between 1994 and 1999 and Head Coach of the Australian Senior Men’s B Wheelchair team.
Winning medals is on anyone’s list of goals, and Evan was fortunate enough to win gold as the Assistant Coach of the Australian Men’s Senior team in 1996 at the Atlanta Paralympic Games.
Evan was awarded NSW Wheelchair Sports Coach of the Year in 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2003 for all his hard work and dedication to Wheelchair basketball.
After a huge amount of success in NSW, Evan had the privilege of leading from the front. He took the reigns as the 2002 NSW Junior Wheelchair Head Coach.
It wasn’t long until he won an Australian schools Championship and he did so with Oakhill College in 2004.
Due to his tenacity and diligence, Evan was awarded Life member status at the Hills Basketball Association and was a member of the Hills Board for many years.
Gordon was brought up on the South Coast of NSW and it was no surprise when he started playing basketball as a ten-year-old at the Wollongong Police Boys Club. He was under the guidance of Illawarra’s legendary coach, Ted Weston.
Gordon’s talent was noticed immediately and he represented NSW from 1972 to 1981. It wasn’t long after that he was recognised as one of the best players in the country. He was soon to be selected for the Australian Men’s team which happened in 1977. His represention of the green and gold outfit at the 1978 World Championships, the 1979 Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament and the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games would be up there as one of the greatest moments for any player.
Gordon was one of the originals to play in our national competition and he did so between 1979 and 1991. He was part of the Brisbane Bullets squad between 1991 and 1992 but in a coaching capacity.
He had a passion for mentoring youth and developing the next crop of talented players. Gordon became the Assistant Coach at the Australian Institute of Sport in 1989, and Head Coach from 1993 to 1997. His expertise and understanding of the game helped the Australian Under 20’s team win a silver medal at the 1997 Greece World Championships.
Gordon coached arguably some of the greatest players our country has seen and between 1998 and 2004 he took the reigns as the West Sydney coach.
His credentials were at an all-time high, but when he was asked to Assistant coach the Australian Men’s team in 2001, 2002, 2007 as well as for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games that is when he knew he cracked the big time.
Gordon’s pinpoint coaching techniques awarded him 2010 Coach of the Year honours.
Communicating and creating a strong culture with the younger generation was a strong part of his psyche. With all his knowledge, he was given the pleasure of being appointed Head Coach of the Australian Under 23’s team that played in the World Championships in Spain.
A veteran of the game, Harry Burgess started his playing career in the middle of the 1900s when he was under the guidance of Ray Rosbrook.
After making a great first impression, selectors had no choice but to put him in the NSW team for the inaugural Australian championships held in 1946. NSW won the championship and Harry was named on the list of the top five players of the competition.
Harry played his basketball in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney for Moore Park Playground before moving to the Eastern Suburbs Police Boys Club. After some sensational performances, he was selected for NSW in 1948 and 1949.
He always had an interest in the community and ways to better society. When the Newtown Police Boys Club opened in 1951, Harry took the opportunity with open arms.
When Bruce Flick moved from the Camperdown Playground to join the young group of talented players at Newtown, Harry’s coaching credentials were further developed.
Harry had a basketball brain, he knew what had to be done but when the formation of the ‘ Paratels’ sponsorship came in, he introduced a more structured framework into Sydney basketball. He had numerous connections abroad but the one connection that helped him most was the assistance of Kentucky’s Rupp. He was the inspirational leader behind Harry’s offences and philosophies and these he introduced into basketball in Sydney. The effectiveness of Harry’s initiatives changed the way basketball was played and coached.
Harry was well respected in the basketball circle. He was firm and tough. This formed the foundation of his ethical, disciplined and professional attitude apparent to all those who came in contact with him. Nevertheless, Harry had the patience to teach others. Indeed, future lauded coaches such as Flick and Ammit were both developed by Harry.
Crunching the numbers and working out how to stop other teams was one of Harry’s fortes. It was in 1954 that he introduced a player statistics programme to be used until 1959.
At first, for Harry, it was all about gaining experience and reputation while helping the game of basketball succeed. Later, his mind was on expanding the horizons of our great game. He organised the first known basketball team tour of the Southern states. The Newtown Police Boys Club took teams out into the country and this assisted the development of the game.
Harry was always very meticulous in his coaching and when he was asked to become the assistant coach of the 1956 Australian Olympic team he was never going to say no. He was the mastermind behind the team’s Olympic campaign in Melbourne. In 1956 and 1957 he also coached the NSW team.
Ken learnt the ropes of basketball in the “ streets” at the Woolloomooloo playgrounds.
He had a very competitive approach which put him in line to play in big matches. Ken was selected at a young age in the school team that were runners up in the Sydney High Schools Championship. At the age of 16, he was able to show off his skills in the Playgrounds competition.
There were numerous mentors who helped Ken develop both athletically and as a person. He became a respectful, talented and enthusiastic man due to the influences of Charlie Ammit, Bruce Flick and Ross Graham. He was coached by two of the finest in this state, Bob Elphinston and Dr John Raschke. They took him under their wings and let him soar.
On the court, Ken was very composed. He was a leader with great communication skills and being recognised for them, he was named the captain of the NSW Under 18 Men’s team in 1961. His performances were impeccable leading to selection in the 1962 NSW Senior Men’s team.
Ken was the youngest player ever to represent Australia when at 18 years of age he was selected to represent Australia at the 1962 World Championships. His maturity put him well above his years. He went on to represent Australia at the Rome and Mexico Olympic games, as well as the World Championships in Yugoslavia.
Ken was to give back to the community as he moved to Adelaide in 1973 to coach and play for West Adelaide and South Adelaide. He coached South Australia to the National Championship in 1977.
His coaching resume is nothing short of exemplary. He was the Assistant Coach of the West Adelaide team that defeated Geelong in the NBL final in 1982 and the Head Coach of Adelaide in 1985-1986, winning the NBL title in 1986. The other teams he coached included the Sydney Supersonics and the Newtown Falcons.
Ken delivered on every platform and he established his reputation throughout Australia as one of it’s best players and coaches.
A massive face behind and in front of the scenes at the YMCA, Ken will go down as a basketball lover. He started playing basketball for both the YMCA and the City of Sydney Basketball Association in 1944.
Ken wanted to get involved in avenues other than playing and it was in 1952 that he became involved in officiating the sport. This included both refereeing and a member of the scoring table.
A very memorable moment in Ken’s life was when he took on the pressure and added the responsibility of being part of the bench for the first NBL game at Homebush in 1979. Ken continued to perform this function well into the 1980s.
He was on the international stage in a refereeing capacity when he officiated in a gold medal performance at the 1994 World Masters Games.
His refereeing capabilities moved him over to Wheelchair basketball where he was involved at both National and International levels.
The Rollers used to be called the Wheelkings. Ken was rewarded for his involvement with the team when in 1996, they won the National Championships.
Ken’s effort and eagerness was noted and he is now a Life member of the City of Sydney Basketball Association, Sydney YMCA Basketball Club, Sydney Basketball Council, Sydney Basketball Referee’s Association, NSW Basketball Referee’s Association and NSW Basketball Association.
In 2011 for all that he has done for the game in NSW, he was awarded a Long Service Award by the NSW Sports Federation.
To be involved with the game for a decade is a mean feat. But Ken has been involved for nearly seventy years in either a player, coaching, manager, referee, or officiating capacity in NSW.
Melva commenced playing basketball in 1949 and had a long and decorated career in all facets of the sport. She represented the Newcastle Amateur Basketball Association (ABA) over 15 years. Melva felt very comfortable in her surroundings and sensed right at home.
Melva made history by becoming the first secretary of the ABA’s Women’s Council, established in 1955. For a decade, Melva was the face of the Women’s Council as both Secretary and Treasurer.
As such a big part of the game, Melva focused her skills and talents towards managing the first NSW Women’s team to participate in the 1955 Australian Women’s Championships. She did so again in 1956, 1960 and 1962.
Melva could also take to the floor and run the show. She managed and played in the Australian Women’s team that participated in the 2nd World Women’s Championships in Brazil in 1957.
Melva had the knowledge to run Associations and when it came to organising the Australian Women’s Championships, she did just that when the event was held in Newcastle in 1961.
Melva was involved in the media and promoted women’s basketball between 1958 and 1971. She was a strong believer in making the women’s game even bigger and became an advocate for women players to play International Rule’s basketball.
She went back to her roots and became an administrator at Newcastle ABA from 1973 until 1978.
The sky was the limit for Roger Shiels when he initiated his playing career in 1970.
Shiels had an eye for detail and was a fantastic game manager. He obtained his junior Referee’s Badge in 1971, received his Australian Badge in 1979, and his FIBA Badge in 1981.
Roger covered it all in the NBL. There wasn’t one major match that he didn’t know about. He refereed a massive 714 NBL games between 1979 and 2012.
The BNSW awarded him referee of the year for his consistent work for the state of NSW. His awards were given to him from 1989 until 1994, and again in 1997.
The city of Sydney recognised his ability to referee and continuous ability to deliver under pressure, and from 1989-1991 he was awarded Referee of the Year.
The Don Hutton Medal is given for excellence and there was nothing short of that in Roger’s career as he received it in 1987, 1990, 1993 and 1994.
His awards and achievements were flooding in and in 1998 he went one better by receiving the Australian Basketball Federation Merit award.
The year of 2001 was a great time for Roger. In the prime of his career, he picked up the NSW National Panel Referee of the Year.
He will go down as one of the best to referee in our country. Roger couldn’t have refereed many more games in his lifetime and the ones that he did were all officiated to their maximum potential.
In a career that expanded many years with a cluster of major events, Roger officiated at National Junior Championships, Senior Championships, and at several International Events, receiving numerous appointments to finals during this time.
Terry started playing basketball at the ripe old age of 12. He represented NSW from a very young age and it was always going to lead to considerable success. He was named the captain of the NSW Under 16 Men’s team that won the first ever Under 16 National Championships.
His first massive achievement came when he won the Under 18 Men’s Championship in 1957. Then his skillset and ability to saw him take his place in the Australian team at the age of 20. He went on to represent Australia at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.
Later, throughout the 1960s, Terry laced up for Newcastle and won a massive 12 titles. Not only did he win a title in the NSW competition but he also won them in the interstate South East Conference.
His mentality and ability to direct his team around the court put him in a position to Captain the NSW team that won the Australian title in 1967.
Terry’s time was up on the playing field but his love for the game wasn’t going to let him stop there. He retired from playing in 1969 but continued as an administrator and coach. He put his life and soul into the Newcastle Basketball Association and due to his caring and helpful nature, he became the first full-time secretary-manager of the Association from 1966 to 1975. What is even more momentous is that Terry was the first full-time basketball employee in NSW.
Newcastle had a hard man working behind the scenes and in 1979 he assisted Dr John Raschke in securing Newcastle’s entry into the NBL.
The opportunity for Terry to be involved in NBL broadcast coverage came knocking. For nine years Australia heard the voice of Mr Charlton as he analysed and called basketball action as part of commentary teams.
After all of his experience playing and administering, Terry managed the Australian Men’s team from 1985-1988, including the Seoul Olympic Games.
He couldn’t have asked for more of an accomplished career. After 44 years of extraordinary involvement with the game of basketball, he retired in 1997.
The Hunter Region hasn’t seen anyone work as hard as Terry in trying to direct and manage a sporting community, which is why he is now a Life Member of the Newcastle Basketball Association. He is also an inductee into the Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame, a current member of the Hunter Academy of Sport and also on the NSW Basketball’s Hall of Fame Honours Committee.
Troy Sachs will go down in history as one of the most talented athletes that wheelchair basketball has ever seen. His combination of natural talent, physical capabilities and strong work ethic, enabled him to be as successful as he could in the sport.
Troy commenced playing wheelchair basketball in 1991 and he hasn’t looked back since.
His first selection in any form of representative Wheelchair Basketball came in 1992 when he represented Australia. From that day forward he had many more years of high-intensity basketball to look forward to.
Travelling the globe for the sport he was passionate about led Troy to some amazing destinations. In 1992 he was selected in the Australian team to compete at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona.
Stats play a huge part in a basketball match. Win, lose or draw, they are what separates teams. At the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996, Troy won a gold medal and scored a world record number of points. Troy could do no wrong scoring 42 points.
The country gave him what he deserved and in 1996 Sachs won the Most Outstanding Individual Performance at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta. The Australian Paralympic committee couldn’t overlook the talented individual for their decision.
In 1997, for all his pride and fighting spirit for our country, he received a Medal of the Order of Australia.
Troy played wheelchair basketball in Western Sydney and whether it was for the Slicks or the Razorbacks, he always succeeded. In 1998 he helped guide the Slicks to a league championship. And in 2001 he won a championship with the Razorbacks.
Troy’s talent in the sport is undeniable and between 1998 to 2001 and then again in 2002, he was the Australian National Wheelchair Basketball League MVP. He was part of the All-Star Five and was the Highest scorer.
His ability to take any competition by storm was noticed and in 1998 he got the opportunity to move to the USA and play for the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks until 2000. In that time he won three consecutive league Championships and was named in the All-Star Five in the US National Wheelchair Basketball Association in 1998 and 1999.
Some of his other achievements include:
• Representing Australia at the World Championships in 1998 and 2002.
• Captained the Rollers at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic games.
• Captained the Rollers to silver at the 2004 Paralympic games in Athens.
• In 2008, captained the Rollers to a Gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
• Won a gold at the 2009 Rollers World Challenge.
Vickie grew up outside of Sydney and learnt the game of basketball in the country town of Cowra. She was 15 years old when she started playing.
In the early 1960’s Vickie took the plunge to live and play for the ‘ Barbarians’ in Sydney. The decision paid off for her as she won 10 State Championships in a row and many other Sydney Championships.
Winning titles was in Vickie’s nature, and in 1964 and 1968 she won two National titles.
Her consistent hard work paid off when she was selected for the Australian team in 1966 to play at the 1967 World Championships in Prague.
Canterbury-Bankstown Amateur Basketball Association was formed in 1964 and Vickie was a part of the process to get it up and running. She became the first paid employee of the Association in 1969. Bankstown has numerous courts at their venue and she was one of the masterminds behind the building of all seven courts at Condell Park.
Vickie’s strong leadership and organisational skills led her to then shift her focus to the managerial side of the sport. It was in 1975 that she was the manager of the Under 16 NSW Women’s team that won the National Championship.
In the 1980’s it was time for Vickie to put away the shoes and bring out the clipboard. She wanted to use her vast experience and knowledge of the game to teach and discipline the next generation of stars.
Vickie first started off coaching the younger generation with immediate triumph. In 1982 she coached the Bankstown Bruins Under 12’s to win both the Sydney and NSW Championships.
She continued to reach new heights for Bankstown and throughout the 1980’s Vickie coached and managed NSW state teams.
There is not much else from a basketball perspective that Vickie could have done in the sport, but there were a couple of more sectors of the game she wanted to cross off before her time was done. She tried refereeing and was the first female referee to be awarded an “A” Grade Badge and was a highly respected referee.
An official in every sense of the word drew Vickie to become a qualified score bench official and statistician. These qualifications took her to some of the biggest matches including games in the NBL, SEABL, WNBL and State level events.
Vickie has a great ability to keep cool under pressure and that is exactly what is needed to officiate at the highest international level. She was selected as a statistician for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
After everything she did for the game, it was in 2008 that she called time on her basketball career with the Bankstown Bruins.
Denis did it all for Newcastle. The Hunter region has had some phenomenal people work for them and Dennis Kibble is no different. He represented Newcastle for a number of years and was around during the “golden years” when they won 12 State titles.
He was a solid player, doing his bit on the court when it was needed. He had the chance to represent the NSW juniors in 1967 and kept his form going when he represented the senior team from 1960-1974. He had the chance to show what he was made of, travelling to New Zealand where he toured the country with an Australian B side and he performed commendably.
As a player, you want to win as many competitions as you can and Denis accomplished this by winning a major competition in 1967 when he was a member of the NSW Men’s team that won the Australian Championships in 1967.
Making the international team was the next goal that Denis had in mind and in 1970 he gained selection for the Australian team, playing in the World Championships in Yugoslavia.
It wasn’t long after playing for Australia that his body couldn’t take playing on the biggest stage anymore and in 1975 that’s when he pulled the plug on a fantastic representative playing career. He went from one element of basketball to another when he picked up the responsibility of becoming secretary and then General Manager of the Newcastle Basketball Association.
Denis did what he could for the Association that gave him so much. He got involved in a coaching, manager and administrator capacity with Newcastle Association and was involved with the stadium management and game development.
Big decisions had to be made and with the Association being such a big part of his life. It was only fair that he was part of the executive committee in 1981 through to 1989. The job he did for Newcastle was well documented and he took charge as the Chairman of the NSW Competitions Committee from 1986 until 1990.
Denis is a life member of Newcastle Basketball, a member of the BNSW Board and was awarded life membership of NSW Basketball in 1991.
Ken’s legacy as far as being an innovator is concerned will go down in the history books. His attention to detail as Vice President of the Basketball NSW referees from 1972-1977 and again in 1986 was one of the most prosperous periods for him. He was the Secretary from 1978 to 1985 as well which gave him the chance to prove himself in another position.
He could do no wrong in the reffing circles with his efforts to crack down on issues in the game of basketball. Faith was put into Ken when he took part as a member of the Examination Panel from 1972-1982 and 1985-1988, as well as being a Rules Interpreter in 1981 and from 1985 to 1988.
Ken did what he could to be at the services of officials. He stuck it out for as long as he could until he retired from the NBL. One of his biggest achievements was being one of the first referees to officiate in the NBL, notching up over 145 games including the very first NBL Grand Final.
His hard work paid off when he received his Australian Badge in 1971 and went on to be internationally recognised receiving his FIBA Badge in 1978.
Ken’s involvement in the game took him to more places outside of Australia. He wanted to educate people overseas in areas where they weren’t as familiar with basketball as Australia is. His teaching proficiencies allowed him to get intricate with Oceania Basketball, visiting Pacific Island Countries to assist with referee education. He toured Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia in 1987, then American Samoa, Western Samoa in 1988 and American Samoa again in 1990. A thinker and very articulate in the way he approached his work, Ken wrote an article for the Oceania Confederation in 1991, describing his island experiences. This was published in “A Century of basketball and 25 years of the Oceania Confederation”.
Ken’s basketball resume made him an extremely respected man within the Hunter sporting community as both a participant and administrator and was the central figure in building up the Hunter Academy of Sports to give talented athletes the chance to improve their skills with the hope of advancing to the big stage. The level still stands today.
He was a sensational teacher and sports organiser. His attention to detail and the way he communicated with people, mainly kids, made him a very successful leader at Wallsend High School. Ken left this mark on the Academy for 27 years until his retirement this year.
Ken’s tireless effort of working around the clock to ensure the standard of athletes in the Hunter region are of the highest order will always be remembered. His devotion to allowing athletes opportunities to follow their dreams will always be remembered.
Ken served in many capacities in the sport of basketball over an extended period in excess of 50 years.
Liesl’s life may have been a whole lot different if it wasn’t for a mountain bike accident in 1988. Due to this tragic scenario, she became an incomplete paraplegic putting her in a terrible position. Basketball came calling and she hasn’t looked back. Liesel has had a very successful career playing the sport.
Her ability was noticed during her rehabilitation when one of her physiotherapists noticed how skilled she was at shooting with a foam basketball and perspex backboard. Liesel gave the sport a go and soon was selected in the New South Wales state team. Later she was invited to try out for the Australian women’s national wheelchair basketball team and qualified in 1990. Liesl made her proud national debut at that year’s World Championships and followed it with her Paralympic debut at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Liesl played with her heart on her sleeve. This gave her worldwide recognition and she was named in the All-Star Five at the 1994 Gold Cup, where the Australian team won a bronze medal. Her expertise in the sport just kept on giving and she was rewarded by teaming up with the Australian team at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. In 1998, she was named Most Valuable Player at the Gold Cup.
Liesl competed with the national wheelchair basketball team in five Paralympics. That number is a massive achievement. Even more momentous is the fact that she won three medals. Her leadership qualities meant she was destined to have a management role within the team, and in 2000 at the Sydney Paralympics she was given the honour of being the vice-captain of the team, where she won a silver medal. Her talent was put on show at the biggest sporting event in the world for her sport, and it didn’t take long for her to be approached by some professional men’s teams who enticed her into playing for them. Liesel played for 5 years including stints in Madrid, Sardinia, and Paris. She became the first woman in the world to play wheelchair basketball professionally.
From being the vice-captain to becoming the captain, she was asked to lead the wheelchair team that took to the 2004 Paralympics, where she won silver. Liesl kept her form going and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
Liesel’s initiative and devotion to forming a women’s wheelchair competition came to fruition when she helped establish a league on the continent and competed in women’s teams in Italy and France.
Coordination is a must have in the game of basketball. It’s also useful in sailing which Liesl decided to try. In 2011 she retired from the national wheelchair basketball squad to focus on sailing with the hope of representing Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.
Liesl was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2014 Australia Day Honours “for significant service to sport as a gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and through the promotion and facilitation of sport for people with disabilities.”
Matthew is a NSW junior who went on to achieve ultimate success internationally for his country. Some would say that Matthew was one out of our greatest basketballers to come through this state. He commenced playing basketball as a U16 junior at Penrith Panthers in 1993. In the same year, he represented NSW in the U/16 Men Metropolitan State Team. In 1994 he represented the U/18 Men Metropolitan State Team and was named Junior Player of the Year.
His first glimpse at what it took to become a professional basketball player came in 1995 when the Sydney Kings took him on board as a development player to develop his skills with the hope of turning him into someone with the capability to play for them and then potentially overseas. Shortly after, he moved to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport. Playing under some of the country’s best coaches would eventuate into some of the best years of his life.
Matthew added a Gold Medal to his resume early on his career when he took to the floor with the FIBA 1997 Under-21 Australian World Championship team.
In 1997, Matthew wanted to provide the Sydney Kings with his services once again and it didn’t take long for him to receive accolades. In his first proper year with the club, he won the NBL Rookie of the Year award. In the space of nine seasons with the Sydney Kings, Matthew won Championships in 2003 and 2004. In the 2003 Championship year, Matthew was awarded the season MVP and Finals MVP. It went one better for him when he was awarded the Australian International Player of the Year in 2003.
He did what he wanted to do in this country and it was time for Matthew to expand his horizons and try his luck in Europe. For a talented player like him, he wanted to see if he could make a successful career abroad. In 2004, his professional career took a turn for the best. He represented PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece, Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania, Valencia in Spain, Olympiacos in Greece and Khimki in Russia. In the 2009-10 season, Matt was named the Eurocup Finals MVP and was in the All Eurocup First Team. After 9 years playing against some of the best talent Europe had to offer, Matthew retired due to an expired contract in 2012-13. He packed up his bags and left Europe in 2013.
His distinguished Boomers career included some huge tournaments but there weren’t bigger moments than captaining his country in two Olympic Games, 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London. He played in the 2004 Olympic team that went to Athens and won Gold Medals at the 2001 Goodwill Games, the 2003 FIBA Oceanian Championship, and the 2005 FIBA Oceanian Championship.
On the 10th of October 2013, for Matthew’s service to the Sydney Kings and moving on to bigger and better breaks, he was named in the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team and was inducted into the King’s Wall of Legends in 2014.
Some of the state’s best players were from the Orange Schoolboys Association and Peter Yeend was a founding father. Orange was the first of its type to gain State Affiliation.
Representing organisations was in Peter’s nature and he had the chance put on the Orange jersey from 1954 to 1956. Peter’s enthusiasm made him one of three Orange officials to gain a State Referee Badge.
Peter was very approachable and that led to him becoming a State Convenor. With organisation skills and ability to meet deadlines, Peter organised tours to the Australian Under 18 Championships which were held in Sydney (1957).
Peter had one thing on his mind; getting Independent schools interested in the game of basketball. He was successful in this assignment. To this day, as you approach the schools, it’s evident that his hard work paid off. SAS and AAGPS systems now compete annually for the Peter Yeend trophy.
Peter felt that it made sense to organise for American schools and college teams to come to Australia. In 1970, over 100 American schools and college teams visited NSW and Australia in 1973.
It was in 1977 that Peter was re-appointed as Convenor (Secretary) of the State’s Junior Men’s basketball. Being so good with the young generation permitted him to pick up roles with the Executive of the National Junior Council, as well as Junior Secretary of City of Sydney Basketball.
The history of the game is well looked after in our state thanks to Peter. In his later years, he became a primary writer and contributor/ researcher for the book ‘The History of Basketball in NSW 1938 to 1988.’
He was an Executive in the National Junior Council and was awarded BNSW Life membership in 1982.
Ray was one of the main faces when basketball was starting up in this state. He was one of the biggest factors in the development and establishment of basketball in NSW. He acted as both an administrator and as a leading coach in that very important era from the mid-1930s through to 1950. It was a time when basketball was transitioning into an established sport in New South Wales.
He was looked up to as a notable leader in coaching. Ray had the right techniques to counter opposition teams and thought of new drills and game plans. He is credited with developing the framework of basketball style in those early days.
Born in 1910 and educated at Newington College and then Sydney University, Mr Rosbrook clearly had the IQ and smarts to teach and manage different sectors in basketball. He joined the Sydney Council in 1936 as a playground supervisor. What followed was a fulfilling and successful career in dedicated service to both the children and young men who attended the Moore Park Playground, as well as the inner city community in general. He gave up his time to make the area a better place.
There was no downtime for Ray who continued to serve as a mentor for the younger charges. He developed and encouraged them to achieve what they set out on achieving and to reach their potential in life. He is known in the basketball community as a fine basketball coach, but he had a knack to producing for other sports as well. Not many people can say that they have the ability to lead players in other codes but Ray was an exception, creating representative athletes in other sports such as Rugby League, Rugby Union and Athletics which are all under the banner of Moore Park Playground.
Ray could do no wrong as a coach at New South Wales state level. He took the reigns of some of New South Wales most flourishing teams and from 1946 through to 1950, he took the New South Wales teams to some successful Australian Championships. With his knowledge, Ray held positions as selector and manager for State representative teams.
For some administrators, they’d prefer to focus on one particular sport but not Ray. He was involved in administrative and development positions for a number of sports, which not only took up a lot of his time but put him closer to the action like never before. He was involved in the National Fitness Camp in Narrabeen, the YMCA Camp in Yarramundi as a founder of the New South Wales Amateur Basketball Association, Amateur Athletics Association, the Drummoyne Rugby Union Club and the Sydney Rowing Club.
He gained respect from everyone that he worked with. The players regarded him as a father figure who commanded respect through controlled discipline. He worked in a number of positions to help people who were in need. Ray acted as a social worker, community worker, youth worker, recreation leader and sporting coach.
If you were coached and mentored by Ray, it’s fair to say that he contributed a lot to your growth and development as an athlete. Many players who have progressed to an elite level can, with certainty, put some of their success down to Mr Rosbrook.
Robert is one of the crowd favourites on the North Coast. He has served the majority of his time in Newcastle, coaching and becoming one of the area’s most trustworthy administrators. His ability to think outside the square and give his input shows just how much influence he has, especially when it comes to developing players in Newcastle. He is a manager for the long run, doing his bit to remain a part of some of the Australian junior teams. Robert will go down as one of, if not the longest serving, Australian national team administrators.
When we talk about Robert being one of the longest serving administrators, it’s hard to say otherwise when he has been a part of the sport of basketball for 45 years! His involvement was through administration and coaching.
One of the great attributes about him is that he is always willing to help others and volunteer his time to put the sport in a good position. Robert has not only done roles in the state of NSW but also for Basketball Australia in numerous volunteer roles.
Volunteering his time is the norm for him and when there was a Committee that had room to join, Robert put his hand up straight away. He has been a member of the Junior Committee, Coaches Committee and Country Committee within NSW. One of the biggest and more renowned Committees he joined was as the chairman of the Basketball Organising Committee at the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games.
Over time, people put all their faith in Robert to make some big decisions and due to his ability to analyse and point out the factors that need changing. He coordinated the NSW Country Review in 2010, has been on the NSW Board from 2004-2006 and again in 2014-Present.
Robert felt very connected to the State of NSW and with what he learnt in the management side of basketball, and picking up coaching techniques from some of his connections, he became focused on leading his own team. From 1968-1989, Robert coached various teams, successfully winning National Titles in 1979 and 1982. Coach of the Year honours were given to him in 1984. Many schools were based in different areas of NSW and there wasn’t one place that he didn’t attend, from NSW CHS to Warner Bay High School. He coached teams at Combined High Schools State KO, NSW All Schools and the Australian Schools Championships where his team were National Champions in 1999.
For all his effort and dedication to the sport, Robert was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contributions to Basketball.
For him, it was all about sticking to where it all started and when he got the nod to take on the job as coach of the Newcastle Falcons and the Newcastle club team, Stockton, he wasn’t going to turn it down. Robert led Stockton to a NSW Championship in 1985.
Robert has Life Member status at the Newcastle Basketball Association and will always remain one as one of the biggest assets. He was a former board member and coached junior and senior teams, including teams within SEABL.
Ron may not have originated from Australia but his influence in our game will be remembered. He first moved to Australia in 1935 where he would start to leave his mark.
His first competition that he played in was the Business Houses competition. Besides playing and getting active on the floor, he was also active behind the scenes as the Association Treasurer.
Ron was the first person to take the reigns as President of the Western Suburbs Association. He was part of their progress as a foundation leader. He was also a foundation member of the Basketball Promotions Committee.
He moved over to reffing where he was a State badged referee. One of the more experienced referees in the state and referred the first international game at the Town Hall in 1939.
The State of NSW needed a leader in one way or another and Ron was the mastermind behind the Treasurer role for 10 years. He was a Vice President for five years and was a President for two years.
Ron wasn’t just interested in basketball in this country, he was also quite intrigued by getting Australia some recognition internationally. He conducted negotiations with FIBA in Switzerland which assisted Australia to become a member of FIBA.
Ron’s experience in the field of leading by example put him in a scenario that helped shape the landscape of the City of Sydney. He was the Mayor of Mosman and an alderman with Sydney City Council. As Chairman of Cumberland Council, he was instrumental in working with other Councils to procure the land on which Alexandria Stadium now stands.
His contributions to the sport were honoured as he was recognised as a Life member of Basketball NSW. Ron was also awarded the OBE for services to the community.
Ross started his basketball career playing for a number of teams. In his early years, he was taught about what makes a respectful sportsman and was educated by some of the best. His first team was the Fort Street School and he went onto play for the Public Service. He later played for the Newtown Police Boys Club in the 1950s.
Ross thrived under the pressure of big matches. He was a member of the Sydney Paratels from 1954 – 1966 where he won a State title in 1954. To win this particular title was a highlight of his illustrious career.
Ross was a highlight for NSW in their 1959 campaign where he was selected to play for the senior team which competed in the Australian Championships. His talent was enough to put him in a competition with the best of the best in this country.
In 1960 he had the privilege of travelling to Bologna, Italy, to compete with some of the best players on this planet. Representing Australia in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament has a nice ring to it, but unfortunately, the team fell short, just missing out on qualification for the Rome Olympics.
Ross felt the hardships of playing for Australia and returned to a more familiar surrounding representing the NSW Open Men. He did that from 1959-1962 and returned for his final season in 1964. He called time on a spectacular career in 1966.
Tom launched his playing career with the Maccabi Club in 1962. He has been one of the most successful people to come out of Maccabi.
He is a lifelong contributor to Maccabi basketball in NSW. Tom was always involved in any way he could to keep Maccabi going and he made sure it succeeded. He has a very respectable relationship with stakeholders and people involved with the club. On a national level, he had an early involvement with Eastern Suburbs and City of Sydney Associations where he made an impact on the sport.
Growing up in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney put Tom in a position to help out and make a difference in how the sport of basketball was run in the area. He wanted his voice to be heard which is why he became a member of the Executive of Eastern Suburbs Association from 1965-1970 and continued to coach junior representative teams from 1972-1976.
The City of Sydney Association had their faith in Tom, who seemed to provide and put all his efforts into bettering and promoting basketball. From 1979-1981 he became an executive of the City of Sydney Association. He wouldn’t stop there, trying to get involved in as many ways as he could. Tom was also a member of the Sydney Basketball Council executive and a selector. His organisational skills were incomparable. With his knowledge, he organised first division competitions at Sydney City, managed their men’s rep teams and produced a weekly newsletter.
Due to his ability to establish and promote new competitions and their subsequent success, Tom was given the opportunity to become a member of the NSW Executive, which he accepted with open arms. He managed State teams and was a State Registrar and Treasurer.
Tom has done it all in basketball, and it’s really no surprise that as a long-time member of various executive committees for BNSW, local associations and being involved with the NBL from 1979-1992, he ticked off being a treasurer, statistician, manager, promoter, secretary and delegate for the Sydney City team.
In 1983, Tom had a huge responsibility as the Chef de Mission with the Sydney Supersonics. He was fortunate enough to tour overseas. His efforts were noticed and he went one better by committing to the job of Olympic team manager from 1993-1996.
It was then time for Tom to try out the Women’s game and in 1994 he was the man in charge of treasurer for the organising committee of the Women’s World Championships.
His influence and hard work in making Maccabi a feasible club were rewarded when he was inducted into the Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame in 2003. He is now the Head of Delegation of 450 athletes who will tour Israel in July 2017.
Tom has always completely dedicated himself to basketball. He put in extra work when it was needed and always did it without hesitation. In 2000, he was awarded Prime Minister’s Australian Sports Medal and in 2005, he added the Order of Australia Medal (O.A.M) to his long list of accomplishments.
The year of 2013 could not have been any better for Tom as he was inducted into the NBL/BA Hall of Fame.
Wendy grew up on the South Coast of NSW. She played junior ball with Illawarra before being granted the chance to be selected for NSW at the junior level. Wendy earned the right to play after being one of the most successful players in her age group.
She was called upon to captain her state and when she represented NSW in the juniors, she won an Australian title as captain. Wendy played for the NSW juniors between 1973 and 1976 and won two Australian titles.
Wendy’s representation at the State level was nothing but the highest order. She continued to play for NSW from 1976 until 1983 and played for the Open Women at the National Championships.
She was only at the young age of nineteen in 1978 when she was asked to travel Europe and China with the Opals. She toured the regions and put her talents on show for everyone to see. That wouldn’t be the last time she put on the Opals jersey because from that moment she would see herself wearing the Green and Gold for years to come.
In 1982, Wendy got the call up to compete in Asia against Taipei and China. She put on the Opals jersey for that campaign and then moved to Sutherland to play in the WNBL.
Attending a World Championship and experiencing the highs and lows of the tournament was Wendy’s next move and in 1983, she went to Brazil to represent her country.
The relationship between Australia and China was evident in Australia taking numerous tours to the Asian country. It was no surprise that in 1984 she laced up again to take on China in China. Unfortunately for Wendy, her next big event was the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Cuba which never eventuated into a qualification. Due to a boycott, they went on to play at the LA Olympics where they came fifth. It was the first-ever Olympics for the Opals.
Wendy had enough of playing representative basketball after the LA Olympics, but focuses her attention elsewhere and happened to be a successful stint in coaching. She coached the juniors in the Illawarra area.
It wasn’t long after she started her trade as a coach that she helped lead the way as the woman behind the NSW Under 20 women’s team. In 1985 she coached the girls at the Australian Championships and was the Assistant Coach of the Australian Junior Women’s Team on a tour to China.
Wendy went back to where it all started and wanted to give back to the area which gave her so much. She coached the Illawarra “Kittyhawks” in the ABA and then had an influence as head coach of the Illawarra Academy.
Annie La Fleur helped launch Australian women’s basketball into the international big time, as the sport experienced unparalleled success during her career.
Fittingly, the woman known as ‘Flash’ for most of her career, helped speed up the women’s game in Australia, kick-started by a bronze medal in the 1989 FIBA U19 World Championships.
This was the first of many break-through performances by Australian teams during her career – 127 games at the senior level – establishing the Opals as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage.
Annie played in two World Championships and was part of the history-making team that broke through for Australia’s first medal at that level – winning bronze in 1998.
She was also part of the team that brought home Australia’s first Olympic medal, winning silver at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Annie also had a decorated domestic basketball career, winning WNBL Championships with the Flames in 1993, 1997 and with the Sydney Panthers 2000/01.
She played 240 games in the WNBL and also played in the WNBA, signed by the Minnesota Lynx in 1999 and playing for the Washington Mystics in the 2001 – 2003 seasons.
Since retiring Annie has continued to be a great ambassador for the sport both in Australia and in the Oceania region, where she runs coaching clinics, mentored coaches and provided pathways for young athletes to follow their dream.
Bruce Leonard was instrumental in putting Grafton basketball on the map.
His influence on the sport on the North Coast of New South Wales was immense and as such was awarded Life Membership of Basketball NSW in 2015.
For more than half a century Bruce devoted his time to Grafton Basketball, serving either as President or Secretary-manager for three decades.
Bruce was influential in creating the Jacaranda Basketball Carnival, one of the biggest tournaments in NSW, which celebrates its 50th year in 2017.
Under his stewardship, Grafton earned a platform in the premier SEABL competition, and he coached them from 1986 to 1989.
Bruce helped attract American imports to play in the SEABL competition and he put Grafton on the international stage with tours to the US.
His tireless devotion to the sport of basketball saw him coach various representative teams, at both the junior and senior levels, often at the same time.
He was a driving force building up infrastructure that enhanced the sport, including helping put extensions on the Grafton Sports Centre, and fittingly the original centre is now named the Bruce Leonard Pavilion.
Bruce is a Former NSW Country Committee President and former Director of Basketball NSW as well as a Life Member of NSW Country Basketball.
A heavily decorated player and administrator, Debbie Cadee helped set the platform for the success that women’s basketball in Australia has achieved over the past three decades.
A proud Bruin, Debbie represented Bankstown for more than a decade as a player – 1974 to 1985 – winning both Sydney and NSW Championships during that time.
She shined on every level, and she got going in the junior ranks, winning two national titles – first with the women’s U16 NSW team in 1973 and again with the U18 squad in 1974.
Debbie’s talent at a young age was undeniable and at the age of 17 was selected into her first NSW Open Women’s team.
Her winning ways continued, winning three national titles between 1975 and 1982, punctuated when she captained NSW to the title in 1982.
Debbie went on to be an integral member of the Australian team that qualified for the 1984 Olympics, winning the 1982 FIBA Oceania Championships.
Her sustained success has seen her win several awards including:
• 1982 Bankstown Basketballer of the Year
• 1985 Lorraine Landon Most Inspirational Player of the Year
• 1985 Life Playing membership of the Bankstown Bruins
• 2015 Basketball NSW Merit Award
• 2016 Bob Elphinston Bankstown Basketball Association Award for her contribution to basketball over many years.
Known affectionately as ‘Mr Phys. Ed.’, Gordon Young played a major role in establishing basketball as a truly recognised sport across New South Wales.
First as a Director of Physical Education – and then as Executive Officer of the National Fitness Council – Young led a charge in the late 1930s to introduce basketball to schools across the state.
A man of abundant energy and enthusiasm, he spent decades promoting a more professional concept of physical education, emphasising fitness and health.
A life member of Basketball NSW, Young organised the first “mass referee” classes for teachers in 1939, further helping to spread the game’s reach.
His tireless commitment to improving the fitness and general health of Australian youth achieved astounding results.
By 1969 he’d helped establish ten national fitness camps, giving 700 thousand children an experience over a 30-year span.
He worked with Rotary clubs, Apex Clubs, Legacy and philanthropic organisations, who in turn inspired their volunteers to build facilities, raise funds and imbue camps with a degree of social consciousness.
In 1960 after suffering a severe heart attack after the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, he planned a rehabilitation centre for coronary victims.
In 1969 he was appointed M.B.E Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
With awe-inspiring athleticism and deadly three-point range, Ian Davies set the mould for the modern Australian basketball star, inspiring the golden generation that followed.
Davies help put the Australian Boomers on the map, outshining more famous opposition and leading all scorers at the 1980 Olympics, averaging 30 ppg in the tournament.
He also competed in the 1984 Games as well as the 1982 and 1986 FIBA World Championships, in a career that saw him represent Australia 81 times.
On the domestic front, he put his home state of Tasmania on the basketball map, leading Launceston Casino City to their one and only NBL Championship in 1981.
He went on to play 252 games in the NBL for teams all across Australia.
Starting in 1982 he played four years for the Newcastle Falcons, before a move to the Geelong Supercats in 1986 and then the Sydney Kings from 1988 to 1990.
Davies helped forge a path that many young Australians now follow, playing four years of US college basketball with Graceland University from 1974-1978.
The electrifying Davies was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.
With more than 100 appearances for Australia – and a Paralympic medal – Lisa Edmonds is one of Australia’s most accomplished Wheelchair basketballers.
Lisa experienced a meteoric rise, being called up to the National team in 1989, after having only started the sport the year before.
At just 21 years of age, she showed signs of the leader she was to become, beginning a career that saw her represent Australia 104 times.
Lisa made her international debut in 1989 at the Far East and South Pacific Games in Kobe, Japan, the biggest multi-sports games in the Asia and South Pacific region at the time.
She played in the first of four World Championship competitions in 1990, in France – the first time the event was made available to women.
Lisa is a three times World Championship bronze medallist – 1994, 1998 and 2002 – and along with her peer group paved the way for women in her sport for years to come.
Her career highlight came towards the end of her career, helping the Gliders win a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, in her third and final games appearance.
Lisa showed tremendous loyalty playing for the North Sydney Bears (Stacks Goudkamp Bears) since its inception in 2000. Along the way she won the league championship in 2001 and was named in the All-Star five for four consecutive years 2000 – 2003.
Patrick Hunt is recognised as one of the finest educators the game of basketball has known.
Hailing from Tamworth in northern NSW, Patrick has gone on to coach, mentor and administer on virtually every conceivable level.
Patrick had a meteoric rise up the coaching ranks in NSW State basketball in the 1970s, guiding his teams to a gold medal in 1979 (NSW U20 Men’s) and three silver medals (1972 U16 Men, 1973 U16 Men & 1978 Country U20 Men).
He coached the Canberra Cannons in the NBL in 1981 before going on to coach the AIS Men’s program from 1983 – 1992.
Patrick was also a true ambassador of Australian basketball on the international stage.
He coached teams at four FIBA U19 World Championships for men and led the men’s teams at the World University Games in 1983 and 1985.
Patrick was an assistant coach at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 and later became a valued member of FIBA; through scouting and identify international trends and styles of play.
Hunt worked at the 2006 and 2010 World Championships and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and has been the President of the FIBA World Association of Basketball Coaches since 2010.
He’s been a Life Member of the Australian Basketball Coaches Association since 2002 and was inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame as a Coach in 2016.
A three-time NSW Referee of the year, Paul Beale, has been a wonderful ambassador for the sport of basketball for more than five decades.
Paul seemed to know what he wanted to be early in life, officiating his first State Final in a Primary School in 1968 at just 13 years of age.
At 16, he became the youngest official to ever be awarded an A-grade badge and then quickly climbed the ranks, officiating at numerous Australian Junior Championships:
• U16 Men in 1977, 1978 and 1979
• U18 Men in 1980 and 1981
• U20 Men in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985
His command of the whistle led to several international assignments including:
• USA Tour 1974
• Fijian Open Championships 1978
• Merloin Cup Singapore 1985
• World University Games in Japan 1985
• FIBA Oceania Championships in 1985
• World University Games in Yugoslavia 1987
Paul maintained a FIBA Referees badge for 10 years and is now an honorary life member.
At the elite national level he officiated 187 NBL games over 12 years, including two finals series in 1985 and 1987.
He was also voted the NSW Referee of the Year in 1985, 1987 and 1988.
He also officiated in the CBA and WNBL and became a life member of Basketball NSW in 2007.
Terese Kennedy was a true pioneer of women’s basketball in NSW, and worked tirelessly in helping to get support for women’s sport across the country.
She began her basketball playing life in the late 1950s – joining Western Suburbs – the only Sydney based women’s team at the time.
Terese was one of the first players recruited to the renowned Barbarians Club in the 1960’s.
With their popular leopard print shorts, the womens’-only club inspired many young women who came through the sport in the ensuing decades.
Terese starred for the Barbarians, winning five consecutive State Championships from 1962 to 1967.
Her winning ways continued as higher honours beckoned – winning three national titles for NSW in 1963, 1966 and 1967 at Australian Championships for Women.
Terese helped spread the word of women’s basketball internationally touring Asia with the Australian team in 1963 and competing at the 1967 FIBA World Championships in Brno, Czechoslovakia.
Terese was an outstanding athlete, her height, athleticism and competitive drive making her one of the best players in Australia during the 1960’s.
She was known for exhibiting great sportsmanship and her contribution to the sport undoubtedly paved the way for the success women’s basketball in Australia enjoys today.
It wasn’t always glamorous but for more than half a century Tom Penrose put in the hard yards to help basketball thrive across New South Wales.
Tom was a major force in the development of NSW Country basketball, firstly in the west of the State before relocating to the Illawarra.
He was an outstanding mentor to younger athletes, using the knowledge he gathered studying basketball in the US to coach many elite representative teams – including the NSW U16 Men’s team in 1960 and 1961 and the NSW Open Women in 1970 and 1972.
Tom founded the “Trotters” Club, which helped put Illawarra basketball on the map and he also built a powerhouse basketball program at Keira Boys High School in Wollongong.
His success as head coach of Illawarra in the South East Conference helped maintain the region’s reputation Australia-wide, helping ensure continued representation at the NBL level.
Tom’s passion and loyalty saw him remain an assistant coach with the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL for many years.
He became a Life Member of the club in the 2003-04 season for his significant contributions over many years of service.
The Tom Penrose Community Service Grant is offered by Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA) in memory of Tom’s outstanding contribution as a pioneer in exercise and sports science and his contributions to associates and trainees in teaching and his valuable contribution to his local community.
Andrew Lazaris OAM has been entrenched in basketball for over 45 years and in that time has achieved a great amount of respect and esteem from some of the game’s elite.
Andrew started his career in basketball through humble beginnings as a teenager when he first started playing for Woolloomooloo Playground where the first-ever basketball competitions in NSW commenced. From this beginning, Andrew’s love and dedication to basketball grew immensely and went on to represent NSW at Combined High School tournaments for both basketball and soccer.
Lazaris played most of his early basketball with the Eastern Suburbs Basketball Association and played an instrumental role in the amalgamation of Eastern Suburbs Basketball Association and Sydney Basketball Association to form the new City of Sydney Basketball Association (CSBA) in 1980. He also became President of the CSBA in 1985, a position he has held every year since then.
He was also heavily involved financially in supporting the newly formed City of Sydney Astronauts/Sydney Supersonics in 1979 (reformed now as the Sydney Kings) so that the City of Sydney Basketball Association would have a team in the National Basketball League.
In 1985, Andrew became part of the first-ever private consortium of a sporting team in Australia. This consortium which included the CSBA then went on to own and manage the team which became the Sydney Kings in 1988, for more than 18 years.
As well as Andrew’s involvement with the Sydney Kings and the National Basketball League he continued his involvement at the grassroots level at CSBA and still remains heavily active within the Basketball NSW community today. He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 (Queen Elizabeth Award for contribution to sport in Australia) and the Basketball NSW Long Service Award in 2006. In 2015, he was also a well deserving recipient of the Order of Australia Medal for his long list of services to basketball and the community.
Andrew’s contributions to basketball in Australia, NSW and the City of Sydney Basketball Association are second to none, and is richly deserved to be inducted into the 2019 Hall of Fame Class.
Barrie Meadows has dedicated his life to the game of basketball, from his early teaching days in the sixties through to the current day; he has always maintained a focus on the teaching of the fundamentals of the game and how they complement quality team performances.
Starting NSW coaching duties in 1968, Barrie coached numerous NSW Men’s U16, U18 and U20 teams between 1968-89, and also managed a number of NSW Men’s teams between 1986-90.
Barrie was crucial in the development of basketball in schools across New South Wales as the NSW CHS Convener. He held both Head Coach positions in the boys and girls programs in both the NSW Combined High Schools and NSW All Schools systems during the 1970’s-1990’s. He was instrumental in the development of the initial Australian All Schools International Tours program with successful tours of China, South Korea and New Zealand, in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, along with NSW CHS tours of Canada and the USA.
An enjoyable and fruitful period in his career was in the 1970’s when, as a member of the NSW Junior Committee, assisted with the selection and preparation of NSW State teams, selected at the time from Easter Camps at the Narrabeen Fitness Centre.
Another equally as enjoyable a period was in the late 1960’s and 1970’s, when, as a teacher at the then Jannali Boy’s High School, developed the basketball program at the school, resulting in a number of State Championships for the school, along with many NSW CHS and NSW Association representatives.
Barrie’s service to the Sutherland DBA is extensive: starting in 1970 as a representative coach he has held a number of positions from Junior Committee to President, covering the transition period of the Association from St. George.
In 1972, Barrie founded the Jannali Basketball Club in which he is still active to this day, coaching two teams a week in the Sutherland District Basketball Association domestic competitions, along with practices Tuesdays evenings for the current seven club junior teams.
In Barrie’s long list of accolades, he has been awarded Life Member of the Sutherland District Basketball Association in 1986, Life Member NSW CHS Basketball in 1997, Life Member Sydney East Secondary School Association in 2004 and a Long Service Award with BNSW in 2016.
Barrie never misses an opportunity to continue his passion for coaching, currently with the Jannali Club teams, along with the sports programs at Oyster Bay P.S. and The Jannali High School. Barrie continues to deliver on every platform and he has established his reputation throughout Australia as one of its best contributors to the game.
Hailing from Cowra, Carl Rodwell began his illustrious & trailblazing career in basketball at an early age.
Carl first represented New South Wales in 1960 & 1961 in the Under 18 Australian Junior Championships followed by his representation in the Open’s division in 1963 & 1964.
He was also instrumental in playing an important role in the Under 18 State Title in NSW in which Cowra won the competition during this time.
In 1964, Carl was first named in the Australian Boomers Squad for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in which he averaged 6.3 points per game as Australia finished a respectable ninth and he was once again selected for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games.
Following the 1964 Olympics, Rodwell started his college basketball career at UC Riverside in 1965, where he finished his career as the school’s fourth-highest all-time scorer and rebounder during his four years at college. He set a single-game record of 38 points in a game and is still listed as the fourth-highest individual in their history to reach that milestone.
After his graduation from UC Riverside, Carl was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 20th round of the 1969 NBA draft, with the 217th pick overall. Despite never playing a game in the NBA, Carl was a pioneer for Australian basketballers as he paved the way for many of the Australians competing in the National Basketball Association today, as the first Australian to be drafted to a team and the first to be recruited and play at a US college.
Carl continued to play senior basketball throughout America and around the world during the 1980s but then forgoed basketball for a business career. Despite his career change, Carl maintained his love for the game, competing in numerous World and US Masters games for many years. Carl was also appointed co-commentator for Network 10 at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Carl was later inducted into the UC Riverside Hall of Fame in 1991 for his immense and long-standing records at the college. Carl also coached his three sons until they reached High School level.
As a dual Olympian and the first Australian to be drafted in the NBA, Carl’s pioneering act is most deserving as a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee.
Damian ‘Threeo’ Keogh is one of Australia’s most recognisable and leading basketball figures we have seen play the game.
During his illustrious fifteen-year international basketball career, Damian was consistent at making his mark on the Australian and World Basketball stage.
He wore the green and gold on more than 200 occasions including three Olympic campaigns – Los Angeles in 1984, Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992. He also was a part of several Boomers squads that competed at three World Championships.
Following his success at the National level, Damian joined the Sydney Kings in their formative season in 1988 in the NBL (following his years at the Nunawading Spectres, Bankstown Bruins & the West Sydney Westars).
After their inaugural year, he was appointed captain of the side in 1989 and continued in his leadership role until his retirement at the end of the 1995 season.
As captain, he lead the Kings to two semi-finals in 1989 and 1992 and lead the King’s all-time records in points and assists. He was also named the Kings Most Valuable Player in 1990 and is one of a handful of players to have played more than 400 NBL games.
His illustrious career has been acknowledged with inclusions into the NBL Hall of Fame and the NSW Sports Hall of Champions and in 2013, was named in the Sydney Kings’ 25th Anniversary Team.
Following his retirement, he made the transition into the corporate world and presided over a number of boards across Australia utilising his expertise of the game and business knowledge, including Basketball NSW and Basketball Australia. He also was involved in the Sydney Olympic Games bid team and the General Manager of Sports Marketing for the Seven Network, overseeing the marketing of the network’s entire sports portfolio. Damian currently is the President & CEO of The Hoyts Group.
Damian Keogh’s everlasting dedication and passion for the green & gold and to the Sydney Kings is a pivotal and proving point on why he is a well-deserving inductee into the Basketball NSW Hall of Fame Class for 2019.
Eve Craddock has a long lustrous career in basketball since her days with the Shoalhaven Basketball Association back in the 1970’s.
Eve had her first touch of basketball when she became a Board Member of Shoalhaven in 1974 before she was elected to Secretary of the Association in 1986.
While active with Shoalhaven in the eighties, Eve also was a delegate to the Barrengarry Conference in 1985, the only conference still in operation today as well as Manager to the Shoalhaven men’s team for ten years, 1974-84.
Eve went onto further her highly regarded position in basketball when she was recognised nationally for her efforts with appointments as the manager to the New South Wales Junior Women’s team in 1987 and the Head of Delegation for the Australian Women’s Team which toured China in 1987.
In addition to her Australian and Delegate team duties, Eve was also accredited with a State Badge for refereeing and was a long-time member of various technical committees at Australian Championships.
Since her early days with Shoalhaven Basketball, Eve has dedicated most of her life to basketball in every way possible and is a true recipient of the Hall of Fame induction.
Gerry Hewson OAM is one of Australia’s most recognisable Paralympians in the sport of Wheelchair Basketball.
Hailing from the New South Wales town of Young. Gerry was injured in a motorcycle racing accident in Tamworth 1980. Gerry had a go at wheelchair basketball as part of his rehabilitation. He said “It was crazy. Blokes flying up and down the court, smashing into each other, falling out and most of all was having in fun”. Gerry’s career in basketball started a little later in life at the age of 24.
It wasn’t long after he picked up a basketball, he was selected as a member of the Australian Men’s National Wheelchair team in 1986 for the Stoke Mandeville International games. In that competition, the Rollers won Gold. From his appointment in the National side, Gerry went on to compete at four Paralympic Games from 1988 to 2000 and the World Championships in 1990 Belgium, 1994 Canada and 1998 Sydney.
He won the first-ever senior men’s Gold medal for Australia during the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia. From there, Gerry continued to impress in the National Wheelchair Basketball League and was named as the Low Point MVP of the tournament in 2001. In 1999, 2000 and 2001, he was also named as part of the league’s All-Star Five.
Following his playing days, Gerry changed his focus to coaching numerous national teams and in 2002 was named Assistant Coach of the Gliders, the Australian Women’s National Wheelchair team who came in third at the 2002 Gold Cup. Succeeding as Head Coach the following year, he coached the team to a Silver medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and to the Bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
During this time, Gerry also began his coaching career in the NWBL as Head Coach of the West Sydney Razorbacks from 2004 to 2006. During this time also guided the team to championships during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Gerry was also named as the head coach for the Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League’s Sydney Uni Wheelkings in 2011 and also served as the head coach of the Women’s Under 25 National wheelchair basketball team during the same year. At the inaugural Under 25 Women’s World Championship in Canada in July of 2011, he successfully steered the team to a podium finish in second place.
Gerry’s influence as a player, coach and promoter of Wheelchair Basketball was also nationally recognised in 2008 by the National Wheelchair Basketball League by naming him a life member of the league.
As one of Australia’s most successful Wheelchair Basketball athletes and coaches, Gerry has been an affluent supporter of the sport nationally and is more than exemplary inductee into the 2019 Basketball New South Wales Hall of Fame Class.
Jeff Davies embodies the resilience and esteem of one of our most distinguished players to contribute to the Basketball NSW community.
Jeff began his honoured career in basketball at an early age as he started to play at the Moore Park Playgrounds. From here, his early dedication was displayed by his selection in numerous NSW State Teams during the 1960’s.
He first represented NSW at the U16 Australian Championships in which he received Silver in 1961 and then Gold the following year in 1962. Jeff continued to build on his medal collection by securing back to back Gold medals in the U18 Australian Championships in both 1963 & 1964 while also collecting the Most Valuable Player award in 64’. He also went on to represent NSW in the Open Men’s section at the Australian Championships in which he secured two Silver medals in 1965 & 1966, and Gold for NSW in 1967.
He was also named MVP of the Sydney Competition in 1967 and played in the South Eastern Conference in the same year.
In 1968, his efforts were noticed by national selectors with his inclusion in the Australian Men’s squad and was a reserve for the 1968 Olympic Team.
In 1969 he was also a dedicated member of the Paratels team that won the State title and who won the inaugural Ampol Cup against the best Club teams in Australia.
Following his years with the Paratels, he began his transition into coaching in 1972 as he was captain-coach of the St George Men’s Team. He was also awarded the Jack Small Medal in 1972 in the Sydney Championships.
Once Jeff had his first taste of basketball, he never stopped. He played for NSW for eight years, won four Gold medals, won four Jack Small Medals and perhaps was the youngest player at 16 to represent NSW at the senior level. He was a brilliant player and a devoted supporter of basketball in NSW.
Lauretta Claus is known by the basketball community for her devotion and passion for the game, in particular for her dedication to developing statisticians across Australia.
Lauretta first represented NSW as a player at the U/18 & U/20 Australian Junior Championships for four years between 1979-1982. She also represented Australia at the World University Games in 1982 before playing in the Women’s National Basketball League between 1983 to 1986 for the Bankstown Bruins. In 1985, Lauretta became an accredited NSW referee and thus began her expertise of the sport.
Lauretta’s love for basketball and statistics grew from her time at the Bankstown Basketball Association when the Bruins first started participating in the National Basketball League.
From there, her efforts were nationally recognised as she was appointed Chairperson of the Australian Basketball Statistics Committee in 1992. Six years later, Lauretta was then selected as the Statistics Advisor for the NBL in 1998 and then in 2002 was chosen as the Statistics Advisor for the Women’s National Basketball League. Lauretta still holds all these positions today.
Lauretta has also been the head statistician for the Sydney Kings since 1988 and has been a leading light in the teaching of stats across the NBL and state-based associations.
She has overseen numerous national and international events as the Statistics Coordinator which includes; the 1994 FIBA Women’s World Cup & Men’s World Cup, Wheelchair Basketball World Cup in 1988, Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympic Games, Goodwill Games in 2004, Commonwealth Games in 2006 and 2018.
After being appointed the Lead Stats Instructor by FIBA Oceania in 2015, she helped create the FIBA Stats Project which aimed to create clarity and consistency in how stats are captured internationally and assisted in creating the FIBA Stats Licence which is now a prerequisite for any statistician to earn before working on an international game.
In her role as FIBA Oceania Lead Statistician, Lauretta also has had the opportunity to review Eurobasket and World Cup qualifier games remotely by tracking the play-by-play with games tapes and then making any necessary edits to ensure consistent interpretation.
Most recently Lauretta further represented Australia at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China as part of the panel that reviews games during the tournament. During the tournament, Lauretta was in charge of analysing games in real-time to assist in giving immediate feedback to the panel of statisticians working each game to benefit in their education.
When she is not assisting in international tournaments, Lauretta is always on hand during the Spaling Waratah League and has been a feature on the scoretable for numerous finals weekends.
Lauretta brings years of statistician experience and education to the game and is currently on the Basketball New South Wales’ Board. She is certainly a trailblazer for statisticians and is held in high esteem in Australian and around the world. Lauretta is a well-deserving inductee of the BNSW 2019 Hall of Fame Class.
The only coach to be inducted in the 2019 Basketball NSW Hall of Fame Class, Rob Beveridge has been a standout figure in Australian basketball for decades.
Rob began his first-class coaching duties back in 1997, when he was appointed the Head Coach of the NSW Institute of Sport and continued in this position until 2007. He was also the Head Coach for the NSW U20 Men on eight occasions, winning four Gold and four Silver medals at the Australian Junior Championships during this period.
During this time Rob also spent eight years with the Australian national team program from 1999 until 2006 which included a term as an assistant coach at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games in which Australia won silver.
One of Rob’s greatest head coaching achievements was when he was selected to lead the U20’s Australian Men’s squad in 2003 at the U20 World Championships in Greece, in which they won gold by a record score and winning margin for a Gold Medal game in International Basketball. In addition, Australia was the only team that handed the USA its only loss for the tournament with a comprehensive 21-point win in the quarter-finals.
After winning the World Junior Championship, Rob was appointed as an Assistant Coach of the Australian Boomers during their 2004 Olympic Games campaign in Athens, followed by their Gold Medal win at the 2006 Commonwealth Games on home soil in Melbourne.
Rob began coaching in the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2007 with the West Sydney Razorbacks followed by the Perth Wildcats in 2009. While taking over the reins in Perth, Rob successfully leads the Wildcats to three grand finals during his four-year stint and won the Championship in 2010.
Rob then tried his hand coaching overseas, spending one season with the YAO Ming (CHN) (owned Shanghai Sharks), before returning to the NBL in 2015 with the Illawarra Hawks. When back in the NBL, Rob once again guided his team to a semi-final series in 2016 and were runners up in 2017.
In 2018, Rob was named Head Coach of the Scotland National team for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games finishing in 4th place and in 2019 led the Australian Emerging Boomers to a Bronze Medal at the World University Games.
The man is affectionately known as ‘Bevo’, is a familiar and well-loved face around the courts who has coached over 300 NBL games and is an exemplary member of the 2019 Hall of Fame Class.
Shelley Gorman is known to many simply as ‘Gorms’, was one of the toughest and fittest players ever to wear an Australian uniform.
Shelley was first selected to represent Australia at the age of eighteen at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and after their hard-fought bronze match against the USSR, the Opals’ fourth-place finish was tied for their best international placing at the time.
Following her first taste of representative basketball, she was named the Co-Captain of Australian basketball’s first medal-winning team, the Gems who claimed the bronze medal at the 1989 World Championships.
After her Olympic debut in 1988, Shelley and the Opals were successful during their next two Olympic campaigns securing the bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and winning silver on home soil during the 2000 Sydney Olympic games.
During her representative career, Shelley was also dominant in the WNBL playing over 321 games split between Melbourne East, A.I.S., Dandenong, Sydney Flames and the Canberra Capitals.
She was first recruited to play for the Sydney Flames in 1993 and played a total of four seasons with the Flames before heading to play overseas.
While playing in the WNBL she collected five Championships (1993 with the Flames) and was the league MVP in 1994 (with the Flames), selected into the WNBL All-Star Five in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993 (Flames), 1994 (Flames) 1995 (Flames) and 1998/1999. She scored 5204 points in the WNBL and was rewarded as a member of the WNBL’s 25th Anniversary Team.
After her time with the Sydney Flames, Shelley also had stints with BTV Wuppertal alongside Australian teammate Sandy Brondello and with the San Jose Lasers in the ill-fated American Basketball League.
In 2010, Shelley was inducted to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame for her 17 years of professional basketball and dedication at the top level of the game in Australia.
Now a personal trainer and health coach, Shelley runs body transformation specialists ‘Urban Warriors‘ with Kylie Jackes, fellow personal trainer and fitness model which focuses on their passion of fitness and nutrition.
Shelley Gorman was an inspirational player who helped turn the Flames into a household name and into an irresistible force in the WNBL, she is a true receipt of an induction into the Basketball NSW Hall of Fame.
Highly regarded and former National Basketball League referee, Steve Bignell is the latest to be inducted into the 2019 Basketball New South Wales Hall of Fame.
Steve began his officiating journey at the Australian Junior Championships during the late seventies. His first AJC was in 1978 in which he officiated the U14 Boys tournament and then went onto officiate the U18 Girls in 1980, U16 Girls in 1981, Women’s Club in 1982 & 1983 and the U18 Boys in 1985.
Following his efforts at the Australian Junior Championships, he was awarded his Australian Referee Badge in 1981 and gained his FIBA badge in 1986.
Steve’s first game as an official National Basketball League referee was on the 13th of February, 1983 when he officiated the match between the Adelaide 36ers and the Bankstown Bruins at Bankstown.
During his decorated 28-year career as an NBL Official, Steve is one of just six referees in NBL history to surpass the incredible 600-game mark, totaling 606 matches.
Since retiring from refereeing in 2008, Steve has undertaken a Master’s degree and has taken up teaching mathematics full-time at a high school in Ballina, NSW.
Steve has generously given a lot of service to the NBL and to the basketball community, and has left his mark on the game in such a positive way his induction into the 2019 Basketball New South Wales Hall of Fame is no surprise considering his unwavering dedication to the sport.
Suzy Batkovic is one of the greatest frontcourt players Australia has ever produced and one of the best women’s basketball players this country has ever seen, period.
The left-hander, a product of Lambton, in Newcastle, is a highly decorated Olympian who was a part of three medal-winning Australian Opals’ teams. She won silver in Athens 2004, silver in Beijing 2008 and bronze in London 2012.
She also represented Australia in one FIBA World Championships, winning a bronze with the Opals in 2002, and was a two-time winner of the Maher Medal as the International Player of the Year.
As a professional, her career was nothing short of incredible, and at WNBL level, she left an indelible mark as one of the best players in the competition’s history. In 16 seasons, Suzy won five WNBL titles, six WNBL MVPs, was named to the WNBL All Star Five seven times and made an astonishing 29 WNBL Finals appearances. She retired as the all-time leading scorer in league history with 5,839 points, adding 2,972 rebounds, 443 blocks and 423 steals. Her name now adorns the league MVP trophy, which will forever be known as the Suzy Batkovic Award.
Suzy’s professional international career was also a highlight. She was a standout in Europe for seven years and won four championships – a coveted Euroleague championship added to two in France and one in Italy – and would play two seasons in the WNBA after selection in the first round of the 2003 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm.
Very few small forwards in the history of the game in this country, and maybe even across the world, can match the consistency and productivity of Belinda Snell.
A graduate of the famed Australian Institute of Sport program, Belinda spent 15 brilliant seasons in the WNBL, winning three WNBL championships, and she was named as a WNBL All Star four times. During her time in the WNBL, she was an influential member of the Sydney Uni Flames for 10 seasons and was captain during their grand final championship in in 2016/17 against Dandenong.
She retired as top ten all time in the WNBL for points with 4,770 and 1109 assists; finishing as the all-time leader in three pointers and her 54-point explosion against Perth in 2005 remains the all-time WNBL mark for most points scored in a game.
Her standout overseas career saw her become a feted ballplayer in Europe. She competed in Italy, France, Russia, Spain and Poland, winning no fewer than five championships – two in Spain, one each in France and Poland and was victorious in the Euroleague with Spanish club Salamanca in 2011. And she also made her mark in the WNBA – as a member of the Phoenix Mercury she combined with superstar Penny Taylor to win the 2007 WNBA Championship and would later play for the San Antonio Sliver Stars in 2009-2010.
Belinda also represented Australia with great distinction as a three-time Olympian and earned three medals for her country - winning silver in Athens and Beijing and bronze in London. She was a three-time World Championships participant, playing a key role in the Opals’ historic gold medal at the 2006 World titles in Brazil and she also won two gold medals at the 2006 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Kylie Gauci’s story is as inspirational as it gets.
Born in 1985 with lumbar sacral agenesis, a condition where she is missing the lower part of her spine, Kylie refused to let her disability define her, and began playing wheelchair basketball as an 10-year-old in 1995, when a meeting with the legendary Gerry Hewson at a Wheelchair Sports NSW multi-sport kids Christmas camp would set in motion a career to be cherished and admired.
After a stellar junior career that saw Kylie represent her state and become a part of the national junior team when she was just 14, she resolved herself to play for her country at senior level after seeing the Australian Gliders participate in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
In 2002, she was selected to play for the Gliders while still a teenager, and she has since represented Australia in no fewer than three Paralympics, winning medals on each occasion. Incredibly, she has represented her country with distinction for 17 years, including appearances in five World Championships – garnering a World All-Star 5 nod at the 2006 championships held in Amsterdam – and has played a total of 255 games for Australia.
Kylie has also been a standout at domestic level, where she was awared the season’s most valuable player seven times in the Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League (WNWBL) from 2003-2022 and named in the All-Star 5, 17 times from 2001-2022.
Such is her talent and determination, she has also competed in the men’s NWBL since 2001 till 2015.
Honoured posthumously, Maureen Elphinston’s impact in the history of in New South Wales basketball has been significant from the time she first competed in the sport in 1959.
As a member of the Barbarians, the Arncliffe Scots, Canterbury-Bankstown and Bankstown women’s teams, she won over ten New South Wales championships between 1964 and 1975. And she had a tremendous representative career for her state, appearing in no fewer than nine national championship tournaments for New South Wales between 1959 and 1971, winning national crowns in 1966 and 1967. In 1967 she achieved the ultimate, playing for Australia at the Women’s World Championships in Czechoslovakia.
Her playing career ended in 1971, but she was not lost to basketball, becoming involved in a wide variety of roles encompassing many different aspects of the sport she loved so much. She was the inaugural NSW junior women’s secretary, a member of the NSW women’s committee and NSW Miniball committee, a NSW selector for junior women for seven years and an assistant coach for NSW junior women. Her work as a volunteer and with junior men and women over many years was particularly outstanding.
One of the best to ever come out of the legendary Bankstown association, Maureen was a very successful junior coach for the Bruins and was named a life member of Bankstown basketball in 1985 and was recently inducted into their Hall of Fame. Maureen also became a life member of Basketball New South Wales in 1987.
Maureen was a highly successful Junior Coach for Bankstown Bruins and was recently inducted into the Bruins Hall of Fame.
Few people would argue that Brad Giersch is one of the state’s best ever basketball referees – not bad for someone who started refereeing in Kilsyth, Victoria at the age of 14 because he needed some pocket money.
At a local level, he officiated in three Australian junior championships and the 2002 SEABL Grand Final, but he really made his bones in the National Basketball League, quickly becoming one of the competition’s best and most respected officials.
Indeed, Brad’s outstanding National Basketball League career, which commenced in 1994, spanned no fewer than 440 games, including six NBL Grand Final series, and he also officiated in 27 WNBL games with distinction.
Internationally, Brad was a standout and a tremendous representative for both his state and his country, officiating at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany, the 2005 and 2011 World University Games, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 2007 FIBA Under-19 Men’s World Championships, the 2008 and 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifiers, the 2011 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals, the 2015 FIBA Women’s Oceania Championships and the 2017 FIBA Asia Under-16 Men’s Championship.
Matthew Wells is one of the most respected officials in wheelchair basketball across the world.
He became involved with basketball through his work as a school teacher in the 1980s, coaching his school team in the Metropolitan Catholic Schools competition, and thanks to an invitation from BNSW Hall of Famer Lauretta Claus, would go on to become an excellent referee at state level, representing NSW at a number of National Championships and later incorporating scoreben ch, working there for many seasons in the NBL and at events such as the 1994 FIBA Women’s World Championships in Sydney, 1998 Wheelchair World Championships and the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics.
Becoming qualified as an International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) international referee in 2001, Matt has been involved in several Paralympic Games since his first selection at the 2004 Athens Paralympics. He officiated men’s medal games at each of his appearances as a referee in 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London) and finally 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) and was an Instructor/Supervisor at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
He’s also been a part of several Mens’ and Women’s World Championships both as a referee and instructor. In 2014 he was named as Secretary of the IWBF Technical Commission, a position he still holds. In 2015 he was elected to the board of IWBF Asia Oceania as the Technical Officer, and in 2018 he was elected as Member at Large to the IWBF Executive Council.
In October 2017, Matt received the prestigious IWBF Award of Merit, an award presented to individuals who have performed exceptional service on behalf of IWBF at an international level for a period of at least eight years.
Before Lauren Jackson emerged as a generational superstar, there was a player who was the absolute gold standard for women’s basketball in this country for well over a decade.
Her name is Robyn Maher.
From the first time she took to a basketball floor more than half a century ago, Robyn’s name has been synonymous with leadership, determination, work ethic and just plain old-fashioned winning. Indeed, the word ‘winner’ pairs extremely well with Robyn Maher; a ballplayer who collected trophies at an alarming rate during her glittering career.
Domestically, she played 359 Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) games and won a staggering 10 WNBL Championships, two of those as the leader of a juggernaut Sydney Flames unit that helped change the face of women’s basketball in this country. She was a two-time WNBL Most Valuable Player and a dual winner of the league’s Defensive Player of the Year – there is also a very good argument that she is the greatest defender this country has ever produced.
Internationally, she was the fulcrum of an Opals unit that developed into a world class program during her time. She captained the team for an astounding ten years, represented Australia on 374 occasions including three Olympics and six World Championships, and helped her country to a historic Olympic bronze medal in 1996 in Atlanta and to another bronze at the 1998 Worlds in Germany. She was also a member of the Australian Olympic Committee for the 2000 & 2004 Olympics as an Athlete Liaison Officer. A three-time Basketball Australia International Player of the Year winner; her name now adorns that medal as acknowledgment for her incredible service to Australian basketball.
She was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 and became a WNBL Life Member in 1997. She served on the Australian Olympic Committee’s Executive and as chair of its Athletes Commission. Recognising her exceptional contributions, she was bestowed with the distinguished Medal of Australia in 2002. In 2022, Robyn also received the outstanding accolade of an induction into the prestigious FIBA Hall of Fame.
WNBL Life Member. Australian Basketball Hall of Famer. Sport Australia Hall of Famer. FIBA Hall of Famer. Leader. Winner. Inspiration. Robyn Maher is a superstar in every sense of the word.
Brendan Dowler OAM PLY is a Wollongong product who became a paraplegic as a result of a tumour in his spinal cord, and overcame that adversity to become one of the best wheelchair basketball players New South Wales has ever produced.
Beginning his playing career in 1995, at domestic level Brendan was a dominant force, winning national titles with both the Wollongong Roller Hawks and the West Sydney Razorbacks. During this time he was also honoured with the NWBL’s Low point MVP award in 2003 and selected as one of the NWBL’s All-Star Five in 2001 and 2003.
Internationally he represented Australia with great distinction from the first time he pulled on the green and gold in 2001. He played over 100 games for the Australian Rollers, with a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and a bronze at the 2006 World Championships in Amsterdam just an entrée to an extraordinary high point in the 2008 Beijing Games, when Brendan was a key contributor in helping to lead the national squad to a remarkable gold medal. In 2004 and 2008 he was also awarded the title of Illawarra Mercury Sports Star of the Year Award.
Once he decided to move into the coaching ranks, he continued to pile up victories and awards, leading his beloved Roller Hawks from the sidelines to Australian National Wheelchair Basketball League titles in 2012, as well as four back to back titles in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. He was also named the NWBL Coach of the Year on three occasions – in 2012, 2017 and 2019, and was awarded Coach of the Year at the Illawarra Sports Awards in 2022.
A member of the Order of Australia since 2009, Brendan Dowler’s exceptional contribution to wheelchair basketball sees him honoured with elevation to the BNSW Hall of Fame.
From the time he arrived at Shoalhaven on the NSW South Coast in 1976, Robert ‘Bob’ Turner has had a profound impact on basketball in New South Wales and Australia.
Bob was appointed NSW Director of Coaching in 1978, the very first to hold that position, and only the second full time employee of BNSW. He helped grow the game across the length and breadth of the state, and in 1979 at just 25 years of age, Bob became player-coach for the Newcastle Falcons in the inaugural season of the NBL. He was full-time coach of the Falcons in 1981 and named NBL Coach of the Year that season.
That was just the start of an exceptional coaching career which saw the man with the ever-present toothy grin turn the Canberra Cannons into a mini-dynasty with back-to-back NBL championships and sellout crowds in the mid-1980s. To date Bob remains the youngest coach in history to win an NBL Championship. He then made his game changing move to the Sydney Kings in 1989.
A man for whom the term ‘promoter-coach’ was coined, Turner’s ability to both sell the game and coach a team to success saw basketball in Sydney explode to almost-unthinkable levels of popularity. Forming a legendary troika with Hall of Famers Lorraine Landon and Mike Wrublewski, Bob built on the foundations of the club that grew to become an iconic franchise in Australian sport.
Bob would lead the Kings to the playoffs on four occasions before his retirement from coaching after the 1995 season, but his work with basketball in Sydney continued beyond his promoter-coach days. He stayed involved with a role in two Kings ownership groups – first in 1999, and then in 2010 to help rebuild the club with whom he is so intimately linked. Bob was honoured by the NBL in 1999 as one of their most prestigious Hall of Fame inductees.
His company Sportsline organised the ground-breaking tours of Australia by the Soviet Union in 1987 and 1988. These tours saw major venues sold out for the first time in Australia’s history, including the Sydney Entertainment Centre, and laid solid Foundations for the international progression of the Boomers.
Bob moved to Basketball Australia in 1996, where he continued to promote extensive tours for the Boomers, Opals, and Rollers in the lead up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics.
Bob Turner has made a unique contribution to help raise the profile of basketball in Australia, and his elevation to the BNSW Hall of Fame acknowledges his outstanding work in this state for more than 40 years.
Very few individuals made as significant an impact on a region than the great Glen Saville had on Illawarra in the south coast of New South Wales.
After winning a silver medal for Australia at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships in 1995, ‘Sav’, as he came to be known, joined the Illawarra Hawks that same year and began a career which stands as one of the greatest the National Basketball League has ever seen.
The 200cm small forward was nothing less than an absolute superstar for the regional club, playing an astounding 527 games – the most in Illawarra history – and finished his stint as one of the most beloved Hawks ever for his enormous talent, his athleticism and relentless attitude on the court.
He would be named the Most Valuable Player on five occasions in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005, made an All-NBL team eight times and was the NBL Defensive Player of the Year in 2003, but his greatest achievement was winning the 2001 NBL Grand Final Series MVP in which he lead the he Hawks to an historic championship. In such, Illawarra becoming the first team from New South Wales to secure an NBL crown.
One season with the Sydney Kings in 2007–2008 just added to his extraordinary resume, with Saville a huge part of an incredible squad that went a franchise-record 27-3 in the regular season and just fell short of winning the title. After the Kings folded following the 2007–08 season, Saville returned to Wollongong for the 2008–09 season. He completed his career in 2013 as the all-time games record-holder for the Hawks with 527 games and his 563 NBL games ranks fourth all-time.
Glen also excelled on the international stage. He played for Australia at the East Asian and Goodwill Games 2001 and represented the Boomers at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
One of only five men to have had his jersey number retired by the Hawks.
It is the nature of sport that referees receive little if any fanfare, but the career of Matthew Townsend is Hall of Fame worthy.
Matt began his refereeing career as many young men and women do in 1989, refereeing games around playing the game he is so passionate about, at the Hills Association, largely to earn some spending money as a teenager. His potential was identified, and he was quickly included in talent-based programs where he honed his craft. Matt continued progressing through the ranks, being selected for and refereeing at National Championships, State League, Waratah League and SEABL final series. Matt is still active at a local level, supporting aspiring officials and is a vital member of the tribunal team at Hills Basketball, the same association he has been a part of for 34 years.
Matt officiated 280 games in the National Basketball League. He was well respected for his technical acumen, approach to the game, and ability to communicate with coaches and players. As a senior referee on the NBL panel and always the consummate professional, Matt felt obligated to lead the development of fellow officials, a role he relished. Matt was selected to officiate numerous finals campaigns.
During his career, Matt was an active official for many seasons and had the privilege of serving as a referee for the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL). His dedication and hard work in this role enabled him to achieve great success, as he was fortunate enough to referee two grand finals in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons.
He also excelled at the international level after being awarded his FIBA licence in 2009, overseeing games at the 2017 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Egypt and the Stankovic Cup in 2012 in Guangzhou, China, plus the Under 17 Oceania Championships in 2013 and 2015. Matt also officiated many Australian-friendly international games with distinction for both men and women.
At a local level, he has been a tremendous servant of basketball, officiating many games in the NSW Waratah League competitions for both seniors and juniors and becoming a valued mentor to several young referees, with several now officiating at the highest levels domestically and internationally. In 2009, he was awarded Referee of the Year at his local association, Hills Hornets. Matt has generously donated his time to mentor and develop referees throughout his career. He has shared his knowledge and experience with referees at all levels. Matt was also awarded the Waratah Australian Basketball League Referee Commissioners Referee of the Year Award in 2007.