Australian Basketball Hall Of Fame: The Class Of 2010

[Derek]

The official ceremony is on the 18th of August, but The Boards' budget doesn't allow me to fly down for it. So I just get to read the press release (http://www.basketball.net.au/index.php?id=302&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1584&tx_ttnews=1&cHash=050cf24f4d).

Here's the potted version. I apologise if I've given some people shorter summaries than they perhaps deserve- my memory of events before 1975 is somewhat lacking:

[B]Michael AhMatt (Player): first indigenous Australian to play for the Boomers; Olympian in 1964.

Sandy Blythe (Player): captain of 1996 Paralympic men's team, gold medallists in Atlanta. 1988 and 2000 Paralympian.

Sandy Brondello (Player): 302 Opals appearances, third on all-time list. 2 Olympic silver medals, 1 bronze. WNBL MVP 1995. 10 German league titles with BTV Wuppertal and a member of their 1996 Euroleague championship team. 6 seasons in WNBA as player; currently head coach of San Antonio.

David Carmichael (Contributor)- founding chairman of the Townsville Crocodiles (nee Suns). NBL board member for more than 10 years.

Merv Emms (Coach)- Co-founder of Lithgow Basketball Association; winner of six NSW Country Championships as coach of Lithgow. Technical Official, 1956 Olympics. Seven-time national champion coach of NSW at U16 and U18 level. Co-founder, NSW State Coaches Association. Has contributed at multiple levels within NSW for 60 years.

Trisha Fallon (Player)- 224 Opals appearances. 2 Olympic silver medals, 1 bronze. Opals captain, 2004 Olympics. 2003 Maher Medal winner. 251 WNBL games, including 1993 and 1997 championships with Sydney. Co-MVP winner in 2000. Member WNBL 25th Anniversary Team, 2004. Winner, Spanish Cup and Super Cup (Casares Valencia, 2003).

Shelley Gorman (Player)- 306 Opals appearances. 1988 Olympian. Co-captain of Gems, 1989 FIBA Junior World Championship bronze medallists. Olympic silver and bronze medals. 321 WNBL games (sixth on all-time list). Five WNBL championships. Six-time WNBL All-Star Five member. WNBL scoring leader (tied with Brondello) 1994. WNBL MVP 1994. Second on WNBL all-time scoring list.

Ricky Grace (Player)- 2 NCAA tournament appearances, including one national championship game with Oklahoma. 4 NBL championships with Perth (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000). 2-time NBL Grand Final MVP (1990, 1993). Four-time All-NBL First Team member. Third on NBL all-time assist tally. Member of NBL 25th Anniversary Team. Six-time Wildcats Best And Fairest. Australian Olympian (2000).
 
Elaine Hardwick (Player)- "one of the ‘Founding Mothers’ of women’s basketball in Australia." Toured New Zealand with Opals in 1960 and 1963. Captain of national-champion Victorian women's team in 1964. First woman to win Australian championship as coach (Brunswick/Coburg). President of Women's Council of Amateur Basketball Union of Australia (BA's predecessor). Team manager for Opals during 1970s and 1980s. Served as WNBL Tribunal Commissioner.

Greg Love (Technical Official)- referee of 20 National Championship games in varying divisions. Senior referee at NBL and WNBL level. Refereed wheelchair basketball at 1998 Gold Cup and 2000 Paralympics. Served as Vice-President of International Wheelchair Basketball Federation; currently Secretary-General of Asia/Oceania.

Karin McRobert (Player)- represented Australia at 1975 and 1979 World Championships; the latter resulted in Australia's best-ever performance at the time (fourth). Third in scoring in the W(N)BL's first season. 150 WNBL games, career average 18 ppg. WNBL champion in 1985 with Coburg. Member WNBL 25th Anniversary Team.

Julie Nykiel (Player)- Second all-time in WNBL in scoring average, fifth in career FG%. Held single-game WNBL scoring record (53) for 20 years. Reached WNBL Grand Final in 1985. Two-time WNBL MVP. Represented Australia at three World Championships and two Olympics. Member of WNBL 25th Anniversary Team. 

Michael Wrublewski (Contributor) - One of the first private owners in the NBL, owned the Sydney Kings after the merger of the Supersonics and Westars. Also owned the Sydney Flames (WNBL), the Birmingham Bullets (British league) and promoted the 1994 FIBA World Championship for Women and the 1998 IWBF Gold Cup in Sydney.

Bill Wyatt (Player)- Olympian (1964, 1972) with Australia. Seven-time Victorian champion with Melbourne Tigers and multiple Australian Club Championships in the pre-NBL days.

DN

[rjd]

A one-time Olympian into the Hall of Fame? Is Tonny Jensen next? Nah, but seriously, any more info on Michael AhMatt? Was he a brilliant player, or is this more of a "pioneer" vote?

[meg]

A one-time Olympian into the Hall of Fame? Is Tonny Jensen next? Nah, but seriously, any more info on Michael AhMatt? Was he a brilliant player, or is this more of a "pioneer" vote?

Micheal Ahmatt made his mark as the most outstanding player in Australia's1964 Olympic team in Tokyo, at which the team achieved a creditable ninth place. He represented Australia again at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. A former national coaching director, Chris White, revered Ahmatt. He said "He was a fantastic basketballer, a real whiz kid, a great ball-handler, a man who excited the crowds and was idolised by the kids". In 1969 Ahmatt became an enthusiastic member of the newly created National Aboriginal Sports Foundation. A brewery technician, he retired from basketball in 1979 and died of a heart attack, aged 40, in 1983. It's pretty amazing to think that this man was allowed to represent Australia at two Olympic Games, and yet in his home state was only allowed to vote three years earlier.

1962[Commonwealth Electoral Act provided that Indigenous people should have the right to enrol and vote at federal elections, including Northern Territory elections, but enrolment was not compulsory. Despite this amendment, it was illegal under Commonwealth legislation to encourage Indigenous people to enrol to vote. Western Australia extended the State vote to Aboriginal people. Voter education for Aborigines began in the Northern Territory. 1,338 Aborigines enrolled to vote in Northern Territory elections

[meg]

Just stumbled over another little fact...he was the grandfather of Adelaide player Isiah Omamogho.

Story here (http://guardian-messenger.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/in-famous-footsteps/)

[Voice(s)]

Boti's been calling for AhMatt's inclusion for years and up until now had said it was a disgrace that he wasn't already in there.

[FaceAndBum]

Sandy Brondello
Trisha Fallon
Shelley Gorman
Ricky Grace
Michael Wrublewski.




They r the only 1s ive ever heard of. The rest must be nobodys. Lets get some dececent people in there we all heard of b4 and people that mean something.

[Clips]

Get back under your bridge.

[curious]

They r the only 1s ive ever heard of. The rest must be nobodys. Lets get some dececent people in there we all heard of b4 and people that mean something.
Wow, what a stupid and uninciteful and clueless post.
Offensive as well, denigrating all of the hard working gasletball people you haven't heard of.

[DDFan]

Offensive as well, denigrating all of the hard working gasletball people you haven't heard of.curious mate, keeP it on the inside, don't blow it out your arse.

[haggard]

And what better way to honour those who have given a great portion of their lives to this great sport than by calling them “gasletball” players

[DDFan]

And what better way to honour those who have given a great portion of their lives to this great sport than by calling them “gasletball” playersIndeed, it must come as quite a relief for them.

Patience is a game of solitude, I'm glad they've come out winners.

[SB.1]

They r the only 1s ive ever heard of. The rest must be nobodys. Lets get some dececent people in there we all heard of b4 and people that mean something.

Yep they need to recognise people who hold up posters more, for their contribution to the league.

[Wild 1]

Im sure there used to be a limit on the number of inductees in any one year. 14 is a lot to go in at once. Kind of detracts a little bit from each person with so many being recognised. I think this is the largest group by far in any one year.

[Wild 1]

Just wondering, who are the two Hall of Famers who have been elevated to Legend Status?

[Ushiro]

Had the privelege of watching Michael Ahmat play for many years in the South Australian District Competition (State League) from the mid 1960's to around 1970. Actually played about 1/2 a season with him in the early 1970s when he was the playing coach of the South Adelaide Metro A Grade (State league Reserves) when he was around 31 or 32. By this stage he had health issues and this was a way of keeping him involved in basketball. He was an incredible passer of the ball and would still have been a champion in the modern game.

[angry ant]

Just wondering, who are the two Hall of Famers who have been elevated to Legend Status?
Lindsay Gaze.
http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article/2010/august/lindsay-gaze-officially-a-legend/

[Steve]

Just wondering, who are the two Hall of Famers who have been elevated to Legend Status?

Lifelong basketball contributor Al Ramsey and John Raschke, who helped establish the NBL, are the two current legends in the ABHF.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/ricky-grace-into-basketball-hall-of-fame-20100804-11fgp.html

[RedbackVenom]

Lindsay Gaze being named a Legend was great to see - hard pressed to find anyone more deserving of such recognition in Australian basketball.

[curious]

Good article here from Ron Reed of the Herald Sun on L Gazes promotion to legend status.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/lindsay-gaze-thinks-small-and-gets-big-results/story-e6frf9if-1225907557113

[RedbackVenom]

http://www.basketball.net.au/index.php?id=302&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1608&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=265f275b4d

Lindsay is now being inducted into the FIBA hall of fame too!