Gordon McLeod (basketball)

Last updated

Gordon "Gordie" McLeod (born 7 November 1956 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League (NBL).

Contents

Professional career

McLeod was already known as one of Australia's more talented point guards when the new NBL started in 1979. He joined his home town team the Illawarra Hawks for the inaugural season playing 17 games and averaging 10.1 points per game. [1]

McLeod was appointed captain of the Hawks and would continue to lead the team until the end of the 1982 season. After 82 games in the red and white of Illawarra he would sign with the Sydney Supersonics for 1983. After just one season in Sydney, McLeod would re-join the Hawks from 1984, regaining the club captaincy. His return helped the Hawks make the NBL playoffs for the first time in the club's history. The team lost the Elimination Final 101–108 to the Newcastle Falcons. McLeod had a career best 15.8 points per game during the 1984 NBL season.

The Hawks missed the finals in 1985 but the club made it as far as the semi-finals in 1986 where they lost to eventual champions Adelaide and again in 1987 where they lost a three-game series again to the eventual league champions, the Brisbane Bullets. McLeods own form saw him score 9.1 points per game in 1986 and 12.4 points per game in 1987.

Following the 1988 season, McLeod again left the Illawarra Hawks, this time joining the Hobart Devils. He would play two seasons with the struggling Devils before joining 1990 NBL grand finalist Brisbane for the 1991 season. After the Bullets failed to repeat their 1990 form and failed to make the NBL finals, McLeod retired from playing professional basketball at the age of 34.

International career

McLeod played for the Australian Boomers at the 1978 FIBA World Championship in the Philippines, helping the team to a then best 7th place. He also represented the Boomers at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow where the team finished in 8th position despite the boycott of the games by the gold medal favourite United States.

Coaching career

McLeod started his NBL coaching career with a 2-game stint as player-coach for the Cascade Tassie Devils in 1989 before becoming the first head coach of the West Sydney Razorbacks in 1998. He would lead the team to the 2002 NBL grand final series against the Adelaide 36ers though the Razorbacks would lose the three game series one game to two. He would lead the Razorbacks to a second NBL grand final in the 2003–04 NBL season. In the first ever five game series the Razorbacks would lose to their cross-town rivals the Sydney Kings 2–3 in a close series. After leading by as much as 17 points in the 3rd period and 79–72 with only 3:10 left in the deciding Game 5, the 'Pigs' were overrun by a suddenly red-hot Kings team who scored the last 18 points of the game to win 90–79.

Despite leading them to the Grand Final in 2004, McLeod was not retained by the Razorbacks for the 2004–05 NBL season. He would sign to be the head coach of the league's new Singapore Slingers team for the 2006–07 NBL season, leading them to the NBL playoffs in their first year in the league.

After the Slingers withdrew from the NBL following the 2007–08 season, McLeod was appointed as assistant coach of the Aussie Boomers squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing where they finished in 7th place with a 3–3 record.

McLeod re-joined the Wollongong Hawks as head coach for the 2009–10 NBL season, leading the team to a second place regular season finish with a 16–12 record. The Hawks fought their way into their third NBL grand final where they lost one game to two to the Perth Wildcats. McLeod was rewarded for his coaching efforts during the season as he won his first NBL Coach of the Year award.

The Hawks had an injury hit season in 2010–11 and they just missed the playoffs despite a 15–13 record. McLeod finished the year with a career NBL coaching record of 149–173, moving him to 14th in all time coaching career wins. [2]

In June 2014, McLeod re-signed as head coach of the Hawks for a further three years. [3] However, in June 2015, he was released from his contract. [4] The following month, McLeod was hired by the Cairns Taipans as an assistant coach for the 2015–16 season. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide 36ers</span> Australian professional basketball team

The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adelaide. The club was originally called the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the NBL in 1982, but changed their name to the 36ers the following year. The 36ers nickname comes from the fact that the Colony of South Australia was officially proclaimed on 28 December 1836. Since 2019, the 36ers play their home games at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sydney Razorbacks</span> A defunct NBL club based in Western Sydney

The West Sydney Razorbacks were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Sydney, New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dragons</span> Defunct professional basketball team from Melbourne, Australia

The South Dragons were an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). They made their debut in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09. The club was based at MSAC in Melbourne's inner south-eastern suburbs, and was one of the city's two NBL teams; the other was the Melbourne Tigers, which entered the league in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006–07 NBL season</span>

The 2006–07 NBL season was the 29th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. For the first time, a team was established from outside the Australasian area, with the Singapore Slingers taking over the licence of the Hunter Pirates. A new franchise, the South Dragons, was established in Melbourne, taking the number of teams to twelve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illawarra Hawks</span> Australian basketball team

The Illawarra Hawks are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at WIN Entertainment Centre, known colloquially as "The Sandpit". The Illawarra Hawks are the only remaining NBL team to have competed in every season since the league's inception in 1979. The team won their first and so far only NBL Championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005, 2010 and 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. J. Bruton</span> American-Australian basketball player

Calvin Thomas "C. J." Bruton Jr. is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He played the majority of his career in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) where he won six league championships and was a five-time All-NBL Team selection. Bruton played for numerous NBL teams over his career: Perth Wildcats, Brisbane Bullets, Wollongong Hawks, Canberra Cannons, Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007–08 NBL season</span>

The 2007–08 NBL season was the 30th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. On 21 November 2006, the Gold Coast Blaze joined the league, expanding it to 13 teams.

Alan Black is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He is most notable for coaching both the Perth Wildcats and the Cairns Taipans in the Australian National Basketball League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Trahair</span> Australian basketball player

Aaron Trahair is an Australian basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Kalamunda Eastern Suns of NBL1 West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008–09 NBL season</span>

The 2008–09 NBL season was the 31st season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 10 teams contested the league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Martin</span> Australian basketball player

Luke Martin is an Australian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing in the National Basketball League (NBL). In 2004 and 2005, he represented the Australian national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Lisch</span> American-Australian basketball player

Kevin John Lisch is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most known for his time spent in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) as a player. He also holds an Italian passport and is an Australian citizen.

The 2012 National Basketball League All-Star Game was held at the 8,000 seat Adelaide Arena in Adelaide, South Australia on 22 December 2012. The game was won by the South All-Stars, 134 points to the North All-Stars 114. Melbourne Tigers shooting guard Chris Goulding electrified the 4,523 in attendance, scoring 24 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and handing out 4 assists on his way to winning the game's MVP award. The game was broadcast on Network Ten in Australia and it was the first NBL All-Star Game since 2007–08.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 NBL season</span> Australian basketball season

The 2016–17 NBL season was the 39th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2016 and February 2017, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in late February and March 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 NBL season</span>

The 2017–18 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2017 and February 2018, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in March 2018.

The 2019–20 NBL season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Kelly (basketball)</span> American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player

Mike Kelly is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He spent the majority of his playing career in the NBL, where he won a championship with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1996 and was a two-time Best Defensive Player selection.

The 2022–23 NBL season was the 45th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2022–23 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023–24 NBL season</span> 46th season of the Australasian basketball competition

The 2023–24 NBL season is the 46th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2023–24 season.

Cameron Tragardh is an Australian former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). He made his debut in the NBL in 2003 and played for the Townsville Crocodiles, Brisbane Bullets, Wollongong Hawks, Melbourne Tigers, and Cairns Taipans across his career. He was named NBL Most Improved Player in 2008 and NBL Best Sixth Man in 2015. He was also named to the All-NBL Team twice.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.