Johny Narkle

Last updated

Johny Narkle
Johny Narkle 2023.png
Narkle with the Geraldton Buccaneers in 2023
No. 6Geraldton Buccaneers
Position Guard
League NBL1 West
Personal information
Born (2001-08-01) 1 August 2001 (age 22)
NationalityAustralian
Listed height199 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Listed weight79 kg (174 lb)
Career information
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020; 2022– Geraldton Buccaneers
Career highlights and awards

Johny Narkle (born 1 August 2001) is an Australian basketball player for the Geraldton Buccaneers of the NBL1 West. With the Buccaneers, he won back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year awards in 2022 and 2023 and led the team to the championship in 2023 behind his grand final MVP performance.

Contents

Early life

Narkle grew up in Geraldton, Western Australia, with four brothers and five sisters. [1] He attended Clontarf Academy [2] and juggled being a two-sport athlete, [3] playing both basketball and football as a teenager. [4] [5]

In 2018, Narkle played for the Australian Indigenous All Stars in a Trans-Tasman series against the New Zealand Maori national team. [6] [7] In 2019, he played at the inaugural Australian Indigenous Basketball (AIB) National Tournament in Cairns. [8] [9] [10]

Career

In 2020, Narkle joined the Geraldton Buccaneers of the State Basketball League (SBL). [9] After the SBL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Narkle debuted for the Buccaneers in the West Coast Classic. [4] With the team having lost their imports and also key local players, Narkle was required to fill a starting role in his first season which fast tracked his development. [3] [4] He finished the season with four-straight double digit games. [3] In 12 games, he averaged 9.17 points, 5.17 rebounds and 2.83 assists per game. [11]

Narkle impressed with Chapman Valley in the Great Northern Football League (GNFL) at the end of 2020. [3] [5] He subsequently joined the Subiaco Football Club of the West Australian Football League (WAFL) in 2021. He played seven games for Subiaco's WAFL reserves team. [12] [13] He switched back to basketball in 2022. [14] [15]

Narkle returned to the Geraldton Buccaneers for the 2022 NBL1 West season. He was named Sixth Man of the Year [16] and helped the Buccaneers reach the NBL1 West grand final, where they lost 91–79 to the Rockingham Flames. [17] In 24 games, he averaged 8.0 points, 3.67 rebounds and 1.17 steals per game. [18]

In 2023, Narkle re-joined the Buccaneers and once again earned NBL1 West Sixth Man of the Year honours. [19] Towards the end of the regular season, he was moved into the starting line-up. [1] He helped the Buccaneers return to the NBL1 West grand final, where they defeated the Joondalup Wolves 86–80 to win the championship. [20] Narkle had 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals to earn grand final MVP honours. [21] He became the first Indigenous man to win the award. [1] [22] In 25 games, he averaged 12.12 points, 5.64 rebounds, 2.32 assists and 1.76 steals per game. [23] At the NBL1 National Finals, he scored 27 points against the Sutherland Sharks and 30 points against the Ipswich Force. [24] He was subsequently named in the National Finals All-Star Five. [1] [13] [25] A week later, he played for the NBL1 West Select Team against the Perth Wildcats in two National Basketball League (NBL) pre-season games. [1] [13] [26] Following this, he had a two-day trial with Melbourne United of the NBL. [13] [27]

In October 2023, Narkle re-signed with the Buccaneers for the 2024 NBL1 West season. [28] [29] He suffered a broken bone in his arm early in the season, [30] which ruled him out for four to six weeks. [31] In June 2024, he was named in an Indigenous Basketball Australia All-Stars team for an exhibition match against the Sacramento State Hornets. [32] [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBL1 West</span>

NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to Western Australia. NBL1 replaced the former SBL to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in Western Australia. As a result, the SBL became the west conference of NBL1.

<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">Greg Hire</span> Australian basketball player

Greg Hire is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball in the United States before joining the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2010 as a development player. In 2011, he was elevated to the full-time roster and in 2014 he won his first NBL championship. He went on to win three more championships in 2016, 2017 and 2019. In the NBL1 West, he won a championship with the Wanneroo Wolves in 2011 and again with the Rockingham Flames in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Purser</span> Australian basketball player

Ben Purser is an Australian former basketball player. He played 16 years for the Perry Lakes Hawks of the NBL1 West, debuting in 2008 and playing every year until retiring in 2023. As team captain, he led the Hawks to two championships, the first in 2018 in the State Basketball League (SBL) with grand final MVP honours and the second in 2021 in the inaugural NBL1 West season. He was named to the All-SBL First Team in 2018 and the SBL All-Defensive Five every year between 2016 and 2019. He was also the league's Most Improved Player in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earnest Ross</span> American basketball player

Earnest Lee Ross Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Toyoda Gosei Scorpions of the Japanese B.League. Born in the U.S. territory of Guam, he represented the Guam national team for the first time in 2018. He played college basketball for Auburn and Missouri before beginning his professional career in Australia in 2014. He played half a season with the Perth Wildcats before an Achilles injury ended his rookie year. He continued on in Australia in 2016 with the Ballarat Miners. He then played in Denmark, New Zealand and Qatar before returning to Australia to play for the Geraldton Buccaneers in 2018. In 2019, he helped the Joondalup Wolves reach the SBL Grand Final. He later had a stint in the NBA G League for the South Bay Lakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathiang Muo</span> Australian-Sudanese basketball player

Mathiang Mauot Muo is an Australian-South Sudanese professional basketball player for the South West Slammers of the NBL1 West. He played four seasons of college basketball in the United States between 2009 and 2013 before joining the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He was a member of the Wildcats' 2014 championship-winning team but managed just 15 games over two seasons due to injury. Since parting ways with the Wildcats, Muo has had a successful state league career, playing in the SBL, SEABL, NBL1 and Queensland State League (QSL). He won an SBL championship with the East Perth Eagles in 2014 and a SEABL championship with the Hobart Chargers in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Jervis</span> Australian basketball player

Thomas Lachlan Jervis is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. He played college basketball for Bevill State Community College and Troy University in the United States before debuting in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats between 2013 and 2016. After two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets, Jervis returned to the Wildcats in 2018 and won his third championship. He retired from basketball in 2019 but made a comeback in January 2021 to re-join the Wildcats. Jervis is also well known for his time spent in the State Basketball League (SBL) with the East Perth Eagles, having played for them every year between 2009 and 2016, helping them win their maiden championship in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joondalup Wolves</span> Basketball team in Joondalup, Western Australia

Joondalup Wolves is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Wanneroo Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the Joondalup/Wanneroo region. The Wolves play their home games at HBF Arena.

Bradley Robbins is an Australian basketball coach and former player who is most known for his time spent in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Perth Wildcats. He currently serves as an assistant coach with the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). He is also the head coach of the Warwick Senators women's team in the NBL1 West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Perth Eagles</span> Basketball team in Morley, Western Australia

East Perth Eagles is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of East Perth District Basketball Association (EPDBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in Perth's north eastern suburbs. The Eagles play their home games at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraldton Buccaneers</span> Basketball team in Geraldton, Western Australia

The Geraldton Buccaneers, also known as the Buccs, are an Australian basketball team based in Geraldton, Western Australia. The Buccaneers compete in the Men's NBL1 West and play their home games at Activewest Stadium. The team is affiliated with Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockingham Flames</span> Basketball team in Rockingham, Western Australia

Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Flames play their home games at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

The NBL1 West Grand Final Most Valuable Player is an annual NBL1 West award given to the best performing player in both the Women's Grand Final and Men's Grand Final. Known as the State Basketball League (SBL) Grand Final Most Valuable Player from 1996 to 2019, the SBL was rebranded to NBL1 West in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Petrik</span> Australian basketball coach (born 1981)

Ryan Petrik is an Australian basketball coach who currently serves as head coach of the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). Prior to becoming head coach of the Lynx in 2020, Petrik led the Rockingham Flames women's team in the State Basketball League (SBL) to two championships in 2014 and 2015 and earned SBL Coach of the Year honours in 2012. Between 2015 and 2020, he served as an assistant coach with the Lynx, and between 2019 and 2023, he served as head coach of the Flames men's team. In 2022, he was named the WNBL Coach of the Year and guided the Flames men to the NBL1 West championship and NBL1 National championship.

The 2021 NBL1 West season was the inaugural season of the NBL1 West. After 32 years known as the State Basketball League (SBL), the league was rebranded under the NBL1 banner for 2021. The regular season began on Friday 16 April and ended on Saturday 14 August. The finals began on Friday 20 August and concluded with the women's grand final on Friday 3 September and the men's grand final on Saturday 4 September.

Matthew Adekponya is an Australian-born Ghanaian basketball player and filmmaker.

Mitchell Clarke is an Australian professional basketball player for the Bendigo Braves of the NBL1 South. He played five seasons with the Perry Lakes Hawks in the NBL1 West before joining the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) in 2021, where he spent two seasons with their extended squad. He played for the Bendigo Braves in 2022 before returning to the Hawks in 2023. After a season with the Reading Rockets of the English National Basketball League, he re-joined Bendigo in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Nelson</span> Australian basketball player

Marshall Lance Nelson is an Australian-Belgian professional basketball player for the Willetton Tigers of the NBL1 West. Debuting in the State Basketball League (SBL) in 2014 for the Perth Redbacks, Nelson went on to play three seasons of college basketball in the United States and has played in Sweden and Iceland. He has had two stints in the National Basketball League (NBL), first with the Illawarra Hawks as a development player between 2017 and 2019 and then with the Cairns Taipans as an injury replacement during the 2021–22 season. He played his sixth season with the Redbacks in 2021 and helped them win the SBL championship in 2017. In 2022, he helped the Rockingham Flames win the NBL1 West championship and NBL1 National championship.

The 2022 NBL1 West season was the second season of the NBL1 West and 33rd overall in State Basketball League (SBL) / NBL1 West history. The regular season began on Friday 8 April and ended on Saturday 13 August. The finals began on Friday 19 August and concluded with the women's grand final on Friday 2 September and the men's grand final on Saturday 3 September.

The 2023 NBL1 West season was the third season of the NBL1 West and 34th overall in State Basketball League (SBL) / NBL1 West history. The regular season began on Friday 31 March and ended on Saturday 22 July. The finals began on Friday 28 July and concluded with the women's grand final on Friday 11 August and the men's grand final on Saturday 12 August.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cox, Kearyn (28 August 2023). "Johny grew up playing backyard basketball with his cousins. Now he's got his eyes on the big league". SBS.com.au. NITV. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. Neuweiler, Sebastian (4 December 2015). "Police lose Movember fuzz, but not spirit". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Garlepp, Josh (3 November 2020). "On demand: West Coast Classic: 11 players that impressed before the inaugural NBL1 West season". The West Australian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "YOUNG BUCCS STAR CHOOSES HOOPS OVER OVAL BALL". SBL.asn.au. 13 August 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 Sweeney, Peter (25 September 2020). "Boots or hoops: Geraldton sporting talent Johny Narkle has a big decision". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  6. "NBL trio head Indigenous All Stars lineup". BotiNagy.com. 18 August 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  7. "AUS Indigenous All Stars eager to continue Trans-Tasman Dominance". Basketball Australia . 28 August 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  8. Arsenis, Damian (22 December 2019). "Inaugural Australian Indigenous Basketball National Tournament a resounding success". pickandroll.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  9. 1 2 Carder, Reuben (30 January 2020). "SBL 2020: Geraldton Buccaneers go global and local with new signings". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  10. "Player statistics for Johny Narkle". Australian Indigenous Basketball. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023.
  11. "Player statistics for Johny Narkle". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  12. "Johny Narkle". WAFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 O'Donoghue, Craig (31 August 2023). "Geraldton Buccaneers guard Johny Narkle flies to Victoria for NBL trial with Melbourne United". The West Australian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  14. Carder, Reuben (18 February 2022). "Buccs Johny Narkle, Will Galvin shine as Pumas grab Geraldton men's basketball minor flag, Chapman in finals". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  15. Carder, Reuben (4 March 2022). "Battle of the young Buccs in men's grand final as Pumas aim to roar in both senior basketball deciders". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  16. "BWA AWARDS NIGHT – AWARD WINNERS AND HALL OF FAME". BasketballWA.asn.au. 14 August 2022. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  17. "NBL1 West Recap | Men's Grand Final". NBL1.com.au. 3 September 2022. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  18. "Johny Narkle – 2022 Stats". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  19. "2023 BWA AWARDS NIGHT, NBL1 WEST & HALL OF FAME – AWARD WINNERS". BasketballWA.asn.au. 23 July 2023. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  20. Pike, Chris (12 August 2023). "NBL1 West Recap | Men's Grand Final 2023". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  21. Williams, Fraser (14 August 2023). "Hometown hero Johny 'Sparkle' Narkle wins grand final MVP after impressive scoring performance". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  22. Clarke, Rhiannon (17 August 2023). "Narkle's MVP performance leads Buccaneers to NBL1 West championship glory". National Indigenous Times . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  23. "Johny Narkle – 2023 Stats". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  24. "Johny Narkle – 2023 Stats NF". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  25. "2023 Coles Express NBL1 National Finals All-Star Five". NBL1.com.au. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  26. Williams, Fraser (29 August 2023). "Meunier and Narkle impress on the big stage against the Perth Wildcats for the NBL1 West select team". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
  27. Morse, Callan (2 September 2023). "Narkle trials with United following 'outstanding' NBL1 West season". National Indigenous Times . Archived from the original on 2 September 2023.
  28. "We've kept you in suspense long enough..." facebook.com/geraldtonbuccaneers. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  29. "Two National Finalists sign for 2024". NBL1.com.au. 25 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  30. Williams, Fraser (26 April 2024). "Geraldton Buccaneers to face Giants minus star Johny Narkle". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
  31. Williams, Fraser (3 May 2024). "Buccs looking to go back to their brand of ball in double-header after overtime match". Geraldton Guardian . Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
  32. Woods, Dan (6 June 2024). "McDowell-White keen for Indigenous All-Stars "connection"". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024.
  33. "NBL1 talent named among Indigenous All Stars". NBL1.com.au. 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024.