TO: THE 1996 MENS OLYMPIC BASKETBALL TEAM
FROM: Adrian Hurley
SUBJECT: The Australian Olympic Basketball Teams and Players book.
As many of you know I am in the process of writing a book on the Australian Basketball Olympians 1956 to 2000.
The book is a coffee table style book which can be kept as a feature and for reference for you and your family.
You may remember that my plan is to write a section on each Olympic team (with a team photo) and a section on each player, coach and official (with photos)
My reason for writing to you again is to outline where I am at with the 1996 team and the book.
The update:
I have the results of your games in 1996, plus each of your scoring in each game and some stats.
I have written the section on the1996 Olympics and the basketball tournament.
I have some information on some of you as far as your biography is concerned but most of it is stats based and I want to tell your story (much better reading)
What I need from each of you is 300+ words on your basketball life.
How you got started.
I started playing in church halls in Eastern Melbourne for Hartwell Presbyterian and then representative basketball from Under 12 with Presbyterian who later became Heidelberg because we were going to put a stadium out there (never happened) and then amalgamated with Nunawading.
Who influenced you in the early days
My three main influences were my dad who carted me all over Melbourne, Colin Cadee who was one of the best basics coaches in the business and Barry Barnes whose passion for the individual and the game are still second to none
Your early playing days.
I have always loved the game and all the different elements that go together to make an all round player. I was not a good shooter early on but I had a good understanding of passing and movement and I was able to become a better shooter later on
State junior teams
My first State team was bottom age Under 16. It was In Melbourne and we played the shuffle which I could never really get a handle on. We came third and there was a Spanish Inquisition after which made me realise how important and winning was. I ended up playing in 6 State teams and we won 3 gold, 2 silver and the first bronze.
When you entered senior basketball.
The group that I played with were extremely successful all the way through juniors with Rex Kitchen, Kevin Boyd, Mark Wright and others so when I was 16 Heidelberg put a separate team in the Victorian Senior competition, recruited John Cichowicz and three Americans and we not only qualified but won the Victorian Championships two years in a row much to the disgust of Church Tigers and Lindsay Gaze. The three Americans, Bill Palmer. Dennis O’Neil and Fred Green went to Stanford together and received I believe the princely sum of $1,000 between them for the season of which $367.00 was taken out for ankle tape that they used during the season.
Your senior career summary at college, NBL etc.
I played senior basketball from 1972 to 1978 prior to the NBL starting culminating in the 1978 Australian Championships win in . I played for Nunawading in the first ever NIBL game and continued with Nunawading until the 1985 season when I went to on teacher exchange. I played for the Wildcats from 1986 to 1988 and then went into coaching.
I coached the Wildcats in 1989 and for two games in 1990. I came back to the NBL in 1993 with Illawarra Hawks, moved to Sydney with the Sydney Kings 1996 and 1997, then back to the Wildcats from 1997 to 2003 winning a championship in 2000 and Runner up in 2003. After another brief hiatus I coached in from 2005 to 2008 eventually being fired by KPMG accountants.
When you were picked for the Olympic team.
I was picked as an assistant to Barry Barnes in in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 along with Brett Brown.
Some comments on your experiences at the Olympics. The highlights for you?
There are countless experiences that I remember all the time but there are four experiences that are above all others
the opening ceremony including the Dream Team and Ali lighting the flame
Tony Ronaldson four point play to beat
The opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics with Andrew Gaze carrying the flag and Cathy Freeman lighting the flame
Andrew Gaze destroying then European champions in the quarter Finals
Your basketball after your rep career finished.
Any involvement with basketball since you stopped playing (coaching-at all levels etc)
I need a head and shoulders or action photo of you in your playing days (preferably scanned and attached to an e-mail)
For your information I have finished the draft sections on all the Olympics and am now working through the players one by one and have nearly finished 40 biographies. The early days were very difficult as there are no records, photos, and of course many of the players have passed away.
I look forward to your help in what I believe is an important endeavour for the history of basketball and your families.
Dr. Adrian Hurley
44 Sunset Parade
Chain Valley Bay NSW 2259
Telephone 0410404597 (m) 43584969