Alan Black

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>TO: THE 1996</strong><strong> MENS OLYMPIC BASKETBALL TEAM</strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>FROM: Adrian Hurley</strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <p><strong>SUBJECT: The Australian Olympic Basketball</strong><strong> Teams and Players book.</strong></p>

Sort Order HTML <p>As many of you know I am in the process of writing a book on the Australian Basketball Olympians 1956 to 2000.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>The book is a coffee table style book which can be kept as a feature and for reference for you and your family.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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)</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>My reason for writing to you again is to outline where I am at with the 1996 team and the book.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>The update:</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I have the results of your games in 1996, plus each of your scoring in each game and some stats.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I have written the section on the1996 Olympics and the basketball tournament.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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)</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>What I need from each of you<strong> is 300+ words on your basketball life. </strong></p>

Sort Order HTML <p>How you got started.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Who influenced you in the early days</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Your early playing days.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>State junior teams</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>When you entered senior basketball.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Your senior career summary at college, NBL etc.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>When you were picked for the Olympic team.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I was picked as an assistant to Barry Barnes in in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 along with Brett Brown. </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Some comments on your experiences at the Olympics. The highlights for you?</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>There are countless experiences that I remember all the time but there are four experiences that are above all others</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>the opening ceremony including the Dream Team and Ali lighting the flame</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Tony Ronaldson four point play to beat </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>The opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics with Andrew Gaze carrying the flag and Cathy Freeman lighting the flame</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Andrew Gaze destroying then European champions in the quarter Finals</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Your basketball after your rep career finished.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Any involvement with basketball since you stopped playing (coaching-at all levels etc)</p>

Sort Order HTML <p><strong>I need a head and shoulders or action photo</strong> of you in your playing days (preferably scanned and attached to an e-mail)</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>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.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I look forward to your help in what I believe is an important endeavour for the history of basketball and your families.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Dr. Adrian Hurley</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>44 Sunset Parade</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Chain Valley Bay NSW 2259</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Telephone 0410404597 (m) 43584969</p>