No 33 ALBERT LESLIE
6 feet 1 inch (185cm) Guard
1968 Olympic Games
The crowd at the local Fitzroy Hotel in Woolloomooloo was in its usual voice as the patrons were enjoying themselves. But tonight their enjoymentseemed to have gone up a decibel or two in noise. In Judge Street in the “Loo” things were also louder than usual. The reason was that local boy Albert Leslie had just been chosen in the 1968 Australian Olympic Basketball Team. Woolloomooloo was always proud of any of their own who made something of themselves in sport.
Albert Leslie was born October 14th 1945 in Sydney, NSW.
He commenced playing basketball in 1958 at the age of thirteen at the Woolloomooloo Playgrounds in Sydney under Coach Lee Rose. The Playground was one of the main cauldrons of junior basketball in Sydney and produced future Olympians and NSW State players including Ken Cole and Albert Leslie.
Albert soon demonstrated his quick ability to learn the skills of the game and was rewarded with selection in the 1960 NSW State Under 16 team coached by the outstanding Wollongong coach Tom Penrose. The team played in the 1960 Australian Championships in Adelaide after travelling to Adelaide by train, which was the major form of travel for all teams at this time.
It was a great experience for the fourteen year old Albert as he went on to be selected to the NSW 1961 Under 16 team, and the 1962 and 1963 NSW Under 18 teams. Albert played on junior NSW teams that won two National Titles and he was twice named tournament MVP of the Championships.
At this stage Albert’s silky skills and trademark jump shot (off two feet close together) were becoming well known in Australian basketball circles.
Albert became a member of the Sydney YMCA team and came under the influence of Coach Charlie Ammit and administrator Bob Staunton both of whom Albert describes as his “father-figures”.
Selection on the 1964 NSW senior men’s basketball team followed for Albert and after the Australian Championships in Adelaide he moved to Adelaide to live. He represented the South Australian Men’s team in the Australian Championships from 1965 to 1968.
At this time in his career Albert was recognised as one of the “gun shooters” in Australian basketball and in games he attracted tough defenders and double team defence to attempt to curb his prolific scoring abilities. His pull-up jump shot off screens was as good as anyone in Australian basketball. This was backed by strong defence and rebounding, silky dribbling and passing skills and above all his commitment to team basketball.
At the conclusion of the 1968 Australian Championships held in Sydney Albert was named to the Australian 1968 Olympic Men’s Basketball Team to participate in the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
It was most appropriate that Albert would be named to the Olympic Team in front of his family and friends from the Sydney “Y” and the “Loo Playground”. The news was especially well received and the topic for much pride in Woolloomooloo district as so many of the locals had played a large part in fund-raising for Albert. Woolloomooloo was a low socio-economic part of Sydney and Albert’s selection was a demonstration that you could still make it from the “Loo”.
Albert remembers the Mexico Olympics as one of his proudest, memorable times and paradoxically one of his most disappointingpersonally as a player. The 1968 team’s campaign was commenced in the Mexican city of Monterrey at the Qualification Tournament. Albert remembers that by that tournament that there was a “division” in his eyes between the players of the team in terms of running coach Ken Watson’s shuffle system. In his book “Dunked” Basketball Australia Hall of Fame Legend Al Ramsey states that “morale (on the team) droppedby having a type of first and second team for training sessions, the second team mainly comprised the players from South Australia.....by the time the team reached Monterrey there were two distinct groups who did not associate.”
The Australian team failed to win a game in the Qualification Tournament losing all five games including a disappointing loss to Indonesia. After the Qualification Tournament the team travelled to Mexico City and joined the rest of the Australian Olympic teams.
Albert comments, “I took the opportunity to watch Australian Gold medal winners Mike Wenden in the pool and Ralph Doubell on the track. I saw the American Bob Beamon’s world record long-jump, and the new high jump sensation American Dick Fosbury and the American 200 metre runners “black power salute”.
Albert adds. “The experiences such as these and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies were amazing to me and in some ways compensated for some of the disappointments of Monterrey.”
After the Mexico Olympics, Albert returned to his hometown of Sydney to play with Sydney YMCA and his mentor Charlie Ammit. He was selected to the 1969 NSW team which played in the Australian Championships in Launceston. He continued to represent NSW in 1970 and 1971 before returning to Adelaide to live in 1972.
In SA he coached the State Under 20 (with a young Mark Bradtke) to the National Title and the Adelaide Buffalos to the ABA National Title. Albert’s coaching talents were utilised by the Adelaide 36ers NBL side when he was Assistant Coach to Don Shipway, Don Monson and then Mike Dunlap. He then coached youngsters in specialist shooting and skills.
Albert continues to associate with basketball and is a keen follower of the Adelaide 36ers where he is a Life Member. He has also served as Secretary for the Olympian’s Club of South Australia.
Albert Leslie classic jump-shot at Apollo Stadium (Courtesy A. Leslie)
Albert Leslie (10) attempts to block Lindsay Gaze’s shot (Courtesy L. Gaze)