No 67 ANDREW GAZE
6 feet 7 inch (201cm) Guard
1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games
The Australian Sydney 2000 Olympic Team gathered under the stands at Stadium Australia.......the excitement was electric as the team was about to march onto the arena before their own countrymen. The basketball team, being the tallest were at the back of the group. A lanky, smiling and nervous Olympian in the basketball group clutched the Australian Flag in his hands and thenwalked through the formations of the whole Olympic Team and received applause from all sides. Andrew Gaze takes up his story. “As I started walking to the front through the entire team of more than five hundred athletes and officials, it was like the parting of a human sea as my team-mates made way for me to get to the front, grab the flag and lead us into our home Olympics. What a thrill. As I made my way along, team members cheered, applauded and slapped high-fives with me. To be acknowledged that way by Australia’s greatest athletes was probably the best reward I have ever received in sport. Walking into the stadium to the roar of 120,000 people was incredible – but that, for me, was the highlight of carrying the Flag: the feeling of unity and recognition that we were about to do something so special. I don’t believe the athletes were necessarily cheering for me as Captain of the Olympic team, but it was a symbol of what we were doing and what we were trying to achieve.”
Andrew reached the front of the Australian contingent and paused.This was his fifth Olympics and he had been one of the world’s best basketball players at those five Olympics. The honour of being the Australian Olympic Team Captain was well deserved for himself and his sport. The call came and he led the Australian Olympic Team onto the arena to the applause of the 100,000 spectators.
Andrew Barry CassonGazewas born July 24th 1965 in Melbourne, Victoria. His father Lindsay Gaze represented Australia in basketball at seven Olympics (three as a player and four as coach) and is a legend in Australian basketball and a member of the FIBA and Basketball Australia Halls of Fame......among many other accolades.
The Gaze family lived “on site” at the Albert Park basketball stadium in South Melbourne where Lindsay was the Stadium Manager. This was a family gym of his own, for the young Andrew lived literally only a three pointer away from the nearest basketball court. Very soon Andrew had established himself as an outstanding junior basketball player with the Melbourne Tigers Club and represented Victoria at the junior level. It was apparent to all concerned that even at this early age Andrew was going to become a great basketball player.......after all he had the genes and the environment!
His senior career began with the Melbourne Tigers in 1981. Andrew was about to turn sixteen his father Lindsay promoted him to the seniors. His mother Margaret thought he was too young, but dad Lindsay said he would be okay.His senior career with the Tigers was off and running. The next year (1982) he played a major role in the Tigers semi-final Victoria Basketball Association (VBA) win over Geelong and the legend was beginning.
Andrew’s first taste of national representation was in 1982 when he played for the Australia in the Oceania Junior 1983 World Championships Qualification Tournament which the Australians won. In 1983 he was selected on the Australian Under-20 team that contested the World Championships in Spain when the team finished 10th. Later that year he was selected on the Australian Men’s Team under the coaching of his father Lindsay to tour the USA as preparation for the 1984 Olympics. There was some “paper-talk” about nepotism but that soon faded when people saw young Andrew play with the Australian Men’s Team.
“Drew” had a great belief in his own ability to play the game and in particular his ability to shoot baskets. As his junior career developed the range of his shots and the great accuracy and style of those shots was quickly establishing him as a player with a spectacular future. Yet he always recognised, and few disagreed with him, that he was not the most gifted athlete running around...... but he did have that something special.
When the Tigers entered the National Basketball League (NBL)in 1984 Andrew was eighteen years of age and he averaged 29.1 points per game that year and was named NBL Rookie of the Year.
In 1984 Andrew played in Australia for the Australian Team against the Yugoslavian Club Buducnost and then,after an NBL season where he was the leading scorer in the League,he was selected on the Australian Men’s Basketball Team for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
Andrew scored a basket with his first touch of the ball (against Brazil) in his first game at the Olympics and that started an outstanding Olympic career where he represented Australia at five Olympic Games (1984,1988,1992,1996 and 2000). Andrew displayed wisdom and ability beyond his years in LA and although coming off the bench clearly showed his great potential. The Australian Team finished in 7th position their best effort to that time.
In 1985 Andrew played for Australia on the Gold Medal winning team at the Australia Games, in the Oceania 1986 World Championship Qualification Tournament, against the Pac 10 touring team and then on a tour to the USA at the end of the year. In 1986 Andrew played for the Australian Team (now known as the “Boomers”) against the University of Nevada Las Vegas. The team played in a tournament in Menorca on the way to Spain for the World Championships. Australia was upset in the preliminary rounds of the World Championships and failed to make the finals and finished in 13th place out of 26 nations.
Tougher international competition was needed for the Boomers and this they got the next year with a series against a touring Big East All Star team and then against the USSR. Andrew played in both series. The USSR tour really put basketball “on the map” in Australian sport. The six game series was a sell-out and the media and the Australian public were totally involved. On this stage Andrew’s reputation and skills were on display and he became a household name with his exploits against one of the best teams in the world.
The Boomers finished the year with a tour to Europe.
1988 was to be the year for Andrew and the Boomers to get more strong opposition and to prepare as well as they could. Andrew was selected to the Olympic Team and played for the Boomers against the University of Nebraska and Czechoslovakia at home before once again playing the mighty USSR in another six match tour that preceded the Olympics. Another block-buster series occurred against the USSR and again Andrew excelled.
At the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games the Boomers and Andrew had one of their finest hours. They upset Spain in the Quarter Finals to make the medal round for the first time in their history. Andrew was having an exceptional tournament and his performances were vital to Australia’s success. Time and again against rugged defence he scored vital baskets when Australia needed him to do so. The Boomers finished 4th, their equal best result in Olympic men’s basketball competition.Andrew was now well known to all basketball nations as an exceptional player.
In the next two years Andrew played with the Boomers against the touring Kareem Abdul JabbarAll Star team, on the team that won the Oceania 1990 World Qualification Tournament, and on a seventeen game tour to the USA and Argentina.
He was selected to the Boomers Team for the 1990 World Championships which were to be held in Argentina.On the way to Argentina the Boomers played in the Goodwill Games in Seattle and Andrew had another fine tournament. In the World Championships in Argentina the Boomers finished a very credible 7th.
In 1991 the Boomers with Andrew as a team member played Italian Club Fortitudo Bologna in Australia, and won the Oceania 1992 Olympic Qualification Tournament. In 1992 the Boomers played China and the South West All Stars and local All Star teams. NBL commitments kept them in Australia until the weekend before the Games so preparation was less than ideal. A lot would depend on Andrew and the other veterans if the Aussies were to repeat their 1988 Olympic performances.Andrew was also carrying a knee injury. Once again he was the Boomers leading scorer and led from the front.
The Australiansgot off to a great start to the Tournament but inconsistency affected their results. The Boomers achieved a very credible 6th, the second best placing by a Boomers team to that time.
While his Olympic and World Championships of the eighties and early nineties were going on Andrew was in a quest for an NBL title at home.
It was an NBL Championships that “Drewey” wanted as much for his dad Lindsay the team coach, and for the Club, as for himself. This seemingly forever quest was achieved first in 1993 and then in 1997 when the Tigers won the NBL crown.
Yet there were other paths to forge and challenges to take along the way. The lure of American College basketball called and Andrew went to Seton Hall University to pit himself against the best USA College players. Andrew had and outstanding season at Seton Hall and helped them reach the 1989 NCAA Final where they lost in overtime to Michigan. Andrew was now well known in the USA as well as in the rest of the basketball world.
There were also other challenges for Andrew to attempt. One was to play in the tough European competition and the other was to make the NBA in the USA. He was a pioneer for other Australians when he played seasons in professional basketball in Italy and Greece.
Many doubted, despite his phenomenal scoring abilities that Andrew (who was 203cms and 93kg) because of his lack of athleticism.......could ever make itin the NBA. Yet he proved his doubters wrong by playing seven games with the Washington Bullets and one season with the San Antonio Spurs where he was a member of the NBA Championship winning team in 1999.Though Andrew modestly plays down his role at San Antonio as primarily “a bench warmer” he was part of a winning NBA team and has the Championship Ring to prove it!
In his NBL career (sixteen seasons) Andrew scored 18,980 points over 612 games in 22 seasons at an average of 30.9 points per game.Andrew was named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player seven times, the NBL’s Most Efficient Player every year from 1990 to 1997 when the award was discontinued because people really didn’t understand what it meant.(He remains the only player to ever win this award).
In another outstanding achievement Andrew was named to a record twelve consecutive NBL All Star Teams.
From 1993 into 1994 Andrew played for the Boomers in the Oceania World Championship Qualification Tournament, toured the USA, played Marathon Oil and George Washington University at home before leading Australia to its equal best ever result at a World Championship when the team finished 5th in the World Championships held in Canada.
By 1995, although it was a way off yet, Andrew eyes were on the Sydney Olympics. He was 30 years of age and at the peak of his game. By Sydney he would be 35, and the wear and tear on his body would be a challenge.
Again there was a series of preparation games and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to negotiate before Sydney. He played for the Boomers against the University of Missouri and Korea in Australia, as well as on the Boomers Team that won the Oceania 1996 Olympic Qualification tournament in 1995. Andrew was selected to the Boomers Team for the Atlanta Olympic Games and in 1996 he played for the Boomers in Australia against the NBA Legends, Lithuania and Italy before playing the USA in Salt Lake City on the way to Atlanta.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics the Boomers scored a memorable win over Croatia in the Quarter Finals to move for the second time in their history into the Medal Round. Andrew was having another outstanding tournament. The Boomers finished 4th their equal best ever result at an Olympics.
In preparation for the Sydney 2000 Olympics no stone was left unturned as the AOC and the Australian Government gave all teams and athletes the best support possible. The Boomers with Andrew on the team played Croatia, Japan and Canada in Australia as well as winning the Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in New Zealand.
On the way to Greece for the 1998 World Championships the Boomers played terrific basketball to take second place in the Goodwill Games in the USA. In the World Championships in Greece the Boomers struggled to find form and finished 9th.
Sydney 2000 Olympics loomed and Andrew played for the Boomers in the Russian series in Australia, on a tour to Europe, in the FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament in Hong Kong before playing the USA in Melbourne and Lithuania in Wollongong. The 2000 Olympics had arrived!
Andrew received the greatest of honours when he was chosen to be the Australian Olympic Team Flag bearer and team Captain at the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. It was a true recognition of a great champion and it was a wonderful accolade for basketball in Australia.
The Boomers got off to a slow start losing their first two games but then came out and defeated Russia, Angola and Spain to make the Quarter Finals. In the game against Russia which was a must win game Andrew excelled. His electrifying shooting and big game plays were an inspiration to watch. In the Quarter Finals the Aussies again caused somewhat of an upset to defeat Italy. They were now in the Medal Round!
Unfortunately the Boomers lost to France in the semi-final and then to Lithuania in the playoff for the Bronze Medal. It was a great result though players were disappointed. A medal would have been a great way for the 35 year Andrew to finish his international career, but unfortunately the fairytale ending did not happen.
After the Sydney Olympics Andrew retired from international competition but the flame for basketball still burned deep inside and he continued to play with the Melbourne Tigers in the NBL until his retirement in May 2005 just short of his 40th birthday.
A natural leader with his skills and competitiveness Andrew Gaze captained the Australian Men’s Olympic Basketball Teams in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. As the leading point scorer (total points) in Olympic basketball history and the second leading scorer in World Basketball Championship history he has left an indelible mark on world basketball.
He played on three Australian Men’s Teams that reached the semi-finals of the Olympic tournament three times......unfortunately never winning the ever elusive Medal.
On five occasions he was named the Australian Men’s International Player of the Year and leads the Australian Boomers for the most games played and the most points scored.
The basketball career and indeed life of Andrew Gaze reads like an encyclopaedia of basketball and his achievements are many and it is no wonder that he is recognised as Australia’s greatest ever basketball player and deservedly so. He was special.
His special qualities included the fact that Andrew always wanted the ball in his hands “in the clutch” and had the confidence to take and make the big shots when they were needed for his club or his country. He did make these shots countless times to the great delight of his team-mates, coaches and fans. Who can forget the big shots he made in the game against the Russians at the 2000 Olympics? With the ball in his hands everyone was confident that great shots would be made and at times some “ridiculous shots” that only he believed he could make.
But Andrew Gaze is as well respected for the person he is......a forever smiling gentle person with a great attitude to his sport, family, and life in general. His team-mates and coaches regarded him as a great person first and a great basketball player second.
“Andrew was my back-court buddy and room-mate for three Olympics. I learnt so much from him. I haven’t played against a more competitive team-mate. He made my job offensively so much easier...as he could score against the best players in the world. His passion was contagious,” remembers Shane Heal.
“Andrew is one of the best human beings I have ever met and had the pleasure of coaching. He has a deep down fierce competitive spirit but his feet remain firmly on the ground and he simply loves to play the game and always played the game in the right spirit and in the way it should be played,” says Dr Adrian Hurley Andrew’s 1988 and 1992 Olympic Coach.
“One player in particular I take great pride in saying I played alongside is Andrew Gaze. I love this guy. One of the best humans I have ever met. I was especially fortunate enough to be there when he announced he was the Flag Bearer in Sydney.....truly deserved,” says Olympic team-mate Martin Cattalini.
After he retired from basketball Andrew stayed involved with basketball with his basketball businesses, junior coaching, media commentary, and advertising as well as being a Director on the Board of basketball Australia. He was a finalist on “Dancing with the Stars” a very popular television series.
As long as basketball is played in Australia, Andrew Gaze will be remembered as one of the finest players ever to grace our courts.
Andrew Gaze was inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame as a player in 2004 and the Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 2005. He was awarded an Order of Australia for his contributions to Australian sport in 2002 and in 2013 was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.
Andrew Gaze playing for Australia (Basketball Australia)
ABOVE: Andrew Gaze Australian Olympic Flag Bearer Sydney 2000 (Sport the Library)
Andrew Gaze (Basketball Australia)
Andrew Gaze in 1986 (The Australian Basketballer Magazine/Phillip Clayton)