Perry "Rocky" Crosswhite

HTML <h2><strong>No</strong><strong> 38 PERRY </strong><strong>“ROCKY” </strong><strong>CROSSWHITE</strong></h2>

HTML <h2><strong>6 feet 9 inch (206cm) Forward</strong></h2>

HTML <h2><strong>1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympic Games</strong></h2>

HTML <p>In 1969 the University of Davidson, Carolina was enjoying a great season on the basketball court. Their charismatic coach Lefty Driesell received a letter from Lindsay Gaze a coach at the Melbourne Tigers Basketball Club in Australia asking if any of the Davidson University players were interested in playing basketball in Melbourne. Lefty placed the letter on the player’s notice-board. A tall, lanky left-handed player on his team stood and read the letter and thought “that sounds like a good adventure”. He wrote to Lindsay Gaze, they exchanged correspondence until the left-hander made the decision to go to Melbourne. This began an outstanding career for the young American as a basketball player and sports administrator in Australia.</p>

HTML <p>Perry Rothrock “Rocky”Crosswhite was born 22nd of September in 1947 in Washington District of Columbia, in the USA.</p>

HTML <p>Perry started playing basketball through the school system and in the local parks and school yards where there were outside basketball goals and backboards. He commenced playing competitively in the fifth grade when he was around tenyears old.</p>

HTML <p>Rocky played representative basketball at primary, JuniorHigh, and High School (Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland – Montgomery County). He represented his school in League and State Championships levels from 1958 to 1965.</p>

HTML <p>In 1966 he was recruited by a number of Universities and Colleges and received a basketball scholarship from Davidson College which is in North Carolina. Here he commenced a four year Bachelor of Arts Degree program concluding in 1969. In 1968, Davidson University was ranked 8th in the nation. In1969 they finished the season ranked 3rd in the nation. The team went to the Finals of the NCAA tournament (Eastern Regionals), both these years losing to North Carolina by a couple of points in the final. While at College Perry’s basketball was very much influenced by coaches who became household names in US College coaching...Lefty Driesell, Terry Holland and Gale Catlett.</p>

HTML <p>After a successful last year at Davidson, Perry replied to theletter from Lindsay Gaze in Australia. They corresponded and Perry came to Melbourne to play with the Melbourne Tigers. Perry thus became one of the first American “import” players to play in Australia. Perry comments. “I believe I was the second American player to be recruited to Australia to play basketball, I believe the first was Freddie Guy.” Perry was joined at the Tigers by Ken James from the Brigham Young University and their combination at the already very powerful Tigers was to help continue the Tigers Club dominance of Victorian and Australian Club basketball.</p>

HTML <p>Perry played with the Tigers in the Australian Basketball Club competition system in the Victorian Championships (VBA), National Championships (for State teams),National Club Championships, and went on numerous tours with the Melbourne Tigers.“Although I acquired the fundamentals in basketball in America I found that my basketball skills were developed more consistently and successfully in Australia. More importantly my game became more “diversified” as I found myself playing more positions,” says Perry.</p>

HTML <p>Highlights for Perry in Australia were winning the first two Australian Club Championships as part of the Melbourne Tigers team, and winning National Championships as a member of the Victorian State Team. He won the Alan Hughes Medal for the Best and Fairest Player at the 1971 Australian Championships.</p>

HTML <p>Perry had been granted Australian citizenship in September 1971 (he had married Australian Janice Steel in January 1970), and was eligible according to the FIBA and Olympic rules to play for Australia.</p>

HTML <p>In the lead-up to the 1972 Olympic Games Perry played on Australian teams that played extensively overseas. This included tours to the USA, Iran, the Philippines and Europe in order to toughen the players, bring the team closer together and to match them against “superior” opposition whenever they could.</p>

HTML <p>Perry was subsequently selected on the Australian Olympic Men’s Basketball Team for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. For Perry, “The basketball highlights of the 1972 Games included the second place ranking of our shooting guard Eddie Palubinskas in the tournament scoring, and our wins over Brazil, Poland and West Germany”. He cites watching the Gold Medal game where Russia defeated the USA as being a remarkable if not highly controversial game. He regarded the 1972 Australian Olympic Basketball Team “as the closest group of players that Iever played with.”</p>

HTML <p>Although he was disappointed with the result in Munich (9th) the team was especially successful in his eyes since they defeated a world power in Brazil which had won the Silver Medal at the 1968 Olympic Games.</p>

HTML <p>In 1974 Perry was selected in the Australian Team which competed at the World Championships in Puerto Rico where the team finished in 12th position. Two year later in 1976 Perry was selected to the Australian Olympic Basketball Team for the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. </p>

HTML <p>Again Perry praises the extensive overseas tours to the USA and the College teams coming to Australia as being significant in the team’s preparation and success.Basketball highlights at the 1976 Olympic Games for Perry included, “The shoot-out at the OK Corralagainst Mexico which we needed to win to get into the final eight. We won 120-117....in triple overtime.” </p>

HTML <p>Australia finished eighth in Montreal with three wins and five losses their best ever Olympic result to that time.</p>

HTML <p>Following the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Perry went to the University of North Carolina and completed a graduate degree in Sports Administration. </p>

HTML <p>On returning to Australia he continued to play with the Melbourne Tigers and was then selected onthe Australian Team for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. He was named Captain of the team as he was in Montreal.There was drama prior to the Moscow Olympics with the US led boycott of the Games. At the “eleventh hour” the Australian Government left the decision to boycott to the athletes and the Australian Basketball Team decided go to Moscow.</p>

HTML <p>“For my team-mates and meMoscow will always be remembered for the seven point disaster where Italy and Cuba contrived a seven point margin to eliminate Australia from the Finals. Italy won by seven points and some hours after the match finished, we were all still sitting in the grandstand trying to comprehend what had happened. The result still haunts me with thoughts of all the “what ifs” particularly as it was my last Games,” remembers Perry.</p>

HTML <p>After the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games Perry fashioned a very successful career in sport administration in Victoria, Canberra and across Australia. He has held significant positions with Sport and Recreation Victoria, the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Olympic Council and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association. He was named “Australian Sports Executive of the Year” in 1998, and was inducted into the Victorian Sport Hall of Fame and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2003.</p>

HTML <p>His family, wife Janice and his children also contributed to basketball in their clubs and States as players.</p>

HTML <p>In June 2007 Perry was made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Awards for his services to sport, particularly through executive roles with the Commonwealth and Olympic organizations and as international player.</p>

HTML <p>Perry “Rocky” Crosswhite made the decision to come to Australia in 1979 and from that beginning etched out a career as one of Australia’s best players, a three time Olympian, and an outstanding sports administrator.</p>

HTML <p>Perry Crosswhite (11) and Eddie Palubinskas (Courtesy of P. Crosswhite)</p>

HTML <p>Perry and his wife Janice at the airport as the Australian Team departs for the Olympic Games (P. Crosswhite)</p>

HTML <p>Perry Crosswhite playing against Czechoslovakia (P. Crosswhite)</p>