Mike Dancis

HTML <h2><strong>No 25 MIKE DANCIS</strong></h2>

HTML <h2><strong>6 feet 7 inch (201cm) Forward/Centre</strong></h2>

HTML <h2><strong>1964, 1968 Olympic Games</strong></h2>

HTML <p>At the start of the Second World War the Soviet Union occupied Latvia with agreement from Germany. The Germans then invaded Latvia and the Soviet Union. Towards the end of the war the Soviet Union once again marched through Latvia.Towards the end of the Second World War when Mike was five years old his family fled Latvia to Germany to escape the invading Russians. The family lived in the Displaced Persons (DP) Camp in Wurzburg, Germany from 1945 to 1949. In the camp Mike and his elder brother George learned to play basketball. The family then emigrated to Australia but not without dramas. Their father was delayed entry because of poor health and Mike and his mother had to stay in Italy while George was shipped to Australia (because he was of working age). Mike and his mother came to Australia on the MV “General Blachford” on the 11th of November, 1949 and lived in the migrant camp at Bathurst. George his brother was at that time working in Melbourne.The family worked to bring their father to Australia. Unfortunately their father died of a heart attack before he was able to leave Europe. The family (George, Mike and his mother) moved to Adelaide in 1951.</p>

HTML <p>Mikelis Reinis “Mike” Dancis was born September 10th, 1939 in Riga, Latvia ten days after Germany invaded Poland. After his family migrated to Australia in 1949 competition basketball started for Mike as a thirteen year old when he joined the Adelaide Latvian Sports Club (ALS) in 1951. He was following his elder brother Juris (George) who was a well known senior player for ALS and who was to go onto be an Olympian (1956 and 1960) for Australia.</p>

HTML <p>Under George’s guidance Mike was selected to the South Australian Under 18 Team that won the National Title in 1956. At that time Mike joined his brother George on the senior ALS team. Mike went on to win seven SA State League Championships with Latvian Giants and Adelaide Latvian Sports (ALS) later known as Adelaide Sports Club (ASK). </p>

HTML <p>Mike attributes the great rise in Adelaide and SA basketball at that time to the influx of refugee migrants from the Baltic States from 1947-1952 and the Hungarian refugee migrants after 1956.</p>

HTML <p>Mike was selected in the SA Men’s Team at the age of nineteen in 1958 to contest the Australian Championships which were held in Hobart. He continued to be a member of the SA Men’s Team for some fifteen years until 1972. He was a member offive SA teams that won the Australian Championships (1959, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1972).</p>

HTML <p>Mike was, like his “big” brother George, a big man. Though not exceptionally tall at 201 cm Mike had a big build and at 105 kg was very physical for those times. An excellent rebounder, passer and scorer near the basket Mike was a handful for all opposition teams in Adelaide who often had no players the size of Mike or his brotherGeorge.</p>

HTML <p>In 1964 Mike was selected to the Australian Olympic Men’s Basketball Team to contest the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. This was a great opportunity for Mike and it meant that he and his brother were now Olympians. George and Mike never played on the same Olympic team. The Heard brothers John and Mal were the first to do this in 1960 and were followed by the Dalton brothers in 1984. </p>

HTML <p>Mike was an integral part of that 1964 Olympic Team which went on to put Australia on the “world map” in basketball when the team played through the Qualification Tournament in Yokohama to qualify for the Olympic Finals in Tokyo. The teamwent on to gain 9th place at the 1964 Olympics Games. Their performances and the media coverage did a lot for basketball back in Australia.</p>

HTML <p>From 1964 to 1968 Mike continued to be one of Australia’s, South Australia’s and Adelaide’s outstanding players and was selected to the Australian Team to contest the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. Unfortunately the team, which did not have enough international competition, faltered in the Qualification Tournament held in Monterrey, Mexico and did not qualify for the Olympic Finals in Mexico City. Like all the players Mike was very disappointed in the results, and particularly so after the heights of their performances in Tokyo four years before.</p>

HTML <p>After returning from Mexico Mike continued to represent ASK and SA.</p>

HTML <p>He played with the ASK club in the Australian Basketball Association (ABA) and the South Eastern Conference (SEC) competitions in the 1960’s and 1970’s.</p>

HTML <p>Mike retired from State League competition in 1973 and became involved in coaching ASK at the ABA and junior levels. His coaching took him into schools (primary and secondary) and Colleges. He also represented ASK at State level administration.</p>

HTML <p>Mike says that he was also very fortunate in being able to continue to play the game he loves at the Masters level and has competed in most of the Australian Masters Games and in five World Masters Games since 1994.</p>

HTML <p>Mike Dancis was a pioneer for basketball at the Olympic level. He and his brother George (a member of the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame) had a huge influence on basketball in South Australia and with the Australian Team. From his dramatic beginnings in war torn Europe Mike was able to come to his new country and like so many migrants add to the culture and sporting excellence of which Australia is so proud today.</p>

HTML <p>Mike Dancis (11) in the jump ball at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games (IOC)</p>

HTML <p>Mike Dancis (M. Dancis)</p>

HTML <p>Mike Dancis (right) with his brother George holding the ball with a young fan (M. Dancis)</p>