Brendon Hackwill

HTML <h2><strong>No 28 BRENDON HACKWI</strong><strong>LL</strong></h2>

HTML <h2><strong>6 feet 8 inch (204cm) Forward/Centre</strong></h2>

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

HTML <p>Brendon Alan Hackwill was born on the 9th of May, 1942.</p>

HTML <p>He started to play basketball with the Melbourne Church Club after attending a “trial” for “big kids” arranged by Ken Watson and Lindsay Gaze. He was too old for the Under 18 team that the coaches were seeking players for but they recognised Brendon’s raw talent and invited him to stay with the Club and play on the men’s reserveMelbourne Church team.</p>

HTML <p>“Hack” was a strapping 204 cm89 kg player, who was an excellent rebounder and jumper.</p>

HTML <p>As Lindsay Gaze recalls, “Hack made great progress and although we thought he was only going to be good enough for our reserve team he progressed to our first division Tigers State championship squad.”</p>

HTML <p>After a player withdrew from the 1964 Victorian State Team for the National Championships Brendon was promoted to State Team. This was a very rapid rise! In a few short years he was representing his State of Victoria. Victoria had an excellent team in 1964 and included players such as Les Hody and Bill Wyatt and Lindsay Gaze.</p>

HTML <p>Remarkably, after the Australian Championships in Adelaide Brendon was selected on the Australian Basketball Team for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.</p>

HTML <p>Lindsay continues the story, “There is no doubt that Hack made the most incredible progress through the ranks of rookie recruit to State Championship level and National Team in the shortest period of time. That would be unimaginable today.”</p>

HTML <p>At the Tokyo Olympics Brendon played and scored in every game. His best point scoring effort was against Mexico when he scored 12 points. The Australian Team played in the tough Olympic Qualification Tournament in Yokohama where they lost only one game and qualified for the Olympic Finals in Tokyo.</p>

HTML <p> In Tokyo the Australians played above expectations of the basketball world and the fans at home when they secured ninth position. It was a marvellous result that put Australian basketball on the world stage. The 1964 Australian Men’s Olympic Basketball Team was Australia’s most successful Olympic team to that time.</p>

HTML <p>After the 1964 Olympic Games the talented Hackwill wanted to have a go at Australian Rules Football (AFL) and joined the Fitzroy Club. </p>

HTML <p>At Fitzroy, Brendon played 17 senior games and scored five goals in the 1965 and 1966 seasons.</p>

HTML <p>There was a general opinion that if Brendon had started playing Aussie Rules at an early age he would have been a greater success in the AFL competition.</p>

HTML <p>Brendon continued in basketball and was to influence future Olympians such as Ray Borner and Richard Duke.</p>

HTML <p>Ray Borner recalls,“One day the General Manager of the Ballarat Association came to me and asked me where I wanted to go with basketball? I replied that I wanted to play in Melbourne and that was about the extent of my dreams.The General Manager was Brendon Hackwill the 1964Australian basketball Olympian and former AFL player. He told me that I had the potential to be an Olympian if I wanted it. That discussion changed my whole perspective on basketball and what I wanted out of it. I am forever grateful to Brendon for his advice and motivation.”</p>

HTML <p>When Richard Duke a future Olympian was at the CYMS club he was under the guidance of Hackwill. The Melbourne Sporting Globe writer Don Richards later recalled in an article, “Richard Duke almost drifted out of basketball in the late sixties because he was considered not good enough to play junior basketball for Victoria, but Duke was given renewed hope by former Olympian Brendon Hackwill who took over coaching of the CYMS.”</p>

HTML <p>Brendon Hackwill’s basketball career was most likely the most rapid in terms of the time taken from beginning the game of basketball to representing Australia at an Olympic Games. He was a very talented athlete, competitor, coach of juniors and Olympian.</p>

HTML <p>Brendon Hackwill passed away aged 47 in 1989.</p>

HTML <p>Brendan Hackwill (8) attempts to block a shot at the 1964 Olympic Games while Les Hody (13) blocks out (L. Hody)</p>

HTML <p>Brendon Hackwill in Australian tie (L. Hody)</p>

HTML <p>Brendon Hackwill at the Olympic Training Pool in Tokyo in 1968 (L. Gaze)</p>