Andrew Gaze

Andrew Barry Casson Gaze AM (born 24 July 1965) is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He played 22 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Melbourne Tigers from 1984 to 2005, winning the league's MVP award seven times and winning the scoring title 14 times. He also guided the Tigers to two NBL championships, in 1993 and 1997, and was named an All-NBL First Team member for a record 15 consecutive years. Gaze has been described as one of the greatest players Australia has ever produced.[1][2]

Andrew Gaze
Gaze at a Melbourne Tigers home game in 2011
Personal information
Born (1965-07-24) 24 July 1965
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Listed height201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Listed weight95 kg (209 lb)
Career information
High schoolAlbert Park College
(Melbourne, Victoria)
CollegeSeton Hall (1988–1989)
NBA draft1987: undrafted
Playing career1984–2005
PositionShooting guard
Number10, 4
Coaching career2016–present
Career history
As player:
1984–2005Melbourne Tigers
1991–1992Udine
1994Washington Bullets
1995Apollon Patras
1999San Antonio Spurs
As coach:
2016–2017Melbourne Tigers
2016–2019Sydney Kings
2022–presentMelbourne Tigers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBL statistics
Points18,908 (30.8 ppg)
Rebounds3,121 (5.1 rpg)
Assists3,531 (5.8 apg)
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
FIBA Hall of Fame as player

Gaze led the senior Australian national team, the Boomers, to five Summer Olympic Games – including as the flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and he was also the Australian Team Captain. He was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2005, after being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2002. In 2013, he joined his father, Lindsay, in the FIBA Hall of Fame, after being elected as a player, to become just the third Australian inductee.[3][4] Two Australian basketball awards have been named in Gaze's honour: the NBL MVP award is named the Andrew Gaze Trophy, and the Australian International Player of the Year award is named the Gaze Medal.

Early life and family

Gaze was born in Melbourne, Victoria, the son of Lindsay and Margaret Gaze. He has an older sister, Janet. Gaze is also the nephew of former Australian Opals coach Tony Gaze and the cousin of Mark Gaze, who played 182 games in the NBL from 1983–1991 and represented Australia at the 1982 FIBA World Championship. He is also the second cousin of Canberra Capitals guard Kate Gaze, the daughter of Mark Gaze and former WNBL player Michelle O'Connor.

Gaze grew up at Albert Park Basketball Stadium, the home of the Victorian Basketball Association (VBA), with his father the general manager of the VBA at the time. After graduating from Albert Park College, Gaze pursued a professional basketball career and attended Victoria University in Melbourne.

Playing career

NBL and college

In 1984, Gaze joined the Melbourne Tigers of the National Basketball League as an 18-year-old. His first season with the Tigers saw him win the NBL Rookie of the Year Award after averaging an impressive 29.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals in 24 games.[5] By 1986, he made his first All-NBL First Team selection. He would go on to earn first-team honours in 15 straight seasons (1986–2000). In the 1987 NBL season, Gaze set an NBL record for points per game in a season when he averaged 44.1 points. This was despite the Tigers finishing the season in last place with a 3–23 record. During the season, Gaze had a 60-point game (against the Newcastle Falcons) and another five 50-point games.

Following the 1988 NBL season, Gaze, who was spotted by talent scouts while playing for Australia at the 1988 Olympics, moved to the United States after being recruited to play college basketball for Seton Hall University. During the 1988–89 season, Gaze played in 38 games for the Seton Hall Pirates, averaging 13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.[6] Gaze started every game in The Hall's first-ever run to the NCAA Final Four, twice leading all Pirates scorers with 19 points in their Elite Eight win over UNLV and 20 points (highlighted by 4-from-9 shooting from 3) in the National Semifinal win against Duke. He completed his season at Seton Hall with an 80–79 overtime loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA Championship Game which was played in front of 39,187 fans at the Kingdome in Seattle, where he was heavily guarded and limited to only five field goal attempts, all from three-point range. After a year in New Jersey, Gaze returned to Australia and re-joined the Tigers for the 1989 NBL season.[7] He missed the back-end of the 1990 NBL season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder.[8]

Not known for being an outstanding athlete, Gaze's heavy scoring in the NBL was due to exceptional shooting, including from three-point range. A crowd favourite to the Tigers faithful, Gaze was a front runner in the league's resurgence during the 1990s, as he and American import Lanard Copeland combined to form a formidable backcourt and guided the Tigers to two championships in 1993 and 1997.[9] Playing under his father with the Tigers, Gaze assured the team were perpetual finalists.

In his later years, Gaze still managed to score at a high clip for the Tigers, averaging over 19 points per game in each of his last four NBL seasons. Following the 2004–05 NBL season, Gaze announced his retirement from the NBL. In 20 seasons with the Tigers, he played a total of 612 games and recorded 18,908 points at an average of 30.9 points per game.[5]

Europe and NBA

In addition to playing in the NBL, Gaze spent multiple seasons overseas during the 1990s. In 1991, Gaze became the first Australian male to play professionally in Europe, with Italian 2nd League club Udine. In a six-month stint in Italy, he averaged over 30 points per game.[10] Despite his best efforts, the team finished the league last and was relegated to the 3rd division. In March 1994, Gaze returned to the United States and signed with the NBA's Washington Bullets. In seven games for the Bullets during the 1993–94 NBA season, he averaged 3.1 points per game. In early 1995, he moved to Greece and played half a season for Greek League club Apollon Patras.[11] He had another short stint in the NBA during the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, this time with the San Antonio Spurs. He received very little court time for a stacked Spurs team that included guards Mario Elie, Avery Johnson, Antonio Daniels and Steve Kerr. He appeared in just 19 games for the Spurs during the regular season and was inactive for the entire playoff run, which saw the Spurs win their first NBA championship.[12]

National team

On the international stage, Gaze forged his reputation as one of Australia's finest products, appearing at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, as a 19-year-old. He led all scorers at the 1994 FIBA World Championship with 23.9 points per game, leading the Aussies to a fifth-place finish. In 2000, he became (jointly with American Teresa Edwards) the third basketball player to compete at five Olympics,[13] after Puerto Rican Teófilo Cruz and Brazilian Oscar Schmidt. That year, Gaze was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, and he was also the Australian Team Captain. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he led the Boomers to their then best Olympic performance, a fourth-placed finish, with a 5–3 record.[14]

Gaze also competed in four FIBA World Cups with the Boomers, as he played in more than 280 matches for Australia. Gaze is the second all-time career points scorer, behind only Brazil's Oscar Schmidt, in Summer Olympic Games history, and he is third all-time in career points scored in FIBA World Cup history, after Schmidt and Argentina's Luis Scola.

Coaching career

Sydney Kings

In April 2016, Gaze was appointed head coach of the Sydney Kings in the NBL.[15] He served as coach for three seasons before stepping down in 2019.[16][17]

Melbourne Tigers

In 2016 and 2017, Gaze served as head coach of the Melbourne Tigers men's team in the SEABL.[18][19][20]

On 4 February 2022, Gaze was announced as head coach of the Melbourne Tigers men's team for the 2022 NBL1 South season.[21] He returned as head coach for the 2023 season.[22]

Indiana Pacers

In 2017, Gaze joined the coaching staff of the Indiana Pacers for the Orlando Summer League.[23]

Off the court

After retiring from playing professionally, Gaze became a media personality and began commentating NBL games for Network Ten and Fox Sports. He is also a presenter on Channel Seven's Guide to the Good Life and on Bounce on Fox Footy. In 2006, he appeared in season five of Dancing with the Stars.[24]

In March 2016, Gaze became an ambassador for the non-for-profit organisation The Beehive Foundation, a charity that runs free programs to develop resilience and coping mechanisms for youth via junior sporting organisations.[25][26]

Gaze and his wife Melinda have four children; Courtney, Phoebe, Annie and Mason. In 2014, he was named Australian Father of the Year by children's charity The Shepherd Centre.[27]

Between 2005 and 2010, the Gaze shoe brand sold over 500,000 pairs.[28]

Records, honours and awards

Honour roll
NBL career: 1984–2005
NBL Championships: 2× (1993, 1997)
NBL Grand Final appearances: 4× (1992, 1993, 1996, 1997)
NBL Most Valuable Player: 7× (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
All-NBL First Team: 15× (1986–2000)
NBL Rookie of the Year: 1984
Gaze Medal: 6× (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000)
Australian Basketball Hall of Fame: 2004
Sport Australia Hall of Fame: 2005
FIBA Hall of Fame: 2013

Career statistics

NBL
† NBL Championship
YearTeamGGSMINPTSAVG.FGFGAPCT.3–FG3–FGAPCT.FTFTAPCT.REBASTSTLBLKTOPF
1984 Melbourne Tigers 24240.0069929.111.718.6.5760.51.6.3255.17.2.7246.74.11.60.32.33.8
1985 Melbourne Tigers 18180.0054730.411.823.2.512.06.1.3364.66.4.7096.74.42.10.34.93.9
1986 Melbourne Tigers 25250.0092236.913.826.1.5292.15.5.3817.088.8.8057.34.42.10.24.03.4
1987 Melbourne Tigers 202047.788244.115.930.2.5263.48.6.3938.911.8098.25.82.50.14.83.3
1988 Melbourne Tigers 242446.888636.913.526.3.5234.19.5.4325.77.2.7926.34.72.30.63.73.0
1989 Melbourne Tigers 272745.793134.512.423.5393.89.7.4015.76.9.8345.37.22.40.84.23.9
1990 Melbourne Tigers 22220.0082837.613.623.7.5753.59.0.3856.87.8.8734.86.92.60.34.03.2
1991 Melbourne Tigers 282846.4108638.813.524.3.5543.19.3.3338.69.9.8714.46.02.70.44.53.8
1992 Melbourne Tigers 323246.1108233.811.222.1.5082.98.8.3318.39.6.8654.66.32.70.35.03.4
1993 † Melbourne Tigers 333345.8105632.010.620.8.5113.18.0.3917.58.7.8584.66.32.70.35.03.4
1994 Melbourne Tigers 303047100133.410.921.2.5152.57.1.3219.210.1.9054.87.22.40.25.73.3
1995 Melbourne Tigers 292946.898333.911.322.5133.18.5.3618.19.1.8984.28.02.30.54.53.3
1996 Melbourne Tigers 353546.6108931.11019.8.5063.18.7.3587.98.7.9055.38.11.70.54.73.1
1997 † Melbourne Tigers 353547.9108030.910.420.1.5204.010.4.3905.86.7.8574.66.71.40.44.53.5
1998 Melbourne Tigers 323247.5100731.510.621.3.4973.910.5.3756.27.0.8934.66.51.40.23.73.0
1998–99 Melbourne Tigers 171747.656930.911.421.3.5344.411.1.4215.96.6.8934.65.52.20.13.62.4
1999–2000 Melbourne Tigers 313147.290430.99.519.6.4883.09.0.3446.97.8.8815.76.51.50.23.73.0
2000–01 Melbourne Tigers 282846.481629.19.418.5.5083.08.6.3577.27.8.9146.35.80.90.24.83.9
2001–02 Melbourne Tigers 242436.645819.1613.1.4571.66.2.2655.46.1.8844.05.00.70.53.32.9
2002–03 Melbourne Tigers 292942.164022.16.614.2.4692.57.9.3466.06.7.8934.04.71.10.54.23.6
2003–04 Melbourne Tigers 353538.874621.3713.6.5142.56.9.3644.75.2.9023.33.50.90.42.82.8
2004–05 Melbourne Tigers 343435.169622.16.613.6.4842.36.8.3484.85.8.8293.13.10.80.32.42.4
Career 61261238.718.90830.910.520.451.83.08.1.3656.77.8.8605.15.81.80.44.13.3

NBA
† NBA Championship
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1993–94 Washington 7010.0.471.5001.0001.0.7.3.13.1
1998–99 San Antonio 1903.1.320.313.000.3'.3.1.11.1
Career 2604.9.381.3751.000.5.4.2.11.7

College
YearTeamGGSMINPTSAVG.FGFGAPCT.3–FG3–FGAPCT.FTFTAPCT.REBASTSTLBLKTOPF
1988–89Seton Hall383732.651613.65.58.8.5092.55.8.4252.23.0.7264.52.82.92.10.41.3

See also

Bibliography

Contributor
  • Gaze, Andrew (2007). "Contributor". Laugh Even Louder!. By Camp Quality. Gosford, New South Wales: Scholastic Australia Pty Limited. ISBN 978-1-74169-022-4.[34]

References
  1. Scanlan, Alex (25 August 2015). "He set records galore in the NBL but has Andrew Gaze been usurped as our best ever basketballer?". FoxSports.com. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  2. "Q & A WITH ANDREW GAZE". NBL.com.au. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  3. ANDREW GAZE INDUCTED INTO FIBA HALL OF FAME
  4. Basketball legend ANDREW GAZE inducted into FIBA Hall Of Fame
  5. Player statistics for Andrew Gaze
  6. Andrew Gaze College Stats
  7. "Gaze Is Gone But Questions Arise (Published 1989)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022.
  8. THE SIDELINES : Clot Hospitalizes Andrew Gaze
  9. Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland
  10. Andrew Gaze – Music Theatre Australia
  11. Andrew Gaze playing in Greece
  12. Andrew Gaze NBA Stats
  13. Australian Olympic Committee: Andrew Gaze
  14. Andrew Gaze Olympic Stats
  15. SYDNEY KINGS ANNOUNCE ANDREW GAZE AS NEW HEAD COACH
  16. Sydney Kings confirm Andrew Gaze as head coach for 2018-19 NBL season
  17. "Andrew Gaze To Step Down As Sydney Kings Coach After NBL19 Finals". Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  18. ANDREW GAZE ANNOUNCED AS MELBOURNE TIGERS HEAD COACH
  19. "Andrew Gaze to coach Melbourne Tigers in SEABL but NBL dreams remain". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 December 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019.
  20. SEABL | Andrew Gaze to visit Tasmania as Melbourne Tigers face Hobart Chargers and North-West Thunder
  21. "Australian basketball legends named as coaches of Melbourne Tigers". NBL1. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  22. "2023 Melbourne Tigers Senior Coaches". tigersbasketball.com.au. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  23. "GAZE JOINS INDIANA PACERS". Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  24. Gaze bounces out of show
  25. "Ambassadors". BeehiveFoundation.org.au. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  26. "We are extremely excited to announce that Basketball Legend and media..." Facebook.com. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  27. Basketball legend Andrew Gaze named 2014 Australian Father of the Year
  28. Gaze.com.au
  29. "Andrew Gaze Elevated to Legend Status". NBL.com.au. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  30. "#NBLRANK THE GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME – SHOOTING GUARD". aussiehoopla.com. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  31. "NBL ALL-TIME STATISTICS". aussiehoopla.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  32. "All Time Leaders". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017.
  33. Ward, Roy (8 February 2018). "Andrew Gaze, Mark Bradtke head NBL 40th anniversary team". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  34. Camp Quality (2007). Laugh Even Louder!. Gosford, New South Wales: Scholastic Australia Pty Limited. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-74169-022-4.
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