Gordon McLeod (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Gordon McLeod (born November 7, 1956 in Wollongong, New South Wales
) is a former professional basketball
player and current head coach of the Wollongong Hawks
in Australia's National Basketball League
.
s when the new NBL started in 1979
. He joined his home town team the Illawarra Hawks for the inaugural season playing 17 games and averaging 10.1 points per game .
McLeod was appointed captain of the Hawks and would continue to lead the team until the end of the 1982 season
. After 82 games in the red and white of Illawarra he would sign with the Sydney Supersonics for 1983. After just one season in Sydney McLeod would re-join the Hawks from 1984, regaining the club captaincy. His return helped the Hawks make the NBL playoffs for the first time in the clubs history. The team lost the Elimination Final 101-108 to the Newcastle Falcons. McLeod had a career best 15.8 points per game during the 1984 NBL season.
The Hawks missed the finals in 1985 but the club made it as far as the Semi Finals in 1986 where they lost to eventual champions Adelaide
and again in 1987 where they lost a three game series again to the eventual league champions, the Brisbane Bullets
. McLeods own form saw him score 9.1 points per game in 1986 and 12.4 points per game in 1987.
Following the 1988 season, McLeod again left the Illawarra Hawks, this time joining the Hobart Devils
. He would play two seasons with the struggling Devils before joining 1990 NBL grand finalist Brisbane for the 1991 season. After the Bullets failed to repeat their 1990 form and failed to make the NBL finals, Gordie McLeod retired from playing professional basketball at the age of 34.
at the 1978 FIBA World Championship
in the Philippines
, helping the team to a then best 7th place. He also represented the Boomers at the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow
where the team finished in 8th position despite the boycott of the games by the gold medal favourite United States.
in 1998. He would lead the team to the 2002
NBL grand final series against the Adelaide 36ers though the Razorbacks would lose the three game series one game to two. He would lead the Razorbacks to a second NBL grand final in the 2003-04 NBL season
. In the first ever five game series the Razorbacks would lose to their cross-town rivals the Sydney Kings
2-3 in a close series. After leading by as much as 17 points in the 3rd period and 79-72 with only 3:10 left in the deciding Game 5, The 'Pigs' were overrun by a suddenly red-hot Kings team who scored the last 18 points of the game to win 90-79.
Despite leading them to the Grand Final in 2003-04, McLeod was not retained by the Razorbacks for the 2004-05 NBL season
. He would sign to be the head coach of the leagues new Singapore Slingers
team in the 2006-07 NBL season
, leading them to the NBL playoffs in their first year in the league.
After the Slingers withdrew from the NBL following the 2007-08 season
, McLeod was appointed as assistant coach of the Aussie Boomers squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
where they finished in 7th place with a 3-3 record.
McLeod re-joined the Wollongong Hawks as head coach for the 2009-10 NBL season, leading the team to a second place regular season finish with a 16-12 record. The Hawks fought their way into their third NBL grand final where they lost one game to two to the Perth Wildcats
. McLeod was rewarded for his coaching efforts during the season as he won his first NBL Coach of the Year
award.
The Hawks had an injury hit season in 20010-11 and they just missed the playoffs despite a 15-13 record. McLeod finished the year with a career NBL coaching record of 149-173, moving him to 14th in all time coaching career wins.
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
) is a former professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and current head coach of the Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...
in Australia's National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
.
Professional career
Gordie McLeod was already known as one of Australia's more talented Point GuardPoint guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
s when the new NBL started in 1979
1979 NBL Season
Here are results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 1979.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 90 games were played, 18 for each team...
. He joined his home town team the Illawarra Hawks for the inaugural season playing 17 games and averaging 10.1 points per game .
McLeod was appointed captain of the Hawks and would continue to lead the team until the end of the 1982 season
1982 NBL Season
The 1982 National Basketball League was the fourth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested in the league from 6 states and 1 territory across Australia...
. After 82 games in the red and white of Illawarra he would sign with the Sydney Supersonics for 1983. After just one season in Sydney McLeod would re-join the Hawks from 1984, regaining the club captaincy. His return helped the Hawks make the NBL playoffs for the first time in the clubs history. The team lost the Elimination Final 101-108 to the Newcastle Falcons. McLeod had a career best 15.8 points per game during the 1984 NBL season.
The Hawks missed the finals in 1985 but the club made it as far as the Semi Finals in 1986 where they lost to eventual champions Adelaide
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
and again in 1987 where they lost a three game series again to the eventual league champions, the Brisbane Bullets
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy...
. McLeods own form saw him score 9.1 points per game in 1986 and 12.4 points per game in 1987.
Following the 1988 season, McLeod again left the Illawarra Hawks, this time joining the Hobart Devils
Hobart Devils
The Hobart Devils were an Australian basketball team that played in Hobart, Tasmania, in the National Basketball League. The team was the only representative from the state of Tasmania for the majority of its tenure, but was one of three teams that had their NBL licenses revoked by the league...
. He would play two seasons with the struggling Devils before joining 1990 NBL grand finalist Brisbane for the 1991 season. After the Bullets failed to repeat their 1990 form and failed to make the NBL finals, Gordie McLeod retired from playing professional basketball at the age of 34.
International career
Gordie McLeod played for the Australian BoomersAustralia national basketball team
The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...
at the 1978 FIBA World Championship
1978 FIBA World Championship
The 1978 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Philippines from October 1 to 14, 1978.Rizal Memorial Coliseum at Manila and Araneta Coliseum at Quezon City, Metro Manila were the venues for the event.-Venues:...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, helping the team to a then best 7th place. He also represented the Boomers at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics was held from July 20 to July 30 at the Olympiiski Indoor Stadium and at the CSKA Sports Palace, both located in Moscow. Finals of both men's and women's events were held 30 July at the Olympiiski Indoor Stadium....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
where the team finished in 8th position despite the boycott of the games by the gold medal favourite United States.
Coaching career
Gordie McLeod started his NBL coaching career as the first head coach of the West Sydney RazorbacksWest Sydney Razorbacks
The Sydney Spirit were a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League...
in 1998. He would lead the team to the 2002
2001-02 NBL Season
Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2000-2001.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 154 games were played, 28 for each team. The top 6 teams qualified for the finals series.-First Round:1st played...
NBL grand final series against the Adelaide 36ers though the Razorbacks would lose the three game series one game to two. He would lead the Razorbacks to a second NBL grand final in the 2003-04 NBL season
2003-04 NBL Season
Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2003-2004.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 198 games were played, 33 for each team...
. In the first ever five game series the Razorbacks would lose to their cross-town rivals the Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
2-3 in a close series. After leading by as much as 17 points in the 3rd period and 79-72 with only 3:10 left in the deciding Game 5, The 'Pigs' were overrun by a suddenly red-hot Kings team who scored the last 18 points of the game to win 90-79.
Despite leading them to the Grand Final in 2003-04, McLeod was not retained by the Razorbacks for the 2004-05 NBL season
2004-05 NBL Season
Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2004-2005.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 176 games were played, 32 for each team...
. He would sign to be the head coach of the leagues new Singapore Slingers
Singapore Slingers
The Singapore Slingers are an Asian basketball team that formerly competed in the Australian National Basketball League. They were the first - and so far the only - Asia-based club to compete in the NBL when they joined at the start of the 2006/07 season....
team in the 2006-07 NBL season
2006-07 NBL Season
The 2006-07 National Basketball League is the 29th season of professional basketball in Australia. For the first time, a team was established from outside the Australasian area, with the Singapore Slingers taking over the licence of the Hunter Pirates...
, leading them to the NBL playoffs in their first year in the league.
After the Slingers withdrew from the NBL following the 2007-08 season
2007-08 NBL Season
2007-08 is the 30th NBL season.On 21 November 2006, the NBL announced that Gold Coast Blaze will join the league, expanding it to 13 teams.-2007-08 league participants:-Pre-season Transactions:...
, McLeod was appointed as assistant coach of the Aussie Boomers squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
where they finished in 7th place with a 3-3 record.
McLeod re-joined the Wollongong Hawks as head coach for the 2009-10 NBL season, leading the team to a second place regular season finish with a 16-12 record. The Hawks fought their way into their third NBL grand final where they lost one game to two to the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
. McLeod was rewarded for his coaching efforts during the season as he won his first NBL Coach of the Year
NBL (Australia) Coach of the Year
The NBL Coach of the Year award takes into account regular-season performances only, and is voted on by head coaches, assistant coaches and team captains on a 3-2-1 basis.* 1980 Barry Barnes...
award.
The Hawks had an injury hit season in 20010-11 and they just missed the playoffs despite a 15-13 record. McLeod finished the year with a career NBL coaching record of 149-173, moving him to 14th in all time coaching career wins.