Andrew Gaze
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| Andrew Barry Gaze | |
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| Position | Guard |
| Height | 201 cm (6 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Born | 24 July 1965 Melbourne, Australia |
| College/University | Seton Hall |
| Debut | 1984 |
| Final Game | 2005 |
| Games Played | 603[1] |
| Previous Clubs | Melbourne Tigers 1984–2005 |
| Championships | 1993, 1997 |
| Career Highlights | Played for Washington Bullets and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA NBA Championship 1999, San Antonio Spurs Australian Team Captain 1994–2000 Olympic Squad Member 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 1984 NBL Rookie of the Year 1991, 1992, 1994–1998 NBL MVP All-time leading points scorer in the NBL FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991) |
Andrew Barry Casson Gaze (born 24 July 1965) is Australia's best known basketball player,[2][3][4] and one of its most successful. He is considered as the greatest player in the history of the NBL.
Son of Australian basketball player and coach, Lindsay Gaze, Andrew began his career in the NBL at age 18, being named Rookie of the year in 1984. He was the top scorer in the league for a total of 14 seasons. Not an outstanding athlete, Gaze's heavy scoring was due to exceptional shooting, including from three-point range. A crowd favourite, one of Gaze's trademark plays for the Tigers was a pass to American import Lanard Copeland for an alley oop.[5] Playing under his father with the Tigers, Gaze led the team to two titles and were perpetual finalists.
Gaze also excelled at the international arena, and in 2000 became (jointly with American Teresa Edwards) the third basketball player to compete at five Olympics, after Puerto Rican Teófilo Cruz and Brazilian Oscar Schmidt. He led the Boomers to their best performance, fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. (The Boomers also came fourth in 1988 and 2000.[6]) He was selected as flag-bearer for the Australian team at the opening ceremony at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He is the scoring record holder in Olympic competition, and second-highest scorer of all-time in World Championship play.
In 1988–99, Gaze played a season of U.S. college basketball at Seton Hall, where his team made the 1989 NCAA finals, losing in overtime to Michigan. He tried out with the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, but was not offered a contract and ultimately waived.[7] In 1993–94 he played seven games for the Washington Bullets. He had another short stint in the NBA in lockout-shortened 1998–99 with the San Antonio Spurs, but received very little court time and was injured for the latter part of the season. He received a championship ring after the Spurs won the 1999 NBA title, although he was left off the playoff roster.
After the Sydney Olympics, Gaze retired from international competition, but continued to play in the NBL. On 12 May 2005, he announced his retirement from the game after 612 games in the NBL and 20 years of professional basketball.
Soon after, he released his autobiography, A Kid, a Ball, a Dream, co-authored with Grantley Bernard.
Today, Gaze has carved out a career as a media personality, appearing on commercials for Dodo Internet and Voltaren and commentating NBL basketball matches for SEN 1116 and (occasionally) Fox Sports. Also, Gaze now coaches for the Melbourne Tigers' junior basketball club. Gaze appeared in series five of Dancing with the Stars.
In July 2007, Gaze was approached by members of the Australian Labor Party to stand as a candidate in a by-election for the Electoral district of Albert Park. Gaze had previously considered running for election for Labor.[8] He is a republican.[9]
He currently is a presenter on Channel Seven's Guide to the Good Life.
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[edit] Records and awards
- Record for most Olympic Games for an Australian basketballer (5)
- Scored 18,908 points in the NBL over 612 games in a 22-season span at an average of 30.9 points per game
- Received Most Valuable Player (MVP) award a record 7 times
- Australian International Player of the Year (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000)
- won the NBL Most Efficient Player award every year from 1990 to 1997. The award was then discontinued, making Gaze the only ever person to win the award.
- He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
- Crowned Moomba Monarch (popularly called King of Moomba) by the Melbourne festival committee in 1994.[10]
- Former Consultation Committee Member of the Human Rights Consultation Committee of Vicotria which formulated the Draft Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, a precursor to the Victorian Charter of Rights.[11]
[edit] Sources
- ^ NBL Stats. NBL Stats (2011-02-06). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
- ^ Basketball Australia : Board of Directors. Basketball.net.au. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
- ^ Speaker Andrew Gaze Full Biography – Speakers Bureau @ ICMI. Icmi.com.au. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
- ^ Andrew Gaze. NAB. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
- ^ Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland. YouTube (2008-07-05). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
- ^ Andrew Gaze Biography and Olympic Results | Olympics at. Sports-reference.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
- ^ Sonics Release Gaze published 31 October 1989
- ^ "Gaze linked to state Labor seat". The Age. 2007-08-01. http://www.theage.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Gaze-linked-to-state-Labor-seat/2007/08/01/1185647929747.html. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ ABC Radio National – The Sports Factor Transcript – 13 August July 1999. Webcache.googleusercontent.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
- ^ Craig Bellamy, Gordon Chisholm, Hilary Eriksen (17 Feb 2006) Moomba: A festival for the people. pp. 17–22
- ^ The Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities: Exegesis and Criticism – [2006] MULR 28; 30(3) Melbourne University Law Review 906. Austlii.edu.au. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- http://www.interbasket.net/players/gaze.htm
- Sports-Reference Profile
- Andrew Gaze's Full Biography
- Gaze.com.au – Official Homepage
- Follow the Bouncing Ball – interview with Andrew Gaze ABC Radio National transcript of The Sports Factor broadcast August 2005
- Gaze's NBA Statistics
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Jamie Kennedy |
NBL Rookie of the Year 1984 |
Succeeded by Mike McKay |
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- 1965 births
- Living people
- Australian basketball players
- Australian republicans
- Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Basketball announcers
- Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball players
- Olympic basketball players of Australia
- Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- San Antonio Spurs players
- Washington Bullets players
- Melbourne Tigers players
- Sportspeople from Melbourne
- Point guards
- Shooting guards
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
