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Andrew Gaze

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Andrew Barry Casson Gaze (born 24 July 1965 in Melbourne, Victoria) is Australia's best known basketball player, and one of its most successful.

Son of Australian basketball stalwart Lindsay Gaze, Andrew began a stellar career in the NBL at age 18, being named Rookie of the year in 1984. His incredible shooting skills saw him the top scorer in the league for a total of 14 seasons. Gaze combined a great three-point shot with an equally good pass. A crowd favourite, one of Gaze's trademark plays was a pass to American import Lanard Copeland for an alley oop. Playing under his father with the Melbourne Tigers, Gaze led the team to two titles and were perpetual finalists. In addition to his sublime passing and shooting skills, Gaze was renowned for his board tap ability. Even though he could dunk, he chose not to.

Gaze also excelled at the international arena, playing in a total of five Olympic Games with the Boomers and led them to their best performance, fourth at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He was selected as flagbearer for the Australian team at the opening ceremony at the Sydney 2000 Games. He is the scoring record holder in Olympic competition, and second-highest scorer of all-time in World Championship play.

In 1989 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.[1] 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.

Whilst Gaze never had a steady NBA career like Chicago Bulls center Luc Longley, Gaze's superlative domestic record, not to mention an affable personality, fixed him in the public mind as the face of Australian basketball through the 1990s and early 2000s.

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 as a professional basketballer.

Soon after, he released his autobiography, A Kid, a Ball, a Dream, co-authored with Grantley Bernard.

He is known for his gentle, unflappable nature, prematurely grey hair, and reticence to slam dunk. Andrew is married to Melinda. They have four children. He also has his own brand of basketball shoes: "Gaze".

Today, Gaze has carved out a career as a media personality, appearing on commercials for Dodo Internet 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 the Australian Labor Party to stand as their candidate in a by-election for the Electoral district of Albert Park. Gaze had previously considered running for election for Labor, stating that Labor was "where my political bias stands".[2]

Trivia

  • Record for most Olympic Games for an Australian basketballer (5)
  • Second highest scorer in World Championship history
  • 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.
  • Crowned Moomba Monarch (popularly called King of Moomba) by the Melbourne festival committee in 1994.[3]
  • Australian flagbearer during the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony

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.[4]

Sources

  1. ^ Sonics Release Gaze published October 31, 1989
  2. ^ "Gaze linked to state Labor seat". The Age. 2007-08-01. Retrieved 2007-08-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Craig Bellamy, Gordon Chisholm, Hilary Eriksen (17 Feb 2006) Moomba: A festival for the people.: http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/rsrc/PDFs/Moomba/History%20of%20Moomba.pdf PDF pp 17-22
  4. ^ The Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities: Exegesis and Criticism - [2006] MULR 28; 30(3) Melbourne University Law Review 906
Preceded by
Derek Rucker
Robert Rose
 NBL Most Valuable Player
1991-1992
1994-1998 		Succeeded by
Robert Rose
Steve Woodberry
Preceded by
Jamie Kennedy
 NBL Rookie of the Year
1984 		Succeeded by
Mike McKay

Template:Australia Squad 1994 FIBA World Championship Template:2000 Olympic Men's Basketball - Australia

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