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Brad Robbins (basketball)

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Brad Robbins
Warwick Senators
PositionHead coach
LeagueNBL1 West
Personal information
Born (1985-01-12) 12 January 1985 (age 39)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Listed height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Listed weight102 kg (225 lb)
Career information
Playing career2001–2019
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career2017–present
Career history
As player:
2001Dandenong Rangers
2003Dandenong Rangers
2003–2004Victoria Giants
2004–2005Knox Raiders
2004–2005Cairns Taipans
2006–2007Willetton Tigers
2006–2013Perth Wildcats
2011–2013Wanneroo Wolves
2015Joondalup Wolves
2019Rockingham Flames
As coach:
2017–2018Joondalup Wolves (assistant)
2021Rockingham Flames (assistant)
2021–2024Perth Lynx (assistant)
2024–presentWarwick Senators
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Australia
FIBA U19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2003 Greece Team

Bradley Robbins (born 12 January 1985) is an Australian basketball coach and former player who is most known for his time spent in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Perth Wildcats. He currently serves as the head coach of the Warwick Senators women's team in the NBL1 West.

Early life and career

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Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Robbins played his junior basketball at Dandenong. He represented Victoria in national competitions in Under 14s in 1998, Under 16s in 2000 and Under 18s in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, he represented Australia in junior men's teams and was then a member of the World Championship winning Australian Emus Under 19 team in 2003.[1][2]

Professional career

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NBL

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Robbins made his debut in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Victoria Giants during the 2003–04 season. He scored 11 points in 13 games.[3] For the 2004–05 season, he played for the Cairns Taipans and averaged 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 25 games.[3]

After not playing in the NBL in 2005–06, Robbins initially joined the Perth Wildcats as a development player for the 2006–07 season. He was elevated to a full roster sport in September 2006.[4][5] He played 67 games in his first two seasons in Perth averaging 4.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.9 assists a game, but was restricted to just three appearances in 2008–09 through injury.[2][6]

In the 2009–10 season, Robbins formed a tremendous point guard duo with Damian Martin to help lead the Wildcats to the NBL championship and in 32 games he averaged 4.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals a game.[2] In the 2–1 grand final series win over the Wollongong Hawks, Robbins played through broken ribs, a calf tear and sore hips to drag Perth across the line.[7] He was named co-captain of the Wildcats for the 2010–11 season and averaged 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals a game.[2] The 2011–12 season was his second as co-captain and he had career-high numbers right across the board with 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals a game as the Wildcats lost in three games to the New Zealand Breakers in the grand final series.[2]

Off-season wrist surgery forced Robbins to miss the first three weeks of the Wildcats' 2012–13 season,[8] but upon returning to action, he managed just eight games before announcing his retirement from the NBL on 11 December 2012.[9][10][11] He continued on with the team in an advisory role, but following an Achilles injury to Damian Martin in Game 2 of the Wildcats' semi-final series against the Wollongong Hawks, Robbins came out of retirement to fill in the back-up point guard role for the 2013 grand final series against the New Zealand Breakers.[12][13] He played in both games of the Wildcats' 2–0 series loss to the Breakers, finishing his NBL career with 215 games and averages of 4.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.[3]

Robbins revealed in January 2023 that a major depressive disorder was the reason for him retiring in 2012. He described his retirement press conference as a sham, telling the public his body had told him to retire when in fact other forces were the main factor.[14]

SEABL and SBL

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Robbins made his debut in the SEABL in 2001 with the Dandenong Rangers, playing one game. He was a regular member of the Rangers' squad in 2003 and played 21 games.[15] In 2004 and 2005, he played for the Knox Raiders in the SEABL and won the Youth Player of the Year for the South Conference in both years.[16]

In 2006 and 2007, Robbins played for the Willetton Tigers in the State Basketball League (SBL).[1] Between 2011 and 2013, he played for the Wanneroo Wolves in the SBL and helped them win a championship in 2011 and reach another grand final in 2013.[17][18][19] He did not play in 2014[17] but returned to the Wolves in 2015[20] for a short stint.[17]

Robbins came out of retirement to play for the Rockingham Flames in the 2019 SBL season.[21] He came into the season six kilograms lighter than he was when he was with the Wildcats,[22] but a hamstring injury suffered during pre-season forced him to miss the start of the regular season.[23] He made his debut for the Flames in round nine,[24] but soon suffered a career-ending Achilles injury.[25][26] In 12 games in his final playing stint, he averaged 5.25 points, 2.75 rebounds and 2.33 assists per game.[27]

Coaching career

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Robbins on the Rockingham Flames' bench during the 2021 NBL1 West Grand Final

In 2017 and 2018, Robbins served as assistant coach for the Joondalup Wolves women's team in the SBL.[28] He was interim head coach for a large chunk of the 2018 season with coach Craig Friday unavailable due to his duties with the national wheelchair team.[22]

During the 2021 NBL1 West season, Robbins served as an assistant under Ryan Petrik with the Rockingham Flames men's team, helping them reach the grand final.[29]

In July 2021, Robbins was appointed assistant coach of the Perth Lynx for the 2021–22 WNBL season.[30] He continued as assistant in 2022–23[31] and 2023–24.[32]

Robbins was appointed head coach of the Warwick Senators women's team in the NBL1 West for the 2024 season.[33][34] He was named NBL1 West Coach of the Year.[35]

Personal life

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Robbins is married to wife Bekki and he has three children, Charlie, Donovan, and Bowie.[14] He is the brother-in-law and close friend of former Wildcats and SBL teammate Greg Hire, with the pair having both married sisters.[22]

In 2013, Robbins started working part-time as a project officer at the Fremantle Police and Community Youth Centre (PCYC). The centre's Streetball program, which Robbins began co-ordinating, was developed in 2012 to combat anti-social behaviour in the area.[36] Robbins also began studying psychology and counselling at Edith Cowan University in 2013.[37]

In January 2023, Robbins revealed to the public via The West Australian his long-time battle with depression and mental health issues since childhood which plagued him throughout his playing career.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Brad Robbins is back". willetton.basketball.net.au. 3 March 2007. Archived from the original on 2 September 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Brad Robbins". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Player statistics for Brad Robbins – NBL". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Cats sign Robbins". NBL.com.au. 22 September 2006. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Wildcats sign Robbins". NBL.com.au. 26 October 2006. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Wildcats' Robbins out for season". ABC.net.au. 24 December 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  7. ^ Foreman, Glen (10 December 2012). "Perth Wildcats co-captain Brad Robbins set to announce retirement". News.com.au. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  8. ^ Hope, Shayne (2 October 2012). "Wildcat Robbins to miss start of NBL season". Yahoo.com. The West Australian. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Perth Wildcats – Brad Robbins Announces Retirement – 11 Decemeber [sic] 2012". YouTube.com. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  10. ^ Robinson, Chris (11 December 2012). "Ailing Perth Wildcats guard Brad Robbins calls time on career". TheAustralian.com.au. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Cats' captain Robbins retires from NBL". SMH.com.au. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  12. ^ Robinson, Chris (2 April 2013). "Retired Perth Wildcats guard Brad Robbins could return for grand final". HeraldSun.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  13. ^ Robinson, Chris (3 April 2013). "Perth's Brad Robbins excited for return in NBL grand final series". HeraldSun.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Butler, Steve (28 January 2023). "Former Perth Wildcats captain Brad Robbins reveals battle with depression, and how he came out other side". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Player statistics for Brad Robbins – SEABL". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  16. ^ "AUSTRALIAN YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR" (PDF). SEABL.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  17. ^ a b c "Player statistics for Bradley Robbins – SBL 2015". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  18. ^ Hope, Shayne (3 April 2013). "Robbins puts SBL return on hold for Wildcats comeback". SBL.asn.au. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  19. ^ Pike, Chris (1 September 2013). "Lightning win thrilling SBL decider over Wolves". SBL.asn.au. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  20. ^ "@NBL & @WA_SBL Championship winning point..." twitter.com/WolfpackSBL. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  21. ^ Horton, Stuart (15 October 2018). "Retirement too soon for Rockingham Flames new recruit Robbins". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  22. ^ a b c "ROBBINS SCRATCHING THE ITCH AFTER PREMATURE RETIREMENT". sbl.asn.au. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  23. ^ Horton, Stuart (14 March 2019). "'They'll be looking for blood': undermanned Rockingham Flames face stern SBL season opener in Geraldton". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  24. ^ "ROUND 9 MEN'S SBL PREVIEW". sbl.asn.au. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  25. ^ "QUARTER FINALS GAME 2 SPOTLIGHT | HAWKS PREVAIL IN TOUGH BATTLE WITH FLAMES". sbl.asn.au. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  26. ^ "ROBBINS THROWS HIMSELF FULLY INTO LYNX COACHING ROLE". wnbl.basketball/perth. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  27. ^ "Player statistics for Bradley Robbins – SBL 2019". SBL.asn.au. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Welcome Brad Robbins | WSBL A/C". wolfpackbasketball.com. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  29. ^ "2021 NBL1 West Men's Grand Final scoresheet". basketballwa.asn.au. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  30. ^ "CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING PERTH WILDCAT BRAD ROBBINS JOINS PERTH LYNX AS ASSISTANT COACH". wnbl.basketball/perth. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  31. ^ "BRAD ROBBINS BACK AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR UPCOMING SEASON". wnbl.basketball/perth. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  32. ^ "ROBBINS SENSES EXCITEMENT, URGES FOCUS FOR LYNX". wnbl.basketball/perth. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  33. ^ "We are excited to announce the appointment of Perth Lynx Assistant Coach Brad Robbins, as our new Women's Head Coach for NBL1 West 2024". facebook.com/WarwickSenatorsCCSRA. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Lynx coaching pair turn focus to Senators' NBL1 season". NBL1.com.au. 28 March 2024. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024.
  35. ^ "NBL1 West Women | Coach of the Year". facebook.com/NBLOneWest. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  36. ^ Martin, Lucy (5 July 2014). "Funding fears for Perth basketball program helping to keep kids off streets". ABC.net.au. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  37. ^ Hope, Shayne (2 December 2013). "Slam dunk for troubled youth". Yahoo.com. The West Australian. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
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