Pittwater Life March 2023 Issue

Beaches – my local Indian and
Thai are great.
“Growing up we were all
into sport – Nippers, rugby
from under-7s onwards… AFL.
Early on basketball for me was
just once a week with friends.
Myself, Mark and Karen were
all state champion swimmers.
Leanne and Janelle both won
swimming medals in the
district area.
“I didn’t actually start
playing basketball seriously
until I was 18. I played for the
Rats U-14s rugby, then I was
asked to play AFL. I started
playing for Warringah, then
the North Shore and then was
picked for a Sydney team to
play a team on the border of
Sydney and Victoria.”
Tragedy on that trip would
swing Brad’s life in a whole
new direction.
“The bus crashed on the way
back and one of the local boys
was killed,” says Brad. “I think
that dampened everyone’s
enthusiasm for AFL after
that.”
Around that time Brad’s
cousin started badgering
him to play basketball more
regularly.
“I played for the City
of Sydney club and really
enjoyed it. They asked me to
try out for the U-20s, and then
the following year I made the
state U-20s and then the U-20s
national team.”
The City of Sydney club
entered the national league in
1979, and Brad found himself
a regular starter after some
time on the bench. While
Sydney struggled for form and
lacked drive, Brad himself was
spotted by an Adelaide team
on the rise and recruited to
help fulfil their ambitions.
“They said to me that they
needed one more big guy –
me – to give things a shake. It
was a great move and I met my
wife there,” Brad adds. “The
group of athletes there had
a really professional attitude
to training, and it was a real
kick up the arse for me. We
made the semis that year
and then won the national
league the following year. And
I progressed to the national
senior team.
“There was no money back
then though, so I had various
jobs like cleaning; then every
afternoon and evening I was
playing or training.”
Brad was tempted back to
Sydney in 1983 with promises
of a more professional set
-up. And while the team were
minor premiers, the club got
into financial trouble and
didn’t finish the season.
“People weren’t being paid
and it really affected us –
players were going to other
teammate’s places to get a feed
and some couldn’t pay their
rent.”
A four-year spell followed
at Geelong and another minor
premiership, before he joined
the Sydney Kings when they
formed in 1988. By then, Brad
was a seasoned international.
“I played in the 1982 world
champs in Columbia and
made the Rest of the World
team – the best 10 players
from outside Europe. That was
a real honour for me.
“And myself, Mark and
Karen all made the 1984
Olympic Team in LA. That was
great. Lindsay Gaze was the
coach and he liked aggressive
players.”
The “aggressive” tag sounds
unimaginable as Brad pauses
quietly to take a sip of green
tea.
I ask if he got to see Michael
Jordan in action there and
whether he was a freak.
“Yeah, he was,” smiles Brad.
“Athletically he was very
Continued on page 38
Life Stories
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Brad at Boondah Rd courts at Warriewood;
with wife Inge after being selected for the 1984 LA Olympics; Brad
with sister Karen and bother Mark; aggressive play, blocking a shot
versus Ivory Coast; battling the USA; success with Geelong in the
mid-1980s; Brad (#14) on court for Boomers team pic LA 1984.
The Local Voice Since 1991
MARCH 2023 37