Shane Heal
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| Position | Point guard |
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| Nickname | Hammer |
| Height | 182 cm |
| Weight | 83 kg |
| Team | Gold Coast Blaze (NBL) |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Born | September 6, 1970 Melbourne, Victoria |
| Junior Association | Nunawading |
| Debut | 1988 |
| Games Played | 394[1] |
| Previous Clubs | Brisbane Bullets 1988 Geelong Supercats 1989-1991 Brisbane Bullets 1992-1995 Sydney Kings 1996-1997, 2001/02-2002/03 Makedonikos BC 2003-2004 South Dragons 2006-2008 Gold Coast Blaze 2008-Current |
| Championships | 2003 |
| Career Highlights | Played for Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Olympic Squad Member 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 1988 NBL Rookie of the Year 1990 NBL Most Improved Player 1990 NBL Good Hands Award |
Shane Heal (born September 6, 1970 in Victoria, Australia) is a current professional basketball player with the Gold Coast Blaze and former Olympics basketball player. His career highlights include representing the Boomers at a number of Olympics (1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004) and World Championships, brief stints in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs, and winning the 2002/2003 National Basketball League championship with the Sydney Kings. Heal retired from basketball after his stint at the Kings. He later continued his career, coming out of retirement to play for the newly formed South Dragons initially as a player. This quickly changed after the coaching position became vacant and he was offered the job as the clubs player/coach, which he accepted. He was sacked from his job at the Dragons during his second season at the club, after multiple poor performance. During his early years as a player, Heal played for the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats early in his NBL career.
Contents |
[edit] Playing Career
[edit] NBL team records
[edit] Brisbane Bullets
- 2nd on three pointers made (477)
- 2nd on assists (816)
- 4th on free-throw percentage (84.1%)
- 7th on points scored (2771)
- 7th on field goals made (951)
- 7th on free-throws made (392)
- 8th on steals (164)
- 6th on turnovers (387)
Source: www.bullets.com.au
[edit] Sydney Kings
Captained to inaugural Championship Team
[edit] Gold Coast Blaze
Heal returned to basketball after a short stint out of the game with the Gold Coast Blaze franchise. [2]
[edit] NBL league records
- First in assists per game in 1990 (8.3/24 games)
- First in assists per game in 2002 (7.5/29 games)
- Third in most points in a game (61 in 1994)
- Third in most assists in a game (20 in 1990)
- Second and third in most three-pointers made in a game (12 in 1994 and 2001)
[edit] Coaching Career
[edit] South Dragons
On March 3, 2006, it was reported in Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper that Heal was considering coming out of retirement to captain the South Dragons, a new Melbourne-based NBL franchise to enter the league in the 2006/07 season.[3] He officially signed with the team on April 6 as the Dragons' inaugural captain.[4] On October 23, 2006, Dragons coach Mark Price resigned his position after the Dragons lost their first five NBL championship season games, citing family reasons. Price was replaced by Heal, who was appointed as player and interim coach for the remainder of the season.[5] After multiple successful performances his contract was extended to the end of the 2008/2009 season. On February 1, 2008 Heal was sacked from his job as player/coach at the Dragons after poor season left the club struggling at the bottom of the table and himself battling fitness issues. [6]
[edit] Trivia
- Heal is best remembered for going toe-to-toe with NBA legend Charles Barkley in a practice game between Australia and the USA Dream Team prior to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He and Barkley shared words after Barkley elbowed him during the game.
- In Atlanta, Heal made international sporting headlines again by scoring 28 points against Gary Payton, Charles Barkley and the rest of the Dream Team that went on to win the Gold Medal.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=dragons_playerprofile&profile=323 NBL website
- ^ "BLAZE SIGN HEAL IN BIG WIN FOR THE GOLD COAST", Gold Coast Blaze, 14 May 2008.
- ^ Bernard, Grantley. "Heal weighs up Dragons captaincy", Herald Sun, 3 Mar 2006.
- ^ South Dragons (2005). Heal back in black. Retrieved April 6, 2006.
- ^ South Dragons (2006). Price resigns, Heal new head coach. Retrieved October 23, 2006.
- ^ "Dragons and Heal part ways", South Dragons, 1 Feb 2008.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Greg Hubbard |
NBL Rookie of the Year 1988 |
Succeeded by Justin Withers |
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| South Dragons - All-Time Head Coaches | Edit | ||||
| Price (2006) • Heal (2006-2008) • Molloy (2008) • Goorjian (2008-) | |||||
