Chris Cedar

Christopher Cedar (born 18 October 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Townsville Crocodiles of the National Basketball League (NBL). He has also played in the Queensland Basketball League for the Townsville Heat, Rockhampton Rockets and Mackay Meteors.

Early life

Born and raised in Townsville, Queensland, Cedar began playing basketball as a youth for the Whirlwinds Basketball Club.^[1] He attended Townsville State High School where he led them to the 2006 National Schools title and was regarded as one of the best young Australian guards at the time.^[2] The following year, he led the Queensland Under 20 side at the U20 National Championships in Ballarat, Victoria.^[2]

Professional career

Townsville Crocodiles and Heat (2007–2013)

Cedar first joined his hometown NBL team, the Townsville Crocodiles, as a development player for the 2007–08 season. There, he teamed up with his brother, Michael, who first joined the Crocodiles in 2005. Cedar appeared in eight games in his first season, averaging 1.3 points per game.^[3] Following the conclusion of the NBL season, he joined the Crocodiles' QBL affiliate team, the Townsville Heat. In 21 games for the Heat in 2008, he averaged 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.^[4]

Cedar retained his development player role with the Crocodiles for the 2008–09 season^[5] but did not receive any game time during his second season. He returned to the Heat for the 2009 QBL season where he averaged 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 16 games.^[4]

As a development player in 2009–10, Cedar stepped up to cover the absence of injured guard Kelvin Robertson during the second half of the season.^[6] He subsequently played in 15 games for the Crocodiles and again averaged 1.3 points per game.^[3] With the Heat in 2010, he averaged a career-high 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 17 games.^[4]

Cedar spent one final season as a development player in 2010–11,^[6] playing in a career-low six games for the Crocodiles while scoring just four total points.^[3] He had another solid season with the Heat in 2011, averaging 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 17 games.^[4]

In 2011–12, Cedar joined the Crocodiles as a full squad member for the first time and subsequently recorded his best NBL numbers. In 31 games, he averaged 4.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.^[3] With the Heat in 2012, he averaged 17.9 points, a career-high 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 14 games.^[4]

In 2012–13, Cedar began competing with Mitch Norton for minutes at the guard spot and subsequently averaged just 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 26 games.^[3] With the Heat in 2013, he averaged 17.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 15 games.^[4] Following the 2013 QBL season, he parted ways with the Crocodiles and Heat after not receiving a new contract with the Crocodiles for the 2013–14 season.

In 86 games for the Crocodiles over six seasons, Cedar averaged 2.6 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.^[3]

Rockhampton Rockets (2014)

On 14 February 2014, Cedar signed with the Rockhampton Rockets for the 2014 QBL season.^[7] He helped the Rockets finish the regular season with a 14–2 win/loss record and subsequently by-passed the quarter-finals and straight into the semi-finals due to finishing first on the ladder. After defeating the Ipswich Force 115–97 in their semi-final match-up, the Rockets moved on to the best-of-three grand final series where they faced a Mackay Meteors team that featured Cedar's brother, Michael, and their former Crocodiles teammate Todd Blanchfield.^[8] The Rockets ended up sweeping the Meteors 2–0 to win back-to-back championships for the first time in club history.^[9][10] He appeared in all 19 games for the Rockets in 2014, averaging 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.^[4]

Mackay Meteors (2015)

On 26 November 2014, Cedar signed with the Mackay Meteors for the 2015 QBL season^[11] and was named team captain. Much like with the Rockets in 2014, Cedar helped the Meteors finish in first place on the ladder at the conclusion of the 2015 regular season, earning a 15–2 win/loss record and moved straight into the semi-finals. There they faced the resurgent Toowoomba Mountaineers, but with a 104–92 win, the Meteors moved on to the grand final series for the second straight year. They faced the Brisbane Capitals in the best-of-three decider, eventually winning the series 2–1, with Cedar scoring 16 points in the decisive Game 3. With the victory, Cedar helped the Meteors win their third championship in five years, while Cedar garnered his second straight QBL title.^[12]

Townsville Crocodiles (2016)

On December 31, 2015, Cedar was contacted by Townsville Crocodiles' assistant coach Greg Vanderjagt,^[13] who asked Cedar if he was interested in joining the Crocodiles as an injury replacement for Corey Maynard.^[14] Cedar happily accepted the offer and joined the Crocodiles in the New Year,^[15] signing a two-game contract with his former club.^[16] On 8 January 2016, he made his first appearance in an NBL game since 24 March 2013, coming off the bench to back-up import Jordair Jett. In 13 minutes of action, he recorded 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in a 75–61 loss to the Cairns Taipans.^[17] Eight days later, he made his second appearance for the Crocodiles, recording three personal fouls in just under nine minutes of action in the team's 108–103 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.^[18] Upon the expiration of his two-game contract, and the return of Maynard from injury, Cedar parted ways with the Crocodiles.

Personal

Cedar's older brother, Michael, is also a professional basketball player who played eight seasons in the NBL for the Townsville Crocodiles between 2005 and 2013.^[19] Michael has also played in the QBL.^[20] In addition, Cedar's wife, Naomi, has played many years in the QBL women's competition.^[21]

References

External links

• Townsville Crocodiles player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived January 21, 2013)
• Cedar's NBL stats
• Cedar's QBL stats