Vince Kelley
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962 (age 61–62) Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American / Australian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Inglewood (Inglewood, California) |
| College | Colorado (1980–1984) |
| NBA draft | 1984 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1985–2002 |
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| Career history | |
| 1985 | Bankstown Bruins (Australia) |
| 1986–1987 | West Sydney Westars (Australia) |
| 1988–1989 | Ginásio (Portugal) |
| 1990 | Kanayana Kings (Australia) |
| 1991–1997 | Wanneroo Wolves (Australia) |
| 1998–1999 | Rockingham Flames (Australia) |
| 2000–2001 | Mandurah Magic (Australia) |
| 2002 | East Perth Eagles (Australia) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Vince Kelley (born c. 1962) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who played the majority of his career in Australia, which included three seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) and 13 seasons in the State Basketball League (SBL). He played four years of college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes before playing professionally in Australia and Portugal.
Contents
High school and college career
Kelley played on the top-ranked high school basketball team in the country in 1980. Inglewood High School went undefeated with the help of Kelley, off guard Jay Humphries, point guard Ralph Jackson, and wing man Angelo Robinson, as they went on to win the national championship that year.[1]
Both Kelly and Humphries came to Colorado from Inglewood and played four years as Buffaloes. Kelley, a 6'7" forward-center, often played the low post for an undersized Colorado team, finishing his four-year career ranking fifth all-time in rebounds at CU with 730. He also scored 1,180 career points in 112 games.[2][3]
After graduating from Colorado in 1984, Kelley had try-outs with a number of CBA teams and even the Denver Nuggets, but after hearing good things about Australia's league, he pursued a career overseas and moved to Australia to begin his professional career.[4]
College statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Colorado | 28 | 6 | 18.9 | .518 | .603 | 3.8 | .3 | .6 | .1 | 6.3 | |
| 1981–82 | Colorado | 27 | 27 | 32.1 | .449 | .748 | 6.4 | 2.0 | .7 | .7 | 13.4 | |
| 1982–83 | Colorado | 28 | 28 | 35.5 | .436 | .614 | 9.1 | 1.9 | 1.5 | .8 | 11.7 | |
| 1983–84 | Colorado | 29 | 29 | 33.6 | .433 | .743 | 6.8 | 1.9 | .9 | .4 | 10.8 | |
| Career | 112 | 90 | 30.0 | .450 | .686 | 6.5 | 1.5 | .9 | .5 | 10.5 | ||
Professional career
NBL
In 1985, Kelley joined the Bankstown Bruins of the National Basketball League where he averaged an impressive 31.6 points (second in the league)[5] and 12.6 rebounds in 25 games. The following year, the Bruins were rebranded as the West Sydney Westars. Kelley continued on with the team in 1986[6] and 1987, averaging 26.6 points in 52 games over the two seasons.[7]
Portugal
Kelley's next two years were spent in Portugal with Ginásio where he experienced much more volatile crowds and fans in what was a different playing environment. However, he grew as a player in Portugal and was given the freedom to do a lot more things on the court. In his first season, he helped Ginásio win the second division title and they subsequently moved up to the first division for his second season.[4]
SBL
In 1990, Kelley returned to Australia and began a very successful SBL career. In his first SBL season, he played for the Kanayana Kings (changed to Mandurah Magic in 1996) where he averaged 36.6 points in 29 games, helping the team finish second on the ladder with a 20–6 record in their inaugural season.[8] They were, however, knocked out in the playoffs.
In 1991, Kelley moved north and joined the Wanneroo Wolves where he spent the next seven seasons amassing 5,377 points in 196 games.[9] His best season came in 1992 when he was rewarded with the Most Valuable Player award.[10]
In 1998, Kelley moved south again, this time joining the Rockingham Flames. In 59 games for the Flames over two seasons, he averaged 22.7 points per game. In 2000, he returned to his original club, the Mandurah Magic, where he spent another two seasons averaging 23.8 points in 44 games.[9][11]
Kelley's final season came in 2002 playing for the East Perth Eagles. In 23 games for the club, he averaged 26.3 points per game.[9]
In 351 career games in the SBL, Kelley averaged 26.9 points per game.[9]
In September 2013, Kelley was named in the 25 Year SBL All-Star team.[12]
Personal
Kelley and his Australian wife, Debbie, have a daughter named Desiree. Kelley's nephew, Ryan, also played college basketball for Colorado.[4]
References
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