Brendan Joyce

Brendan Joyce is a former basketball player and previous coach of the Australian National Basketball League team the Wollongong Hawks and more recently the Gold Coast Blaze.

Born in Melbourne, Victoria growing up playing both Basketball and Australian Rules Football he received an offer to play for the North Melbourne Kangaroos. However, Joyce decided to continue his Basketball and went on to become a top National Basketball League player. Joyce played 289 games in the NBL for Nunawading Spectres (1979–1982) (1985–1987), Westside Melbourne Saints (1983–1984) (1988–1990) The Spectres and Saints joined together and became the South East Melbourne Magic, Joyce also played with the Brisbane Bullets (1991). Joyce Captained both Nunawading and the Westside Melbourne Saints. Following his playing career, Joyce has been one of the most successful coaches in the Australian National Basketball League combining playing and coaching and amassing over a record 700 games.

Playing career

Joyce began his senior National Basketball League Australia playing career with the Nunawading Spectres in the National Basketball League Australia inaugural year 1979. He was a starting point guard in 1981 with the Nunawading side that lost to Launceston Casino City in the Grand Final. Joyce was renowned for tough defensive play and ability to penetrate and create opportunities for his team mates and was one of the all time league leaders in assists for many years. Joyce played in an NBL final series eight times throughout his career. Averaging around 10 points per game, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Career high 32 points vs. Melbourne Tigers (1985), career high 19 assists vs. Sydney Kings 1985, career high 8 three point shots made vs. Hobart (1990).

Coaching career

Brendan Joyce began his professional National Basketball League Australia coaching career with the small town Wollongong Hawks and built, blooded and developed the Hawks program with young players at that time such as 19 year olds Glen Saville, David Andersen (NBA), 22 y/o CJ Bruton whom later in their career became dual Olympians. With a moderate to low budget Joyce developed youth by playing his young players with some veterans. It wasn't always smooth sailing with Joyce having a losing record in his first 2 seasons while blooding youngsters Glen Saville and Mat Campbell with big minutes. However in his third year as coach he took the Hawks from the bottom and from mediocrity to become a major and feared powerhouse and consistent winning team breaking many road records. Joyce coached the Wollongong Hawks to their first NBL championship defeating the Townsville Crocodiles on their home court in 2001. After 22 years in the National Basketball League, the Wollongong Hawks also became the first New South Wales team to win the NBL Championship. This success was followed by another grand final berth in 2005 with a loss to the Sydney Kings. The Brendan Joyce tenure at the Hawks delivered him the NBL Coach of the year in 1999 and 2001 as he led the Hawks to the Holy Grail in 2001 and another Grand final series in 2005, culminating in seven final four standings and the playoffs in 1998. In 2007-08 Joyce became the inaugural coach of the Gold Coast Blaze and kept on winning,leading the Gold Coast to the playoffs in their first year and becoming the first ever Gold Coast team to make the play offs in any Australian National Competition. Joyce was named the Gold Coast region Coach of the Year and was again a runner up for the NBL Coach of the Year. In the 2008-09 season the team missed the playoffs due to a injury ridden season, at times missing 3 starters in games and culminating in only having a full team in 3 out of 30 games. The team had a losing season and Joyce who had been given a 4 year deal was terminated after coaching 2 seasons.

Australian Basketball Coach

In 2001 Brendan Joyce was named as Assistant Coach to the Australian Mens National Boomers team, fulfilling this role until 2008 Joyce worked at two Olympic Games, Athens in 2004 and Beijing 2008 as well as the Japan 2006 World Championships and assisting in leading the Boomers to their Gold Medal win at the Commonwealth Games in his home town Melbourne in 2006. <

NBL Awards

Winner of Most Assists (1988)
Two time National Basketball League Australia All Star 1988 and 1989
National Basketball League Coach of the Year 1999 and 2001
National Basketball League Coach of the Year Runner Up 2005 and 2008
National Basketball League Championship Ring 2001
National Basketball League Championship Runner Up 2005

National Recognition

• Australian Boomers Squad member (1981/1988)
• Australian U23 Captain (1981)
• Australian U20 team (1978–79)
• Australian Boomers Assistant Coach (2001–2008)
• Oceania Series 2003,2005,2007
• Olympic Games Athens 2004
• World Chapionships Japan 2006
• Commonwealth Games Melbourne 2006 Gold Medalist
• Olympic Games Beijing 2008

Other Achievements'''

Australian Championships (Player) '

• Australian Championship U/16 Gold Medalist 1974 Victoria (Player)
• Australian Championship U/20 Gold Medalist 1978 Victoria (Captain)
• Australian Championship Senior Gold Medalist 1981,1984,1987 Victoria (Player)

Victorian Basketball Association Junior State Champions (Player)

Victorian State Junior Championship (VBA) Gold Medalist U/12 1971 Presbyterian Wildcats/Nunawading Spectres (Captain) Victorian State Junior Championship (VBA) Gold Medalist U/20 1978 Nunawading Spectres (Captain)

4 x Victorian Basketball Association Senior State Champions

(VBA) Gold Medalist 1981 Nunawading Spectres beat Melbourne Tigers, 1985 Nunawading Spectres Beat Coburg Giants, 1987 Nunawading Spectres Beat Coburg Giants, 1988 Westside Melbourne Saints (Captain) Beat Bulleen Boomers

Victorian Basketball Association Senior State Championships (Coaching)

Ballarat Miners Runner Up to Geelong Supercats 1995

Victorian Basketball Association Coach Of the Year 1995

CBA (Seabl)'Coaching

2 x CBA (Seabl) Championship Winner Ballarat Miners 1994 and 1995 2 x CBA (Seabl) Coach of the Year 1994 and 1995