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Mike Kelly (basketball)

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For other people named Mike Kelly, see Mike Kelly (disambiguation).

Mike Kelly
Kelly with the Perth Wildcats in 2022
Personal information
Born (1967-11-20) 20 November 1967 (age 57)
NationalityAmerican / Australian
Listed height196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Listed weight95 kg (209 lb)
Career information
High schoolMater Dei
(Santa Ana, California)
College
NBA draft1989: undrafted
Playing career1989–2006
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
Coaching career2006–present
Career history
As player:
1989Lucky Cement Basketball Team
1990Griffith Demons
1991–1993North East Melbourne Arrows
1993Hobart Devils
1994–1995Nunawading Spectres
1994; 1996–1998South East Melbourne Magic
1998–1999Victoria Titans
1999–2004Townsville Crocodiles
2004–2006Wollongong Hawks
As coach:
2006–2007Wollongong Hawks (assistant)
2007–2008Vanguard (assistant)
2009–2013Utah Valley (assistant)
2013–2014Townsville Crocodiles (assistant)
2015–2018Melbourne United (associate HC)
2018–2021Cairns Taipans
2021–2023Perth Wildcats (associate HC)
2023–2024S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Mike Kelly (born 20 November 1967) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player who last coached the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He spent the majority of his playing career in the NBL, where he won a championship with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1996 and was a two-time Best Defensive Player selection.

High school and college

Kelly attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California and helped the basketball team earn the 1985 CIF Championship with a 29-0 record before beginning his collegiate career at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. Following a two-year tenure at OCC, he was recruited to play at Westmont College in the GSAC. Kelly served as team captain for the Warriors and was a two-time All-GSAC player. He helped Westmont win the 1988 NAIA District III Championship, with the team earning a trip to the NAIA National Tournament.[1]

Professional career

Following his college career, Kelly spent one year in Taiwan playing for the Lucky Cement Basketball Team before moving to Australia.[1] He first played in New South Wales for the Griffith Demons (1990)[1] before playing in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) for the North East Melbourne Arrows (1991–1993) and the Nunawading Spectres (1994–1995).[2]

Kelly debuted in the National Basketball League (NBL) during the 1993 season with a two-game stint with the Hobart Devils. During the 1994 NBL season, he had a two-game stint with the South East Melbourne Magic.[3] His first full season in the NBL came during the 1996 season, playing 33 games for the South East Melbourne Magic[3] and helping the team win the NBL championship behind his grand final MVP performance.[citation needed] He continued with the Magic in the 1997 season and the 1998 season,[3] where he won the NBL Best Defensive Player.[citation needed]

For the 1998–99 NBL season, Kelly joined the Victoria Titans.[3][4]

For the 1999–2000 NBL season, Kelly joined the Townsville Crocodiles. He played five seasons for the Crocodiles.[3]

For the 2004–05 NBL season, Kelly joined the Wollongong Hawks. He spent two seasons with the Hawks, playing 37 games in 2004–05 and four games in 2005–06.[3]

Coaching career

After finishing his NBL career in 2005, Kelly continued his involvement with the Wollongong Hawks in the role of assistant coach for two seasons, before he returned to America in 2007 to coach a college team. Kelly joined a brand new coaching team at Vanguard University,[1] however left in 2008 to join Utah Valley University.[5]

After an extended stint at Utah Valley, Kelly returned to the NBL to coach his former club the Townsville Crocodiles.[6] He remained with the club for one season, but moved to Melbourne United for the 2015–16 NBL season due to the Crocodiles continued financial difficulties.[7]

Kelly joined Melbourne United in 2015 as an associate head coach, and helped guide the club to the playoffs in 2016 and the championship in 2018.

On 14 April 2018, Kelly joined the Cairns Taipans as their head coach on a two season contract after the club sacked Aaron Fearne.[6] Kelly won his first regular season game as head coach (88–70 vs Brisbane Bullets),[8] however his team then went on a 14 game losing streak.[9] The club finished the season with a 6–22 record and finished at the bottom of the ladder, with half the wins of the next team.

In his second year in Cairns, Kelly's team improved and nearly tripled their wins from the previous season to finish in third on the ladder with a 16–12 record, an achievement which shocked most people across the NBL.[10] After winning the Coach of the Year award and announcing that he had resigned with the club on a two-year deal, the Taipans lost 2–1 in the semi-finals to the Perth Wildcats, who would later go on to win the championship.[11][12][13]

In his third season with the club, the Taipans returned to the bottom of the ladder with a 8–28 record. On 31 March 2021, the Taipans announced that Kelly would not be returning to the club for the 2021–22 season.[14]

On 26 July 2021, Kelly was announced as the associate head coach of the Perth Wildcats on a two-season contract.[15]

On 30 March 2023, Kelly was appointed head coach of the South East Melbourne Phoenix.[16] On 13 October 2024, he parted ways with the Phoenix after starting the 2024–25 NBL season with a 0–5 record.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Mike Kelly - Assistant Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches". Vanguard University. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Mike Kelly - Player Statistics". GameDay. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Mike Kelly". National Basketball League | NBL Australia | Australia's Basketball League. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Mike Kelly – Player Statistics". SportsTG.[dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Utah Valley Wolverine Athletics – Mike Kelly". gouvu.com.
  6. ^ a b "The Cairns Taipans announce Mike Kelly as new Head Coach". nbl.com.au.
  7. ^ Townsville Announcement Archived 12 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Brisbane Bullets – Cairns Taipans 70:88". www.flashscore.com.au.
  9. ^ "Taipans' spirits soar after breaking 14-game losing streak". www.tropicnow.com.au. 4 January 2019.
  10. ^ McCallum, Jordan. "Time, fit, and unwavering support: Here's how the Cairns Taipans proved us all wrong". The Pick and Roll.
  11. ^ "Taipans score big in NBL awards". www.tropicnow.com.au. 17 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Taipans Coach of the Year signs on for two more". www.taipans.com.
  13. ^ "NBL finals 2020: Perth Wildcats vs Cairns Taipans Game 3 score, result, Bryce Cotton". Fox Sports. 6 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Statement on Mike Kelly". Taipans.com. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Perth Name Mike Kelly Associate Head Coach". NBL.com.au. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Mike Kelly to Lead the Phoenix". semphoenix.com.au. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Kelly, Phoenix part ways". National Basketball League | NBL Australia | Australia's Basketball League. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
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