Vince Kelley

Vince Kelley
Picture of Kelley (shooting) with the Wolves in 1992
Personal information
Born 1962 (age 55–56)
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
1986–1987 West Sydney Westars
1988–1989 Ginásio
1990 Kanyana Kings
1991–1997 Wanneroo Wolves
1998–1999 Rockingham Flames
2000–2001 Mandurah Magic
2002 East Perth Eagles
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.

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 Kelley 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 28618.9.518.6033.8.3.6.16.3
1981–82 Colorado 272732.1.449.7486.42.0.7.713.4
1982–83 Colorado 282835.5.436.6149.11.91.5.811.7
1983–84 Colorado 292933.6.433.7436.81.9.9.410.8
Career 1129030.0.450.6866.51.5.9.510.5

Professional career

NBL

In 1985, Kelley joined the Bankstown Bruins of the National Basketball League (NBL). In his first professional season, he averaged 31.6 points and 12.6 rebounds in 25 games. In April 1986, Kelley helped the Bruins defeat the Sydney Supersonics in the final of the New South Wales basketball championships. Kelley finished the match with 28 points as the Bruins stormed to a convincing 78–62 victory. He also had 27 points in the Bruins' semi-final win over the Newcastle Falcons, leading to him being voted Most Valuable Player of the tournament.[5] The Bruins were rebranded as the West Sydney Westars for 1986 NBL season. Kelley continued on with the team in 1986 and 1987, averaging 26.6 points in 52 games over the two seasons.[6]

Portugal

Kelley's next two years were spent in Portugal with Ginásio, where he helped them win the second division in 1988 and move up to the first division.[4]

SBL

Kelley on the cover of the 1993 SBL Yearbook

In 1990, Kelley returned to Australia and began a very successful State Basketball League (SBL) career. In his first SBL season, he helped the Kanyana Kings finish their inaugural season in second place with a 20–6 record.[7] Over 29 games, he averaged 36.6 points per game.[8]

In 1991, Kelley moved north and joined the Wanneroo Wolves, where he spent the next seven seasons amassing 5,377 points in 196 games.[8] His best season came in 1992 when he was named the SBL Most Valuable Player.[9] A year later, he was player-coach of the Wolves' 1993 championship team.[10]

In 1998, Kelley joined the Rockingham Flames. In 59 games for the Flames over two seasons, he averaged 22.7 points per game. In 2000, he re-joined the Kanyana Kings, now known as the Mandurah Magic, where he spent another two seasons averaging 23.8 points in 44 games.[8][11] Kelley's final season came in 2002 playing for the East Perth Eagles. In 23 games for the Eagles, he averaged 26.3 points per game.[8][12]

In 351 career games in the SBL, Kelley averaged 26.9 points per game.[8]

In September 2013, Kelley was named in the MSBL 25th Year All Star Team.[13]

Personal

Kelley's daughter, Desiree, currently plays in the Women's SBL for the Willetton Tigers.[10] Kelley's nephew, Ryan, also played college basketball for Colorado.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Drooz, Alan (April 11, 1985). "Basketball of the Past : Coaches Remember the Best of the Bay". LATimes.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ "2011–12 Info Guide – Rebounding" (PDF). CUBuffs.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  3. ↑ Kensler, Tom (April 14, 2009). "Kelley leaves CU hoops team". DenverPost.com. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Collins, Mark (May 13, 2008). "Where Are They Now? Vince Kelley". Scout.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Kelley inspires Bruins in final". The Sydney Morning Herald. April 7, 1986. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Player statistics for Vince Kelley". SportsTG.com. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  7. ↑ "MANDURAH MAGIC/KANYANA KINGS PAST PLAYERS NIGHT". SportsTG.com. May 25, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "SKYWEST BASKETBALL LEAGUE: MEN – All time Players". BasketballWA.asn.au. Archived from the original on July 18, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ "AWARDS HISTORY". SBL.asn.au. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Donaldson, Mark (27 July 2017). "SBL: ode to suburban stadiums as Joondalup Wolves farewell Joondalup Basketball Stadium". CommunityNews.com.au. Joondalup Times. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  11. ↑ Plati, David (August 7, 2000). "Plati-'tudes". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  12. ↑ "2002 MSBL Statistics". SportsTG.com. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  13. ↑ "25 Year MSBL All Star team revealed". SportsTG.com. September 9, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
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