Andrew Gaze

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Andrew Barry Gaze
Position	Guard
Height	201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Weight	95 kg (209 lb)
Nationality	Australia
Born	(1965-07-24) 24 July 1965 (age 46) Melbourne, Australia
College/University	Seton Hall
Debut	1984
Final Game	2005
Games Played	603[1]
Previous Clubs	Melbourne Tigers 1984–2005
Championships	1993, 1997
Career Highlights	Played for Washington Bullets and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA NBA Championship 1999, San Antonio Spurs Australian Team Captain 1994–2000 Olympic Squad Member 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 1984 NBL Rookie of the Year 1991, 1992, 1994–1998 NBL MVP All-time leading points scorer in the NBL FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991)

Andrew Barry Casson Gaze (born 24 July 1965) is Australia's best known basketball player,^[2][3][4] and one of its most successful. He is considered as the greatest player in the history of the NBL.

Son of Australian basketball player and coach, Lindsay Gaze, Andrew began his career in the NBL at age 18, being named Rookie of the year in 1984. He was the top scorer in the league for a total of 14 seasons. Not an outstanding athlete, Gaze's heavy scoring was due to exceptional shooting, including from three-point range. A crowd favourite, one of Gaze's trademark plays for the Tigers was a pass to American import Lanard Copeland for an alley oop.^[5] Playing under his father with the Tigers, Gaze led the team to two titles and were perpetual finalists.

Gaze also excelled at the international arena, and in 2000 became (jointly with American Teresa Edwards) the third basketball player to compete at five Olympics, after Puerto Rican Teófilo Cruz and Brazilian Oscar Schmidt. He led the Boomers to their best performance, fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. (The Boomers also came fourth in 1988 and 2000.^[6]) He was selected as flag-bearer for the Australian team at the opening ceremony at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He is the scoring record holder in Olympic competition, and second-highest scorer of all-time in World Championship play.

In 1988–99, Gaze played a season of U.S. college basketball at Seton Hall, where his team made the 1989 NCAA finals, losing in overtime to Michigan. He tried out with the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, but was not offered a contract and ultimately waived.^[7] In 1993–94 he played seven games for the Washington Bullets. He had another short stint in the NBA in lockout-shortened 1998–99 with the San Antonio Spurs, but received very little court time and was injured for the latter part of the season. He received a championship ring after the Spurs won the 1999 NBA title, although he was left off the playoff roster.

After the Sydney Olympics, Gaze retired from international competition, but continued to play in the NBL. On 12 May 2005, he announced his retirement from the game after 612 games in the NBL and 20 years of professional basketball.

Soon after, he released his autobiography, A Kid, a Ball, a Dream, co-authored with Grantley Bernard.

Today, Gaze has carved out a career as a media personality, appearing on commercials for Dodo Internet and Voltaren and commentating NBL basketball matches for SEN 1116 and (occasionally) Fox Sports. Also, Gaze now coaches for the Melbourne Tigers' junior basketball club. Gaze appeared in series five of Dancing with the Stars.

In July 2007, Gaze was approached by members of the Australian Labor Party to stand as a candidate in a by-election for the Electoral district of Albert Park. Gaze had previously considered running for election for Labor.^[8] He is a republican.^[9]

He currently is a presenter on Channel Seven's Guide to the Good Life and on After the Bounce on Fox Footy.

Records and awards

• Record for most Olympic Games for an Australian basketballer (5)
• Scored 18,908 points in the NBL over 612 games in a 22-season span at an average of 30.9 points per game
• Received Most Valuable Player (MVP) award a record 7 times
• Australian International Player of the Year (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000)
• won the NBL Most Efficient Player award every year from 1990 to 1997. The award was then discontinued, making Gaze the only ever person to win the award.
• He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
• Crowned Moomba Monarch (popularly called King of Moomba) by the Melbourne festival committee in 1994.^[10]
• Former Consultation Committee Member of the Human Rights Consultation Committee of Vicotria which formulated the Draft Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, a precursor to the Victorian Charter of Rights.^[11]

Sources

See also

• List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games

External links

• http://www.interbasket.net/players/gaze.htm
• Sports-Reference Profile
• Andrew Gaze's Full Biography
• Gaze.com.au – Official Homepage
• Follow the Bouncing Ball – interview with Andrew Gaze ABC Radio National transcript of The Sports Factor broadcast August 2005
• Gaze's NBA Statistics