VALE - KEN WATSON 1919-2008
The VJBL would like to pay respects to Ken Watson, who passed away Monday 17th March following a long battle with illness.
Ken's basketball history not only included playing but administrating. He was the secretary of Basketball Victoria from 1940 through to 1980 and secretary of Basketball Australia in the 1950's.
Ken's career in basketball started with a few mates playing for St Lukes North Fitzroy in the 1930's & 40's. This is the founding team of the Melbourne Tigers club. The Melbourne Tigers can claim that they started back in 1932, and earlier, back to 1924, where players of the local parish played inter-church competitions.
He coached the Melbourne senior men's teams from the 1940's through to the 1970's where he handed over the senior coaching job to Lindsay Gaze.
Ken brought the shuffle to Australia, when in 1960 he visited Joel Eaves head coach at Auburn University where he spent eight weeks studying the different options of the offense. Joel Eaves was the person most responsible for the offense's creation. Note Auburn University are called the Auburn Tigers. This is where the Melbourne Tigers Club got the tigers name from.
Ken's other achievements would be his being selected to play in the 1952 Olympics, and coaching of the 1956 & 1968 Olympic teams. He was also a senior member of the maths dept at Swinburne University since the 1940's through to the 80's when he retired. He loved teaching and over the years taught many a student maths or basketball or both.
Ken when stepping back from senior men's turned his attention to the juniors, coaching the Melbourne u14's in the 1980's to four consecutive Australian National premierships. No other coach or club has achieved this.
Some of his players in his many teams over the years included notable basketballers like Lindsay & Andrew Gaze. There are many others.
Ken's impact on junior basketball within the state was recognised seven years ago when the VJBL named one of their Victorian Championship Conferences, Watson Conference in hornour of Ken's involvement in the sport.
The VJBL would like to express or sincere condolences to the Watson family.
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