The extract below is from the Basketball Victoria Website. This website is a wonderful resource of information for basketball in Victoria.

Development of the game of Basketball
• Canadian Dr James Naismith invented Basketball in 1891 to meet the winter sporting needs of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in 60 Springfield, Massachusetts, and USA.
• Naismith set the fundamentals of basketball down in 500 words - the first thirteen rules.
• The first game had nine players on each team and two peach baskets were nailed to the gymnasium balcony. By 1893 the baskets were of wire and cylindrical with an iron rim and a net with a release cord.
• By 1897 it was settled that a basketball team consists of five men, and the dribble had become a feature of play.
• By 1905 basketball in the USA was well established in high schools, colleges, churches, industrial houses and the armed services had already taken root in many parts of the world.
• Basketball is greatly indebted to Dr Naismith and the YMCA for its spreading of basketball internationally. 
• 1893 basketball was first played in Paris YMCA 
• 1894 basketball was introduced in Tientsin, China and India, and by 1900 the game was being played in YMCA's and churches in Japan and Persia. 
• 1909 the first international basketball game was played in St Petersburg (Leningrad, Russia) between a USA YMCA team and the Mayak Club. The Russians won the game. 
• In 1932 Dr Elmer Berry was largely responsible for the establishment of the International Basketball Federation - FIBA and by 1936 following much debate and intrigue, the first basketball Olympic Tournament was played at the Berlin Olympic Games. For the record, USA won Gold, Canada won Silver, and Mexico the bronze. 
• Following the Second World War, basketball worldwide experienced an incredible growth in popularity. In 1948 Australia became the fifty second affiliated member of FIBA. 
• Today there are 206 affiliated basketball members of FIBA.
 
Development of Victorian Associations
Victoria was the first state to establish an association, in 1927. The association consisted of the following members: Y.M.C.A., Church of England, Military, and Presbyterian Church. South Australia was the next association formed in 1936, and soon after followed by New South Wales in 1938. After the Second World War, associations were formed in the remaining states - Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. Initially, church and army drill halls, as well as their limited availability, due to the many other functions the halls served, prevented maximum use of these facilities. This greatly restricted the development of the sport in the early stages.

Formation of the Amateur Basketball Union of Australia
In 1939, the National Federation of Basketball was formed - this became known as the Amateur Basketball Union of Australia (the governing body for basketball in Australia). This body did not become fully effective until 1946, when the first Australian Championships were held. The objectives of the then Amateur Basketball Union were to promote, encourage and control the game of basketball throughout Australia; to co-ordinate and supervise National Championships; to select and manage teams to represent Australia; and to deal with any issues that affect Australian basketball at the national level. 
 
In 1949 Australian became the fifty-second affiliated member of the International Amateur Basketball Federation (F.I.B.A.) which governs amateur basketball throughout the world. This world governing body was created to satisfy the following objectives: 
• To establish uniformity of the rules to be used in international and Olympic competitions. 
• To establish uniform standard on the dimensions and construction of basketball courts. 
• To establish the playing qualifications for players in teams taking part in Olympic and international competitions. 
• To establish the form of competition to be developed in Olympic competitions. 
• The inclusion of a native referee in the delegations of each country in order to control international or Olympic matches. 
• To adapt French, English and Spanish as official languages in international congresses and correspondence. 
• Mutual obligations to apply agreed sanctions to affiliated bodies. 
• To rule that member countries may not engage in international matches with non-member countries. 
• To establish rules for international federation devoted solely to basketball. 
• To establish the definition of an amateur. 
 
History of Basketball in Australia
1891 - Canadian born Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball to meet the needs of the Young Mens Christian Association International Training School at Springfield, Massachusetts.

1893 - Basketball had spread to France and other parts of Europe including Russia (Soviet Union).

1896 - Basketball was played in China, Asia.

1905 - First recorded game in Australia was played at YMCA facilities in Melbourne confirming the role of the YMCA as the principle force in spreading the game internationally.

1905 - Basketball flourished in YMCAs in NSW and Victoria also in 1939 church halls, particularly Presbyterian and Church of England.

1931 - The Victorian Basketball Association (VBA) was established with Ivor Burge largely responsible having got together the YMCA and church groups. 

1938 - The NSW Basketball Association was formed with Jack Small and Eric Callaway the prime movers.

1939 - The forerunner to the Australian Basketball Federation, the Amateur Basketball Union of Australia was formed. Originally, the ABU was an association between the NSW and Victorian Basketball Associations.

1939-45  Second World War, organised basketball went into recess although some games between visiting American and Australian servicemen did occur regularly.

1946  The first National Men's Championships were played in Sydney where NSW defeated Victoria 50-44. The first Women's National Championships were not played until 1955 with South Australia defeating NSW 50-34.

1948  - Australia became the fifty second affiliated member of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

1956  - Melbourne Olympic Games provided basketball with a tremendous impetus particularly in facility development.

1960s  - This period was marked by the emergence of some great Australian playing legends such as Lindsay Gaze, John Raschke, Peter Lawler, Ken Cole, Bill Wyatt, with the strong American influence of David Lindstrom, Perry Crosswhite and many others.
 
1970s - The early 1970s belongs to the great Eddie Palubinskas whose Olympic shooting feats in Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976 for the Boomers is only matched in recent times by the enigmatic Ian Davies and the greatness of Andrew Gaze.

1979  - Births of the National Basketball League (NBL) saw basketball embark on a weekly played National Competition, which the many sceptics said couldn't and wouldn't work. However, since its inception the NBL has propelled basketball from its slow but steady growth of 50s, 60s and 70s into one of Australia's top four sports.

1980s - Were significant for the enormous growth in popularity of basketball at almost every level culminating in the Australian Men's and Women's teams fourth (4) placing at the Seoul Olympic Games and the BP Australian Women's Youth team's Bronze Medal winning achievement at the 2nd World Youth Women's Championships held in Bilboa, Spain in 1989. 
1990 - The Australian men and women's basketball teams played in their World Championships. Men in Argentina where they finished in seventh (7th) place, and the women in Malaysia where they finished in sixth (6th) place. Also during 1990 the men and women's teams played in the 2nd World Goodwill Games where they both finished in fifth (5th) place.

1991 - The Australian men's team qualified for the Olympic Games after defeating New Zealand in two games. The Australian women's teams were to compete in a Pre-Qualification tournament in Spain in 1992. The BP Australia men's youth team finished 11th at their World Junior Championship in Alberta Canada in July/August.

1992 - The Australian men's and women's teams will played international games against national teams from USSR, USA and Spain in their Olympic Games preparation. 
The Senior Men's Team finished 6th at the Olympic Games in Spain. The Senior Women did not qualify. The Youth Women won the Oceania Championship.

1993 - The Kellogg's Frosties Women's Youth Team won a Gold Medal at the World Championships in Korea, defeating Russia and making history by being the first Australian Team to win a World Championship. The Senior Women played touring countries - a 7 game test series against the Ukraine and a game against USA - Athletes In Action. Toured China for an 8 game test series in Nov.

1994 - The Senior Men qualified for the 1994 World Championships in Toronto by defeating NZ. They also played a 6 game test series against a touring Russian National team. Will tour USA in Nov. The Men's Under 23 team finished 8th at the 1st World Championships held in Spain. The Men's U/ 21 National Squad commenced training during 1993 for the Men's Junior World Championships in 1995. A team of 10 toured the USA in November. 
The WNBL secured a major sponsorship for three years with West Coast Wine Cooler. 
1994  The 12th Women's World Championships were held from 2 -12 June in Australia for the first time. Preliminary Rounds were held in Adelaide, Hobart and Launceston with the finals played in Sydney.  The Senior women's team known as the Australian Goldmark Opals (due to a substantial sponsorship by Goldmark Jewellers, who came on board early in 1994) finished 4th,equalling their best ever ranking. In their efforts to win, the profile of Women's Basketball was lifted incredibly. Through the extensive media coverage, both print and electronic, and the TV coverage by ABC, the Opals became household names. In the 12 month lead up to OZ94, the Opals played 31 games (Ukraine series, Athletes In Action, Japan, Russia, Brazil, USA, France, Canada - all in Australia and toured China) 
The Senior men finished fifth at the World Basketball Championships in Toronto, Canada, from 4 -14 August. This equals their best ever performance at a World Championship. The Dream Team II defeated every team as predicted. The Junior Men competed at The Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany from April 1 - 12. They finished a very high third. 
The Junior women did not compete this year.

1995 - Opals played a series of games against Korea (4/1), China (5/0) within Australia and toured Europe in December to defeat the Ukraine (3/0). All games were preparation for Atlanta. Boomers played a series of games against the Magic Johnson All-stars and Missouri of the USA, and Korea within Australia. In December they also toured Europe (7/3). These were also preparations for Atlanta. Both the Opals and Boomers competed in the Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Sydney. Both teams went on to defeat New Zealand for the right to represent Oceania in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The Australian Youth Mens team travelled to France on their way to the World Championships in Greece. In France they won all games. At the 5th World Youth Mens Championships, the ‘Baby Boomers’ after beating the USA in their first game went on to finish second behind Greece. This is the highest placing and medal that any Australian Mens team has achieved. The Australian Youth Women’s squad came together to tour the USA College teams and came back with a creditable 9/2 win/loss record. All Teams were first division NCAA and the average age of the young Australians was 16.5. This tour was the start of the preparations for the defence of the World Youth Women’s Championships in 1997. Australia received the go ahead to host the 1997 World Under 23 Mens Basketball Championships to be in August in Melbourne.
 
1996 - The Goldmark Opals played in the Skilled World Challenge in May in a four-nation tournament (USA, Cuba, and Ukraine). This was the last time the team played in Australia before leaving for the Olympics and final preparatory games in Canada and Georgia. The Opals won Australia's first Olympic Medal in Basketball by taking out Bronze. The Boomers played a series of games against Lithuania and Italy before leaving for the USA for final preparations against the Dream Team and other Olympic teams. The Boomers defeated Croatia in an historic game to go into the semi finals. The Boomers eventually came fourth. 

1997 - The Goldmark Opals played a series against Japan and Russia before travelling to New Zealand to qualify for the World Championships in Germany next year. The Boomers played a series against Croatia and also qualified for the 1998 World Championships by defeating New Zealand. The Australian Junior Women's team became known as the "Gems". Defending their World Championship title in Brazil in July, they went down to the USA in overtime to come home as Silver medal winners. The Australian 22 & Under Men's team took Gold when Australia hosted the 2nd World Championship for Men 22 & Under in Melbourne in August. After a rocky start, "the Crocs" came back to win the Championship by defeating the USA in the 1/4 finals, Argentina in the Semi finals (in a nail biter) and finally Puerto Rico in the gold medal playoff.

1998 - The Goldmark Opals will be playing Tournaments in Japan, Slovak Republic and Portugal on their way to the World Championships in Germany. The Boomers will play Canada in Australia in a four game series, before leaving to the USA to compete in the Goodwill Games. This will be their final preparation before going to the World Championships in Greece. The Australian Junior Men's have been formed. The Junior Men defeated New Zealand to qualify for the Junior Men World Championships in Portugal next year.  The Junior Men played in the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany and came second. This is often seen as a precursor to the Junior Worlds. 
 
History of Basketball Coaching in Australia
In the Victorian Championships played during the 1930's, Ivor Burge, who had completed a physical education degree at Springfield, Massachusetts, coached the leading team Y.M.C.A. He introduced several new concepts of the game to the Victorian coaches. One concept in particular, the zone defense, was a characteristic trait of all his teams. During the war, American servicemen participated in many Victorian competitions, and their style of play influenced a movement back towards principles of man-to-man defense.
 
In 1949, many European migrants from Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary came to Australia, and advanced the general standard of play. Leon Baltrunis introduced the techniques of screening and the use of the weave, which was popular in the early fifties. Also, several outstanding American Mormon teams played at this time. The Mormon coach, De Lyle Condie, from the University of Utah, indicated what could be done with a well-organised offensive pattern. His team played a practice match against the Russian Olympic team prior to the Olympic Games in 1956, and were level with just one minute to play. Also, at this same time, jump shooting became the new trend, and Bob Skousen of Brigham Young University was a great jump shooter for young players to emulate. 

The game of basketball has grown through the efforts of two additional Australians - Ken Watson and Lindsay Gaze. Both men have recognised the importance of a well-organised offense, and instilled this philosophy in both their junior and senior teams. As a result, their teams have been very successful, and they have provided a model for other coaches in formulating their own philosophies of the game. 

Australia's first basketball coach for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne was Ken Watson (at the time, Ken was very active in coaching junior and senior players in the State of Victoria; he was the state senior men's coach at the time as well as secretary for both the Victorian Association and the Amateur Basketball Union of Australia). His teams ran the shuffle offense with great success, which added another dimension to the game. Ken gave a great deal of credit to the American coaches Bruce Drake (early originator of the shuffle offense) and Joe Eves (Auburn coach) for playing an important role in developing his theories on the shuffle offense. 

In 1958, Albert Park Basketball Stadium was opened, and this facility became the headquarters for basketball in Victoria, even though the game was played in many different venues throughout the state. Lindsay Gaze was appointed the stadium manager, and at the time was very active in coaching junior teams within the Church of England Association. He was involved in coaching U/18 and U/16 state teams during the early 1960's. Also, Lindsay was later to represent Australia as a player in the Olympic Games in 1960, 1964 and 1968. He was appointed the Olympic basketball coach in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984. (Ken Watson and Lindsay Gaze have played very active roles in promoting and teaching basketball, not only in Victoria, but throughout Australia). 

In 1961 two American coaches, John Bunn and Stu Inman, were invited to Australia to conduct coaching clinics on the various facets of the game. Apart from the direct instruction in offense and defense, they emphasised the important point that junior and senior teams simply did not practice enough. At that time it was usual for the leading Victorian teams to practice only once per week, although the team members might play several matches per week in various competitions. Efforts were made to increase practices to four times per week, although many teams found this to be difficult to achieve. (By practising throughout the year, it was hoped to make up for the inability to have a daily practice program during the main season). A program of exchange visits between the United States teams (high school as well as college) and Australian teams has been beneficial in showing Australian coaches different methods of play and approaches to coaching. 
 
Albert Park Basketball Stadium 1958-1997
The history of Victorian Basketball dates back to around 1905, when the first recorded information on basketball being played in Melbourne shows that men and women were playing the sport which was first invented by James Naismith in 1891 at Springfield University in Massachusetts. Graduates of the Y.M.C.A. College propagated the game around the world and it quickly became and international sport, first being played in the Olympic Games in 1936, five years after the formation of FIBA, the International Federation of Basketball Associations and coincidentally the formation of the Victorian Basketball Association.

The second world war reduced participation rates and it wasn't until 1946 that the first Australian Basketball Championship was held. During this time basketball was played in small church halls, army drill halls and community centres with the best locations being the Exhibition Buildings, the YMCA in Melbourne and the Hall of Industries at the Showgrounds.
The 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne provided the first opportunity for the construction of a venue specific for basketball and the VBA pressed the Olympic Games Organising Committee to build on a site offered by the Education Department, but the proposal was rejected. Instead, the Committee built an annexe to the Exhibition Buildings, which subsequently was of no use to the VBA.

However, the associations did collect some revenue for a building fund and claimed the playing court and backboards from the Exhibition Buildings. After years of frustration without headquarters for basketball and being bumped in and out of the Exhibition Buildings and Showgrounds, the VBA finally completed plans for a two court stadium in Northcote. A partnership was then formed between the Business Houses Association, Olympic Association and Church of England Association and the VABA Co operative Community Society (later to be known as Basketball Stadiums Victoria). The first directors were, Harold Pickett, Ron Cutts, Jim Marchbank, Jack Carter and Ken Watson.

This was a solid, hard working group determined to make business success of the new venture. However, just as they were about to sign the building contract, Ken Watson received a phone call from Senator Pat Kennelly, Chairman of the Albert Park Committee of Management, who proposed the conversion of one of their war time stores buildings to a six court basketball stadium.

The offer was hotly debated, but Ken Watson convinced his colleagues that it was too good to refuse and the VBA contributed the $40,000 it had raised for the Northcote project and built its first headquarters at Albert Park. The conversion was completed in 1958, Lindsay Gaze was appointed stadium manager and the official "Opening Ceremony" match between a Victoria selection and the Mormons was played on the 6th of April 1959. Within a few years the Albert Park Basketball Stadium was expanded to eight courts and then nine, making it the largest basketball stadium in the Southern Hemisphere.

While the "American Connection" has always been part of Victorian Basketball, it wasn't until 1966, when the Melbourne Tigers recruited Fred Guy, that a new wave of former U.S. college players flooded the local scene. Until then it was the migrant boom of the 50's that brought new talent and new coaching methods to Victoria. Players like Peter Bumbers, Mintauts Raiskums, Stan Dargis, Peter Demos and the Hidy brothers, John and Les set the standard.
Fred Guy, a 201cm forward was the first player recruited specifically by the Tigers to boost the playing standards and to assist with coaching juniors. The move proved to be dramatically successful as Guy became the leading scorer in the Victorian Championship and the Tigers also went through he 1967 season with an undefeated record. The impact that Guy had on the game prompted other clubs to follow suit and the Albert Park Stadium was identified as a major venue for top level basketball in Australia.

It was around this time that the Stadium Directors developed a policy of supporting the promotion of top competition and funded national invitation tournaments as well as visits by international teams. A vision of promoting a "Pan Pacific Basketball Championship" was overly ambitious as one by one Asian and Pacific countries withdrew their nominations, leaving only one team from the Philippines to join top Australian clubs in the first international tournament at Albert Park in 1963. San Jose State University was the first USA college team to visit Australia in 1965 and many great college teams have followed since then.

Even in an era when top games are played in venues like Melbourne Park, fans still say that the atmosphere at the Albert Park Stadium is something special. Among the special visits to Albert Park have been the Big Ten Conference All Stars in 1971, which included future NBA stars such as Jim Brewer, Kevin Kunnert, Clarence Sherrod and Bill Franklin.

The Big Ten team of 1972 also head several great players but wasn't quite so overpowering.
It was common in those days for the top US college teams to travel through Australia with undefeated records. Cincinatti and Oregon were fine teams which went undefeated and Kentucky lost only to the Melbourne Tigers and the national team. Kentucky returned home to finish second in the NCAA Championship the following season.

The tradition of the Albert Park Stadium hosting international matches ended on 24th  May 1997, appropriately with a match between Melbourne Tigers and the Arizona Wildcats - the 1997 NCAA Champions - before a capacity crowd. The packed stadium with the typical Albert Park atmosphere witnessed another thiller with the Tigers winning by four points in overtime.
There have also been many great teams from Europe who have visited Australia through the auspices of the Albert Park Stadium. Slavia Prague, the champion team of Czechoslovakia brought the best of European basketball in 1996 and the visit by the Maccabi Tel Aviv club produced another thriller which was highlighted by the antics of the Israeli referee who accompanied the team and the security guards who were more than zealous in their protection of the players.

Teams from all of the republics of the former Yugoslavia visited Albert Park during the 70's and early 80's with perhaps the most memorable being the Cibona club of Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade.

During the history of the Albert Park Stadium there have only been five chairmen of the Board of Directors, Harold Pickett, Jack Carter, Maurice Pawsey, Malcolm Speed and Henry Cooper, clearly demonstrating a remarkable stability in sports administration and business management. The policy of the Board has always been to maximise the use oft he facility at the lowest possible fee for participants and spectators to support the policies of the VBA and to encourage the development of new facilities in the metropolitan and country Victoria.
After the ninth court was added to the Albert Park Stadium in 1965, further expansion here was impossible and the task of convincing other municipalities to support the construction of basketball stadiums began. A two court stadium was constructed in Coburg in 1968 and it was later expanded to three courts. The success of the Coburg stadium meant that convincing other councils was less difficult and through the 70's a mini boom in the expansion of facilities and participation took place.

The state government adopted a policy of funding municipal sports facilities and this combined with the construction of what became known as "ECCA Centres" (Phys Ed buildings) in schools, created the largest growth rate for basketball during the decade. In almost all cases, staff of Basketball Stadiums Victoria were involved in consultation, construction and management. As the number grew there was also a need to develop facilities which could cater for larger numbers of spectators.

In 1970 an ambitious plan to develop a 5,000 seat multi purpose stadium by converting the Badminton Centre, which was located adjacent to the Albert Park Basketball Stadium, was set to when the state government was "lobbied" by environmentalists and other special interest groups. The plan was fully funded without requiring Government subsidies, had the support of the Victorian Olympic Council and a wide range of sporting organisations which were crying out for a venue to promote their major events, the South Melbourne Council, the Albert Park Committee of Management and of course the Badminton Association. It is a matter of history that the project was rejected by the State Government and according to Lindsay Gaze the decision set back the redevelopment of the sport 15 years.

In 1997 the Government opened the new Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre at a cost over $50million. The mission to develop a 5,00 seat stadium specific for basketball remains on the agenda.

While the failure of developing a large capacity stadium was disappointing, the Stadium Directors maintained enthusiasm for the promotion of major events and supporting the construction of new facilities. National tournaments such as the Australian Club Championships were initiated and became a feature event on the calendar of many events promoted at Albert Park. Ken Watson once again showed his vision for the needs of the sport when he introduced the Melbourne Junior Classic, a club championship for Under 16 and Under 18 men and women which has evolved into the most important national club championship for junior club teams in this age level. He then introduced the Melbourne Classic for under 12 and under 14 club teams for boys and girls, which is also now recognised as a national club championship for this age division.

The development of the Victorian Country Championships at Albert Park and subsequently Victorian Country Premierships for both seniors and juniors created new opportunities and incentives for those in country Victoria seeking higher levels of competition. Administrators and players alike recognised the Albert Park Stadium as "the Mecca" of basketball and the annual tournaments for each division became the highlight of their season.

As the headquarters of the Victorian Basketball Association, it is not surprising that the Albert Park Stadium has become the focal point of the administration and the place where there seems to be a never ending schedule of meetings. The VBA Council and Executive are at the peak of a pyramid of committees comprising volunteers who have directed basketball in Victoria from a minor sporting / recreation activity, with a registration of about two thousand participants, to major sports status with over 200,000 registered players.

There are many examples where something is not appreciated until it is no longer available. This was the case in 1987 when a fire destroyed the offices of the Albert Park Stadium and much of the documented history and memorabilia lost. For almost 12 months the administration of the VBA was conducted out of portable huts located adjacent to court nine and if ever there was a time to confirm the dedication and commitment of the staff to carry out their duties in adverse conditions, this was it. There was a similar disaster with the destruction by fire of the Coburg stadium in 1990 and once again the Directors of Basketball Stadiums Victoria set about the task of re-construction and further development. History will record that the Albert Park Stadium provided the stimulus which got basketball moving in Victoria. Competition, coaching, administration, referee training and facility development has grown out of the vision of those original directors who set the foundation for a successful future. We did not have to wait until after it is gone to appreciate the contribution Albert Park Stadium has made to Victorian and Australian basketball. The "Celebration of Albert Park" held on the 10th July 1997 marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new and spectacularly impressive Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. If the next 40 years are as productive and exciting as the last, then the future of Victoria Basketball is well and truly assured.
 
The Players  
During a 40 year period it would be impossible to name all of the fine players who have featured at Albert Park and the many great games, national, international and state finals. Peter Bumbers was probably the best of the Latvians who dominated in the late 50's. He was a key player in the 1956 Olympic team and continued to star for his Daina club through 1960. In one Australian Championship match he scored 50 points missing only one shot for the game. Bill Wyatt and Lindsay Gaze virtually commenced their international careers with the opening of the Albert Park Stadium and their combination provided the foundation for the "Tigers" tradition of championship success. Among the former American college players who followed in the footsteps of Fred Guy, Bill Palmer, Ken James, David Lindstrom, Rocky Smith, Rocky Crosswhite and Cal Bruton would be prominent when considering the all time greats. Bill Palmer was a graduate of Stanford University who joined the Bulleen Spectres in 1972 after a season in Canberra and togehter with college team mates in Fred Green and Dennis O'Neill, collected state titles in 1973 and 1974. Injuries cut short Palmer's playing career but he then went on to become a leading administrator for the VBA and the National Basketball League. Ken Cole was probably the most controversial player and coach during his era of the 60's and 70's. He played with the Melbourne East Demons in 1966 and then with Melbourne (Church) Tigers before becoming player / coach of St Kilda in 1970 when he first led them to their first championship title.

David Lindstrom, a fine scoring guard from Puget Sound University put Cole out of business in the final of the 1971 grand final with some great defense while scoring 40pts himself and restoring the state title back to the Tigers. It was a sign of the times in 1969 when Willie Anderson, a former Harlem Globetrotter, joined the Dandenong Rangers as player / coach. He led the championship scoring with an average of 28ppg but upset officials by running private clinics for personal profit and he was declared a professional and banned from the competition. He subsequently tried out with North Melbourne in Australian Rules football and although he showed promise, the game was too much for him and he returned home to the United States where he continued to praise Australian basketball.

Perry "Rocky" Crosswhite was a graduate of Davidson Colege who married one of Victoria's star female players, Jan Steele, shortly after settling in Australia and he subsequently became a triple Olympian in 1972, 76, 80. He became head of the Department of Sport and Recreation servicing for the first state Minister of Sport, Brian Dixon, Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Sports Commission and now is CEO of Commonwealth Games Committee.
Eddie Palubinskas was the first Australian to make impact on the college scene in the United States. Originally from Canberra, Palubinskas had his first season in the Victorian Championships in 1970 where he helped St Kilda to win the title. He was the second leading scorer in the 1972 Olympics and led all scorers in the 1976 Olympics. Palubinskas accepted a scholarship to Ricks Junior College in Idaho and later transferred to Louisiana State University where he became recognised as one oft he finest shooters in the country and the nations leading free throw percentage shooters. He was in the fifth round of the ABA and the seventh round of the NBA but did not gain a contract. He held the honour of most points scored in a championship game hitting 66 for Caufield Spartans in 1976.

Andrew Gaze also made and impact on the college scene in the United States. When he played with Seton Hall University in 1989 he became the first Australian player to play in the final of the NCAA Championship. He later had a brief stint with the Washington Bullets in the NBA. Like Eddie Palubinskas, Andrew Gaze was the second leading scorer in the Olympics and the leading scorer in 1988 - 92. A four time Olympian, Andrew Gaze literally grew up in the Albert Park Stadium and has been a regular selection in the Victorian All Star team since 1984.

Michelle Timms is possibly the highest profile player in Australian womens basketball since growing up through the junior ranks of the Bulleen Association. Her exploits in Victorian Championship matches at Albert Park provided a pathway to prominence in the National League and the Australian Opals. Many may think that Michelle is the first female player to make the professional ranks in the United States playing for Phoenix Mercury in the recently formed Women's NBA. But the Saints Jan Baker turned down a college scholarship offer in favour of accepting a spot on a team called the Dallas Diamonds which was a member of the womens professional basketball league back in the late 70's. Court 9 at Albert Park was the main arena for the highest level of women's basketball and players like Dandenong's Julie Gross and Maree Jackson took their talents to the United States and became recognised amongst the best in the country. Jean Kupsch was the first great exponent of the jump shot while playing with the Comets alongside Elinor McKenzie and Midge Nelson who is often mentioned as being amongst the finest all round female athletes Australia has produced. The next generation of "Comets" which included Karin Maar, Jan Smithwick and Jan Morris, maintained long traditional rivalry with the Telstars which included Sandra Tomlinson, Candy Ferris, Dana Polis and Gai Smith.
 
The Referees
The early years of the Albert Park Stadium were the latter years of many referees who could only be described as "pioneers" of Victorian basketball. Paul Wiltshire was the first President of the Victorian Referees Association and he along with stalwarts such as Henry Perazzo, Charlie Jones, Jack Smith, Wally Patterson, Jim Boatwood provided the foundation of experience and guidance to a "new army" of referees required to staff the stadium seven days a week. The new referees adopted the same approach to their duties as their predecessors accepting very modest compensation(70c per game) working six games a night and sometimes several nights per week. Stan Ingram, affectionately known as "sleepy" for many years worked five nights a week and asked stadium manager, Lindsay Gaze, to retain his expenses and settle with him at the end of the year. It is understood he paid off the mortgage on his home and then disappeared from the sport.

One of the most important initiatives in the 60's was the plan to invite John Bunn, the Rules interpreter from the United States, to visit Australia and conduct referees clinics and to offer advice on administration. Bunn was also a top coach and his advise proved to be a major factor in Australian referees becoming recognised as amongst the best in the world. Paul Wiltshire, Charlie Jones, Henry Perazzo, John Holden, Eddie Crouch, Ray Hunt and Bill Mildenhall gained Olympic honours while other referees such as Dick Mason and Les Dick gained international recognition. Basketball Stadiums Victoria Directors supported other initiatives aimed to recruit overseas experts to assist referees developments and visits by Chuck Allen, Referees Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, Chuck Osborne and David Turner, were all positive steps in maintaining Victoria as the leading state for referees development.