Brad Robbins


Bradley Robbins is an Australian professional basketball player who is most known for his time spent in the National Basketball League with the Perth Wildcats. He is currently a member of the Rockingham Flames of the State Basketball League.

Early life and career

Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Robbins played his junior basketball in the suburb of Dandenong. He represented Victoria in national competitions in Under 14s in 1998, Under 16s in 2000, and Under 18s in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, he was a member of the Australian team at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the Oceania Junior Men's Qualification Tournament. Then in 2003, he was part of the history-making world championship-winning Australian Emus Under 19 team that included the likes of Andrew Bogut, Damian Martin and Matthew Knight, and coached by Rob Beveridge.
Robbins had a one-game stint with the SEABL's Dandenong Rangers in 2001, before joining the team in 2003 and playing in 21 games.

Professional career

Victoria Giants and Cairns Taipans

Following the 2003 SEABL season, Robbins joined the Victoria Giants of the National Basketball League for the 2003–04 season. He played sparingly for the Giants as a rookie, scoring just 11 total points in 13 games. He returned to the SEABL in 2004, joining the Knox Raiders and going on to win the SEABL's Australian Youth Player of the Year for the South Conference.
Following the 2004 SEABL season, Robbins moved north and joined the Cairns Taipans for the 2004–05 NBL season. In 25 games for the Taipans, he averaged 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. He then returned to Knox for the 2005 SEABL season and earned back-to-back Australian Youth Player of the Year honours for the South Conference. Robbins had another standout season as he finished with averages of 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Not known for his offensive prowess, Robbins recorded 20 or more points two times during the 2005 season, with a season-best game of 24 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals against the Mount Gambier Pioneers in his last regular season game.

Perth Wildcats

Early years

After not receiving any NBL contract offers for the 2005–06 season, Robbins moved to Perth in 2006 and joined the Willetton Tigers of the State Basketball League. Following the 2006 SBL season, Robbins joined the Perth Wildcats for the 2006–07 NBL season and became a tremendous servant of the club. In his first season as a Wildcat, Robbins averaged 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 34 games. He became a crowd favourite and impressed with his work ethics, as his gritty actions on court earned him the nickname "Angry Ant". He subsequently returned to the Willetton Tigers for the 2007 SBL season.
Robbins played 67 games over his first two seasons as a Wildcat, increasing he averages to 6.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 2007–08, but was restricted to just three appearances in 2008–09 due to a knee injury.

Championship and co-captaincy

Robbins returned to full health for the 2009–10 season and formed a tremendous point guard duo with Damian Martin, helping the club win a record-breaking fifth NBL Championship. In the 2–1 grand final series win over the Wollongong Hawks, Robbins played through broken ribs, a calf tear and sore hips to drag Perth across the line. In 32 games for the Wildcats in 2009–10, he averaged 4.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He was then named co-captain for the 2010–11 season and led his team from the front to another playoff appearance, this time a thrilling semi-final series loss in three games to the New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 31 games during the 2010–11 season.
Robbins returned to the SBL in 2011, joining the Wanneroo Wolves and helping the team win the championship alongside Wildcats' teammate Greg Hire. In 15 games for the Wolves in 2011, he averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He went on to have a career-best season for the Wildcats in 2011–12, celebrating his 200th NBL game in Game 1 of the semi-final series against the Gold Coast Blaze, and averaging a career-high 7.0 points per game. The Wildcats made it back to the Grand Final in 2012, where they were defeated 2–1 by the New Zealand Breakers. In 34 games for the Wildcats in 2011–12, he also averaged 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Following a successful stint with the Wanneroo Wolves in 2011, Robbins returned to the side for the 2012 season but played in just seven games, averaging 10.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Final season

Off-season wrist surgery forced Robbins to miss the first three weeks of the Wildcats' 2012–13 season, but upon returning to action, he managed just eight games before his long-running battle with various injuries began impeding on his ability to perform. Consequently, on 11 December 2012, he announced his retirement from the NBL effective immediately, citing his ailing body and a fatigued mind were the main reasons in his decision to walk away from basketball. He continued on with the team in an advisory role, but following an Achilles injury to Damian Martin in Game 2 of the Wildcats' semi-final series against the Wollongong Hawks, Robbins came out of retirement in April to fill in the back-up point guard role for the 2013 Grand Final series against the New Zealand Breakers. He played in both games of the Wildcats' 2–0 series loss to the Breakers, finishing his NBL career with 215 games and averages of 4.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Continuing on in the SBL

Robbins' 2013 NBL Grand Final return sparked a want to continue playing at a lower level, and just days after completing the NBL season with the Wildcats, Robbins joined the Wanneroo Wolves for the rest of the 2013 State Basketball League season. He played an important role on the Wolves' squad, leading them back to the Grand Final where they lost to the Lakeside Lightning. In 20 games for the Wolves in 2013, he averaged 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
After not playing for the Wolves in 2014, in April 2015, he re-joined the team. He left the team in early July prior to the playoffs. In 10 games, he averaged 3.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
In October 2018, Robbins came out of retirement to sign with the Rockingham Flames for the 2019 SBL season. He came into the season six kilograms lighter than he was when he was with the Wildcats. A hamstring injury suffered during pre-season forced him to miss the start of the regular season. He made his debut for the Flames in round nine. He went on to miss the back-end of the season, including the finals, with an Achilles injury.

Coaching career

In December 2016, Robbins was appointed assistant coach for the Joondalup Wolves' WSBL team for the 2017 season. He continued on in the role in 2018, and had the responsibility as head coach for a large chunk of the season with coach Craig Friday unavailable due to his duties with the national wheelchair team.

Personal

In 2013, Robbins started working part-time as a project officer at the Fremantle Police and Community Youth Centre. The centre's Streetball program, which Robbins began co-ordinating, was developed in 2012 to combat anti-social behaviour in the area. Robbins also began studying psychology and counselling at Edith Cowan University in 2013.
Robbins is the brother-in-law of Wildcats and SBL teammate Greg Hire, with the pair having both married sisters.