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NBL MVP Finalists announced
NBL Press Release
The finalists for the National Basketball League's (NBL) Most Valuable Player award for the 2004/05 Philips Championship have been revealed, with seven stars in the running for the prestigious title.
The seven finalists represent five of the eleven teams in the Philips Championship, with Adelaide and Wollongong each with two finalists apiece.
In alphabetical order, the top votegetters for the 2005 MVP award are Mark Bradtke (Melbourne), Chris Burgess (Cairns), Willie Farley (Adelaide), Darnell Mee (Wollongong), Dusty Rychart (Adelaide), Glen Saville (Wollongong) and Brian Wethers (Hunter).
The winner of the award will be announced via media release on the morning of Thursday 24 March, with the trophy to be presented at the league's annual awards night in Sydney later that evening.
One of the Philips Championship's evergreen big men, Melbourne Tigers star Mark Bradtke averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists during the regular season. He ranked second in the league in rebounding and was named as an NBL All-Star.
In his first full season in the Philips Championship, Chris Burgess of the Cairns Taipans established himself as one of the competition's premier inside presences. The American averaged 20.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game during the regular season, leading the league in rebounding and ranking eighth in scoring and third in blocked shots. Burgess was also named as an NBL All-Star.
Willie Farley returned to Adelaide and showed the sort of form that had helped lead the 36ers to a title back in 2002. Farley was second in the league in scoring at 23.6 points per game as well as averaging 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals. The
36ers star was named the Philips Player of the Week for Round 19.
Darnell Mee was a pivotal figure in the Wollongong Hawks stifling defence all season and helped the Hawks become the league's toughest defensive team. With regular season averages of 14.7 points, 7.6 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, Mee has also shown himself to be a dangerous offensive threat. Mee led the league in assists and was second for steals. He has already been named as the NBL's Best Defensive Player for the 2004/05 Philips Championship season, in the process becoming just the second player in NBL history to win the award four times.
Adelaide forward, Dusty Rychart joined with Farley and 36ers captain Brett Maher to form one of the league's best-ever trios this season. Rychart averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He was ranked third in the league for both points and offensive rebounds and received the Philips Player of the Week award in Round 16.
Wollongong swingman Glen Saville led his team to the 2005 Philips Grand Final series, marking the second most successful season in Hawks history. Saville was a consistent performer all year for the Hawks, averaging 17.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during the regular season. Saville was named the Philips Player of the Week in Round 14 and was honoured as an NBL All-Star.
The newly crowed NBL scoring champion, Brian Wethers of the Hunter Pirates exploded into the Philips Championship in his first season. During 2004/05 Wethers averaged 24.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He recently collected the Hunter Pirates club Most Valuable Player award.
The NBL's Most Valuable Player award is voted on by head coaches following each game during the regular season.
NBL Most Valuable Player Previous Winners
Year Player Club
1979 Ken Richardson West Adelaide Bearcats
1980 Rocky Smith St. Kilda Saints
1981 Mike Jones Illawarra Hawks
1982 Al Green West Adelaide Bearcats
1983 Owen Wells Sydney Supersonics
1984 Leroy Loggins Brisbane Bullets
1985 Ray Borner Coburg Giants
1986 Leroy Loggins Brisbane Bullets
1987 Mark Davis Adelaide 36ers
Leroy Loggins Brisbane Bullets
1988 Joe Hurst Hobart Tassie Devils
1989 Scott Fisher North Melbourne Giants
1990 Derek Rucker Brisbane Bullets
1991 Andrew Gaze Melbourne Tigers
1992 Scott Fisher North Melbourne Giants
Andrew Gaze Melbourne Tigers
1993 Robert Rose South East Melbourne Magic
1994 Andrew Gaze Melbourne Tigers
1995 Andrew Gaze Melbourne Tigers
1996 Andrew Gaze Melbourne Tigers
1997 Andrew Gaze Melbourne Tigers
1998 Andrew Gaze Melbourne Tigers
1999 Steve Woodberry Brisbane Bullets
2000 Paul Rogers Perth Wildcats
2001 Robert Rose Townsville Crocodiles
2002 Mark Bradtke Melbourne Tigers
2003 Chris Williams Sydney Kings
2004 Matthew Nielsen Sydney Kings
