Where are the pre-1988 players?

Yep, Schenscher is better than Vlahov.....

Patty Mills should be no. 1 followed by Andrew Gaze

If you dont have Andrew Gaze as number 1, start again.

Andrew Gaze clearly number 1, daylight second.

Need to dig a bit deeper into the history books. Need to include guys like Ian Davies and Eddie Palubinskas. Also, there is no way Schenscher makes the list. Vlahov and Dave Andersen are two guys that immediately come to mind before him. Sam Mackinnon too. Heck, even Tony Ronaldson would be higher on the list than Schenscher.

Lauren Jackson

making the nba does not makes you an automatic selection.

Jawai is also better than Schenscher.

Aleks Maric is better than Schenscher.

Lauren Jackson

sorry for the double post,

AJ Ogilvy is better than Schenscher.

I guess the moral of the story is, there are A LOT of players much better than Schenscher. I can't believe he even came into top-10 consideration.

Schenscher??? *shits pants instantly*

Even Ben Pepper was better than Schenscher. Big Luke may not even be on the top-10 list of Aussie bigs!

Paul Rogers....yep, better than Schenscher.

I don't believe he is a top 10 Aus player, but I'm interested to know where people put Newcastle Falcons guard Michael Johnson in the list.

The guy has to be one of the most underrated NBL players of all time.

Luke Nevill is better than Schenscher.

Aron Baynes, Ray Borner, Larry Sengstock.....all better than Schenscher. I'm gonna stop now, this is getting embarrasing for poor Luke.

"The guy has to be one of the most underrated NBL players of all time."

Agree 100%.

I can't even believe big ginger made the nba
Sean Marks is better then Luke Schensher and he's gotta Ring!

not going to list an order apart form gaze at #1
Names that would have to be in top 10 discussions

Gaze
Heal
Bradtke
Longley
Palubinskas
PSmyth
Bogut
CJ Bruton
Linde
Blicavs
Maher
Borner
Vlahov

Extreme sexism here fellas. To only list males in this discussion possibly means you have broken a number of laws!

Kyrie Irving should already be top 10 tbh.

HO Lauren Jackson is a male?
Careful could be defamation there..

;)

I recognise that some have mentioned Jackson....

But you probably need to all start with definition of what makes you the "best" basketballer. Philly's definition seems to be that they played in the best male league!

Michael Johnson was an extraordinary shooter. He deserves to be considered. Played defence a little like Gaze.. (pretty much an afterthought)

Gerry Donard was better than Luke

Luke Schensher isnt anywhere near.

Kyrie Irving? The kid may have been born in Australia, but doesn't make him Australian.

Anyone who mentions schensher has to be kidding. He was absolutely woeful for the first half of last season... and merely servicable at the end.

Apples and oranges Anon^

Not talking down Lauren Jackson. She is obviously one of the 2 or 3 best female players on the planet ever BUT the question was Top 10 Australian players.
Which one of the players in the list is Lauren better than?
I guess another way to ask the question is how would Luke Schenscher have gone playing against Lauren's opponents. She is not a better player than any of those guys.

Heal, Maher
Gaze mills
Vlahov MacKinnon
Bradtke Nielsen
Bogut Longley

I'm glad someone mentioned CJ. He's def in my top 10! Brett Maher no mention? He has a good argument!

Would Schenscher even make the Top 3 South Australian born big men behind Bradtke, Ronaldson and Rogers and that isn't even including everyone's favourite centre Joe Ingles :)

Andrew Gaze
Andrew Bogut
Shane Heal
Chris Anstey
CJ Bruton
Patty Mills
Sam Mackinnon
Brett Maher
Andrew Vlahov
Joe Ingles

Hey speaking of David Stiff, who were the two American imports many years ago when a young a david and Knox Raiders won SEABL?

Technically Kyrie Irving is as much Aussie as me.

Til Kyrie Irving pouts on a boomers singlet hes no Aussie in my eyes.

Ronno born in SA? Not to my knowledge!

Ronaldson was born in Adelaide

Has Luke ever even played for Australia?

Think he played in goodwill games many years ago but not any major tournament

whaleoilbeefhooked

What makes you the best basketballer? If it is mainly about making your team better, and giving it the best shot at being a winning program, then Lauren is our best basketballer, by so far its not funny. She does that in the best league in the world. None of our male players have ever done that to the degree she does.

If its sheer game brain, its either Harrower or drewy.

Of course it could be other things as well. I am just unclear on what makes you best.

If we were talking men and women Lauren Jackson would win by a country mile. But were not. OK, if she was playing vs these men she would likely be contained but shes not and her achievements have to be seen in context. She is the Australian player to have the biggest impact for her team, She probably is the most succesful Australian player of either sex.. However is she the 'best Australian player' overall? No, because guys much further down the list would probably walk all over her. There is good reason why men and women dont play in the same pro leagues. Lauren Jackson definitely deserves all the credit she gets however, if any woman could play in a mens league and compete it would be her.

Does this include naturalised players? If so how about leaping Leroy, Ricky grace, and Rob Rose?

Since Ricky Grace, Leroy Loggins and alike are actualy inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame, I am guessing they qualify for inclusion as potential top 10'ers...

More to the point, you will find quite a number of our Opals in that list of players, so I tend to also agree with the point of view that if we are going to discuss the top 10 of all time we need to quantify it better.

Maybe two lists, one for Boomers and one for Opals if we can't agree on actual qualification status based on gender.

Otherwise let's come up with some parameters, that may help solve some angst out there?

I agree Anon. Phil definitely still has claims on being Australia's greatest ever point guard. I love Hammer, he's definitely one of my favourite players of all time, but the first time I thought he actually played like a point guard for the Boomers was in 2004 at Athens. Up until then he really was a short shooting guard, or 'combo' guard as people like to call them now. Essentially Australia's greatest ever backcourt, Gaze and Heal, were two 'combo' guards by today's standards, just one was tall and the other short.

For greatest Australian basketballer the criteria must be impact on World Basketball and performance for Australia at Senior World Championships and Olympic Games.

These are the guys who are able to hold their position in Australian colours and shine when playing against the world's best. Must be guys that do things playing for Australia or in the NBA where you jump out of your chair, shout and dance around only to be embarrassed when your wife/partner/girlfriend looks at you in dismay/disgust.

1. Andrew Bogut (by the length of the straight) It matters not whether he plays again. He is already there because he is the first and only Australian to be a important starting 5 player in the NBA and he has been there for 8 years.

2 - 5 Andrew Gaze , Shane Heal, Luc Longley, Phil Smyth

6 - 11 Mark Bradtke , Pat Mills , CJ Bruton , Ian Davies, Chris Anstey, David Anderson

I have not included Eddie Palubinskas as he was just before my time. I did see Eddie play an exhibition match (he was probably 40) and it was evident he was sensational.

Rick - firstly, the logic of your NBA argument is completely flawed, and secondly, I'm pretty sure Luc Longley can lay claim to being the first Aussie to be an 'important' starting five player in the NBA thanks to his three championships as a starting centre on arguably the greatest NBA team of all-time.

Why isnt Ben simmons there

Hi wer3r3 and your 2 mates, Rick wrote above,
"For greatest Australian basketballer the criteria must be impact on World Basketball and performance for Australia at Senior World Championships and Olympic Games." For the best-of-the-best award, I agree.

Simmons doesn't have a tick in ANY of those boxes, yet.

It's going to be Ben Simmons, and then daylight. Followed by

Andrew Bogut
Patty MIlls
Andrew Gaze
Joe Ingles