Luke Kendall

Luke Kendall (born 25 May 1981) is an Australian professional basketball coach for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He also spent seven years as a player in the NBL, playing for four clubs across the league and winning a championship in 2005.

Luke Kendall
South East Melbourne Phoenix
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1981-05-25) 25 May 1981
Melbourne, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
CollegeMetro State (2000–2004)
NBA draft2004 / Undrafted
Playing career2004–2011
Career history
As player:
2004–2008Sydney Kings
2008Perth Wildcats
2009–2010Melbourne Tigers
2010Sydney Kings
2011Gold Coast Blaze
As coach:
2016–2019Sydney Kings
2019–presentSouth East Melbourne Phoenix
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Australia
2006 Melbourne Team competition

Professional career

A 6'4" (193 cm) guard, Kendall made his NBL debut for the Sydney Kings during the 2004–05 NBL season. He played 12 games for the Brian Goorjian coached Kings in his first season and as a member of the squad he won the NBL championship that year as the Kings defeated the Wollongong Hawks three games to nil in a lop sided series.

Kendall would play three more seasons in Sydney, totaling 123 games and averaging 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

After the Kings had their licence revoked by the NBL due to financial troubles following the 2007–08 NBL season, Kendall signed to play with the Perth Wildcats for 2008–09.[1] However, after just 12 games for the Wildcats, he moved to the Melbourne Tigers in January 2009 for the remainder of the 2008–09 season.

Kendall re-signed with the Melbourne Tigers for the 2009–10 NBL season.

Luke Kendall was on the move again following the season with the Tigers when he signed again to play for the Sydney Kings but only played in one game before being released. He then signed with the Gold Coast Blaze in February 2011. In another injury riddled season, Kendall played in just 8 games for the Blaze where he averaged a career low 1.9 points and 1.1 assists per game.

At the close of the 2010–11 season which saw the Blaze miss the playoffs with a 13–15 win-loss record, Luke Kendall had played 173 NBL games averaging 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.[2]

Coaching career

In 2016, Kendall started as a development coach for the Sydney Kings. His role was then increased the following season when he was elevated to assistant coach.[3]

In 2019, Kendall joined the South East Melbourne Phoenix as the player development assistant coach of the new club.[4]

International career

Kendall was a member of the Australian Boomers team that finished 13th at the 2006 FIBA World Championship held in Japan. He was also a member of the Boomers when they won the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in his hometown of Melbourne by defeating the New Zealand Tall Blacks 81–76 in the final to remain unbeaten in the tournament.[5]

References
  1. Wildcats swoop to sign Kendall
  2. Player statistics for Luke Kendall
  3. "Luke Kendall stepping up". www.sydneykings.com. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  4. "Kendall brings experience to Phoenix". www.semphoenix.com.au. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  5. Boomers win gold thriller
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