Cal Bruton
Encyclopedia
Calvin Bruton is a former player and coach in the Australia
n National Basketball League
. Originally an American import
, but later becoming a naturalised Australian, Bruton has been an integral part of the league since its inception. As a result Bruton became one of the first inductees into the NBL Hall Of Fame when it opened in 1998.
Bruton also has a son that plays in the NBL, Calvin "CJ" Bruton Jr., who has become quite successful in his own right.
for the inaugural 1979 NBL season
. Bruton led all scorers in the NBL's first year (see NBL (Australia) Points per game), averaging over 33 points per game.
Bruton later joined the Geelong Supercats
in 1982
as a playing coach where he would win the NBL Coach of the Year
in his first season. During his tenure with the Supercats, Bruton was also named to the All NBL First Team
in 1983 and 1984.
Bruton rejoined the Bullets in 1985 and helped them to their first NBL championship over the Adelaide 36ers
. This success was followed in 1986 when the naturalised Bruton represented the Australian Boomers
at the 1986 FIBA World Championship
in Spain
. After returning from Spain Bruton helped the Bullets into their 4th straight Grand Final where they would again face the Adelaide 36ers. For 1986 the NBL had extended the Grand Final to a best of three series. Game 1 was played at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre
and saw a win for Adelaide who were then expected to go home and wrap up the championship at the Apollo Stadium
where they had an imposing 16-0 record up until that point of the season. Brisbane, led by Bruton and Leroy Loggins
stunned the 36ers and forced a third game. Bruton's best mate off the court also happened to be Adelaide's point guard
Al Green
. The two, best mates off but the fiercest of rivals on the court had a running battle in Game 3 with Green eventually coming out on top leading Adelaide to a 113-91 victory.
Following the 1986 Grand Final series Bruton was sacked from the Brisbane Bullets under controversial circumstances and was immediately snapped up as playing coach of the Perth Wildcats
and he immediately set about building a championship caliber team. He recruited two players who would become stars with the Wildcats, James Crawford
and Kendal "Tiny" Pinder. As playing coach of the Wildcats Bruton built a team to beat the reigning NBL champions, the 36ers. His plan paid off when the Wildcats defeated Adelaide 2-1 in the semi-finals (both wins were on Adelaide's home court were the 36ers had only lost twice during the season). Unfortunately Perth were unable to overcome Bruton's old team Brisbane and went down in the Grand Final series 0-2.
Cal bruton played three seasons in Perth (two of which he shared playing and coaching duties), before becoming the head coach in 1990 in somewhat controversial circumstances. Alan Black
was the head coach for the Wildcats at the beginning of the 1990 season, but after only two matches he was replaced by Bruton. Despite this eventful start to the season Bruton guided the Wildcats to its first NBL championship. Bruton himself was replaced the following year by Murray Arnold.
In 1992, Bruton suited up to play another NBL season. His one season tenure with the Hobart Devils
would later result in Bruton becoming the head coach for the Devils in their final season in 1996.
In 2000 Bruton once again returned to coaching, this time for the Canberra Cannons
. Like with the Hobart Devils, the Cannons were in financial difficulty at the time and their future was looking bleak. The 2002-03 season
saw the financial difficulties of the Cannons reaching boiling point and it was announced their license would be sold. This series of events resulted in Bruton quitting the Cannons and not following the club in their move to Newcastle
as the Hunter Pirates
.
During the 2006-07
, Bruton was signed as head coach of the West Sydney Razorbacks
, taking over in the middle of the season though he wasn't retained as coach for 2007-08
.
Cal has since been recruited by Marist College Canberra to coach the senior basketball team in 2009.
Cal Bruton now also helps out coaching for junior teams in his spare time, being a great role model to the junior basketball players.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
. Originally an American import
Import
The term import is derived from the conceptual meaning as to bring in the goods and services into the port of a country. The buyer of such goods and services is referred to an "importer" who is based in the country of import whereas the overseas based seller is referred to as an "exporter". Thus...
, but later becoming a naturalised Australian, Bruton has been an integral part of the league since its inception. As a result Bruton became one of the first inductees into the NBL Hall Of Fame when it opened in 1998.
Bruton also has a son that plays in the NBL, Calvin "CJ" Bruton Jr., who has become quite successful in his own right.
Professional career
Bruton was a basketball playground legend from Jamaica, Queens, New York. Bruton played his high school basketball at Springfield Gardens. Bruton attended Wichita State University on a basketball scholarship and as a senior was first team all Missouri Valley Conference on an NCAA Tournament Team and was rated as one of the top point guards in the nation despite being only 5'9 (175 cm) tall. Bruton was one of the first imports to play in the NBL, joining the Brisbane BulletsBrisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy...
for the inaugural 1979 NBL season
1979 NBL Season
Here are results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 1979.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 90 games were played, 18 for each team...
. Bruton led all scorers in the NBL's first year (see NBL (Australia) Points per game), averaging over 33 points per game.
Bruton later joined the Geelong Supercats
Geelong Supercats
The Geelong Supercats are an Australian basketball team, based in the Victorian City of Geelong, that currently plays in the Australian Basketball Association and previously played in the National Basketball League.-NBL History:...
in 1982
1982 NBL Season
The 1982 National Basketball League was the fourth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested in the league from 6 states and 1 territory across Australia...
as a playing coach where he would win the NBL Coach of the Year
NBL (Australia) Coach of the Year
The NBL Coach of the Year award takes into account regular-season performances only, and is voted on by head coaches, assistant coaches and team captains on a 3-2-1 basis.* 1980 Barry Barnes...
in his first season. During his tenure with the Supercats, Bruton was also named to the All NBL First Team
NBL (Australia) All NBL teams
-NBL First Teams:* 1980 Cal Stamp, Danny Morseu, Brian Banks, Herb McEachin, Ian Davies and Ken Richardson* 1981 Rocky Smith, Danny Morseu, Al Green, David Nelson and Owen Wells* 1982 George Morrow, James Crawford, Leroy Loggins, Phil Smyth and Larry Sengstock...
in 1983 and 1984.
Bruton rejoined the Bullets in 1985 and helped them to their first NBL championship over the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
. This success was followed in 1986 when the naturalised Bruton represented the Australian Boomers
Australia national basketball team
The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...
at the 1986 FIBA World Championship
1986 FIBA World Championship
The 1986 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Spain from July 5 to 19 1986.The Final phase of the tournament was held at the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. After returning from Spain Bruton helped the Bullets into their 4th straight Grand Final where they would again face the Adelaide 36ers. For 1986 the NBL had extended the Grand Final to a best of three series. Game 1 was played at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a centre, located in Boondall, a Brisbane City suburb, in Queensland, Australia.The arena has an assortment of seating plans, which facilitate the comfort of its users, subject to performance. Specific seating plans usually are allocated, depending on the...
and saw a win for Adelaide who were then expected to go home and wrap up the championship at the Apollo Stadium
Apollo Stadium
Apollo Stadium was an indoor arena located at 41 Kingston Avenue, Richmond in the Adelaide Metropolitan Area, South Australia...
where they had an imposing 16-0 record up until that point of the season. Brisbane, led by Bruton and Leroy Loggins
Leroy Loggins
Leroy Loggins is a former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 to the 2000-01 season...
stunned the 36ers and forced a third game. Bruton's best mate off the court also happened to be Adelaide's point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
Al Green
Al Green (basketball)
Al Green is a retired naturalised Australian professional basketball player originally from the United States who played his career in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 until his retirement in at the end of 1993.-School/College career:Born and bred in the South Bronx, Al Green...
. The two, best mates off but the fiercest of rivals on the court had a running battle in Game 3 with Green eventually coming out on top leading Adelaide to a 113-91 victory.
Following the 1986 Grand Final series Bruton was sacked from the Brisbane Bullets under controversial circumstances and was immediately snapped up as playing coach of the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
and he immediately set about building a championship caliber team. He recruited two players who would become stars with the Wildcats, James Crawford
James Crawford
James Crawford may refer to:*James Crawford , American basketball player, played in the National Basketball League of Australia*James Crawford , Canadian businessman and MP for Brockville, 1867–1872...
and Kendal "Tiny" Pinder. As playing coach of the Wildcats Bruton built a team to beat the reigning NBL champions, the 36ers. His plan paid off when the Wildcats defeated Adelaide 2-1 in the semi-finals (both wins were on Adelaide's home court were the 36ers had only lost twice during the season). Unfortunately Perth were unable to overcome Bruton's old team Brisbane and went down in the Grand Final series 0-2.
Cal bruton played three seasons in Perth (two of which he shared playing and coaching duties), before becoming the head coach in 1990 in somewhat controversial circumstances. Alan Black
Alan Black
Alan Black is a former basketball player and basketball coach in the Australian National Basketball League. Black's last coaching appointment was the head coach of the Cairns Taipans....
was the head coach for the Wildcats at the beginning of the 1990 season, but after only two matches he was replaced by Bruton. Despite this eventful start to the season Bruton guided the Wildcats to its first NBL championship. Bruton himself was replaced the following year by Murray Arnold.
In 1992, Bruton suited up to play another NBL season. His one season tenure with the Hobart Devils
Hobart Devils
The Hobart Devils were an Australian basketball team that played in Hobart, Tasmania, in the National Basketball League. The team was the only representative from the state of Tasmania for the majority of its tenure, but was one of three teams that had their NBL licenses revoked by the league...
would later result in Bruton becoming the head coach for the Devils in their final season in 1996.
In 2000 Bruton once again returned to coaching, this time for the Canberra Cannons
Canberra Cannons
The Canberra Cannons were a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates...
. Like with the Hobart Devils, the Cannons were in financial difficulty at the time and their future was looking bleak. The 2002-03 season
2002-03 NBL Season
The 2002-03 National Basketball League is the 25th season of professional basketball in Australia....
saw the financial difficulties of the Cannons reaching boiling point and it was announced their license would be sold. This series of events resulted in Bruton quitting the Cannons and not following the club in their move to Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
as the Hunter Pirates
Hunter Pirates
The Hunter Pirates were an Australian basketball team, based in the city of Newcastle, that competed in the National Basketball League.-Team history:...
.
During the 2006-07
2006-07 NBL Season
The 2006-07 National Basketball League is the 29th season of professional basketball in Australia. For the first time, a team was established from outside the Australasian area, with the Singapore Slingers taking over the licence of the Hunter Pirates...
, Bruton was signed as head coach of the West Sydney Razorbacks
West Sydney Razorbacks
The Sydney Spirit were a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League...
, taking over in the middle of the season though he wasn't retained as coach for 2007-08
2007-08 NBL Season
2007-08 is the 30th NBL season.On 21 November 2006, the NBL announced that Gold Coast Blaze will join the league, expanding it to 13 teams.-2007-08 league participants:-Pre-season Transactions:...
.
Cal has since been recruited by Marist College Canberra to coach the senior basketball team in 2009.
Cal Bruton now also helps out coaching for junior teams in his spare time, being a great role model to the junior basketball players.