Chuck Harmison (born c. 1958[1]) is an American former professional basketball player who played 15 seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones between 1976 and 1980. He moved to Australia in 1982 to play for the Nunawading Spectres and later played for the Coburg Giants and West Sydney Westars before playing nine seasons with the Illawarra Hawks between 1988 and 1996. His No. 4 jersey was retired by the Illawarra Hawks. After retiring, Harmison entered sports administration, where he served as general manager of both the Hawks and the NBL.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958 (age 65–66) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ames (Ames, Iowa) |
| College | Iowa State (1976–1980) |
| NBA draft | 1980: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1982–1996 |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| 1982–1983 | Nunawading Spectres |
| 1984–1985 | Coburg Giants |
| 1986–1987 | West Sydney Westars |
| 1988–1996 | Illawarra Hawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life
editHarmison is a native of Ames, Iowa.[1] He attended Ames High School and led the basketball team to an undefeated state championship season in 1976. He was one of the most coveted recruits in the nation coming out of high school.[1]
College career
editHarmison chose to remain in Ames for college, where he attended Iowa State University.[1] He played four seasons of college basketball for the Cyclones between 1976 and 1980.[2]
As a freshman in 1976–77, Harmison averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 26 games. As a sophomore in 1977–78, he averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 27 games. As a junior in 1978–79, he averaged 7.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24 games. He had a career-best season as a senior in 1979–80, averaging 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27 games.[2]
Professional career
editAfter graduating college, Harmison had a season in Belgium[1] before moving to Australia in 1982 to play for the Nunawading Spectres of the National Basketball League (NBL).[3] He played two seasons for the Spectres[4] and then played two seasons for the Coburg Giants[5][6] and West Sydney Westars[7][8] before joining the Illawarra Hawks for the 1988 season.[9] He played nine seasons for the Hawks and served as team captain from 1989 to 1996.[10] He retired at age 38[1] following the 1996 season. He finished his NBL career with 15 seasons[1] and 386 games.[11]
Harmison's No. 4 jersey was retired by the Illawarra Hawks[12][13] and he was named a Hawks life member.[14]
Front office career
editAfter retiring from playing, the Illawarra Hawks moved Harmison into the front office and appointed him the general manager of the team, a position he held for seven years.[1][11] During his tenure, the club was renamed the Wollongong Hawks and the team won the NBL championship in 2001.[11]
On 1 October 2004, Harmison was appointed the general manager of the NBL.[11] He was still in the position of NBL general manager as of 2011[1] and by 2013 he had transitioned into Basketball Australia's professional leagues operations manager, overseeing both the NBL and WNBL.[15][16][17][18]
Personal life
editAs of 2011, Harmison was still living in Wollongong.[1] As of 2022, Harmison's son, Mitch Harmison, was an MMA fighter.[19]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Where Are They Now? Chuck Harmison". Iowa State University Athletics. August 1, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
The 53-year-old Harmison sat down with cyclones.com this past week while he was in town for his 35-year Ames High School reunion.
- ^ a b "Chuck Harmison College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ "Chuck Harmison - Player Statistics 1982". GameDay. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ "Chuck Harmison - Player Statistics 1983". GameDay. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Chuck Harmison - Player Statistics 1984". GameDay. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Chuck Harmison - Player Statistics 1985". GameDay. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Chuck Harmison - Player Statistics 1986". GameDay. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Chuck Harmison - Player Statistics 1987". GameDay. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Chuck Harmison - Player Statistics 1988". GameDay. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ Cohen, Mitch (December 20, 2017). "Snakepit's charming appeal for club great". www.illawarramercury.com.au. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Legend joins NBL". NBL.com.au. October 1, 2004. Archived from the original on November 26, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ "Illawarra Hawks History". Illawarra Hawks | Official NBL Website. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ "Retired Numbers". hawks.com.au. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ Keeble, Tim (January 20, 2008). "Chuck Harmison speaks about Hawks". www.illawarramercury.com.au. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Tuxworth, Jon (February 4, 2013). "Capitals suspend Ardossi to uphold club culture". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ "The NBL is in crisis again after Townsville Crocodiles reportedly fold due to financial loses". Fox Sports. April 8, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Nagy, Boti (April 10, 2013). "Moves to keep Townsville Crocodiles alive in the NBL". News.com.au. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Nagy, Boti (September 25, 2013). "WNBL crisis as Thunder set to fold amid financial troubles". News.com.au. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Jennings, Mitch (December 11, 2022). "HOOPLA: Harmison junior hits like a mack Chuck". www.illawarramercury.com.au. Retrieved December 9, 2024.