Ian Stacker (born c. 1957[a]) is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. Listed by the NBL in 1983 as 181 cm and a guard,[3] he had an eight-year playing career before becoming a successful coach in the National Basketball League (NBL), winning the NBL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003 with the Townsville Crocodiles.

Ian Stacker
Personal information
Born1957 (age 66–67)[a]
NationalityAustralian
Listed height181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Career information
Playing career1979–1987
PositionGuard
Coaching career1988–2020
Career history
As player:
1979–1980Melbourne Tigers
1981–1983Frankston Bears
1984–1986Nunawading Spectres
1987Dandenong Rangers
As coach:
1988–1991Eastside Spectres (assistant)
1992–1995South East Melbourne Magic (assistant)
1996Geelong Supercats
1998North Melbourne Giants (assistant)
1998–2006Townsville Crocodiles
2008–2010Melbourne Tigers (assistant)
2019–2020South East Melbourne Phoenix (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player

As coach

Early life

edit

Stacker grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Nunawading.[2] He represented the Nunawading Spectres and Melbourne Tigers in the Victorian Basketball Association as a junior, winning one Under 14 and two Under 20 state titles. He also played for Victorian state teams at Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 levels.[4]

Playing career

edit

After playing for the Melbourne Tigers in the pre-SEABL competition in 1979 and 1980, Stacker joined the Frankston Bears for the SEABL's inaugural season in 1981.[1] The Bears won the SEABL championship in 1982, which saw them promoted to the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 1983 season.[5] Stacker made his NBL debut with the Bears in 1983[1] and then joined the Nunawading Spectres for the 1984 NBL season.[6] He continued with the Spectres in the NBL in 1985[7] and 1986[8] before returning to the SEABL in 1987 to play for the Dandenong Rangers.[1]

Coaching career

edit

In 1988, Stacker returned to the NBL and the Nunawading Spectres, now known as the Eastside Spectres, as an assistant coach.[1] After four years as an assistant with the Spectres, he joined the South East Melbourne Magic as an assistant in 1992.[1] The Magic won the NBL championship in 1992.[9] He continued on as a Magic assistant until 1995,[10] when in 1996 he served as head coach of the Geelong Supercats.[4]

After a season as an assistant coach with the North Melbourne Giants in 1998, Stacker was appointed head coach of the Townsville Crocodiles for the 1998–99 NBL season.[11] He was named NBL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003[12] and guided the Crocodiles to the NBL Grand Final in 2001.[9] He parted ways with the Crocodiles following the 2005–06 season after eight seasons as head coach.[13][14]

Stacker served as an assistant coach in 2008–09 and 2009–10 with the Melbourne Tigers.[15][16][17]

In July 2010, Stacker was appointed head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) men's basketball program.[17] He led the program until 2013.[2]

In February 2019, Stacker was appointed an assistant coach of the South East Melbourne Phoenix for their inaugural season in the NBL in 2019–20.[2] He parted ways with the Phoenix in March 2020.[18]

National team career

edit

In 1997, Stacker was head coach of the Australian Under 23 team that won a gold medal at the World Championships.[9] The gold medal was the first won by an Australian men's team in international competition, and included consecutive victories over United states (quarter final), Argentina (semi final), and the previously undefeated Puerto Rico (gold medal game).[11] In 2001, he coached Australia at the FIBA Under-21 World Championship.[19]

Stacker was set to coach Australia at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Russia,[20] but he stepped down from the role for personal reasons.[21]

Personal life

edit

Stacker and his wife had three sons before their divorce.[22] His eldest son, Jackson, died in 2021.[23] As of September 2022, the death remained a mystery.[22]

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b A 1992 Official NBL Basketball Card listed Stacker with birth details of 26 May 1947 in Oldham, England.[1] The legitimacy of this is brought into question due to the NBL noting him as 61 years old in February 2019.[2]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f "Ian Stacker, Assistant Coach, South East Melbourne Magic Team Set from 1992 NBL Cards". facebook.com/BringBackSouthEastMelbourneMagic. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Stacker and Flavell Named Phoenix Assistant Coaches". NBL.com.au. 27 February 2019. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  3. ^ "FLASHBACK 13: NBL Media Guide 1983". botinagy.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Ian Stacker". GameDay. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  5. ^ "HISTORY OF FRANKSTON BASKETBALL". FrankstonBasketball.asn.au. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Player statistics for Ian Stacker – 1984". NBL. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Player statistics for Ian Stacker – 1985". NBL. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Player statistics for Ian Stacker – 1986". NBL. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "IAN STACKER - TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES HEAD COACH". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 September 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Ian Stacker". Australiabasket.com. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Ian Stacker". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 March 2001. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Stacker wins Coach of the Year". NBL.com.au. 15 April 2003. Archived from the original on 16 April 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  13. ^ "No renewal for Stacks". NBL.com.au. 6 February 2006. Archived from the original on 30 August 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  14. ^ "NBL Crocs drop head coach Ian Stacker". SMH.com.au. 7 February 2006. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  15. ^ "NBL Prospects Camp". waverleybasketball.com. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Super-coach joins NBL's Melbourne Tigers". Stuff.co.nz. 31 January 2009. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  17. ^ a b "STACKER NAMED AIS MEN'S HEAD COACH". australia.basketball. 28 July 2010. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Ian Stacker and SEM Phoenix Amicably Part Ways". NBL.com.au. 21 March 2020. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Ian Stacker". Crocodiles.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 August 2002. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Our man for all seasons". botinagy.com. 11 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Many will be involved in the World University Games in Russia in July, that national team being coached by none other than Stacker.
  21. ^ "AUS - Lemanis hits a busy stretch as new coach". fiba.basketball. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  22. ^ a b Chenery, Susan (17 September 2022). "'Somebody knows something': the Byron Bay death that remains a mystery a year on". theguardian.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022.
  23. ^ Druce, Alex (27 October 2021). "'We owe him': Melbourne dad hunting for answers after mystery death of 25yo son near Byron Bay". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
edit