Cecil Maurice Exum (August 7, 1962 – July 2, 2023)[1] was an American-Australian professional basketball player who played eight seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who won an NCAA championship in 1982.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 7, 1962 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | July 2, 2023 (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Australian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Southern Wayne (Dudley, North Carolina) |
| College | North Carolina (1980–1984) |
| NBA draft | 1984: 9th round, 194th overall pick |
| Selected by the Denver Nuggets | |
| Playing career | 1986–1996 |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| 1986–1987 | Bulleen Boomers |
| 1989 | North Melbourne Giants |
| 1990 | Melbourne Tigers |
| 1991 | North Melbourne Giants |
| 1992–1996 | Geelong Supercats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBL statistics | |
| Points | 2,104 (10.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,354 (6.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 359 (1.8 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editExum was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, to parents Johnny and Barbara Exum.[1] He was raised in Dudley, North Carolina,[1] where he attended Southern Wayne High School.[2] He led their team to the 1980 state 4A title, and he was named the tournament's most valuable player.[3] As of 2012, he was the only male basketball player to have his jersey retired by the school.[4]
College career
editExum played four years of college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels between 1980 and 1984.[5] He was a member of the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team that included future Hall of Fame players Michael Jordan and James Worthy.[4] In 103 career games, he averaged 1.5 points in 4.3 minutes per game.[5]
Professional career
editExum was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the ninth round of the 1984 NBA draft with the 194th overall pick.[6] He suffered a serious knee injury just before the tryouts began and never played in the NBA.[4]
In 1985, after a season in Sweden, Exum received an opportunity to play in Japan but instead chose Australia,[7] preferring an English-speaking country after his stint in Sweden.[8] He arrived in Australia in January 1986,[7] and joined the Bulleen Boomers of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). He helped the Boomers reach the playoffs in 1986.[9] In his second season for the Boomers in 1987, he was named to the All-SEABL Team.[10]
In 1988, Exum joined the North Melbourne Giants of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), but was unable to play due to not being naturalized yet.[7] He debuted for the Giants in the 1989 NBL season[11][12] and won an NBL championship.[2] He played for the Melbourne Tigers in 1990, returned to the Giants in 1991, and then played five seasons for the Geelong Supercats between 1992 and 1996.[11] He enjoyed his best season in 1992, averaging a career-high 17.2 points,[13] 10.5 rebounds, two assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.[8] He became Geelong's longest serving captain.[14] In 197 NBL games, he averaged 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.[11]
Personal life
editExum became a naturalized Australian citizen.[15] He and his wife Desiree had three children: Jamaar (born 1993) and twins Dante and Tierra (born 1995).[8] As of 2014, Desiree was based in Singapore working for IBM.[16] His son Dante also became a professional basketball player.[17]
As of 2017, Exum had been coaching junior basketball players for 27 years in Melbourne.[18]
Death
editExum died in Los Angeles on July 2, 2023,[19] at the age of 60.[13][14] He had reportedly been in critical condition in intensive care at a hospital due to lung problems.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Cecil Exum Obituary". Legacy. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "Screaming Eagle Interview – Cecil Exum". Diamond Valley Basketball Association. December 13, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "National hamps Again: The Reserves". The Charlotte Observer. April 4, 1982. p. 6H. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Esposito, Michael (July 3, 2012). "Exum hones youth skills". starcommunity.com.au. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ a b "Cecil Exum". sports-reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "1984 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Cecil Exum_nbl rewind_2010 Pete's Bar Lunch". YouTube. August 31, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c Mannix, Chris (December 9, 2013). "The Wiz of Oz". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "FLASHBACK 21: SEBL Finals, Sept.20, 1986". BotiNagy.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "History – Award Winners" (PDF). SEABL.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Statistics from Cecil Exum in NBL (Australia)". worldhoopstats.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
- ^ "National Basketball League Player Directory" (PDF). NBL.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ a b "Vale Cecil Exum". NBL.com.au. July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Cameron, Ben (July 4, 2023). "Former Geelong Supercat Cecil Exum dies at age 60 in Los Angeles". codesports.com.au. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ Tudor, Caulton (June 24, 2014). "Ex-Tar Heel's son certain to go early in Thursday's NBA draft". WRAL Sports Fan. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Zwerling, Jared (February 18, 2014). "In Australia with Dante Exum: Life as a Top NBA Prospect, Outside the Spotlight". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "Dante Exum's father Cecil gets into conflict with Real Madrid security". basketnews.com. April 28, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "Broadmeadows Basketball's junior focus". northern.starweekly.com.au. October 1, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Shaun (July 11, 2023). "Cecil M. Exum". Goldsboro Daily News. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023.
- ^ "Preminuo otac Dantea Eksuma!". telegraf.rs (in Serbian). July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.