Sean Pero MacPherson Cameron MNZM (born 5 June 1974) is a New Zealand basketball coach and former player. A FIBA Hall of Fame member, he captained the New Zealand Tall Blacks from 2000 to 2010, helping lead New Zealand to the semifinal of the 2002 FIBA World Championship, earning an All-Tournament Team selection in the process.
.jpg) Cameron in 2019 | |
| Ningbo Rockets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | CBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 5 June 1974 Tokoroa, New Zealand |
| Listed height | 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) |
| Listed weight | 130 kg (287 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Whangarei Boys' (Whangārei, New Zealand) |
| Playing career | 1992–2010 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Coaching career | 2010–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1992–1993 | Waikato Warriors |
| 1994–2000 | Auckland Stars/Rebels |
| 1995–1996 | Ipoh Red Eagles |
| 1999–2003 | Chester Jets |
| 2001–2009 | Waikato Titans/Pistons |
| 2003–2005 | New Zealand Breakers |
| 2005–2006 | Banvit |
| 2007 | Mahram |
| 2007–2010 | Gold Coast Blaze |
| As coach: | |
| 2010–2013 | Wellington Saints |
| 2011–2012 | Gold Coast Blaze (assistant) |
| 2014 | Waikato Pistons |
| 2015 | Wellington Saints |
| 2016–2017 | Gold Coast Rollers |
| 2022 | Taranaki Airs (assistant) |
| 2022–2023 | Brisbane Bullets (assistant) |
| 2024–present | Ningbo Rockets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As head coach:
| |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
Medals | |
Professional career
editNew Zealand NBL
editIn the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cameron played for Mobil Marters Northland in the Conference Basketball League (CBL) where he won a championship in 1991.[1] In 1992, Cameron began playing in the New Zealand National Basketball League for the Waikato Warriors. He went on to win 11 championships (the most in New Zealand NBL history – nine as a player, two as a coach), made the league's all-star five seven times, and won the Kiwi MVP award five times. During his career, he played for 11 seasons for the Waikato franchise (played under all three names – Warriors, Titans and Pistons) and seven seasons for the Auckland Rebels.
| NBL Championships (as player): | 9 – Auckland (1995–1997, 1999, 2000), Waikato (2001, 2002, 2008, 2009) |
|---|---|
| NBL Championships (as coach): | 2 – Wellington (2010, 2011) |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | 1992 |
| NBL All-Star Five: | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 |
| Kiwi MVP: | 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999 |
| Outstanding Kiwi Forward: | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 |
| Outstanding Forward: | 1998 |
| Rebound Champion: | 1993 |
| Coach of the Year: | 2010 |
Australian NBL
editCameron played five seasons in the Australian National Basketball League, two for the New Zealand Breakers and three for the Gold Coast Blaze. He played for both clubs in their respective inaugural seasons (Breakers in 2003–04 and Blaze in 2007–08). In a total of 130 ANBL games, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.[2]
Overseas
editCameron played six and a half seasons overseas; one for the Ipoh Red Eagles of Malaysia in 1995–96, four for the Chester Jets of England, one for Banvit of Turkey in 2005–06, and half a season playing for Mahram Tehran of Iran in 2007.
National team career
editCameron was first selected for the Tall Blacks in 1994. In 2000, for the Sydney Olympics, he became co-captain of the side, and was elevated to sole captain the following year. His most memorable moment as captain of the Tall Blacks came in 2002 when the team stunned the basketball world by making the semi-finals of the 2002 FIBA World Championship, eventually losing to Germany for fourth place. In the tournament, Cameron averaged 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game and became the only non-NBA player to make the All-Tournament Team. He was joined on this team by established NBA superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojaković and NBA rookies-to-be Yao Ming and Manu Ginóbili.
Cameron retired from international duties having played in two Summer Olympic Games (Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004) and three FIBA World Cups (2002, 2006 and 2010).
In August 2017, Cameron became the first New Zealander to be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame as a player,[3] with the official ceremony occurring on 30 September 2017 in Switzerland.[4]
Coaching career
editCameron began his coaching career with the Wellington Saints in 2010, going on to lead the club to a sixth NBL championship and winning the Coach of the Year award in his first year. He led the Saints to a second consecutive championship in 2011 and subsequently joined the Gold Coast Blaze's coaching staff as an assistant in 2011–12.
In June 2011, Cameron was named an assistant coach of the Tall Blacks.[5]
After two more seasons as the Saints' head coach, Cameron joined his beloved Waikato Pistons as the team's head coach/player development manager for the 2014 season.[6] However, in November 2014, the Pistons pulled out of the 2015 season due to financial reasons and he subsequently returned to the Saints head coaching position on a one-year deal on 14 January 2015.[7]
On 9 December 2015, Cameron joined the Gold Coast Rollers as the men's team head coach for the 2016 Queensland Basketball League season.[8] He continued on as coach of the Rollers in 2017.[9]
In December 2019, after eight years of being an assistant, Cameron was appointed head coach of the Tall Blacks.[10][11][12] In September 2021, he was reappointed Tall Blacks coach for three years.[13]
In October 2021, Cameron signed a one-year deal to be director of basketball for the Taranaki Airs.[14] He also served as the team's assistant coach in 2022.[15]
In December 2022, Cameron was appointed assistant coach of the Brisbane Bullets for the rest of the 2022–23 NBL season.[16] He parted ways with the Bullets following the season.[17]
In August 2024, Cameron parted ways with the Tall Blacks after five years as head coach.[18]
Personal life
editCameron's mother, Mata, from the Māori Ngāpuhi iwi,[19] is an ex-New Zealand representative and a long-time coach of New Zealand age groups. His father is Scottish.[20][21] His sister, Jody, is a former Tall Fern, and represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004.[22] His brother, Ray, is a former Waikato Titans/Pistons player. His other sisters, Jeannie and Zeta, also played basketball at a high level.[23]
Cameron and his wife Jennelle have three children.[24] His sons, Tobias and Flynn, were part of the NZ Junior Tall Blacks team that competed at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.[25] Flynn is a member of the Tall Blacks senior team for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which is coached by his father.
Honours
edit- FIBA World Cup's All-Tournament Team – 2002
- Maori Sportsman of the Year – 2002
- Sparc Leadership Award – 2003
- Commonwealth Games
Silver – 2006 - Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to basketball – 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours.[26][27]
- Inducted into FIBA Hall of Fame – 2017
References
edit- ^ SportRITE - Two good reasons for keeping our stars here
- ^ Player statistics for Pero Cameron
- ^ Tall Blacks legend Pero Cameron first New Zealander to make Fiba's Hall of Fame
- ^ Pero Cameron inducted into FIBA Hall of Fame as family celebrate with a haka
- ^ Cameron takes Tall Blacks coaching role
- ^ Pero Cameron the man Pistons can look up to
- ^ Pero Cameron to return as Wellington Saints coach for NBL
- ^ Pero Cameron accepts the job of coach with the Gold Coast Rollers for next QBL season
- ^ The future’s looking reel bright for Adekponya on the Gold Coast
- ^ Kiwi hoops legend Pero Cameron likely to get nod as interim Tall Blacks coach
- ^ New Tall Blacks coach Pero Cameron says he'll ask Steven Adams to end his exile
- ^ PROUD AND HUMBLED PERO CAMERON NAMED AS TALL BLACKS HEAD COACH
- ^ Kiwi hoops legend Pero Cameron confirmed to remain as Tall Blacks head coach
- ^ Tall Blacks coach scores role with Taranaki Mountainairs
- ^ Tuatara vs Airs
- ^ "Pero Cameron joins Bullets as Assistant Coach". brisbanebullets.com.au. 27 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ Pike, Chris (24 February 2023). "Boomers boss linked with new gig; Brisbane keen to put 'frustrating' season to bed: NBL Talking Pts". foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
Things have been just as eventual now in the weeks after the season with Melbourne United assistant Justin Schueller named the new head coach while assistants Peter Crawford and Pero Cameron have moved on.
- ^ "Tall Blacks Farewell Pero Cameron As Head Coach |Basketball New Zealand". nz.basketball. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Smith, Tony (12 February 2021). "Māori Sports Awards: Lisa Carrington judged most influential Māori sports star since 1991". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ Kiwi Olympians: Pero Cameron
- ^ Basketball: Auckland win battle to re-sign Cameron
- ^ Jody Cameron – olympic.org.nz
- ^ Pero Cameron: Big man, big impact
- ^ Pero Cameron heading in a new direction
- ^ Wynyard among four big Junior Tall Blacks for Cairo 2017
- ^ Jeffries, Rob (15 June 2011). "Basketball: Former Jets skipper Pero Cameron honoured by Queen". ChesterChronicle.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ Worthington, Sam (16 June 2011). "Pero Cameron gets Tall Blacks promotion". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
