Ben Purser (born 24 February 1990) is an Australian
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for the
Perry Lakes Hawks
Perry Lakes Hawks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perry Lakes Basketball Association (PLBA), the major administrative basketball org ...
of the
NBL1 West
NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...
. He debuted for the Hawks in 2008 in the
State Basketball League
NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...
(SBL) and helped them win an
SBL championship in 2018 with
grand final MVP honours. He won a second championship with the Hawks in 2021 in the first season of the NBL1 West. He was named to the
All-SBL First Team in 2018 and the
SBL All-Defensive Five every year between 2016 and 2019. He was also the league's
Most Improved Player in 2009.
Between 2010 and 2013, Purser played a season of
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
in the United States for
Augusta State University
Augusta State University was a public university in Augusta, Georgia. It merged with Georgia Health Sciences University in 2012 to form Georgia Regents University, later known as Augusta University.
History
Augusta State University was founded ...
and had a two-year stint with the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle".
Afte ...
of the
National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player. He appeared in 24 NBL games between 2011 and 2013.
Early life and career
Purser attended
Christ Church Grammar School
, motto_translation = God is our leader, learning is our light
, established =
, founder = William Joseph McClemans
, type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day and boarding school
, gender = Boys
, deno ...
in
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, where he played
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and served as
school captain
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compul ...
.
As a junior, he played for Subiaco Basketball Club and represented the
Perry Lakes Hawks
Perry Lakes Hawks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perry Lakes Basketball Association (PLBA), the major administrative basketball org ...
in the Western Australian Basketball League (WABL).
Purser represented Western Australia at multiple junior national championships, winning silver with the Under 18 Metro team in 2007 and bronze with the Under 20 team in 2008.
Playing career
SBL / NBL1 West
Purser made his debut for the
Perry Lakes Hawks
Perry Lakes Hawks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perry Lakes Basketball Association (PLBA), the major administrative basketball org ...
in the
State Basketball League
NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...
(SBL) in the
2008 season. The Hawks finished first in the regular season but lost to the
Willetton Tigers
Willetton Tigers is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Willetton Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organi ...
in the quarter-finals.
In game two of the quarter-finals, he scored 21 points. In 28 games, he averaged 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
In
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, Purser record a
triple-double
In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...
with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists against the
Perth Redbacks
Perth Redbacks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perth Basketball Association (PBA), the major administrative basketball organisation ...
on 4 April, and had a season-high 28 points against the
Mandurah Magic
Mandurah Magic is an NBL1 West club based in Mandurah, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Mandurah Basketball Association (MBA), the major administrative basketball organi ...
on 16 May.
He helped the Hawks reach the SBL Grand Final, where they were defeated 85–77 by the
Lakeside Lightning
Lakeside Lightning is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is owned and managed by Lakeside Baptist Church. The Lightning play their home games at Lakeside R ...
. He had eight points, two assists, one rebound and one steal in the grand final. For the season, Purser won the
SBL Most Improved Player Award. In 28 games, he averaged 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, Purser scored in double figures in all but one game, including a season-high 28 points against the
Cockburn Cougars
Cockburn Cougars is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Cockburn Basketball Association (CBA), the major administrative basketball organisa ...
on 20 March.
The Hawks were defeated in the quarter-finals by the
Geraldton Buccaneers. In 26 games, he averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
In
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, Purser again scored in double figures in all but one game.
On 6 June, he recorded 16 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists in a 94–85 win over the
Goldfields Giants
Goldfields Giants is an NBL1 West club based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The team is affiliated with Kalgoorlie-Boulder Basketball Association (KBBA), the major administrati ...
.
He was subsequently named Player of the Week for Round 12.
He later had back-to-back games with 28 points on 10 July and 16 July.
The Hawks reached the SBL Grand Final for the second time in three years, where they were defeated 88–83 by the
Wanneroo Wolves despite 18 points from Purser. In 22 games, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
![Ben Purser](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Ben_Purser.jpg)
Purser was named team captain for the
2012 season. On 26 May, he scored 32 points in a 95–90 win over the Willetton Tigers. The Hawks missed the finals in 2012 for the first time since 1992, with Purser averaging 17.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 19 games.
In
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, Purser had three games with 30 points of more,
including 34 points in a 104–97 win over the Perth Redbacks on 26 July. He helped the Hawks return to the semi-finals, where they lost to the Wanneroo Wolves.
In 29 games, he averaged 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
In
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, Purser recorded a triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a 138–134 double-overtime win over the
Stirling Senators
Warwick Senators is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Stirling Basketball Association (SBA), the major administrative basketball organisa ...
on 23 May. On 21 June, he scored a season-high 31 points against the Joondalup Wolves.
He scored in double figures in all but one game
as the Hawks missed the finals. He appeared in all 26 games, averaging 20.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
At the season's end, Purser played for the North All-Stars in the first North v South SBL All-Star game in over a decade.
In
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, Purser helped the Hawks return to the finals following a successful second half of the season where they won nine of their final 13 games.
They lost in the quarter-finals to the Joondalup Wolves.
On 4 July, in his 200th SBL game, Purser had 29 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 104–102 overtime win over the Goldfields Giants. He appeared in all 29 games, averaging 18.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
In
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, Purser participated in the SBL All-Star Game and was named in the inaugural
SBL All-Defensive Five team. On 7 May, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 92–91 loss to the Willetton Tigers. In the Hawks' regular-season finale on 29 July, he recorded 24 points and 21 rebounds in a 102–96 win over the
Kalamunda Eastern Suns
Kalamunda Eastern Suns is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Kalamunda & Districts Basketball Association (KDBA), the major administrative ...
. The Hawks lost in the quarter-finals to the Cockburn Cougars. Purser once again appeared in all 29 games, averaging 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
In
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, Purser again participated in the SBL All-Star Game and earned SBL All-Defensive Five honours. In the third game of the season, he had a season-high 25 points against the Cockburn Cougars.
On 10 June, in his 250th SBL game, Purser scored a team-high 22 points in a 74–69 loss to the Goldfields Giants. The Hawks lost in the quarter-finals to the Willetton Tigers. In 27 games, Purser averaged 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
In
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, Purser was named in the All-Defensive Team for the third straight year and earned
All-SBL First Team honours for the first time. The Hawks went on a 12-game winning streak to finish in regular season in fourth place.
He had a season-high 29 points in game two of the semi-finals against the
Rockingham Flames
Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrat ...
, with the Hawks going on to reach the SBL Grand Final. In the grand final, Purser led the Hawks to a 94–87 victory over the Joondalup Wolves to win his first
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
. He was named
grand final MVP with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a game-high eight assists. He appeared in all 33 games, averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
In
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, Purser was named in the All-Defensive Team for the fourth straight year and finished fourth in SBL MVP voting. He had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists against the Mandurah Magic on 5 April, and had a season-high 24 points against the
East Perth Eagles
East Perth Eagles is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of East Perth District Basketball Association (EPDBA), the major administrative baske ...
on 30 June.
In July, he became the all-time leader in games played for Hawks men with 318. The Hawks lost in the semi-finals to the Joondalup Wolves. He appeared in all 30 games, averaging 14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
With a cancelled 2020 SBL season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Purser played for the Hawks in the
West Coast Classic. He helped them reach the grand final, where they lost 96–81 to the Warwick Senators despite Purser's 24 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals. He appeared in all 15 games, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
The SBL was rebranded as
NBL1 West
NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...
for the
2021 season. On 11 June, Purser scored a season-high 21 points against the Lakeside Lightning.
He became the Hawks' overall games record holder in July 2021 when he played his 337th SBL/NBL1 game. He helped the Hawks finish the regular season as minor premiers with an 18–4 record. They went undefeated in the first two weekends of the finals to reach the NBL1 West Grand Final. In the grand final, Purser recorded 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 92–82 win over the Rockingham Flames to claim his second championship with the Hawks. In 21 games, he averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
In
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, Purser recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Joondalup Wolves on 22 April in his 350th SBL/NBL1 game. He had another 23-point game against the Wolves on 10 June.
In 23 games, he averaged 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
Purser returned for his 15th SBL/NBL1 season in
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
.
College and NBL
In August 2010, Purser moved to the United States to attend
Augusta State University
Augusta State University was a public university in Augusta, Georgia. It merged with Georgia Health Sciences University in 2012 to form Georgia Regents University, later known as Augusta University.
History
Augusta State University was founded ...
and play for the
Jaguars men's basketball team in the
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
.
He quickly impressed Jaguars' head coach Dip Metress and eased his way further into the line-up as the 2010–11 season progressed.
He scored a season-high 21 points on 3 January 2011 against
North Georgia
North Georgia is the northern hilly/mountainous region in the U.S. state of Georgia. At the time of the arrival of settlers from Europe, it was inhabited largely by the Cherokee. The counties of north Georgia were often scenes of important eve ...
.
The Jaguars matched a school record with 30 wins in 2010–11, winning the
Peach Belt Conference
The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The 11 member institutions are located in the South Atlantic states of South Carolina ...
(PBC) championship and the
PBC tournament title. The subsequently appeared in the
NCAA tournament.
In 34 games, he made 11 starts and averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.9 minutes per game.
Purser did not return to Augusta State for a second season,
deciding instead to join the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle".
Afte ...
of the
National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player.
In the
2011–12 NBL season
The 2011–12 NBL season was the 34th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 7 October 2011 and 25 March 2012, followed by a post-season involving t ...
, Purser appeared in 10 games for the Wildcats, scoring a total of 20 points.
Highlights for Purser included scoring 6 points in 5½ minutes against the
New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...
on 23 December 2011,
and being nominated for the NBL's
Round 23 Play of the Week for his athletic
three-point play In basketball, a three-point play is usually achieved by scoring a two-point field goal, being fouled in the act of shooting, and scoring one point on the subsequent free throw. Before the three-point field goal was created in the 1960s for profes ...
in the final period against the
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...
on 11 March 2012. He was subsequently nominated for the
NBL Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball League Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1983 NBL season to the top rookie of the regular season. For a player to be considered for Rookie of the Year, they must be an ...
. The Wildcats reached the NBL Grand Final in 2012, where they lost 2–1 to the Breakers.
In the
2012–13 NBL season
The 2012–13 NBL season was the 35th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 5 October 2012 and 24 March 2013, followed by a post-season which invo ...
, Purser appeared in 14 games for the Wildcats, scoring a total of 11 points.
He travelled with the team on a number away games as an injury replacement. The Wildcats reached the NBL Grand Final in 2013, where they lost 2–0 to the Breakers.
Purser was with the Wildcats squad during the pre-season leading up to the
2013–14 NBL season
The 2013–14 NBL season was the 36th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 10 October 2013 and 23 March 2014, and was followed by a post-season f ...
.
National team
In June 2009, Purser represented Australia at the
FIBA Oceania
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
Basketball Tournament in
Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
.
The team went undefeated in the round robin and finals, going 6–0 to win the gold medal.
A highlight for Purser was recording 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 107–41 win over
CNMI
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory
Terr ...
on day 3.
3x3
In April 2018, Purser played in the NBL
3x3 Pro Hustle and helped his team reach the final of the tournament.
Personal life
Purser's father,
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
, is a former
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er who played in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL) for the
Footscray Football Club
The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition.
Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the ...
from 1983 to 1987.
In February 2015, Purser started working as a law graduate at law firm Steinepreis Paganin. He was admitted as a lawyer in December of that year before being made an associate in 2018.
References
External links
Augusta Jaguars college bioPerry Lakes Hawks profileNBL1 player profileSBL stats 2009–2019SBL stats 2009–2016*
"Purser cashes in on chances"at thewest.com.au
"Ben Purser 300 Games"at hawksbasketball.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purser, Ben
1990 births
Living people
Augusta Jaguars men's basketball players
Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Australian men's basketball players
Basketball players from Perth, Western Australia
Forwards (basketball)
People educated at Christ Church Grammar School
Perth Wildcats players
Sportsmen from Western Australia