Jim Slacke (born ) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who played seven seasons in the Australian
National Basketball League (NBL) for the
Illawarra Hawks
The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home game ...
.
After playing
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 ...
for the
Chico State Wildcats
The Chico State Wildcats (also CSU Chico Wildcats and Cal State Chico Wildcats) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Chico, located in Chico, California, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Wildcats comp ...
in 1972–73, Slacke moved to Australia where he joined the Illawarra Hawks and played in the
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
Men's Division 1 basketball competition. The Hawks were preseason favourites for the 1977 Championship behind Slacke and
Gordie McLeod
Gordon "Gordie" McLeod (born 7 November 1956 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League (NBL).
Professional career ...
.
In
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, the Hawks were founding members of the Australian NBL. Slacke was part of the inaugural team and averaged a career-best 23.8 points per game in his first season. In seven seasons with the Hawks, he played 143 games and averaged 17.5 points per game.
Slacke was one of the NBL's all-time best
free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...
shooters with an 86 per cent clip for his career. He led the NBL in Free Throw Percentage in
1980 with 87.2% (68/78).
In January 2018, Slacke was named one of the 12 Greatest Hawks of All Time by the ''
Illawarra Mercury
The ''Illawarra Mercury'' is a daily newspaper serving the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It has been published since 1855, making it one of Australia's oldest newspapers and the second oldest regional newspaper in New South Wa ...
''.
References
External links
*
Jim Slacke highlights with the Illawarra Hawks in 1979
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slacke, Jim
1953 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Australia
American men's basketball players
California State University, Chico alumni
Forwards (basketball)
Illawarra Hawks players