John Peter Rillie (born 4 November 1971) 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 ...
coach and former player. He currently serves as head coach of 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). He played 16 seasons in the NBL between 1995 and 2010 before embarking on a coaching career in the United States' college system.
Early life
Rillie was born in
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
.
Growing up in Toowoomba, 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 ...
,
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
and
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 ...
. He attended
Harristown State High School
Harristown State High School is a public high school located in Harristown, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It was officially opened in 1955. The school currently has approximately 1700 students and is the largest on the Darling Downs. Some ...
.
College career
Rillie moved to the United States in 1991 to play
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
Tacoma Community College
Tacoma Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tacoma, Washington with operations in Tacoma and Gig Harbor. It serves the city of Tacoma and the Pierce County portion of the Kitsap Peninsula.
History
TCC's creation was author ...
. In 1992, he transferred to
Gonzaga, where he played the next three years. During his three seasons with the Bulldogs, he helped lead the team to the
1994 National Invitation Tournament
The 1994 National Invitation Tournament was the 1994 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.
Of note, in Kansas State's 115–77 victory over Fresno State in the quarterfinals, Askia Jones of Kansas State set the NCAA postseaso ...
and the school's first berth in the
NCAA tournament in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
.
Professional career
After graduating college, Rillie returned to Australia and debuted in the
National Basketball League (NBL) during the
1995 season with the
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to th ...
, where he won
NBL Rookie of the Year. He joined the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
and played three seasons for them, winning a
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 ...
in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
.
For the
1998–99 NBL season
The 1998–99 NBL season was the 21st season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contested the league. This season marked the first summer season for the NBL. The Townsville Suns were renamed the Townsville Crocodi ...
, Rillie joined the
West Sydney Razorbacks
The West Sydney Razorbacks (known in its final season as the Sydney Spirit) were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Sydney, New South Wales.
They were the s ...
.
During the 1999 and 2000 off-seasons, he played for the Penrith Panthers in the
SEABL
The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was an Australian semi-professional basketball league. The league comprised both a men's and women's competition and was run by the country's governing body, Basketball Australia. The league wa ...
.
After four seasons with the Razorbacks and a grand final appearance in
2001–02, Rillie moved to Greece for the 2002–03 season to play for
AEK Athens
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...
. He returned to Australia in December 2002 and re-joined the Razorbacks.
On 1 March 2003, he scored 45 points and made eleven 3-pointers in a 113–102 win over the
Canberra Cannons
The Canberra Cannons are a defunct basketball team that competed in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates. After thi ...
. His 23.6 points per game during the
2002–03 NBL season
The 2002–03 NBL season was the 25th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contested the league.
Regular season
The 2002–03 regular season took place over 22 rounds between 2 October 2002 and 1 March 2003. ...
earned him the
scoring title. He had another 45-point game during the semi-finals of the
2003–04 NBL season
The 2003–04 NBL season was the 26th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 12 teams contested the league. This season marked the first NBL season that featured the New Zealand Breakers, the first New Zealand team in ...
. That season, he was named
All-NBL First Team and helped the Razorbacks reach the grand final.
Between 2004 and 2009, Rillie played for the
Townsville Crocodiles
The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainmen ...
. On 18 February 2009, he scored 34 points and made ten 3-pointers in the Crocodiles' 103–96 win over 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 ...
in the elimination final.
His final season in the NBL came in
2009–10 with 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 ...
. He was limited to 12 games.
In 481 NBL games, Rillie averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
National team career
From 1997 to 2004, Rillie was a member of the
Australian Boomers
The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition.
Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite t ...
. He represented Australia at the
2004 Athens Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
.
Coaching career
In 2010, Rillie returned to the United States and during the 2010–11 season, he served as the director of basketball operations for the
Boise State Broncos
The Boise State Broncos are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Boise State University, located in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mou ...
.
In 2011, Rillie was appointed an assistant coach of the Broncos, a position he held for six seasons.
In 2017, he was hired as an assistant coach for the
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the intercollegiate athletic teams who represent the University of California, Santa Barbara. Referred to in athletic competition as ''UC Santa Barbara'' or ''UCSB'', the Gauchos participate in 19 NCAA Division I ...
. After his first season with the Gauchos, he was promoted to associate head coach.
The 2021–22 season was his fifth with the Gauchos and fourth as associate head coach.
Rillie was an assistant coach for the
Australian Boomers
The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition.
Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite t ...
at the
Tokyo Olympics in July and August 2021, helping guide the Boomers to the bronze medal.
On 11 July 2022, Rillie was appointed head coach of 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
NBL on a three-year contract.
Personal life
Rillie and his wife Heidi have three children.
Heidi is American but holds dual Australian citizenship. Their children were all born in Australia.
References
External links
NBL player profileUC Santa Barbara Gauchos coach profileBoise State Broncos coach profile"Q & A: Boise State's John Rillie"at nbl.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rillie, John
1971 births
Living people
AEK B.C. players
Adelaide 36ers players
Australian men's basketball players
Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Australian expatriate basketball people in Greece
Australian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand
Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Boise State Broncos men's basketball coaches
Brisbane Bullets players
Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
New Zealand Breakers players
Olympic basketball players of Australia
Perth Wildcats coaches
Sportspeople from Toowoomba
Shooting guards
Townsville Crocodiles players
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball coaches
West Sydney Razorbacks players