Ron Radliff (born 1958) is a former professional basketball player who played in the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
National Basketball League between 1983 and 1992. He won the NBL Championship 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 ...
in 1985 and 1987 before finishing his career as part of the
Gold Coast Rollers Gold Coast Rollers may refer to:
* Gold Coast Rollers (NBL), former National Basketball League team
*Gold Coast Rollers (NBL1 North)
Gold Coast Rollers is a NBL1 North club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. The club fields a team in both the Me ...
. Radliff is a naturalised Australian citizen.
Radliff, more commonly known as The Rat, was born and raised in
Enumclaw, Washington
Enumclaw ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 12,543 at the 2020 census.
The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow (lahar) from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 y ...
. He graduated from Enumclaw Senior High School in Washington State in 1976. He then attended and graduated from
Western Washington University
Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, succeeding a pri ...
.
Career
Ronnie The Rat landed in Australia in 1983 as an import
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
for NBL team 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 ...
. Standing 6'0" (184 cm), Radliff was known for his long curly hair and his brilliant outside shooting, though he was also a tenacious defender who never gave opponents an inch. Radliff spent six seasons with the Bullets under the successful coaching of Brian Kerle. As teammate to future
NBL Hall of Famers Larry Sengstock
Larry Sengstock (born 4 March 1960 in Maryborough, Queensland) is an Australian retired basketball player and was the CEO of Basketball Australia and the NBL until April 2012.
Career
Larry was born in Maryborough Qld. He was a champion swi ...
,
Cal Bruton
Calvin Thomas Bruton, (born 29 September 1954) is an American-born Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He has been an integral part of the National Basketball League (NBL) since its inception. Bruton won an NBL champio ...
,
Leroy Loggins
Leroy Loggins (born 20 December 1957) is an Australian-American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1981 until 2001.
College career
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Loggins attended F ...
and
Danny Morseu
Danny Morseu (born 1 January 1958) is an Australian basketball player who played on the Australian national basketball team in the 1980 Summer Olympics and 1984 Summer Olympics.
International career
Morseu played for the Australian team at th ...
, The Rat helped the team to win its first NBL Championship in 1985 against 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 ...
, and again in 1987 against 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 ...
. During his time in Brisbane Radliff also helped the team to the 1984 Grand Final against 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 ...
and the 1986 GF against the 36ers. 1986 was the first time the NBL used a 3-game series instead of a single championship game.
Radliff left Brisbane after they failed to make the playoffs in 1989 and joined the newly formed
Gold Coast Cougars
The Gold Coast Cougars were the re-branded Daikyo Dolphins after major sponsor Daikyo had to end sponsorship of the team due to financial problems with the Australian arm of the company.
History
See also
*Sport in Australia
*Australian Ba ...
in 1990 (ironically Brisbane would make the NBL Grand Final in 1990, going down to Perth in three games). After three seasons on the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
(including a team name change from the Cougars to the Gold Coast Rollers before the 1992 season), Radliff retired after the 1992 NBL season.
Ron Radliff currently sits equal 4th on the NBL All-time 3pt% list having hit 43.5% from outside the arc during his NBL career.
Coaching
Radliff was an assistant coach of the
Gold Coast Blaze
The Gold Coast Blaze were an Australian men's professional basketball team which competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The Blaze competed in their inaugural season in 2007–08. The club was based on the Gold Coast and joined the ...
who played in the NBL from its inception in 2007 until the club pulled out of the league at the end of the
2011-12 season.
Gold Coast Blaze Coaching Staff 2011-12
/ref>
Honour roll
NBL career stats
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radliff, Ron
1950s births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Australia
Brisbane Bullets players
Gold Coast Rollers players
Sportspeople from King County, Washington
Point guards
Western Washington Vikings men's basketball players
People from Enumclaw, Washington
American men's basketball players