Shawn Redhage

Shawn Michael Redhage (born 21 January 1981) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who is most known for his 12 seasons played with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played four years of college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils before moving to Australia in 2004 to play professionally. After spending time in the SEABL and with the New Zealand Breakers, Redhage joined the Wildcats in 2005 and went on to become one of the franchise's all-time great players.

With the Wildcats, Redhage won four NBL championships (2010, 2014, 2016, 2017) while featuring in seven All-NBL teams (2006–2011, 2013) and winning Club MVP six times. He also captained the team from 2009 to 2013. Known as "The Scoring Machine", Redhage spent his early years in the NBL as a force on the interior before becoming known for his knockdown ability from deep as his career progressed.

High school career

Redhage was born in Jacksonville, Florida but grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He attended Lincoln East High School, where he played for the school's basketball team in each of his four years. He averaged 22.1 points and nine rebounds in 1997–98 and 21.0 points and 9.4 rebounds in 1998–99. He led the team to a 19–3 record in senior season (1998–99) and was subsequently named Nebraska Player of the Year (honorary captain) and Class A first-team all-state by the Omaha World-Herald. He ended his career as the school's career leader for rebounds (554), assists (315) and blocks (235), while finishing second in points with 1,206. He also became the second Lincoln East player (after Alex Stivrins in 1979–80) to make the Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska first-team as a junior and senior.

Redhage was also an accomplished prep soccer player, as he led his team to the state championship and was a three-year letterwinner.

College career

Redhage moved to Arizona State for college, where he joined the Sun Devils for the 1999–2000 season. As a freshman, he posted double-digits 14 times and matched the ASU freshman record with 28 starts. On 20 November 1999, he had a season-best 17 points against Texas en route to Puerto Rico Shootout All-Tournament honors. In 32 games, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

As a sophomore in 2000–01, Redhage established himself as one of the top student-athletes at Arizona State and in the Pac-10 as he earned Pac-10 All-Academic selection. In the Sun Devils' season opener, Redhage scored 19 points against Tulsa. On 30 December 2000, he had a season-best game with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Charlotte. He appeared in 29 games for the Sun Devils while making 24 starts, and averaged 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

As a junior in 2001–02, Redhage was a Pac-10 All-Academic pick for the second straight year. On 2 February 2002, he had a season-high 13 points against California. Redhage came off the bench in all 29 games he played in 2001–02, averaging career-low numbers of 5.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

As a senior in 2002–03, Redhage was a Pac-10 All-Academic pick for the third straight year. On 8 February 2003, he had a career-best performance off the bench against Washington. He had a career-high 29 points on 8-of-11 from the floor, had career highs in free throws made (11) and attempted (18), and posted season highs in rebounds (eight), assists (five) and minutes (34) in ASU's 79–77 overtime win. His 29 points marked the most by a Sun Devil off the bench in school history. Five days later against USC, he had 16 points and a career high-tying 12 rebounds for the second double-double of his career. Redhage finished the season with 13 double-figure scoring games and earned 2003 Verizon Academic All-District VIII honors. In 32 games (seven starts), he averaged 8.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Redhage concluded his college career with a 3.61 grade point average, and in December 2007, he finished his B.S. in construction (general building construction) and graduated magna cum laude.

Professional career

SEABL and New Zealand Breakers (2004–2005)

After going undrafted in the 2003 NBA draft, Redhage moved to Australia and joined the NW Tasmania Thunder for the 2004 SEABL season. He won four player of the week awards on his way to claiming the league MVP honour. He helped the Thunder win the SEABL South Conference championship before winning through to the ABA National Final, where they were defeated 104–100 by the Cairns Marlins. In his rookie season, he averaged 35 points and 15 rebounds per game. He was subsequently signed by the New Zealand Breakers for the 2004–05 NBL season. He made an impressive start to the season and was one of the Breakers' stand-out performers in the early clashes. However, a form slump in November led to Redhage's court time being reduced and he was eventually released on 6 December 2004. In 13 games for the Breakers, he averaged 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Redhage returned to the SEABL for the 2005 season, this time playing for the Bendigo Braves. He helped the Braves win the SEABL South title before going on to lead them to the ABA National Championship. Redhage was named MVP of the conference grand final for his 43 points and 13 rebounds. He was also named SEABL South most valuable player for the second straight year.

Perth Wildcats (2005–2017)

Birth of "The Scoring Machine" (2005–2009)

Following the 2005 SEABL season, Redhage moved west to join the Perth Wildcats. He made an immediate impact with a 27-point debut against the Adelaide 36ers on 2 September 2005. He later earned Player of the Week for Round 9. He went on to average 20 points and nine rebounds per game during the 2005–06 NBL season and subsequently finished second in the league's MVP voting while earning All-NBL Second Team honours.

In November of the 2006–07 season, Redhage became the first player in NBL history to have at least 30 points and 15 assists as part of a triple-double when he added 11 rebounds against the West Sydney Razorbacks. Days after this performance, he had 20 points and 20 rebounds against the Sydney Kings to win Player of the Week honours.

In 2007–08, Redhage averaged a career-best 22.9 points per game and set his career high for points in a game with 40 on 10 October 2007 against the Adelaide 36ers. During that season, he became the fastest Wildcat to reach 2,000 career points, doing so in 95 games and 3,400 minutes.

Redhage averaged at least 19 points and eight rebounds every year between 2005–06 and 2008–09 and subsequently earned a place in the All-NBL Team in four straight seasons. He was also a four-time Gordon Ellis Medalist during this time for being the Wildcats Club MVP. Spending his early years in the NBL as a force on the interior with a scoring prowess, Redhage earned the nickname "The Scoring Machine".

First NBL Championship (2009–10)

Redhage was appointed captain of the Wildcats ahead of the 2009–10 NBL season. He averaged 15.1 points per game in the new 40-minute era. He led the Wildcats to the championship, a 2–1 grand final series win over the Wollongong Hawks, and took home his fifth straight Club MVP award. He was also named to the All-NBL First Team.

Possible career-ending injury (2010–11)

In April 2010, Redhage re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal. However, on 23 January 2011, his season came to an end after dislocating his left hip during the Wildcats' 77–76 loss to the Adelaide 36ers in Adelaide. It was originally feared that it could be a career-ending injury with there being a real possibility at the time of him requiring a hip replacement. The injury occurred after Redhage lunged for a contested ball in a way that punched the head of his femur through his pelvis, breaking the bone and dislocating the joint.

The Wildcats lost four consecutive games following Redhage's injury, winning only two from the remaining eight matches. Despite missing the second half of the season, Redhage shared Club MVP honours with Kevin Lisch for 2010–11.

Return to action and grand final (2011–12)

Redhage made a remarkable returned to the Wildcats' line-up for the start of the 2011–12 season, as he played in their season opener against the 36ers in Adelaide on 8 October 2011. In the arena where his horrific injury occurred nine months earlier, Redhage scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Wildcats to a 102–69 win. After just narrowly missing out on the opening round's Player of the Week award, Redhage went on to earn Player of the Week honours for Round 2 after recording 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 92–76 win over the Melbourne Tigers on 14 October 2011. Redhage concluded the season by earning Player of the Week honours for Round 25 after scoring 19 points and adding seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and one blocked shot to help the Wildcats finish the regular season with a 72–71 road win over Melbourne. With a 19–9 record, the Wildcats entered the NBL Finals as the second seed. After defeating the Gold Coast Blaze 2–1 in the semi-finals, the Wildcats moved on to the NBL Grand Final series, where they faced the New Zealand Breakers. After losing to the Breakers in Game 1 in Auckland, the Wildcats looked down and out in Game 2 in Perth also. All looked lost for Perth in Game 2, who trailed the Breakers for much of the game, but the Wildcats snatched a thrilling one-point lead with less than a minute to play and held on to defeat the Breakers 87–86. Redhage forced the NBL Grand Final to a third and deciding game with a memorable final-second block on Breakers guard C. J. Bruton. However, the Wildcats went on to lose Game 3 back in Auckland, with the Breakers taking out a 79–73 victory despite a team-high 18 points from Redhage.

Another grand final appearance (2012–13)

After being named MVP of the NBL's preseason competition, Redhage went on to represent the South All-Stars in the NBL All-Star Game held in Adelaide on 22 December 2012. In January 2013, Redhage was joined in the co-captain position by Damian Martin after Brad Robbins, who had served as co-captain alongside Redhage for two and a half seasons, retired in December 2012. Later, on 4 February 2013, Redhage was named in the Perth Wildcats 30th Anniversary All-Star team. Redhage helped the Wildcats return to the NBL Grand Final in 2012–13, where they lost 2–0 to the New Zealand Breakers.

Second NBL Championship (2013–14)

On 7 May 2013, Redhage re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal. He later relinquished the captaincy to Damian Martin. The Wildcats entered the 2013–14 season as title favourites and started with an 8–0 record. They finished the regular season as minor premiers with a 21–7 record. After defeating the Wollongong Hawks 2–1 in the semi-finals, the Wildcats moved on to their third straight grand final series and fourth since 2010. There they defeated the Adelaide 36ers 2–1 to win the championship. Redhage played 34 minutes in Game 3 and scored a team-high 16 points in claiming his second NBL title.

Entering the record books (2014–15)

On 17 October 2014, in the second game of the 2014–15 season, Redhage scored 15 points against the Wollongong Hawks in his 300th NBL game. Later that year, on 18 December, Redhage played his 300th game as a Wildcat in a 78–74 loss to the Sydney Kings. He became just the sixth player to join the Wildcats' 300 Club, a club that includes Ricky Grace (482), James Crawford (371), Andrew Vlahov (349), Eric Watterson (306) and Mike Ellis (302).

Redhage missed the Wildcats' finals campaign in 2014–15 with a stress fracture in his right foot. He appeared in all 28 regular-season games but averaged a career-low 11.4 points per game.

Third NBL Championship (2015–16)

For the 2015–16 season, Redhage moved to a bench role following the addition of centre Nathan Jawai. Redhage embraced the role change and helped steady a first-class second unit. On 25 January 2016, Redhage played his 350th NBL game. With Casey Prather missing the game due to hamstring tightness, Redhage stepped into the starting line-up and hit two three-pointers to help the Wildcats defeat the Cairns Taipans 84–74.

With an 18–10 record, the Wildcats finished the regular season in second place to reach the finals for a 30th straight season, a streak not matched in any other Australian or American professional sport code. The Wildcats went on to defeat the Illawarra Hawks 2–1 in the semi-finals to reach the 2016 NBL Grand Final series, where they faced the New Zealand Breakers. The Wildcats took Game 1 in Perth but lost Game 2 in Auckland, leading to a deciding Game 3 in Perth where the Wildcats overpowered the Breakers to win 75–52. The series win saw the Wildcats claim their seventh NBL championship, while Redhage claimed his third title. Once again, Redhage competed in every contest for the Wildcats, but averaged under 10 points per game for the first time in his career. He finished with 6.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 34 games.

Rounding out career with a fourth championship (2016–17)

On 16 August 2016, Redhage re-signed with the Wildcats for the 2016–17 NBL season. He revealed he never seriously contemplated retirement following the 2015–16 season and always intended to push on into 2016–17. He also declared the possibility of playing past 2016–17.

On 14 October 2016, Redhage played his 350th game for the Wildcats in a 75–73 win over the team who gave him his first opportunity in the NBL, the New Zealand Breakers. He became just the third Wildcat to reach the 350-game mark, joining James Crawford (371) and Ricky Grace (482).

On 30 January 2017, nine days after his 36th birthday, Redhage announced that the 2016–17 season would be his last in the NBL. Four days later, on 3 February, Redhage made his 372nd appearance for the Wildcats, scoring six points off the bench in the team's 94–63 win over the Brisbane Bullets in Perth. With his 372nd game played as a Wildcat, he moved into second spot on the team's all-time games played list, placing him behind only Ricky Grace (482). On 10 February, he tied his season high with 11 points to help the Wildcats defeat the Sydney Kings 101–74; nine of his points came in the last five minutes of the game.

The Wildcats went on to finish the regular season in third place with a 15–13 record, and after sweeping the Cairns Taipans in the semi-finals, they moved on to the NBL Grand Final for the sixth time in eight years. There the Wildcats swept the Illawarra Hawks 3–0 in the best-of-five series to claim their eighth NBL championship, while Redhage collected his fourth title to bow out of the NBL on a high. The Wildcats not only collected their eighth championship, but went back-to-back for the first time since 1990/1991. In the 95–86 title-clinching Game 3 win on 5 March 2017 at Perth Arena, Redhage started at power forward in his 393rd and final NBL game and finished the contest with three points. Despite his limited role in 2016–17, Redhage competed in every game for the Wildcats, averaging 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 7.8 minutes in 33 games.

Redhage finished his illustrious NBL career with 393 games to his name—380 with the Perth Wildcats (second on the team's all-time games-played list)—while finishing with 5,819 points and 2,153 rebounds.

In November 2022, the Wildcats announced that Redhage's number 42 jersey would be retired by the club in January 2023.

Puerto Rico and SBL

During his time with the Wildcats, Redhage spent numerous offseasons in Puerto Rico playing for Criollos de Caguas (2008), Piratas de Quebradillas (2009, 2010 & 2013) and Capitanes de Arecibo (2014). In 2013, he and former Wildcats teammate Kevin Lisch helped Piratas de Quebradillas win the BSN championship.

On 21 December 2016, Redhage signed with the Perth Redbacks of the State Basketball League for the 2017 season. He made his SBL debut in their season opener on 17 March 2017, scoring a game-high 35 points in 28 minutes as a starter in a 102–77 win over the Rockingham Flames. On 13 April, he recorded 27 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in a 90–83 loss to the Joondalup Wolves. On 29 April, he scored a season-high 46 points in a 107–89 win over the Cockburn Cougars. He subsequently earned Player of the Week honours for Round 7. On 13 May, he scored 40 points against the Geraldton Buccaneers. In the 2017 SBL All-Star Game on 5 June, Redhage recorded 25 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in the North All-Stars' 129–126 overtime loss to the South All-Stars. In the Redbacks' regular-season finale on 29 July, Redhage scored a game-high 37 points in a 116–107 loss to the East Perth Eagles. He subsequently finished the regular season with a league-best 27.53 points per game, and earned Player of the Week honours for Round 20. Redhage helped guide the fourth-seeded Redbacks through the playoffs to reach the SBL Grand Final, where behind a 20-point effort from Redhage, the Redbacks defeated the Wolves 103–70 to win the championship. In 25 games for the Redbacks, Redhage averaged 25.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. During the season, he had nine 30-point games and two 40-point games.

On 28 February 2018, Redhage re-signed with the Redbacks for the 2018 season. On 21 April, he scored a season-high 29 points in an 83–69 win over the Goldfields Giants. Four days later, he scored 28 points in a 113–82 win over the Mandurah Magic. He was subsequently named Player of the Week for Round 6. On 28 April, he recorded 19 points and a season-high 15 rebounds in an 87–83 loss to the Willetton Tigers. On 25 May, he recorded 23 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in a 94–89 loss to the Stirling Senators. In the 2018 SBL All-Star Game on 4 June, Redhage scored 11 points in the North All-Stars' 123–110 win over the South All-Stars. The Redbacks finished the regular season in third place with a 19–7 record, before losing 2–1 to the Senators in the quarter-finals. In 26 games, Redhage averaged 19.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

On 8 May 2019, Redhage signed with the Perry Lakes Hawks for the rest of the 2019 SBL season. He fitted in seamlessly and began playing more centre than ever before in his career. On 7 June, he scored a season-high 29 points against the Lakeside Lightning. He helped the Hawks finish the regular season in fifth place with an 18–8 record, as they entered the finals having won seven of eight games. They went on to sweep the Rockingham Flames 2–0 in the quarter-finals before losing in a sweep to the Joondalup Wolves in the semi-finals, despite a 25-point effort from Redhage in game two. In 19 games, he averaged 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Initially set to play for the Hawks again in 2020, Redhage was ruled out of the West Coast Classic due to a knee injury.

National team career

Redhage was naturalised and became an Australian citizen on 12 January 2008. He subsequently played for Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Personal

Redhage and his wife, Gretchen, have two children.

Redhage is tertiary qualified in construction engineering and spent time during the 2010s working for a financial planning firm called Savanna Pride in Subiaco, Perth.

After retiring from the NBL, Redhage started his business ''Redhage Basketball'', which revolves around coaching junior players.

References

External links

Perth Wildcats player profile (2015)Perth Wildcats player profile (2010)NBL player profile (2005)Arizona State Sun Devils college bioNBL stats 2004–2015"Redhage shoots for fourth NBL ring before entering SBL"
at sbl.asn.au
"Redhage Retires a Four-Time Wildcat Champion"
at nbl.com.au
"Shawn Redhage retires a champion"
at wildcats.com.au
"Redhage enjoying SBL experience at Redbacks more than he imagined"
at sbl.asn.au

{{DEFAULTSORT:Redhage, Shawn
1981 births
Living people
American men's basketball players
Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players
Australian men's basketball players
Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Florida
Capitanes de Arecibo players
New Zealand Breakers players
Olympic basketball players of Australia
Perth Wildcats players
Piratas de Quebradillas players
Power forwards (basketball)
Criollos de Caguas basketball players