Todd Blanchfield (born 7 November 1991) is an Australian professional

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

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 began his NBL career in 2009 with 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 ...

, where he played six seasons. Between 2015 and 2020, he played for

Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...

(2015–17),

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...

(2017–18) and

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 games ...

(2018–20). In 2017, he won a gold medal with

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

at the

FIBA Asia Cup The FIBA Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA Asia Championship and ABC Championship) is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania. Through the 2015 edition, the tourn ...

Early life

Born and raised in

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland ...

, Blanchfield attended

Mackay State High School Mackay State High School is located at 123 Milton Street, South Mackay, Mackay, Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. Mackay State High School is a public educational institution located in the city of Mackay, Queensland, Australia. The school of ...

and played for representative teams of Mackay Basketball Association. In January 2008, he travelled to the United States on an Australian schoolboys tour of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Professional career

NBL

Townsville Crocodiles (2009–2015)

In July 2009, Blanchfield signed with the

of the National Basketball League. He appeared in 10 games during the 2009–10 season as a development player. In June 2010, Blanchfield signed a three-year contract with the Crocodiles. In 27 games during the 2010–11 season, he averaged 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. In 31 games during the 2011–12 season, he averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. In May 2012, Blanchfield signed a two-year extension to remain under contract with the Crocodiles through the 2014–15 season. In

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, Blanchfield averaged 9.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 28 games. He went on to average 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28 games during the 2013–14 season. In 2014–15, Blanchfield earned NBL Player of the Week honours twice. He was named the NBL's Most Improved Player and earned All-NBL Second Team honours. In 28 games, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Melbourne United (2015–2017)

On 22 May 2015, Blanchfield signed a two-year deal with

. In his debut for United on 9 October 2015 in the team's season opener, Blanchfield scored a career-high 29 points with seven 3-pointers in a 99–84 win over the Crocodiles. He went on to help United earn the minor premiership after finishing the regular season in first place with an 18–10 record. However, in their semi-final series against the fourth-seeded

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 ...

, United were swept 2–0 to bow out of the playoffs. Blanchfield appeared in all 30 games for United in 2015–16, averaging 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. On 16 October 2016, in United's fourth game of the 2016–17 season, Blanchfield hit eight 3-pointers and scored 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting in a 95–83 win over the

. He later missed three weeks with a groin injury. For the season, he averaged 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 22 games.

Sydney Kings (2017–2018)

On 24 March 2017, Blanchfield signed a two-year deal with the

. On 8 May 2018, he was released by the Kings per his request. In his lone season with Sydney, Blanchfield averaged 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on 33.3% shooting from beyond the arc.

Illawarra Hawks (2018–2020)

On 11 May 2018, Blanchfield signed a three-year deal with the

. On 6 January 2020, he scored a career-high 35 points in a 102–96 loss to 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 ...

. He won his second successive Hawks MVP award in 2019–20 while averaging 13 points and four rebounds per game. Blanchfield became a free agent following the 2019–20 season following an ownership change at the Hawks.

Perth Wildcats (2020–present)

On 20 July 2020, Blanchfield signed a two-year contract with the

. In game one of the Wildcats' semi-final series against the

on 10 June 2021, they lost 74–72 despite a game-high 24 points from Blanchfield. After winning game two 79–71, Blanchfield scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half of the Wildcats' 79–71 win in game three to clinch the series 2–1. In game one of the grand final series against

, the Wildcats lost 73–70 despite a game-high 27 points from Blanchfield. They went on to lose the series 3–0. On 21 September 2021, Blanchfield was sidelined for three to four months after undergoing surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his left knee. He returned from injury in mid December, but in just his second game of the season, he re-injured his left knee. He was subsequently ruled out for a further three to four weeks. On 6 March 2022, he scored 17 of his season-high 22 points in the first quarter of the Wildcats' 92–73 win over the

. On 27 May 2022, Blanchfield re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal. He played his 350th NBL game in October 2022.

QBL, SEABL and New Zealand NBL

In 2007, Blanchfield played his first season with the Mackay Meteors in

QBL QBL may refer to: *IND Queens Boulevard Line, line of the New York City Subway *NBL1 North, basketball league in Australia previously known as Queensland Basketball League (QBL) {{disambig ...

, where he was a valuable member of the team despite being just 15 years old. He moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

in 2008 and played 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 ...

for the

AIS AIS may refer to: Medicine * Abbreviated Injury Scale, an anatomical-based coding system to classify and describe the severity of injuries * Acute ischemic stroke, the thromboembolic type of stroke * Androgen insensitivity syndrome, an intersex ...

, where he averaged five points and two rebounds in 12 games. He returned to the Meteors 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 ...

and averaged 20.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. With the Meteors 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 ...

, he averaged 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21 games. 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 ...

, Blanchfield played for the Townsville Heat. He averaged 18.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18 games, and was named in the QBL All-League Team. With the Heat in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, he earned QBL All-League Team honours for the second straight year after averaging 19.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 13 games. With the Heat 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 ...

, he averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 13 games. Blanchfield returned to the Meteors 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 ...

and helped them reach the grand final. He earned QBL All-League Team honours for the third time in four years. In 18 games, he averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. On 9 January 2015, Blanchfield signed with the

Southland Sharks The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank So ...

as an import for the 2015 New Zealand NBL season. He scored a game-high 28 points in his debut for the Sharks. He later earned NBL Player of the Week honours for round eight and led the Sharks to victory in the grand final with a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds in a 72–68 win over the

Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. Team history The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1 ...

. For the season, he earned NBL All-Star Five honours. In 20 games, he averaged 21.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In 2017, Blanchfield played with the Townsville Heat as a short-term injury replacement for

Jamell Anderson Jamell Anderson (born 6 July 1990) is a British professional basketball player who plays for British club Cheshire Phoenix as a forward. He has spent the previous four seasons with the Leicester Riders where he won two BBL Championships, two BB ...

. In 2018, Blanchfield returned to the Meteors and averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 47% shooting, which saw him voted league MVP and a member of the QBL All-League Team. On 18 March 2019, Blanchfield signed with the Southland Sharks for the

2019 New Zealand NBL season The 2019 NBL season was the 38th season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to nine teams in 2019 with the Southern Huskies joining the league for the first time, marking the first time ever that an Australian team has ...

, returning to the team for a second stint. In 19 games, he averaged 16.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Blanchfield was set to play for the

Rockhampton Rockets The Rockhampton Rockets are an Australian basketball team based in Rockhampton, Queensland. The Rockets compete in the Men's NBL1 North and play their home games at Adani Arena. The team is affiliated with Rockhampton Basketball Inc., the major ...

in the

NBL1 North NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...

in 2020, but the season was cancelled 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 ...

. He re-joined Rockhampton in 2022.

National team career

In 2008, Blanchfield earned selection for the under 19 Australian Emus squad. He helped the Emus defeat the United States to claim bronze at the

Albert Schweitzer Tournament The Albert Schweitzer Tournament (AST) is an international basketball competition that is played between national basketball teams of the Under-18 men age category. It takes place every two years in Mannheim, Germany, and is contested between t ...

in Germany. Later that year, helped the Emus claim bronze at the

William Jones Cup The R. William Jones Cup (), also known as the Jones Cup, is an international basketball tournament organized by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) held annually since 1977 in Taiwan. It was named in honor of basketball promoter ...

in Taiwan. In 2012, Blanchfield played for

at the

Stanković Cup Stanković ( sr-cyr, Станковић, ) is a common surname derived from the South Slavic masculine given name Stanko. Stanković is the eighth most frequent surname in Serbia, and is also common in Croatia, with 2,842 carriers (2011 census). I ...

, where he won a silver medal. In 2013, he played for Australia at the

and the World University Games, where he won gold and silver respectively. In 2017, Blanchfield won a gold medal with Australia at the

. In June 2022, Blanchfield was named in the Boomers' World Cup Qualifiers team.

References

External links

NBL player profileMelbourne United player profileQBL player profile"Take 40: Todd Blanchfield"
at nbl.com.au
"Doing the hard yards"
at nbl.com.au {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchfield, Todd 1991 births Living people Australian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand Australian Institute of Sport basketball players Australian men's basketball players Illawarra Hawks players Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Melbourne United players Perth Wildcats players Shooting guards Small forwards Southland Sharks players Sportsmen from Queensland Sportspeople from Mackay, Queensland Sydney Kings players Townsville Crocodiles players Universiade medalists in basketball Universiade silver medalists for Australia