Vincent Kelley (born December 5, 1962) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played collegiately for the

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...

before spending the majority of his professional career in Australia. He began his career in the first-tier National Basketball League (NBL) and finished in the second-tier

State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

(SBL).

High school and college career

Kelley attended Inglewood High School in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

. The school's basketball team was the nation's top-ranked team in 1980, going undefeated and winning the national championship, with Kelley playing alongside future

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

players

Jay Humphries John Jay Humphries (born October 17, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He later served as the first head coach of the NBA D-League's Reno Bighorns. He last worked a ...

and

Ralph Jackson Ralph A. Jackson III (born October 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who played briefly in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson attended Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California. The school's bas ...

. Kelley's college career saw him play four years for the

between 1980 and 1984. At 6'7", he often played the

low post In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor sur ...

for an undersized Colorado team. He graduated ranking third on the school's all-time rebounds list with 730. He also scored 1,180 career points in 112 games. As a junior in 1982–83, he earned All- Big Eight Conference Honorable Mention honors. Upon leaving Colorado, Kelley had try-outs with a number of CBA teams and the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

of the NBA.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" ,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, 28 , , 6 , , 18.9 , , .518 , , , , .603 , , 3.8 , , .3 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" , Colorado , 27 , , 27 , , 32.1 , , .449 , , , , .748 , , 6.4 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .7 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" , Colorado , 28 , , 28 , , 35.5 , , .436 , , , , .614 , , 9.1 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 11.7 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" , Colorado , 29 , , 29 , , 33.6 , , .433 , , , , .743 , , 6.8 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .4 , , 10.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 112 , , 90 , , 30.0 , , .450 , , , , .686 , , 6.5 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , 10.5

Professional career

NBL

In 1985, Kelley moved to Australia and joined the

Bankstown Bruins Bankstown Bruins is a NBL1 East club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club fields a team in the Men's NBL1 East. The club is a division of Bankstown Basketball Association (BBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the regi ...

of the National Basketball League (NBL). He scored 40 points or more four times, including a 51-point game. In 25 games, he averaged 31.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Kelley continued on with the franchise in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

, now known as the West Sydney Westars, and helped them reach the playoffs. He twice scored 40 points or more during the season. In 27 games, he averaged 29.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. In his third season with the franchise in 1987, Kelley scored 30 points or more six times and averaged 24.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 25 games. In 77 career NBL games, Kelley averaged 28.2 points and 11.5 rebounds.

Portugal

Kelley's next two years were spent in Portugal with Ginásio, where he helped them win the second division in 1988 and move up to the first division.

SBL

In 1990, Kelley returned to Australia and joined the Kanyana Kings in

Mandurah Mandurah () is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 107,641 as of the 2021 census. Mandurah's ...

to play in the team's inaugural season in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

(SBL). He helped the Kings finish in second place on the regular-season standings with a 20–6 record. In 29 games, he averaged 36.6 points. Kelley joined the Wanneroo Wolves in 1991 and went on to play seven seasons for the team. He was named the SBL's Most Valuable Player in 1992 and was player-coach of the Wolves' 1993 championship team. He was also Club MVP in each of his seven seasons. In 196 games for the Wolves, he averaged 27.4 points. In 1998 and 1999, Kelley played for the

Rockingham Flames Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrat ...

. In 59 games for the Flames, he averaged 22.7 points per game. In 2000, he returned to Mandurah to play for the renamed Magic. In 44 games over two seasons, he averaged 23.8 points. Kelley's final season came in 2002, averaging 26.3 points in 23 games for the

East Perth Eagles East Perth Eagles is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of East Perth District Basketball Association (EPDBA), the major administrative baske ...

. Kelley retired having played 351 SBL games across 13 seasons with 9,428 career points at 26.9 per game. He is the league's all-time leading scorer, and in 2013, he was named in the SBL's 25th Year All Star Team.

Personal

Kelley has

dual citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...

with the United States and Australia. His wife is Australian. Kelley's daughter Desiree plays for the

Willetton Tigers Willetton Tigers is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Willetton Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organ ...

in the

NBL1 West NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball ...

. His nephew Ryan also played college basketball for Colorado.

References

External links

College statsNBL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Vince 1962 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Portugal American men's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Forwards (basketball) Basketball players from Inglewood, California Inglewood High School (California) alumni