Ian Davies

Ian Davies (1 January 1956 – 7 November 2013) was the son of Carlton and Longford footballer Fred Davies.

With awe-inspiring athleticism and deadly three-point range Ian Davies set the mould for the modern Australian basketball star, inspiring the golden generation that followed.

Davies helped put the Australian Boomers on the map, outshining more famous opposition and leading all scorers at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, averaging 30 points per game in the tournament.

He also competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Games as well as the 1982 and 1986 FIBA World Championships, in a career that saw him represent Australia on 81 occasions.

On the domestic front he started his NBL career in 1980 with the new franchise Launceston Casino City. In 1981 he helped put his home state of Tasmania on the basketball map, leading Launceston Casino City to their one and only NBL Championship. Finishing the season in fourth position and playing the highly rated Brisbane Bullets in the first final, Davies lead the team to a two point victory before defeating Nunawading in the final.

He went on to play 252 games in the NBL for teams all across Australia. Starting in 1982 he played four years for the Newcastle Falcons, before a move to the Geelong Supercats in 1986 and then the Sydney Kings from 1988 to 1990. Davies helped forge a path that many young Australians now follow, playing four years of US college basketball with Graceland University from 1974-1978.

In 2001 Davies was inducted as a member of the NBL Hall of Fame and in 2017 he was inducted as a member of the Basketball NSW Hall of Fame.

Ian Davies is a worthy addition to the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame.