One of Australia’s most accomplished basketball figures, Brendan Joyce, was inducted into Victoria University’s (VU) Sport Hall of Fame on November 27.
Joyce spent more than 40 years as an elite player and coach, beginning with the Nunawading Spectres in the inaugural season of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1979.
For the next eight years, he juggled playing professional basketball with working as an electrician, before enrolling in a bachelor of arts (recreation) at the Footscray Institute of Technology (now known as VU).
Joyce completed his degree in 1987, the same year he became a first-time father.
The off-field events didn’t detract from his performances on the court though.
In fact, Joyce said enrolling at VU took his game to a new level.
“I believe I played my best basketball in the NBL while attending university as a mature student,” Joyce said.
“My course gave me a greater understanding of my emotions in competition and how to manage them in a more positive way both from an individual and team perspective.”
Joyce was named an All-Star in 1988 and 1989, appeared in eight NBL finals series and was also selected as squad member for the Australia Boomers.
After 13 seasons and 289 games, Joyce retired from the NBL and went straight into coaching, presiding over a further 400 games and nine finals appearances.
He later served as assistant coach for the Australian Boomers at 2004 and 2008 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and was head coach for the Australian Opals when they won Bronze at the 2014 FIBA World Cup and finished fifth at the 2016 Olympics.
In more recent years Joyce has served as head of basketball at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and took the Kaohsiung Aquas to a T1 League Championship in Taiwan in 2022.
Joyce said his studies at VU were crucial to his success.
“My university education enhanced my communication and strategic planning skills and contributed to me gaining the captaincy of two NBL teams and achieving success as a professional coach here in Australia and overseas.”
