Ricky Grace
Encyclopedia
Ricky Ray Grace is an American
/Australia
n professional basketball
player who played in the Australian National Basketball League
from 1990 until the 2004/2005 season.
, transferring after two years to the University of Oklahoma
alongside future NBA player Mookie Blaylock
. In 1988, his last year at Oklahoma, Grace helped the Oklahoma Sooners
reach the championship game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
, where they were defeated by the Kansas Jayhawks
.
Selected in the 1988 NBA Draft
by the Utah Jazz
in the third round (67th overall), he failed to make the active roster of an NBA team. Soon after, Grace was invited by then Perth Wildcats
general manager Cal Bruton
to play for the Australian club, where he played his entire professional career, and captained the club from 2002/03 until his retirement. During his time with the club Grace played an integral part in six grand finals appearances and four championships, twice being award Grand Final MVP; first in 1990 when the Wildcats defeated the Brisbane Bullets
to claim their first championship, and again in 1993 when the Wildcats were defeated by the Melbourne Tigers
.
1991 was filled with more success for Grace, as the Wildcats won back-to-back championships, defeating the Eastside Spectres, and Grace was selected to the All-NBL First Team
.
In 1994, Grace had a three-game stint with the Atlanta Hawks
, where he was reunited with college teammate Blaylock.
In 1995, the Wildcats were again champions, defeating the North Melbourne Giants
. As Champions, the Wildcats were invited to participate in the 1995 McDonald's Championship
in London
. The Wildcats lost to NBA champions the Houston Rockets
before defeating Real Madrid
in their second match.
In 1996, Grace signed a 6-year contract with the Wildcats, and soon after became naturalised as an Australian citizen. As an Australian citizen he became eligible to represent Australia, and was a member of the Boomers at the Sydney Olympic Games
in 2000. This capped off another successful year for Grace, who won his fourth championship when the Wildcats defeated the Victoria Titans
.
In the second half of his career, Grace adjusted his game to become more of an offensive threat, and he was rewarded with another All-NBL First Team selection in 2001, 10 years after the first, and again in 2002 and 2003. Despite playing arguably the best basketball of his career, the Wildcats would only make one more grand final series, in 2002/2003, when they were defeated by the Sydney Kings
, meaning Grace would fail to equal the then record of Larry Sengstock
who won five NBL championships.
In 2003 Grace was selected to the NBL's 25th Anniversary Team
. He would play for two more seasons, with his last game a loss in an elimination final against the Melbourne Tigers on the 24th of February 2005.
On August 4, 2010, it was announced that Grace is to be inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame (ABHF) at a ceremony on the 18th of August, 2010.
for the Role Models WA organisation. Role Models WA offers sport and development programs for indigenous communities in Western Australia
. Other role models that work alongside Grace include numerous football players from the Fremantle Dockers
and West Coast Eagles
including Chris Lewis
, David Wirrpanda
, Des Headland
and Daniel Kerr
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
/Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who played in the Australian National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
from 1990 until the 2004/2005 season.
Playing career
Ricky "Amazing" Grace played American college basketball firstly at Midland CollegeMidland College
Midland College was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Midland, Texas, United States - a county seat of over 100,000 people in the Permian Basin region of west Texas...
, transferring after two years to the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
alongside future NBA player Mookie Blaylock
Mookie Blaylock
Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock , is a retired American professional basketball player. He spent 13 years in the NBA with three teams.-Professional career:...
. In 1988, his last year at Oklahoma, Grace helped the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
reach the championship game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, where they were defeated by the Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
.
Selected in the 1988 NBA Draft
1988 NBA Draft
The 1988 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1988 in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Notable undrafted players:...
by the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the third round (67th overall), he failed to make the active roster of an NBA team. Soon after, Grace was invited by then Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
general manager Cal Bruton
Cal Bruton
Calvin Bruton is a former player and coach in the Australian National Basketball League. Originally an American import, but later becoming a naturalised Australian, Bruton has been an integral part of the league since its inception...
to play for the Australian club, where he played his entire professional career, and captained the club from 2002/03 until his retirement. During his time with the club Grace played an integral part in six grand finals appearances and four championships, twice being award Grand Final MVP; first in 1990 when the Wildcats defeated the Brisbane Bullets
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy...
to claim their first championship, and again in 1993 when the Wildcats were defeated by the Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
.
1991 was filled with more success for Grace, as the Wildcats won back-to-back championships, defeating the Eastside Spectres, and Grace was selected to the All-NBL First Team
NBL (Australia) All NBL teams
-NBL First Teams:* 1980 Cal Stamp, Danny Morseu, Brian Banks, Herb McEachin, Ian Davies and Ken Richardson* 1981 Rocky Smith, Danny Morseu, Al Green, David Nelson and Owen Wells* 1982 George Morrow, James Crawford, Leroy Loggins, Phil Smyth and Larry Sengstock...
.
In 1994, Grace had a three-game stint with the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
, where he was reunited with college teammate Blaylock.
In 1995, the Wildcats were again champions, defeating the North Melbourne Giants
North Melbourne Giants
The North Melbourne Giants were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League.-History :The team was formed in 1980 as the Coburg Giants and were renamed in 1987 as the North Melbourne Giants...
. As Champions, the Wildcats were invited to participate in the 1995 McDonald's Championship
McDonald's Championship
The McDonald's Championship was an international men's basketball cup competition played between the champions of the continental club competitions and an NBA invitee...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The Wildcats lost to NBA champions the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
before defeating Real Madrid
Real Madrid Baloncesto
Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto ....
in their second match.
In 1996, Grace signed a 6-year contract with the Wildcats, and soon after became naturalised as an Australian citizen. As an Australian citizen he became eligible to represent Australia, and was a member of the Boomers at the Sydney Olympic Games
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in 2000. This capped off another successful year for Grace, who won his fourth championship when the Wildcats defeated the Victoria Titans
Victoria Titans
The Victoria Titans were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. The team was the result of a merger of two Melbourne clubs for the inaugural NBL summer season of 1998/99...
.
In the second half of his career, Grace adjusted his game to become more of an offensive threat, and he was rewarded with another All-NBL First Team selection in 2001, 10 years after the first, and again in 2002 and 2003. Despite playing arguably the best basketball of his career, the Wildcats would only make one more grand final series, in 2002/2003, when they were defeated by the Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
, meaning Grace would fail to equal the then record of Larry Sengstock
Larry Sengstock
Larry Sengstock is a retired Australian basketball player and the current CEO of Basketball Australia and NBL....
who won five NBL championships.
In 2003 Grace was selected to the NBL's 25th Anniversary Team
NBL (Australia) 25th Anniversary Team
To mark its 25th anniversary during the 2003-2004 season, the National Basketball League announced its 25th Anniversary All-Time team on December 9, 2003...
. He would play for two more seasons, with his last game a loss in an elimination final against the Melbourne Tigers on the 24th of February 2005.
On August 4, 2010, it was announced that Grace is to be inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame (ABHF) at a ceremony on the 18th of August, 2010.
Post playing career
Currently Grace is the directorBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for the Role Models WA organisation. Role Models WA offers sport and development programs for indigenous communities in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Other role models that work alongside Grace include numerous football players from the Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
and West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
including Chris Lewis
Chris Lewis (Australian rules footballer)
Christoper Lockley "Chris" Lewis is a former Australian rules footballer who played over 200 AFL senior games for the West Coast Eagles....
, David Wirrpanda
David Wirrpanda
David Selwyn Wirrpanda is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League between 1996 and 2009...
, Des Headland
Des Headland
Desmond "Des" Headland, Jr is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for Subiaco in the West Australian Football League. He plays as a half-forward flanker or midfielder. Headland was selected with the first overall draft pick in the 1998 AFL Draft by the Brisbane Lions...
and Daniel Kerr
Daniel Kerr
Daniel Matthew Kerr is an Australian rules footballer.Kerr was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club and made his AFL debut in 2001 with the West Coast Eagles. He is a hard-running midfielder who is a vital part of the midfield at the Eagles.-Background:Kerr is of Anglo-Indian descent...
.
Oklahoma Sooners Team records
- First in three point field goal percentage in a season - 1986/87 (.441)
- First in assists in a season - 1987/88 (280)
- Equal First in steals in a NCAA Tournament game - vs Iowa, March 20, 1987 (7)
Perth Wildcats Team records
- First in games played (482)
- First in points (8802)
- First in assists (3470)
- First in steals (734)
NBL records
- First in assists per game in 2003 (8.0/27 games)
- First in assists per game in 2004 (7.3/23 games)