Steve Carfino
Encyclopedia
Steve Carfino is a former basketball player, who played for the University of Iowa
in college basketball and later in the Australia
n National Basketball League
. After retiring he became a television commentator
, focusing on basketball, occasionally covering other sports. He is the younger brother of former University of Southern California
basketballer Don Carfino.
. In his final year at the University, Steve was named in the All Big Ten, and was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Hawkeyes for that season.
in the NBA in the last selection of the 6th round. He was cut by the Celtics in August 1984.
between September 1984 and July 1985. Steve is currently coaching school basketball teams with great success. His current team is winning all their games with their star players being Lola Champtaloup and Holly Wadsworth.
between 1986 and 1991.
. He was named in the All-NBL first team
in his debut season. He was ranked fourth in scoring in his debut season averaging 32.7 per game, and came second in the category of assists (7 per game), and steals (3.4 per games). He was also named the runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award
in 1986. He was then named in the 1987 All-NBL first team
, and was ranked second in steals averaging 3.4 a game.
in 1988 after playing two seasons and 51 games at the Hobart Devils
. In 1988 and 1989 he was named in the All-NBL second team
, and continued to poll high in the steals and assists on an annual basis. During his NBL career, Steve amassed 3,089 points at an average of 23.4 points, as well as having 750 assists, 501 rebounds and 378 steals. His highest score in his NBL career was 52 which he achieved twice, as well as scoring over 40 points five times more. He was inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame in 2004.
and provided action commentary for broadcasts of Sydney Kings
home games. Steve proved a great success. So much so that in 1996 Steve joined Fox Sports Australia, Australia's premier cable sports broadcaster, providing insightful commentary of all National Basketball League (Australasia)
games alongside play-by-play commentator John Casey. He also hosted FOX SPORTS Central, The Afternoon Rush, Inside Basketball, and NBL Wrap. In 2005, Steve added both acting and voice-overs to his commentary success. Then in 2009, Steve commenced the play-by-play calls with longtime friend Andrew Gaze joining him in the commentary box.
February 2010 saw Steve launch his new television show called MVP on One. MVP provides weekly highlights of American sports.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in college basketball and later in the 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 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....
. After retiring he became a television commentator
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, focusing on basketball, occasionally covering other sports. He is the younger brother of former University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
basketballer Don Carfino.
High school
Carfino attended St John Bosco High School in California. He was a High School All-America selection.College career
Steve attended the University of IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. In his final year at the University, Steve was named in the All Big Ten, and was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Hawkeyes for that season.
NBA draft
After this, he was drafted by the Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
in the NBA in the last selection of the 6th round. He was cut by the Celtics in August 1984.
Temporary retirement
After leaving the Celtics Carfino stepped away from basketball, operating a sports store in Cedar Rapids, IowaCedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
between September 1984 and July 1985. Steve is currently coaching school basketball teams with great success. His current team is winning all their games with their star players being Lola Champtaloup and Holly Wadsworth.
Australia
Steve played five seasons in the NBLNational 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....
between 1986 and 1991.
Hobart Devils
Steve was invited to play pro ball in Australia. He took the opportunity to follow in the foot-steps of other great 'import' players that had made a big impact on the game down-under, and elevated the league to new levels through the 70s and 80s. His Australian career (and life) started when he moved to Hobart and played with the Hobart DevilsHobart Devils
The Hobart Devils were an Australian basketball team that played in Hobart, Tasmania, in the National Basketball League. The team was the only representative from the state of Tasmania for the majority of its tenure, but was one of three teams that had their NBL licenses revoked by the league...
. He was named in 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 his debut season. He was ranked fourth in scoring in his debut season averaging 32.7 per game, and came second in the category of assists (7 per game), and steals (3.4 per games). He was also named the runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award
NBL (Australia) Most Valuable Player
At the conclusion of each NBL game, both coaches award votes to the best players from that game. Each coach has 10 votes to allocate, with no more than 5 to be awarded to one player by each coach....
in 1986. He was then named in the 1987 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...
, and was ranked second in steals averaging 3.4 a game.
Sydney Kings
He joined the Sydney KingsSydney 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...
in 1988 after playing two seasons and 51 games at the Hobart Devils
Hobart Devils
The Hobart Devils were an Australian basketball team that played in Hobart, Tasmania, in the National Basketball League. The team was the only representative from the state of Tasmania for the majority of its tenure, but was one of three teams that had their NBL licenses revoked by the league...
. In 1988 and 1989 he was named in the All-NBL second 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...
, and continued to poll high in the steals and assists on an annual basis. During his NBL career, Steve amassed 3,089 points at an average of 23.4 points, as well as having 750 assists, 501 rebounds and 378 steals. His highest score in his NBL career was 52 which he achieved twice, as well as scoring over 40 points five times more. He was inducted into the NBL Hall of Fame in 2004.
Television
After retiring from the NBL, Steve joined Network TenNetwork Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
and provided action commentary for broadcasts of 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...
home games. Steve proved a great success. So much so that in 1996 Steve joined Fox Sports Australia, Australia's premier cable sports broadcaster, providing insightful commentary of all National Basketball League (Australasia)
National Basketball League (Australasia)
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....
games alongside play-by-play commentator John Casey. He also hosted FOX SPORTS Central, The Afternoon Rush, Inside Basketball, and NBL Wrap. In 2005, Steve added both acting and voice-overs to his commentary success. Then in 2009, Steve commenced the play-by-play calls with longtime friend Andrew Gaze joining him in the commentary box.
February 2010 saw Steve launch his new television show called MVP on One. MVP provides weekly highlights of American sports.