Hall of Fame 2022 Inductees

QBHF 2022 INDUCTEES

Celebrating the Queensland Basketball Community

The Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame (QBHF) began in 2014 to recognise and honour the exceptional performances, achievements and contributions by individuals to the sport of basketball. Inductees are selected by the Honors and Awards Committee (HAC) and reflect the rich history of our Queensland basketball community.

Introducing the 2022 Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees:

Bronwyn Marshall

Bronwyn Marshall was first introduced to the Queensland basketball community in 1979, after being awarded Rockhampton Basketball’s Most Valuable Women’s Player of the Year Award at the age of fifteen. As predicted at the time, this instigated not only her impact on Queensland and Australian basketball but also at an international level.

As a Queensland basketball representative, at both junior and senior championships, Bronwyn has a unique and enviable record as one of the very few basketball players to win a gold (1980 under 18) and two silver (1982 under 20, 1983 Senior) medals at Australian championships.

Bronwyn was a basketball scholarship athlete at the Australian Institute of Sport in 1982 and 1983 and an integral member of the AIS women’s team, touring Japan, Korea, Europe and undefeated tours of United States east coast and New Zealand. During her two WNBL seasons with the AIS Bronwyn played 34 games, scored a total of 284 points for an average of 8.4 points per game, a field goal shooting percentage of 50% and a free throw percentage of 72%.

Bronwyn’s performances at Australian championships and in the various AIS programs earned her selection in the Australian Opals team to contest the FIBA World Championships in Brazil in 1983 and again in Moscow in 1986. As one of three Queenslanders, she competed in the pre-Olympic tournament in Cuba and subsequently in the Australian Opals’ first participation at an Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984.

Bronwyn continued her stellar career playing seven seasons in the WNBL, from 1984 until 1990, for the Brisbane Blazers, scoring 1,290 points and hauled down 65 offensive rebounds and 183 defensive rebounds during the years that rebounds were recorded. In 1989/1990, she was also one of the first Australian female players to play professionally in an overseas league, in Switzerland.

Bronwyn has since brought her exceptional playing experience at international, national, and state level to her role as coach of the WNBL Brisbane Blazers (1994-1996), assistant coach with Centre of Excellence / Australian Institute of Sport and coach at the Brisbane Capitals.

These diverse experiences and invaluable insights into the intricacies of sport administration later complemented Bronwyn’s outstanding role as a member of the Basketball Queensland board, (including Chairman), a member of the board of Basketball Australia and led to appointments as Deputy co-chair of the local organising committee for the Women’s FIBA World Cup (Sydney 2022) and Chair of the World Cup Athletes Services Advisory Committee.

Bronwyn Marshall’s exceptional playing career and subsequent extraordinary, multi-faceted basketball life makes her a worthy inductee into the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.

Fred Van Dongen

Respected life member of Basketball Queensland (QABA 1984), Fred Van Dongen’s extraordinary contribution to basketball in Brisbane and Queensland, commenced during the 1963-1964 season in Brisbane, when he first played for Inala in a social competition.

In 1967, Fred commenced what became an unbroken 37-years of service as a member of the management committee of Brisbane Basketball, serving for more than a decade as Junior Secretary, 11 years as Treasurer, and appointment as the inaugural Executive Director in 1988 until his retirement from full-time basketball administration in 2004.

In 1974, Fred was invited to be treasurer of the then Queensland Amateur Basketball Association, performing exceptionally in this additional role for 20 years until 1993, as well as a Board member of Basketball Queensland from 1974 to 2001.

Driven by foresight and passion for the sport, November 1978 saw Fred Van Dongen contribute to the planning and eventual inception the National Basketball League (NBL), a competition which would include the Brisbane Bullets as a foundation team.

Fred’s involvement in the Bullets' administration team, not only as a committee member but also as the longest serving NBL team manager in the history of the league, was integral to the development of the team’s culture that helped to deliver the Bullets’ glory years of the mid-1980s. Fred Van Dongen’s commitment encompassed involvement with the WNBL where he inspired the name change from the Lady Bullets to the Brisbane Blazers and served as head of the Blazers' administration team from 1988 to 1993.

His support for all facets of the sport has also been reflected in the importance placed on the development of referees and the funding of referee education programs within his administration roles.

Fred was at the forefront in the introduction, promotion and development of the Queensland State Basketball League. This, along with championing his love of junior basketball through successful coaching, managing and funding, has continued to be an exceptional development vehicle for players, coaches, referees and administrators, and extraordinary basketball entertainment for the community generally, for more than three decades.

Following on from Fred’s formal roles he has continued to generously serve basketball in multiple volunteer capacities, including as an ongoing vital member of the Brisbane Basketball Management Committee, membership of the Basketball Queensland Honours and Awards Committee, organiser within the Saturday junior competition and regular chair of judiciary committees.

“A man for all jobs”, Fred Van Dongen’s more than half-a-century service to the development of basketball in Queensland, in official and voluntary capacities, has been characterised by astute financial and administrative guidance, honesty, integrity and a generosity of spirit. It is indeed fitting that he be inducted into the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.

Harry Spencer OAM

Neville Harold Roy (Harry) Spencer commenced coaching basketball as a 14-year-old in Armidale. A move to Toowoomba in 1972, began a prestigious coaching career that would span over half a century, of not only developing competitive skills, but providing inspiration and positivity to teams at local, state, national and international level.

Harry Spencer has established a long-term involvement with local Toowoomba clubs that progressed to coaching South Queensland Zone juniors at the pre-classics State Championships (1974 - mid 1980s), winning state championships with the under 18 girls in 1977 and 1978, coaching Toowoomba under 16 and under 18 girls’ teams at the state classics (mid 1980s – 2010); and coaching South Queensland Zone senior women’s teams at Queensland state championships, including winning the State Championships in 1975.

Harry was coach of the Queensland under 18 women from 1977 - 1979, where these teams dominated in every final at the Australian Championships, runner-up in 1977 and 1979 and National Champions in 1978. As coach again in 1985 and 1987, Harry Spencer became one of Queensland basketball’s most successful under 18 state coaches resulting in his selection by the Australian Basketball Federation as a coach of the All-Australian under 18 Women’s Camp for three years, 1985, 1986 and 1988.

In 1984, Harry Spencer was selected by the Oceania Basketball Confederation in the challenging role as a coach and coach-mentor at the Olympic Solidarity Course in Basketball Coaching in Papua New Guinea. As in the All-Australian camps, Harry’s extraordinary contribution was recognised for not only developing players but also for sharing his coaching methods and techniques for the benefit of other coaches.

Harry Spencer is also Queensland basketball’s most prolific senior women’s basketball coach, undertaking a tour of Canada and Hawaii in December 1978/January 1979, after previously coaching the Queensland senior women at the 1975 Australian Championships and subsequently at the 1979 and 1980 Australian Championships.

Harry played for one of Queensland Basketball’s most decorated men’s teams, The Toowoomba Mountaineers, from 1972-1974, but made his mark as the foundation coach of the Mountaineers on their entry as inaugural members of the XXXX Queensland State Basketball League in 1986, then notably as runners-up in 1989 and champions in 1990 and 1991. He continues this association over the past decade having coached the women’s team and as assistant coach of the Mountaineers in the men’s Queensland State League Division 1.

Harry Spencer’s distinguished, strategic coaching career and exceptional contribution to basketball has been recognised with life memberships to local clubs and nationally with the Australian Sports Medal (2000), and in 2010, the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

These successes, as well as instilling positive life values, providing inspiration, encouragement, support, guidance and inclusivity, through basketball makes Harry Spencer a most worthy inductee into the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jennifer Screen

As a junior player, Jennifer Screen represented Toowoomba, participating in the Queensland Classics in all age groups. Her performance at these state competitions earned her selection in the 1997 South Queensland Girls Representative team, as well as selection to Queensland teams participating in the under 16 and under 18 Australian Junior Championships from 1997 to 1999 and admission to the Queensland Academy of Sport national intensive training program.

Jenni was a basketball scholarship athlete at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for two years, in 1999 and 2000, representing the AIS in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons.

During her final year at the Australian Institute of Sport, Jennifer Screen was recruited by the Adelaide Lightning, becoming a valued team member from 2001-2005 and being awarded the WNBL's Good Hands Award in 2005.

From 2006 to 2009 Jenni played professionally for Parma in Italy before returning to the Adelaide Lightning for the 2011-2012 season. Jenni ended her celebrated WNBL career spanning 178 games in 2014, averaging 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Jenni Screen played 19 games as part of Australian Junior team and 11 games for the Young Australian team, and as a member of the Australian Gems won gold medals at both the World Championships in the Czech Republic, and in the World Qualification Series in 2002. Jenni also won a bronze medal with the Australian team at the 2005 World University Games in Turkey, scoring 30 points in the 81-72 victory against Russia.

Jenni Screen was named on the Australian Opals for the first time in 2005 and as a valuable member of the team won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2006 World Championships in Brazil, a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, participated in tours of China, the United States and Hungary in 2010, and was a member of the bronze medal winning team at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Jenni also co-captained the Opals to victory in the gold medal game against New Zealand in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championships.

In 2014 Jenni called an end to her exceptional international career as a premier defensive player during which she played over 100 games and earned a reputation as one of the most respected, loved and loyal teammates in the program.

Jenni Screen has continued her career in basketball, taking her considerable experience and leadership skills to the FIBA Players’ Commission, where she has served since 2015 and where currently she serves as Deputy Chairwoman.

Having made exceptional contributions as a player with the Opals and within the Woman’s National Basketball League, and continuing to contribute to make basketball a better place for its people, Jennifer Screen is a most worthy inductee to the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.

John Dorge

John Dorge commenced his playing career as a junior with the Dalby Basketball Association but due to his height and obvious potential, soon attracted NBL attention and began his career with the Brisbane Bullets in 1985.

From John’s rookie year, 1985, to 1987 the Brisbane Bullets contested three NBL grand finals, winning two of the three, making John Dorge the first player in NBL history to have played in every grand final in his first three seasons in the league.

In 1990, he joined the Geelong Supercats for two seasons and in the opening game of the 1991 season, John set the still standing NBL record for blocks in a single game with fourteen.

In 1992, John signed to South-East Melbourne Magic and he quickly became one of the dominant big men in the league. In his first year with the Magic, they defeated the Melbourne Tigers to win their first NBL championship and John Dorge’s third. In the final series John averaged 11.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. John played another six NBL seasons with Magic, five as Captain.

He was selected to the All-NBL first team in 1995 when he averaged a career best 16.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks for the season, won his fourth NBL Championship in 1996 and retired from the NBL after a loss in the 1998 NBL grand final having played in 363 NBL games.

John Dorge made his Australian Boomers debut in 1987 against the Soviet Union. This was followed by his participation in the tours of New Zealand and Europe in 1987 and in the Boomers winning the 1987 FIBA Oceania Championships held in New Zealand.

As an ongoing valuable member of the Boomers, John went on to compete at the 1990 FIBA World Championships in Argentina coming 7th, the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle coming 9th, to receive a gold medal at the Olympic qualifying 1991 FIBA Oceania Championships, and to finish 6th at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

John Dorge’s final series with the Boomers was at the 1996 Olympic Games, where the Boomers finished in fourth place, ending an international playing career of more than 150 games representing Australia.

Following his exceptional playing career, John Dorge commenced a successful coaching career which began as the personal coach for Chris Anstey in the NBA (Dallas Mavericks / Chicago Bulls). On his return to Australia, John has held coaching appointments with the Cairns Taipans, the New Zealand Breakers, the Harbour Heat NZ NBL, Camberwell Grammar school, Melbourne University and Wyndham Basketball. Since 2012 John has been the Director of St Monica’s College (Epping), Basketball Academy.

It is without doubt that John Dorge’s incredible successes in the NBL and with the Boomers was embedded in physical and mental toughness, hard work and determination and as such he is a most worthy inductee to the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jude Gordon

Growing up in British Columbia, Canada, Jude Gordon first showed her playing potential, when at the age of twelve, she played in her first open senior team and quickly established herself in high school representative teams and later open women’s basketball leagues in Calgary, Alberta.

After arriving in Queensland in 1967, Jude joined Northwest Districts (NWD) club where she remained for all her Queensland club playing career, representing Metropolitan Zone at eight Queensland state senior women’s championships.

In 1977 Basketball Queensland initiated the concept of Queensland Basketball All-Star Five teams for men and women with the inaugural women’s team including Jude Gordon as one of the guards.

Between 1968 and 1977, Jude Gordon represented Queensland at seven senior women’s Australian championships. This is the equal second-most senior Australian championships played by any female player and equal third-most senior Australian championships played by any Queensland player. Jude was Queensland captain in 1975 and she was manager of the 1972 Queensland women’s team.

As with many sports in Queensland, there are a multiplicity of roles that members of the sporting organisations adopt to ensure that the sport survives. Jude Gordon’s contribution is testimony to this, with administrative responsibilities including three years as a member of the NWD executive committee and three years as a club selector, player commitments at club, zone and State levels, as well as channelling her energies to Queensland basketball administration duties within the Queensland Women’s Amateur Basketball Association (QWABA).

In 1972, Jude was elected to the executive of the Queensland Amateur Basketball Association, was Assistant Secretary in 1974 and became Vice-President in Charge of Women’s Affairs in February 1975. This role was expanded due to Jude’s insight and passion to champion the needs of women in basketball, develop programs to retain senior women players, establish dialogue around international competition and improve standards of competition for women.

Notwithstanding her vision and her administrative contributions to basketball in Queensland during the years before the advent of the Women’s National Basketball League, Jude Gordon’s principal basketball contributions were as a player.

Jude Gordon was an incredibly talented and tenacious player, inspirational as a leader through her captaincy roles, contributing to many successes at club and state levels, and as such is a most worthy inductee into the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.

QBHF 2022 INDUCTEES

Celebrating the Queensland Basketball Community

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