Mat Campbell

Mat Campbell
Position	Shooting Guard Small Forward
Height	196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	84 kg (190 lb)
Team	Wollongong Hawks
Nationality	Australia
Born	20 June 1976 (1976-06-20) (age 35) Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Debut	1996
Championships	2001
Career Highlights	Australian U-23 squad member 1996 Australian Boomers squad member 2002, 2004 #32 Singlet Retired by the Wollongong Hawks

Mat Campbell (born 20 June 1976 in Bendigo, Victoria) is an Australian professional basketball player, currently playing for the Wollongong Hawks as captain and shooting guard in the National Basketball League in Australia.

Club career

Campbell began his career with the Illawarra Hawks in 1996 and has stayed with the club for fifteen years. He made his debut in April against the Brisbane Bullets at the "Snakepit" in Gwynneville, New South Wales, scoring five points. In the Hawks final game at this venue against Perth in June 1998, he was their leading scorer with 27 points.^[1]

Campbell has a career high of 36 points, which was scored against the Townsville Crocodiles at The Swamp in Townsville on December 11, 2005. In this game Campbell also scored a career high of nine from fourteen three-point goals.^[2][3] Campbell also has a career of nine assists and ten rebounds, which he has made twice. He has captained the Hawks since 2000 and is the Hawks All-time leader in appearances for the club.^[4]

Mat Campbell led the "Save the Hawks" Campaign in February 2009 to ensure Wollongong's further participation in the NBL. When it was generally accepted there would no longer be a future for the Hawks in the national competition, Mat managed to find a backer for the 2009-10 season, keeping the Hawks in the premiere basketball competition of Australia. Save the Hawks raised the required amount to keep them alive, including $230,000 from foundation members (each providing $5,000) and a $1 million guarantee by Gujarat NRE. The new not for profit organisation also mananged to gain support of Australian Health Management as naming rights sponsor.^[5]

International career

Campbell was apart of the Australian U-23's 1996 Squad.^[6]

He was also a member of the Boomers squad in 2002 during their tours of China and Europe and again in 2004.^[7]

Honours

With Wollongong Hawks:

• 2000-01 NBL Championship
• 2004-05 NBL Runner's Up
• 2009-10 NBL Runner's Up

Personal Honours

• Captain of Wollongong Hawks since 2000
• All-time leader in Appearances for Wollongong Hawks
• Retired Number (#32) at the Wollongong Hawks

References

1. ^ Mat Campbell profile. Accessed 20 February 2010
2. ^ "Hawks soar over Crocs". Television New Zealand. Reuters. 11 December 2005. http://tvnz.co.nz/content/638294. Retrieved 22 October 2011. 
3. ^ Mat Campbell profile. Accessed 20 February 2010
4. ^ Mat Campbell profile. Accessed 20 February 2010
5. ^ [tt_news]=14550&cHash=a815a8b174 Letter from Friends of the Hawks. Accessed 20 February 2010
6. ^ Mat Campbell profile. Accessed 20 February 2010
7. ^ Mat Campbell profile. Accessed 20 February 2010

External links

• Player profile on NBL.com.au website
• Save the Hawks

Persondata
Name	Campbell, Mat
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	20 June 1976
Place of birth	Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Date of death
Place of death