Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Townsville, Queensland | 30 November 1942
Died | 14 February 1983 | (aged 40)
Nationality | Australian |
Listed height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
Listed weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
Career information | |
Playing career | 1959–1979 |
Career history | |
1959–1979 | South Adelaide Panthers |
Michael Henry George Ah Matt (30 November 1942 – 14 February 1983) was an Indigenous Australian professional basketball player. He played for the Australian national basketball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. [1] [2]
Ah Matt was born on 30 November 1942 in Townsville, Queensland, [2] and grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory. [3] He represented the Northern Territory at the 1959 Australian Championships. [3] After the Championships he moved to Adelaide, South Australia to play with the South Adelaide Panthers. [3] He played a then record 588 games over twenty seasons with the Panthers. [3]
In 1964, he was a member of the Australian team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1968, he was a member of the Australian team that participated in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Monterrey, though that team failed to qualify for the 1968 Summer Olympics. [3]
Former Australian Olympian Darryl Pearce said of Ah Matt, "He had an amazing sense of where he was on the court and he could see players where no-one could understand how he could actually pass the ball the way he did." [4]
Ah Matt died of a heart attack on 14 February 1983. [5] [6]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Townsville, Queensland | 30 November 1942
Died | 14 February 1983 | (aged 40)
Nationality | Australian |
Listed height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
Listed weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
Career information | |
Playing career | 1959–1979 |
Career history | |
1959–1979 | South Adelaide Panthers |
Michael Henry George Ah Matt (30 November 1942 – 14 February 1983) was an Indigenous Australian professional basketball player. He played for the Australian national basketball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. [1] [2]
Ah Matt was born on 30 November 1942 in Townsville, Queensland, [2] and grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory. [3] He represented the Northern Territory at the 1959 Australian Championships. [3] After the Championships he moved to Adelaide, South Australia to play with the South Adelaide Panthers. [3] He played a then record 588 games over twenty seasons with the Panthers. [3]
In 1964, he was a member of the Australian team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1968, he was a member of the Australian team that participated in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Monterrey, though that team failed to qualify for the 1968 Summer Olympics. [3]
Former Australian Olympian Darryl Pearce said of Ah Matt, "He had an amazing sense of where he was on the court and he could see players where no-one could understand how he could actually pass the ball the way he did." [4]
Ah Matt died of a heart attack on 14 February 1983. [5] [6]