Philip John Smyth AM was born on 11 May 1958 and is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach.
14 Facts About Phil Smyth
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Phil Smyth won three National Basketball League championships with the Canberra Cannons before going on to be a three-time championship-winning head coach of the NBL's Adelaide 36ers.
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Phil Smyth played for the Sturt Sabres in the SA State League from 1978 to 1982.
4.
For personal reasons, Phil Smyth chose not to play in the NBL until 1982 and even then, while still living in Adelaide, he signed to play with the St Kilda Saints, commuting between his home in Adelaide and Melbourne where the Saints were based.
5.
Phil Smyth only played for St Kilda for the 1982 NBL season, winning the NBL's Defensive Player of the Year award and selection in the NBL's First Team in the process before signing with the Canberra Cannons from 1983.
6.
Phil Smyth's play during this time was a major contributor to Canberra's success.
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Phil Smyth won his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award in 1983 and was a member of the ALL NBL First team in 1983,1984,1985,1988 and 1989.
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Phil Smyth would be named as the Grand Final MVP in 1988.
9.
Phil Smyth narrowly missed out on a fourth NBL crown in 1989 when the Giants reversed the 1988 result by defeating Canberra two games to one.
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Phil Smyth retired from playing professional basketball after his season with the Kings.
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Phil Smyth played 356 games in his NBL career, 25 with St Kilda, 282 with Canberra, 33 for Adelaide and 16 for Sydney.
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Phil Smyth represented Australia at four Summer Olympic Games, achieving a best result of 4th at the 1988 Games in Seoul where he was the team captain.
13.
Phil Smyth was a member of the Boomers at the FIBA World Championships in 1978,1982,1986,1990 and 1994 with a best result of 5th place in both 1982 and 1994.
14.
Phil Smyth was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988, inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1997, and received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.