Dexter Kernich-Drew

Dexter Grant Kernich-Drew (born 16 October 1991) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Waverley Falcons of the NBL1 South. He played college basketball for Washington State before beginning a career in the National Basketball League.

Dexter Kernich-Drew
Kernich-Drew in March 2017
No. 2 – Waverley Falcons
PositionGuard
LeagueNBL1 South
Personal information
Born (1991-10-16) 16 October 1991
Melbourne, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Listed height198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Listed weight85 kg (187 lb)
Career information
High schoolCaulfield Grammar School
(Melbourne, Victoria)
CollegeWashington State (2011–2015)
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015Melbourne Tigers
2015Minas
2015–2018Perth Wildcats
2016Waverley Falcons
2017–2018Rockingham Flames
2018Melbourne Tigers
2018–2019Cairns Taipans
2019Dandenong Rangers
2021Sydney Kings
2021–presentWaverley Falcons
Career highlights and awards

Early life and career

Kernich-Drew was born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria. He attended Caulfield Grammar School, where he competed in basketball, volleyball and track and field. He led the school's basketball team to the 2008 McDonald's Cup Senior Boys State Championship, where he was named the tournament MVP. Caulfield went on to capture the National School Basketball Tournament (NSBT) Championship, defeating Mountain Creek State High School.[1]

In 2009, Kernich-Drew played for the Waverley Falcons in the Big V Youth League Division 1. In 15 games for Waverley during the year, he averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.[2] He was subsequently named Player of the Year.[3] He also played for Waverley the following year in the same league, averaging 24.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 12 games.[2]

College career

In May 2010, Kernich-Drew signed a Financial Aid Agreement with Washington State University in order to join the school's men's basketball team for the 2010–11 season.[3] However, he ultimately redshirted the 2010–11 season and joined the Cougars for the 2011–12 season as a freshman.[1]

In his freshman season, Kernich-Drew appeared in 30 of the team's 37 games, while earning one starting assignment and averaging 2.3 points per game. He recorded career highs with 10 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes against Eastern Washington on 3 December 2011.[1]

As a sophomore in 2012–13, Kernich-Drew played in 32 games for the Cougars, including 14 starts. He averaged 23.3 minutes, 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 16 points against Texas A&M on 20 November 2012, and played a career-high 39 minutes at home against UCLA on 6 March 2013. In the UCLA contest, he led the Cougars with a career-high 11 rebounds and scored 11 points for his only double-double of the season.[1]

As a junior in 2013–14, Kernich-Drew appeared in 30 games for the Cougars, notching 21 starts. He averaged 22.2 minutes, 6.3 points, 0.8 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game, and scored in double digits six times. He scored a season high and career-best 24 points against Colorado on 8 January 2014 after missing his only game of the season a week earlier due to a concussion.[1]

As a senior in 2014–15, Kernich-Drew played in all 31 games for the Cougars, notching 12 starts. He averaged 18.9 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game. He came on strong at the end of the season and ranked sixth in the Pac-12 with a .433 (42-for-97) three-point clip. He had a career-high 27 points in WSU's win over Arizona State at home on 13 February 2015, and scored 20 points and tied his career high with six three-pointers at home against Arizona two days later.[1]

In 123 games for the Cougars over four seasons, Kernich-Drew averaged 5.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game.[4]

Professional career

After graduating from Washington State University, Kernich-Drew returned to Australia and played for the Melbourne Tigers in the 2015 Big V season, averaging 22.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in nine games.[5]

After a brief stint in Brazil with Minas,[6] Kernich-Drew joined the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League as a training player in November 2015. He was touted as a possible injury-replacement player for Damian Martin[7][8][9] and was ultimately a member of the Wildcats' 2015–16 championship-winning squad.[10][11]

Kernich-Drew joined the Waverley Falcons for the 2016 Big V season.[12] He was named a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.[13] In 21 games, he averaged 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.[5]

On 29 July 2016, Kernich-Drew signed a two-year deal with the Perth Wildcats.[14] On 28 October 2016, he had 14 points in an 81–76 loss to the Illawarra Hawks.[15][16] On New Year's Eve also against the Hawks, Kernich-Drew had eight of his 13 points in the final quarter to help lead the Wildcats to a 95–87 win.[17] The Wildcats went on to defeat the Hawks 3–0 in the NBL Grand Final series to win the 2016–17 championship.[18][19] For the season, he averaged 2.3 points in 29 games.

Kernich-Drew with the Flames in May 2017

On 9 May 2017, Kernich-Drew signed with the Rockingham Flames of the State Basketball League for the rest of the 2017 season.[20][21] On 8 July, he had 38 points in a 105–103 win over the East Perth Eagles.[22] On 17 July, he was ruled out for the rest of the SBL season after suffering a broken jaw against the Perry Lakes Hawks three days earlier.[23] In 10 games for the Flames, he averaged 21.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.[24]

In the Wildcats' second game of the 2017–18 NBL season on 13 October, Kernich-Drew had 11 points in a 74–64 win over the Illawarra Hawks.[25] For the season, he averaged 2.2 points in 21 games.

After a one-game stint with the Rockingham Flames,[26][27] Kernich-Drew joined the Melbourne Tigers for the 2018 SEABL season.[28][29] In 11 games, he averaged 22.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.[30]

On 9 May 2018, Kernich-Drew signed with the Cairns Taipans for the 2018–19 NBL season.[31] On 13 December 2018, he was ruled out for six weeks after being diagnosed with multiple undisplaced fractures around his eye socket and cheekbone.[32] For the season, he averaged 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 18 games.

In March 2019, Kernich-Drew signed with the Dandenong Rangers for the inaugural NBL1 season.[33] In 15 games, he averaged 17.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.[34]

After spending time with Melbourne United early in the 2019–20 NBL season as an injury replacement for David Barlow,[35][36][37] Kernich-Drew was set to play for the Geelong Supercats in 2020[38] but the NBL1 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[39]

On 5 February 2021, Kernich-Drew signed with the Sydney Kings as an injury replacement for Angus Glover.[40] He appeared in eight games during the 2020–21 NBL season.[41]

In April 2021, Kernich-Drew joined the Waverley Falcons of the NBL1 South.[42] He averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game in 2022.[43] He re-joined the Falcons in 2023.[43]

Personal

Kernich-Drew is the son of Maurice and Margaret, and has a younger sister, Marli.[1]

References
  1. "Dexter Kernich-Drew – 2014–15 Men's Basketball Roster". WSUCougars.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. "Player statistics for Dexter Kernich-Drew – Youth". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  3. "Washington State signs Australian guard for next season". Krem.com. 24 May 2010. Archived from the original on 28 August 2010.
  4. "Dexter Kernich-Drew College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  5. "Player statistics for Dexter Kernich-Drew – State Championship". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  6. Freire, Paulo (16 September 2015). "Minas sign Dexter Kernich-Drew, ex Melbourne T." Latinbasket.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  7. Rynne, Nick (24 November 2015). "Cats facing NBL's finest: Jervis". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  8. Rynne, Nick (25 November 2015). "Martin set to bounce back from broken jaw". The West Australian. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  9. "WILDCATS DEVELOPMENT PLAYERS FACE WA'S UNDER-20S". Wildcats.com.au. 15 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  10. "DEXTER KERNICH-DREW TRIAL WORKOUT". Wildcats.com.au. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  11. "Dexter Kernich-Drew". Wildcats.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  12. "Waverley Falcons lock in two more stars". BigV.com.au. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  13. "RELEASED: 2016 Big V Award Nominees". BigV.com.au. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  14. "DEXTER KERNICH-DREW SIGNED BY WILDCATS". Wildcats.com.au. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  15. "DEXTER KERNICH-DREW SEIZING OPPORTUNITY". Wildcats.com.au. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  16. "DEAD EYE DEXTER". NBL.com.au. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  17. Robinson, Chris (31 December 2016). "Gutsy Perth Wildcats earn crucial road win with 95-87 upset in Illawarra". PerthNow.com.au. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  18. "COTTON DROPS 45 TO COMPLETE 'CATS GF SWEEP". NBL.com.au. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  19. "PERTH WILDCATS WIN BACK-TO-BACK NBL CHAMPIONSHIPS". Wildcats.com.au. 5 March 2017. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  20. "DEXTER KERNICH-DREW JOINS FLAMES". Facebook.com. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  21. "Dexter Kernich-Drew is a newcomer at Flames". Australiabasket.com. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  22. "Eagles vs Flames". FIBALiveStats.com. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  23. "KERNICH-DREW SUFFERS BROKEN JAW". Wildcats.com.au. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  24. "Player statistics for Dexter Kernich-Drew". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  25. "Relentless 'Cats defend to victory in GF rematch". NBL.com.au. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  26. "DEXTER KERNICH DREW will return to the..." Facebook.com. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  27. "Player statistics for Dexter Kernich-Drew". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  28. "Dexter Kernich-Drew joins Tigers SEABL". TigersBasketball.com.au. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  29. "DEXTER JOINS MELBOURNE TIGERS". SEABL.com.au. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  30. "Player statistics for Dexter Kernich-Drew – SEABL 2018". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  31. "Cairns Snare Another Wildcat in Dexter Kernich-Drew". NBL.com.au. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  32. "Kernich-Drew Sidelined for Six Weeks". NBL.com.au. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  33. "After providing the Cairns Taipans with an offensive spark during #NBL19, Dexter Kernich-Drew has signed with Dandenong Basketball for NBL1". facebook.com. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  34. "Dexter Kernich-Drew". NBL1.com.au. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  35. Ward, Roy (25 June 2019). "Kernich-Drew Bouncing Back From Frustrating NBL Season In NBL1". nbl1.com.au. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  36. "David Barlow Ruled Out of Round 1". NBL.com.au. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  37. "Prather Out Of Throwdown As Injuries Hit United, Phoenix". NBL.com.au. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  38. "Supercats announce trio signing". supercats.com.au. 15 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019.
  39. "NBL1 Season Cancelled". NBL.com.au. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  40. "Kings Add Dexter Kernich-Drew as Injury Replacement". NBL.com.au. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  41. "Dexter Kernich-Drew". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  42. "Dexter Kernich-Drew Signs". waverleybasketball.com. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  43. "Dexter Returns for NBL1 2023". waverleybasketball.com. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dexter Kernich-Drew.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.