Alex Gynes

Alexander Gynes (born 3 February 1989) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Warrnambool Seahawks of the Big V Division 1.

Early life

Born in Nowra, New South Wales, Gynes was a gifted sportsman in high school, playing rugby, cricket, and volleyball as well as basketball. At Nowra High School, Gynes was named Sportsman of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and was named to the New South Wales all-schools team in grade 11 and 12.

Gynes played in Australia's 2006 under-18 national tournament, posting stunning numbers and clutch performances while leading his New South Wales state team to the gold medal. In the five-day tournament, he averaged 23.6 points and 12.3 rebounds, but saved his best efforts for the semi final and championship games when he collected 40 points and 12 rebounds in the semis, followed by 26 points and 20 rebounds in the final, earning the national MVP award.

In 2007, Gynes played 14 games for the Illawarra Seahawks of the Waratah League.^[1][2]

College career

Gynes played in 29 games as a freshman for Radford University in 2007–08, averaging 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. For his sophomore year, he moved to Nova Southeastern University where he was limited to 13 games and 8 starts due to injury. He averaged 6.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2008–09. During his junior year, Gynes was named the 2010 NSU Male Athlete of the Year. He started in 20 of 27 games played and led the team with 12.7 points and 5.6 free-throws per game.^[3] As a senior, he upped his production to an impressive 18 points and 8 rebounds per game as he led the Sharks in points, rebounds and minutes played. He was also named to the 2011 All-SSC second team.

During his college years, he also managed to major in Business Administration.

Professional career

On 8 June 2011, Gynes signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2011–12 NBL season.^[4] In preparation for his rookie campaign with the Kings, Gynes joined the Central Coast Crusaders for the 2011 Waratah League season.^[4] In his rookie season, Gynes played 20 games for the Kings, averaging 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.^[5]

On 29 February 2012, Gynes signed with the Canberra Gunners for the 2012 SEABL season.^[6] In December 2012, he re-signed with the Gunners for the 2013 season.^[7] In 41 games over two seasons for the Gunners, he averaged 12.2 points per game.^[8]

In January 2014, Gynes signed with the Geelong Supercats for the 2014 SEABL season.^[9] He recommitted to the Supercats for the 2015 season,^[10] and in two seasons for the Supercats, he averaged 6.8 points in 50 games.^[8]

In February 2016, Gynes signed with the Warrnambool Seahawks for the 2016 season.^[11] During a game on April 30, he sustained an eye injury that ruled him out indefinitely.^[12] He returned to action in mid-June and helped lead the Seahawks to the Big V D1 grand final, where they defeated the Casey Cavaliers 2–0. The series victory gave the Seahawks their first championship in 18 years.^[13]

National team career

In 2006, Gynes represented the Australian Emus at the under-19 world junior tournament. In 2011, he played for the Australian University national basketball team at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China. In four games, he averaged 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Personal

Gynes is the son of David and Christine Gynes, and has a sister named Ellen. His wife, Nicole (née Hunt), is a former professional basketball player.^[14]

References

External links

• Australiabasket.com profile
• Big V stats