Tom Jervis

Thomas Lachlan Jervis (born 4 February 1987) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played junior basketball for the East Perth District Basketball Association and college basketball for both Bevill State Community College and Troy University in the United States. He began his NBL career in 2013 with the Perth Wildcats, and won two championships in three seasons with the club.

Early life and career

Born in Kalgoorlie to parents Sue and Steve, Jervis moved to Perth at a young age and started playing basketball for the East Perth District Basketball Association where he rose up the junior ranks. He attended Morley Senior High School, represented Western Australia in Under 18 and Under 20s, and made his State Basketball League (SBL) debut in 2005 for the senior men's East Perth Eagles.^[1] He was the SBL's leading shot blocker in 2005 with 3.4 blocked shots per game, in addition to averaging 9.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20 games.^[2] He again played in the SBL in 2006, having a three-game stint with the Perth Redbacks.

Following the 2005 SBL season, Jervis moved to the United States to attend Bevill State Community College where he played basketball for the Bears in 2005–06 and 2006–07. On 24 January 2007, he committed to play for Troy University in 2007–08 as he departed Bevill State following his sophomore season.^[3] As a junior for Troy, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 29 games (eight starts). As a senior in 2008–09, he averaged 6.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 32 games (30 starts).^[4]

Following his senior season at Troy, Jervis returned to Australia and re-joined the East Perth Eagles for the rest of the 2009 SBL season.^[5] He averaged 16.8 points and 11.9 rebounds in eight games for East Perth, and in December 2009, he re-signed with the cub for the 2010 season.^[6] He went on to earn his first SBL All-Star Five selection in 2011, before earning the honour two more times in 2012 and 2013.^[7]

After spending the 2010–11 NBL season with the Perth Wildcats as a training player, Jervis earned a call-up to the Australian Boomers squad for their training camp in preparation for their double-header against China in the 2011 YouYi Games.^[8] He ultimately did not make the final team but he credited the experience in helping him further develop his game with the hopes of one day joining the Wildcats as a full-squad member.^[9]

Professional career

Perth Wildcats (2013–2016)

2013–14 season

Following the 2013 SBL season, Jervis started a new career selling radiators to mine sites after he figured his chances of ever playing in the NBL were over. However, just two months into his new job, the Perth Wildcats became interested in him after he impressed new head coach Trevor Gleeson at a try-out. He subsequently signed a one-year deal with the Wildcats on 12 August 2013 as a back-up centre for All-NBL first teamer Matthew Knight.^[10] He quickly adapted to the NBL as his height and maturity helped him transition his SBL game style. With a preseason injury to Knight, Jervis was the Wildcats' starting centre for much of the season despite being a rookie. He held his own and managed to have an impressive season as he was named the 2013–14 NBL Rookie of the Year after playing in all 28 games throughout the regular season.^[11] To round out his great rookie season, the Wildcats went on to win the NBL championship after an impressive playoff display from the club. Jervis played in all 33 games for the Wildcats in 2013–14, averaging 5.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.^[12]

In May 2014, Jervis re-joined the East Perth Eagles for the rest of the 2014 SBL season.^[13] With an NBL championship under his belt and an impressive group of players to work with at East Perth, Jervis was determined to lead the Eagles to a maiden SBL championship. He dominated upon his return and finished the season having recorded 11 double-doubles in 15 games.^[14] With his continued dominance in the SBL, he was rewarded with a new contract offer from the Wildcats despite toying with free agency and even meeting with Melbourne United.^[15] On 10 June 2014, he re-signed with the Wildcats on a two-year deal with a third-year player option.^[16] Despite the Eagles' talented roster, the team finished seventh on the ladder and had to fight their way to the grand final. With the help of Wildcats' teammates Mathiang Muo and Sunday Dech, as well as former Wildcats Drew Williamson and Kyle Armour, the Eagles advanced through to the grand final, where they faced the first-seeded Geraldton Buccaneers. In a dominating performance by Jervis and the Eagles, they defeated the Buccaneers 99–83 to win the SBL championship for the first time in club history. A dream 13 months for Jervis was completed with his first SBL championship been added to his NBL championship.^[17] In December 2014, he recommitted to the Eagles for the 2015 season in the wake of head coach Adam Forde re-signing with the club.^[18]

2014–15 season

On 31 December 2014, Jervis had a season-best performance in his 50th NBL game as he recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wildcats defeat the Wollongong Hawks, 86–77.^[19][20] He went on to score a season-high 17 points the following game on 9 January against the Cairns Taipans as he started in the absence of the injured Matthew Knight. In a career-high 34 minutes of action, he also recorded 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 assist, but could not lead the Wildcats to victory as they lost 91–76.^[21][22] On 23 January, he recorded his second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a 93–85 overtime win over the Townsville Crocodiles.^[23] The Wildcats finished the 2014–15 season in fourth spot with a record of 16–12 and faced off against the first-placed Cairns Taipans in the semi-finals. However, with multiple players injured and thus a depleted line-up, the Wildcats were swept 2–0 by the Taipans as their hopes of winning back-to-back championships were shattered.^[24] Jervis again appeared in all 28 regular season games, and with the two playoff games, he finished his second season with averages of 7.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.^[12]

For the first time in his career, Jervis was not a consist presence for the East Perth Eagles as he appeared in just one game for the club in 2015. In his lone appearance on 18 April against the Mandurah Magic, Jervis recorded 26 points and 7 rebounds in a 112–98 loss.^[25][26] Due to his absence, the Eagles dropped from champions in 2014 to second last in 2015, finishing the season in 13th place with a 7–19 win/loss record.

2015–16 season

With the Wildcats' off-season addition of Nathan Jawai, Jervis' role slightly reduced coming into the 2015–16 season. While still the back-up centre, Matt Knight was able to move to power forward with Jawai at centre, meaning less minutes for Jervis with Shawn Redhage and Jesse Wagstaff coming off the bench also. Despite this, Jervis still managed a solid start to the season, scoring a season-high 10 points on 4 November in a loss to the Townsville Crocodiles, and recording an equal career-high 11 rebounds on 11 November in a win over the Illawarra Hawks. Over his first 12 games, Jervis' influence was reflective when looking at statistics that are extrapolated for 30 minutes of playing time – 4.6 rebounds in 12:24 minutes per game equaled 11.87 rebounds per 30 minutes, a mark ranking third across the entire NBL behind only Majok Majok (13.7 per 30) and Charles Jackson (12.56).^[27] That mark increased to 12.1 rebounds per 30 minutes following Round 10, good for second in the league.^[28] On 5 February 2016, Jervis had a career-best game in a home win over the Sydney Kings. In 28 minutes off the bench, he recorded career highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds, tied a career high with 6 assists, and also added two blocks in leading the Wildcats to a 95–81 victory,^[29] booking the club a place in the playoffs for a 30th straight season.^[30] The Wildcats finished the regular season in second place with an 18–10 win/loss record, and played the third-seeded Illawarra Hawks in the semi-finals, a series the Wildcats won 2–1, moving them on to the Grand Final series where they faced the New Zealand Breakers. With home court advantage in the series, the Wildcats defeated the Breakers 2–1 to claim their seventh NBL championship.^[31] Jervis appeared in all 34 games for the Wildcats in 2015–16, averaging 6.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Brisbane Bullets (2016–present)

On 18 April 2016, Jervis signed a three-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets, a franchise returning to the league after an eight-year hiatus,^[32] thereby foregoing his player option for the third year of his contract with the Wildcats.^[33] Jervis chose to head east in the search for more court time and to renew his association with Australian Boomers and Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis.^[34] The following month, he re-joined the East Perth Eagles for their 2016 SBL campaign.^[35] In his season debut for the Eagles on 14 May, he recorded 30 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in a 100–96 win over the Joondalup Wolves.^[36][37] He subsequently earned Player of the Week honours for Round 9.^[38]

Jervis made his debut for the Bullets in their season opener on 6 October, recording five points and six rebounds as a starter in a 72–65 win over his former team, the Perth Wildcats.^[39] On 16 October, he had a season-best game with 12 points and 13 rebounds in a 96–93 overtime loss to the Adelaide 36ers.^[40][41]

National team career

On 21 May 2014, Jervis was added to the Australian Boomers squad for the team's training camp leading into the 2014 Sino-Australia Challenge against Team China.^[42] A week later, he was named in the team's final 12-man squad and went on to make his international debut on 29 May 2014 at Challenge Stadium.^[43]

Personal

Jervis' wife, Jazze,^[44] gave birth to the couple's first child in August 2016.^[45][46]

References

External links

• Brisbane Bullets player profile
• NBL stats
• SBL stats