 Rillie with thePerth Wildcats in 2022 | |
| Perth Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | NBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1971-11-04)4 November 1971 (age 53) Toowoomba,Queensland, Australia |
| Listed height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
| Listed weight | 85 kg (187 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Harristown State (Toowoomba, Queensland) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 1995:undrafted |
| Playing career | 1990–2010 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Coaching career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1990–1991 | Toowoomba Mountaineers |
| 1995 | Brisbane Bullets |
| 1996–1998 | Adelaide 36ers |
| 1998–2002 | West Sydney Razorbacks |
| 1999–2000 | Penrith Panthers |
| 2002 | AEK Athens |
| 2002–2004 | West Sydney Razorbacks |
| 2004–2009 | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 2009–2010 | New Zealand Breakers |
| As coach: | |
| 2011–2017 | Boise State (assistant) |
| 2017–2022 | UC Santa Barbara (assistant) |
| 2022–present | Perth Wildcats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Peter Rillie (born 4 November 1971)[1] is an Australianbasketball coach and former player. He currently serves as head coach of thePerth Wildcats of theNational Basketball League (NBL). He played 16 seasons in the NBL between 1995 and 2010 before embarking on a coaching career in the United States' college system.
Rillie was born inToowoomba,Queensland.[2] Growing up in Toowoomba, he playedbasketball,cricket andAustralian rules football.[3] He attendedHarristown State High School.[4]
Rillie began his career with the Toowoomba Mountaineers in theQueensland Basketball League (QBL), where he was a member of the Mountaineers' back-to-backQBL championships in 1990 and 1991.[5]
Rillie moved to the United States in 1991 to playcollege basketball forTacoma Community College. In 1992, he transferred toGonzaga, where he played the next three years. During his three seasons with the Bulldogs, he helped lead the team to the1994 National Invitation Tournament and the school's first berth in theNCAA tournament in1995.[6]
After graduating college, Rillie returned to Australia and debuted in theNational Basketball League (NBL) during the1995 season with theBrisbane Bullets, where he wonNBL Rookie of the Year. He joined theAdelaide 36ers in1996 and played three seasons for them, winning achampionship in1998.[2]
For the1998–99 NBL season, Rillie joined theWest Sydney Razorbacks.[2] During the 1999 and 2000 off-seasons, he played for the Penrith Panthers in theSEABL.[7][8]
After four seasons with the Razorbacks and a grand final appearance in2001–02, Rillie moved to Greece for the 2002–03 season to play forAEK Athens. He returned to Australia in December 2002[9] and re-joined the Razorbacks.[2][10] On 1 March 2003, he scored 45 points and made eleven 3-pointers in a 113–102 win over theCanberra Cannons.[11] His 23.6 points per game during the2002–03 NBL season earned him thescoring title.[12][13] He had another 45-point game during the semi-finals of the2003–04 NBL season.[14] That season, he was namedAll-NBL First Team and helped the Razorbacks reach the grand final.[2] He was subsequently granted a release from the final year of his contract with West Sydney.[15]
In June 2004, Rillie signed with theTownsville Crocodiles.[15] On 18 February 2009, he scored 34 points and made ten 3-pointers in the Crocodiles' 103–96 win over thePerth Wildcats in the elimination final.[16][17]
His final season in the NBL came in2009–10 with theNew Zealand Breakers. He was limited to 12 games.[18]
In 481 NBL games, Rillie averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.[10]
In November 2024, Rillie was inducted into the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.[5]
From 1997 to 2004, Rillie was a member of theAustralian Boomers. He represented Australia at the2004 Athens Olympics.[6]
In 2010, Rillie returned to the United States and during the 2010–11 season, he served as the director of basketball operations for theBoise State Broncos.[6]
In 2011, Rillie was appointed an assistant coach of the Broncos, a position he held for six seasons.[6] In 2017, he was hired as an assistant coach for theUC Santa Barbara Gauchos.[19] After his first season with the Gauchos, he was promoted to associate head coach.[20] The 2021–22 season was his fifth with the Gauchos and fourth as associate head coach.[20]
Rillie was an assistant coach for theAustralian Boomers at theTokyo Olympics in July and August 2021, helping guide the Boomers to the bronze medal.[21]
On 11 July 2022, Rillie was appointed head coach of thePerth Wildcats of theNBL on a three-year contract.[22][23] Following the2022–23 NBL season, he served on theNew York Knicks coaching staff during the2023 NBA Summer League.[24] Following the2023–24 NBL season, he served on theNew Orleans Pelicans coaching staff during the2024 NBA Summer League.[25]
On 17 September 2024, Rillie signed a three-year contract extension with the Wildcats to remain as head coach until the end of the 2027–28 season.[26]
Rillie and his wife Heidi have three children.[6] Heidi is American but holds dual Australian citizenship. Their children were all born in Australia.[27] His son, Jaron, plays college basketball in the United States forNorthern Colorado.[28]
It's a long way from the bumpy Harristown High School outdoor courts to Spokane, Washington.
