| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1976-05-30)30 May 1976 (age 49) New Plymouth, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 213 cm (7 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 112 kg (247 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school |
| ||||||||||||||
| College | Iowa State (1995–1999) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1999:undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1999–2010 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2011–2015 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Taranaki Oilers | ||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Nelson Giants | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Kouvot | ||||||||||||||
| 2000 | →Korikouvot | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Cairns Taipans | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Taranaki Mountainairs | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Wollongong Hawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | West Sydney Razorbacks / Sydney Spirit | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Taranaki Mountainairs | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Nelson Giants | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Cairns Taipans | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Nelson Giants (asst.) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Nelson Sparks | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Tony Rampton (born 30 May 1976) is a New Zealand former professionalbasketball player.
Rampton was born inNew Plymouth, New Zealand,[1] and attendedNew Plymouth Boys' High School.[2]
Rampton left New Zealand as a rising 17-year-old talent to play two years of high school basketball in the United States.[3] He attendedWaseca High School inWaseca, Minnesota,[4][5] before spending four years atIowa State between 1995 and 1999, where he averaged 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 80 games.[6]
Rampton played his first year in theNew Zealand NBL with theTaranaki Oilers in1999[7] and wonrookie of the year. He joined theNelson Giants in2000 and went on to help them reach the grand final, where they lost to theAuckland Rebels. He was namedKiwi MVP, the league'smost outstanding forward, was crownedrebounding champion with 14.6 a game and was included in the league'sAll-Star Five.[8]
Rampton started the 2000–01 season in Finland[8][9] before finishing with theCairns Taipans of theAustralian NBL. After injury saw him only play half a season with the Taipans in2001–02, he continued on with Cairns between 2002 and 2005.[10] Between 2005 and 2007, he played for theWollongong Hawks. He then played two seasons for theWest Sydney Razorbacks / Sydney Spirit. His final season in the Australian NBL came in the2009–10 season with the Taipans.[10][11][12]
In the New Zealand NBL, Rampton returned to Taranaki in2005.[13] He played for Taranaki again in2006 but did not return in 2007.[14] He played for Taranaki again in2008.[15] In2009 and2010, he played for theNelson Giants.[16] He retired due to a chronic ankle injury that had plagued him since 2000.[3]
In March 2021, Rampton was named among the greatest 40 New Zealand NBL players of all time, ranking at No. 36 in the NBL's '40in40' selection for the best players in the 40-year history of the league.[8][17]
Rampton first represented New Zealand in 1997 at the World Championship for Men '22 and Under'. He debuted for theTall Blacks in 1999.[18] In 2000, he played for the Tall Blacks at theSydney Olympics. He went on to play for the Tall Blacks at the2003 FIBA Oceania Championship,2004 Summer Olympics,2005 FIBA Oceania Championship,2006 Commonwealth Games,[19]2006 FIBA World Championship, and2007 FIBA Oceania Championship.[20]
Between 2011 and 2013, Rampton served as an assistant coach with theNelson Giants.[21][22] In 2014 and 2015, he coached the Nelson Sparks in the national women's basketball championship.[23][24]
Rampton is the son Taranaki basketball legend Brian Rampton. Tony's brother, Damon, also played in the New Zealand NBL and the pair played alongside each other with Taranaki.[25]
Rampton's wife Nicki (née Thompson) also played basketball in New Zealand.[26] She was coached by Tony at the Nelson Sparks.[24][27]
As of March 2021, Rampton was living in China with his wife and two children, and teaching at an international English-speaking school inShanghai in the schoolShanghai Singapore International School.[8]
...the other a big man to replace Tall Black Tony Rampton, who is not returning from Australia this season.
