KEN COLE

6 feet 8 inch (204cm) Forward/Guard

1964, 1968 Olympic Games

The basketball game was in full motion and one player in particular was “putting on a clinic”. After one spectacular move the Coach of the opposition team turned to his bench and said, “Did you see that move? That was fantastic. That was so great!” One of his players said, “But Coach he is on the other team”. The coach Ken Cole replied, “I don’t care. It is basketball at its best, and you have to admire that.” Such was Ken Cole’s love of the game. Kenneth Frank Cole was born October 15th, 1943 in Randwick, Sydney NSW. The tough Sydney suburbs of Redfern and Paddington were the growing up areas of his youth. Ken Cole started playing basketball at Paddington Technical School when he was fourteen years old. However he was learning the game on the asphalt playgrounds of Woolloomooloo where so many other future NSW representative players learned their craft. Because he was tall Ken was selected in the school team and that year Tech went on to lose the Grand Final of the Sydney High Schools Championship. It was Ken’s first exposure to a high level of basketball and despite his age he was named in the NSW High School Team. At sixteen years of age Ken joined the Saints a team in the local Playgrounds Competition. Ken was then exposed to the large number of US Mormon players. The Mormons were using their basketball to attract youngsters to their faith but they probably attracted more to basketball. Ken says he was greatly influenced by their skills and play. The Playground experience saw Ken take a great leap forward when he encountered the charismatic coach Charlie Ammit. Ken explains, “I met Charlie Ammit and his early coaching excited me about the sport.” That was not an unusual effect for Charlie as his total enthusiasm and sheer joy in coaching the fundamentals of the game was legendary. Ken was learning by watching and meeting Olympians Bruce Flick (1956) and Ross Graham (1960) as well as being exposed to further coaching by Paratels coach Bob Elphinston (who had an outstanding career in basketball as an administrator) and to the larger than life Coach Dr John Raschke who went on to Legend status in the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame. Ken’s first NSW State selection was in 1961 when he was named as Captain of the NSW Under 18 men’s team for the National Championships. Future Olympian Carl Rodwell (1964, 1968 Olympics) was also on that team. Ken was named in the NSW Senior Men’s Team in 1962 at the age of eighteen. At that time being the youngest player ever to be selected to State senior team.