Pat McCarthy

Pat McCarthy was introduced to basketball while attending Mary Immaculate Catholic School in Annerley. His older brother Peter was a member of the North-West Districts Basketball Club, and, through him, Pat was introduced to the Brisbane basketball scene.

By the early 1960s Pat was making a name for himself as a North West Districts junior player and went on to represent the Metropolitan Zone at the Under 18 state championships. From these state championships Pat was selected to represent Queensland at the Under 18 Australian Champs in 1962 and 1963.

His outstanding performances at eight senior men’s State championships earned Pat a Queensland call up to five senior Australian Championships.

In 1969 Pat McCarthy departed from North-West Districts basketball club and started Generals basketball club in Yeronga. Generals grew into the highly successful Southern Districts Spartans basketball association.

Adding to his playing career, Pat was appointed as coach of the Queensland senior women’s team for the 1969 and the 1970 Australian championships.

For more than twenty years, before the advent of the National Basketball Leagues, Pat’s contributions to Queensland basketball as a player, as a coach, as a promoter of basketball and as a face of basketball, were exceptional.

Pat McCarthy is a most worthy inductee to the Queensland Basketball Hall of Fame.