David Andersen

David Emil Andersen (born 23 June 1980) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). One of Australia\'s most experienced and successful players, Andersen has won 11 championships abroad and has played in Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey and France. He has also played in the NBA, spending two years in the league between 2009 and 2011. He has an Australian mother and a Danish father, and thus Andersen holds a Danish passport.\n', ' Andersen was born to parents Mary and Danny in Melbourne where he started playing basketball at Frankston East Primary School. His mother coached him and his brother, Stuart, at Frankston East and because there was only one team at the school, Andersen always played a year above his age.\n', ' At the age of 11, Andersen joined his local basketball association, the Frankston Blues, and in his first year at the club, the under 12 team he played in, won the championship. He played with the Frankston Blues Junior Program until he was 15 years old and then joined the Frankston Blues men\'s team, going on to play in the 1995 CBA Grand Final. After a successful Under 16 Australian Junior Championships with Victoria, Andersen was selected to join the Australian Institute of Sport Basketball Development Program. He subsequently moved to Canberra and in conjunction with the AIS, he attended Lake Ginninderra Secondary College. A three-year scholarship holder, Andersen played for the AIS in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1996 to 1998 where he was named the Australian Junior Male Basketballer of the Year in 1998.\n', '