George Dancis

George Dancis and his younger brother Mike were born in Rīga, Latvia, with them both emigrating to Adelaide, Australia just after the end of World War II. Known as “Big George” due to his towering frame Dancis helped South Australia become the dominate force at the national basketball championships in the 1950s.

He was later selected for the first Australian basketball team to compete at the Olympics at the 1956 Melbourne Games. He was the leading points scorer for Australia during the tournament with 114 points in seven games. Dancis played in 11 matches for Australia, including a pre-Olympic tournament in Roma in 1960. In 2006 he was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.