Geoff Heskett

Geoff Heskett was an Australian basketball and tennis player. At high school Heskett played tennis before going on to play for local clubs. He was a good tennis player and had the opportunity to play against Frank Sedgman and Ashley Cooper who had both won Wimbledon. Heskett would also coach tennis for 40 years.

However, Heskett was more renowned as a basketball player. He started playing at the age of 10 with his local YMCA. Heskett played for the Victorian team from 1949 to 1955, including a stint as the team captain in 1954. His abilities in the sport earned him multiple awards, including two Alan Hughes Medals for the best Victorian male athlete (1953–54), being named as the MVP in the Melbourne League (1954–55), and being named as an All Australian for five consecutive years (1951–55).

Heskett was named as the vice-captain of Australia’s basketball squad at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The Australian team finished in 12th place with Heskett averaging five points per match. After the Olympics Heskett set up his own basketball club in Coburg and he also made it into the YMCA’s first team. The YMCA team played in the Victorian Championships and toured New Zealand where they beat the New Zealand national team. In 2000 Heskett was a torch bearer for the Sydney Olympics.