Scott Beker reflects on incredible career following retirement from National Leagues

Newcastle Basketball referee Scott Beker officially announced his retirement from the National Leagues following the WNBL Grand Final over the weekend. This marks the end of an extraordinary National and International career that has seen him officiate at the highest level, and cement his place among the sport’s elite referees.

Across his career, he officiated 333 NBL games and over 40 WNBL games. He also represented Australia on the global stage, including at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, as well as multiple Men’s and Women’s World Cups.

Reflecting on his career, Beker said, “I’ve been lucky enough to referee NBL, WNBL and international grand final games. Obviously refereeing the dream team at the Rio Olympics is a huge highlight, but the whole 20-year international journey has been one that has been so unexpected.”

Beker, who started his refereeing career in Newcastle, never imagined where it would take him. “I’ll always be that kid from Port Hunter who started refereeing for a bit of pocket money. Who knew that it would lead to where it has? That’s more about the people away from the game who have supported me over the years. Without them, this story would have ended many years ago!”

He also acknowledged the impact of the Newcastle Basketball community. “Their solicited and unsolicited advice, given mostly during games, certainly helped my development as a referee. I always love the challenge of refereeing here when the stadium is full!”

While Beker is stepping away from the National Leagues, he plans to remain involved in basketball. “This is just a chapter of the career coming to an end, not my involvement in the game. I plan on still working NBL1 and Waratah games in either a coaching or refereeing capacity, and I’ll still be involved in coaching the kids coming through in the Junior Club competition.”

Looking ahead, he is excited about the future of refereeing in Newcastle. “Last year I was amazed at the quality of the kids coming through. There are a few legitimate future stars running around and that’s exciting not just for me, but for the referee program in Newcastle.”

Beker is also looking forward to giving his body a rest and spend more quality time with his family. “My plans now are to take a bit of time to heal. My body is not in the best shape and injuries are a factor here. The body simply doesn’t bounce back the way it used to. I’ll have more time to spend with my kids skateboarding, playing golf, and my daughter is signing up to play basketball, so I’ll be cheering her on!”

The Newcastle Basketball community thank Scott Beker for his immense contributions to the sport, and look forward to his continued involvement at the State Level. We wish him all the best in this next chapter!