OF Cornish stock, the only child of Ken and Helen Tremelling, Jay was born on the February 5, 1963, before going to Alma Public and Willyama High School.
His passion was basketball and across his career he developed from a bench warmer into a National Basketball League player.
“I started as a 10-year-old in the under 12 on the Broken Hill outdoor courts,” Tremelling smiled.
“I’d play whenever I could, but in those first couple of seasons, spent a lot of time on the bench.
“Back in the early 1970s basketball was pretty big in the Silver City.
“I was always a big lad, being 6’1” in primary school
“I started getting regular games and court time as a 14 or 15 year old and our team was called “Strength”.
“This was under 16s in the Broken Hill Amateur Basketball Association.
“Broken Hill built their main indoor stadium completed in 1972, opening on February 12.”
Tremelling’s career quickly escalated.
Travelling down to Adelaide he was selected in the under 18 SA Country team coached by Neil “The Guru” Gliddon in 1979.
“It all developed quickly – as a 16-year-old I was played in the South Australia Country team, playing alongside fellow broken Hill players Bruce Huxtable, along with siblings Richy and Ian ‘Bomber” McKay,” Tremelling recalled.
“Those under 18s nationals champions happened at Bankstown, NSW.
“We had couple of wins in that tournament in 1979.
“In 1980, coached by Trevor Spratt, I played for SA metro.
“The event was in August, in Hobart, Tasmania with Peter Dawe as our captain, along with guys like Malcolm Penno and Dave Spears.
“We won that national championship beating Victoria in the final.
“I moved to Adelaide, lived with Olympic Australian captain John Hird and played under 18s and under 20s basketball with Sturt.”
Growing to 203cms (6’8”), Tremelling played in the “three spot” and was noted for a strong all-round game and have a good defensive aptitude.
He was then selected for the basketball scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
“I lived on the campus, ANU (Australian National University) at Ursula College coached by Pat Hunt,” Tremelling said.
“The AIS toured to capital cities and larger country town, having clinics and playing matches against local teams.
“While I was at the AIS, I played in national men’s championships in 1981, at Apollo Stadium, finished fourth.
“The others SA basketballer in the AIS that year were Wayne Brown and Marissa Rowe.
“In that inaugural AIS basketball program was Bill Ward, Jamie Kennedy (the father of West Coast footballer Josh Kennedy) Trevor Pugh, Brennan Stanwix, Rhys Bennett, Simon Cottrell, Peter Purins, Brett Flanagan and John Ophel.”
“The AIS, (representing Australia) won the Oceania Games in Fiji that year.
Tremelling was selected in the All Stars 10 from the tournament, being told by his coach he was the first player chosen.
In 1982, he played a game against Nike All Stars in Broken Hill where then Geelong Cats NBL player-coach Cal Bruton scored 69 points for All Stars.
While as expected the Broken Hill side lost, Tremelling scored 72 points and was asked to come down have a crack at the NBL.
While scoring 72 points in an exhibition game is a phenomenal effort, Tremelling’s best ever performance was a 107-point game in an under 16s Broken Hill Basketball Association from South Boys Club (White), with the scoreline reading 184 to 16.
Future Glenelg premiership footballer Chris Duthy had the previous record in the league with 96 points.
“It was Geelong Cats’ first season in the NBL coach by American Tim Kaiser,” Tremelling continued.
“Cal Burton took over the coaching reigns and yes, I played in NBL as a 19-year-old.
“I got some court time early in the season as was named in the 10 for every game except the grand final.
“Actually there was 14 of us that suited up on grand final day against the West Adelaide Bearcats.
“I was offered a position on the 1983 roster, but knocked back Bruton’s offer, as I told him I was in love.”
Tremelling would marry his girlfriend Ginge Murphy on the day before his 26th birthday in 1989.
In between, he played in the SEABL with Lithgow Tornadoes and had a second season in 1986 in the NBL coached by Robbie Cadee, at the West Sydney Weststars – a franchise owned by Geoffrey Edelsten.
He had a short stint in 1987 at the Shepparton Basketball Association, a mentoring/playing gig which included coaching including a 15-year-old Shane Heal, and six weeks living in a caravan with Ginge.
He then had a season with Mildura Mavericks, working in Broken Hill and taking the three-hour drive for training and to play.
In the early 1990s, there was a rural state competition in South Australia where Broken Hill won the first four men’s titles from 1991, with Tremelling as playing coach.
He retired as a player in 1996.
Peter Dawe, his title winning under 18s captain in 1980, called Tremelling ahead of his time for a big man.
“He could play with both facing the basket and with his back to the basket,” Dawe, a 1982 Bearcats NBL premiership player said.
“Jay came across as a laconic character, but he was certainly a real competitor.
“He could shoot for a big man, and with a bit more opportunity, could have played a lot more NBL basketball.
“After that 1980 tournament, they swiftly moved him into the national AIS program.
“It was about timing in sport on occasions.”
Tremelling also loved coaching, starting it from his early teens and still coaches junior basketball to this day, currently training the coaches.
He and his late wife, Ginge have a pair of daughters; Elizabeth, born in 1992; and Amelia, born in 1995.
