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May
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Beep Beep: United's Tom Koppens is now Roadrunner
Melbourne United forward Tom Koppens warms up during NBL Round 14 action at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on December 27, 2025. Koppens has signed with Cal State Bakersfield after spending three seasons with United. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Tom Koppens leaves Melbourne United to join Cal State Bakersfield in NCAA Division I basketball.
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Victorian forward Tom Koppens has signed with the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, ending his three-season stint with Melbourne United and taking the next step in his basketball career in the United States.
The 22-year-old forward departs United after appearing in 37 NBL games across three seasons while continuing to develop through the Sandringham Sabres program in NBL1 South.
Koppens enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025, helping Sandringham win the NBL1 South championship while averaging 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He was named the Australiabasket.com NBL1 South Grand Final MVP and earned All-Australian NBL1 National Finals First Team honours.
The 2.01m forward also featured in 22 games for Melbourne United during the 2025-26 NBL season, averaging 1.9 points in just over five minutes per game.
"Thank you for everything, TK," Melbourne United said in announcing his departure.
Koppens joins a Cal State Bakersfield program competing in the Big West Conference and will bring valuable professional and championship experience to the Roadrunners roster.
Tom Koppens
Position: Forward
Height: 2.01m
Born: April 1, 2003
Nationality: Australian
Current Team: Melbourne United (2025–26)
Koppens is a versatile 2.01m forward who has developed through the Sandringham and Melbourne United pathways. After making his senior debut with the Sandringham Sabres in 2021, he established himself as a key frontcourt contributor in NBL1, combining size, rebounding and floor-spacing ability.
His breakout season came in 2024 when he averaged 12.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 59.4% from the field and 42.4% from three-point range for the Sabres. He followed that with 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists during Sandringham's 2025 NBL1 South championship campaign.
Career Progression
- 2021 – Sandringham Sabres (State League): 1.8 points per game
- 2021–22 – Victoria U20: 3.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists
- 2022 – Sandringham Sabres (NBL1): 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds
- 2023 – Sandringham Sabres (NBL1): 9.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists
- 2023–24 – Melbourne United (NBL): 4 games
- 2024 – Sandringham Sabres (NBL1 South): 12.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists
- 2024–25 – Melbourne United (NBL): 11 games
- 2025 – Sandringham Sabres (NBL1 South): 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists
- 2025–26 – Melbourne United (NBL): 22 games
Honours
- NBL1 Finalist (2023)
- NBL1 South Champion (2025)
- NBL1 National Semi-Finalist (2025)
- All-Australian NBL1 National Finals First Team (2025)
- NBL1 South Grand Final MVP (2025)
Koppens has steadily progressed from a development player into a reliable rotation forward with strong NBL1 production. His combination of rebounding, positional size and ability to stretch the floor gives him a pathway to a larger role at the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners in the 2026-27 season.
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