Dexter Kernich-Drew

Dexter Grant Kernich-Drew (born 16 October 1991) is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Waverley Falcons of the NBL1 South. He played college basketball for Washington State before beginning a career in the National Basketball League.

Early life and career Kernich-Drew was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He attended Caulfield Grammar School, where he competed in basketball, volleyball and track and field. He led the school's basketball team to the 2008 McDonald's Cup Senior Boys State Championship, where he was named the tournament MVP. Caulfield went on to capture the National School Basketball Tournament (NSBT) Championship, defeating Mountain Creek State High School. He was subsequently named Player of the Year. He also played for Waverley the following year in the same league, averaging 24.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 12 games.

Professional career After graduating from Washington State University, Kernich-Drew returned to Australia and played for the Melbourne Tigers in the 2015 Big V season, averaging 22.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in nine games.

After a brief stint in Brazil with Minas, Kernich-Drew joined the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League as a training player in November 2015. He was touted as a possible injury-replacement player for Damian Martin and was ultimately a member of the Wildcats' 2015–16 championship-winning squad.

Kernich-Drew joined the Waverley Falcons for the 2016 Big V season. He was named a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award. In 21 games, he averaged 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. On 28 October 2016, he had 14 points in an 81–76 loss to the Illawarra Hawks. On New Year's Eve also against the Hawks, Kernich-Drew had eight of his 13 points in the final quarter to help lead the Wildcats to a 95–87 win. The Wildcats went on to defeat the Hawks 3–0 in the NBL Grand Final series to win the 2016–17 championship. For the season, he averaged 2.3 points in 29 games.

On 9 May 2017, Kernich-Drew signed with the Rockingham Flames of the State Basketball League for the rest of the 2017 season. On 8 July, he had 38 points in a 105–103 win over the East Perth Eagles. On 17 July, he was ruled out for the rest of the SBL season after suffering a broken jaw against the Perry Lakes Hawks three days earlier. In 10 games for the Flames, he averaged 21.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

In the Wildcats' second game of the 2017–18 NBL season on 13 October, Kernich-Drew had 11 points in a 74–64 win over the Illawarra Hawks. For the season, he averaged 2.2 points in 21 games.

After a one-game stint with the Rockingham Flames, Kernich-Drew joined the Melbourne Tigers for the 2018 SEABL season. In 11 games, he averaged 22.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

On 9 May 2018, Kernich-Drew signed with the Cairns Taipans for the 2018–19 NBL season. On 13 December 2018, he was ruled out for six weeks after being diagnosed with multiple undisplaced fractures around his eye socket and cheekbone. For the season, he averaged 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 18 games.

In March 2019, Kernich-Drew signed with the Dandenong Rangers of the NBL1 for the league's inaugural season. In 15 games, he averaged 17.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

After spending time with Melbourne United early in the 2019–20 NBL season as an injury replacement for David Barlow, Kernich-Drew was set to play for the Geelong Supercats in the 2020 NBL1 season but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 5 February 2021, Kernich-Drew signed with the Sydney Kings as an injury replacement for Angus Glover. He appeared in eight games during the 2020–21 NBL season.

In April 2021, Kernich-Drew joined the Waverley Falcons of the NBL1 South. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game in 2022. He re-joined the Falcons in 2023.

Personal Kernich-Drew is the son of Maurice and Margaret, and has a younger sister, Marli.