Quick Facts
Biography
Robert Loe (born 5 August 1991) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Saint Louis University and represents the New Zealand national team. He holds a British passport which allows him to play as an unrestricted player in Europe.
Early life
Born in Leicester, England, Loe grew up in Auckland, New Zealand where he attended Westlake Boys High School. At Westlake, he helped the team win two national championships and was a Westlake Sportsman of the Year recipient after averaging 19.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 63 percent from the field. He also earned the ASB college sport Sportsman of the Year award in 2009 and the ASB college sport Basketballer of the Year award in 2008 and 2009, while being named Westlake's most outstanding basketball player three years in a row. In April 2010, he was a member of the World Select Team that competed at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.
College career
As a freshman at Saint Louis in 2010–11, Loe averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while playing in all but one game for the Billikens. He drew 18 starting assignments and was third on the squad with 20 blocks, the seventh-most by a freshman at SLU.
As a sophomore in 2011–12, Loe was one of three Billikens to start every game. He finished third on the squad with 34 made three-pointers, and blocked 17 shots during the season to rank third on the team. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while helping the Billikens reach the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
As a junior in 2012–13, Loe was one of three Billikens to start all 35 games. He averaged 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds, and tied for third on the squad with 29 made three-pointers.
As a senior in 2013–14, Loe started all 34 games for the Billikens. He finished third on the team in scoring with 10.3 points, led the team in blocked shots with 41 (the 10th-most in a single season at SLU), and his 88 career blocked shots finished eighth all-time at SLU. On 1 February 2014, he scored a career-high 23 points in an 87–81 overtime win over George Mason.
College statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Saint Louis | 30 | 18 | 17.5 | .389 | .337 | .606 | 3.5 | .8 | .5 | .7 | 6.7 |
| 2011–12 | Saint Louis | 34 | 34 | 16.3 | .417 | .351 | .630 | 2.9 | .6 | .4 | .5 | 5.2 |
| 2012–13 | Saint Louis | 35 | 35 | 22.9 | .419 | .315 | .690 | 3.4 | 1.2 | .4 | .3 | 7.0 |
| 2013–14 | Saint Louis | 34 | 34 | 27.7 | .453 | .306 | .753 | 5.7 | 2.0 | .9 | 1.2 | 10.3 |
| Career | 133 | 121 | 21.2 | .423 | .326 | .696 | 3.9 | 1.2 | .6 | .7 | 7.3 | |
Professional career
Greece (2014–2015)
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Loe joined the Golden State Warriors for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On 9 September 2014, he signed with Greek team KAOD for the 2014–15 season. On 7 February 2015, he scored a season-high 22 points in KAOD's win over Rethymno Aegean. In 26 games for KAOD, he averaged 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Belgium (2015–2016)
On 26 July 2015, Loe signed with Belgian club Limburg United for the 2015–16 season. On 17 December 2015, he was ruled out for eight to ten weeks with a knee injury. He returned to action on 4 March 2016 and played out the rest of the season. In 27 games for Limburg, he averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
New Zealand Breakers (2016–present)
On 17 June 2016, Loe signed with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2016–17 NBL season. On 2 December 2016, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 95–91 loss to the Illawarra Hawks.
National team career
Loe competed for the New Zealand junior national team as a 17-year-old at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship held in New Zealand. Although the Junior Tall Blacks struggled to a disappointing 13th-place finish, Loe led the team with 18.8 points and seven rebounds per game.
On the heels of his strong performance at the Under-19 championship, Loe was selected to the senior national team for the first time at the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship. At only 18 years of age, Loe was the youngest player in the tournament, and saw action off the bench in both games against Australia.
In June 2012, he was named to the Tall Blacks roster for the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In August 2014, he was named to the Tall Blacks roster for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
After helping lead the Tall Blacks to the 2015 Stanković Cup title, Loe played in the two-game FIBA Oceania Championship series against Australia in mid-August. New Zealand were defeated 2–0 as Loe recorded a total of 10 points over the two games.