Sunday Dech

Sunday Dech (born 1 January 1994) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Southland Sharks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He is a two-time champion with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), having won in 2014 and 2019. Dech played NCAA Division II college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners and Barry Buccaneers.

Early years

Dech debuted in the State Basketball League (SBL) with the East Perth Eagles in 2013. For the 2013–14 NBL season, he joined the Perth Wildcats as a development player and was a member of the championship-winning team in April 2014. That year, he was named the SBL's Most Improved Player and helped the Eagles win the championship. He then continued on with the Wildcats as a development player in 2014–15 before playing a third season with East Perth in 2015.

College

The 2015–16 season saw Dech redshirt with the Metro State Roadrunners. He returned to the Eagles for the 2016 season and then made his college debut with the Roadrunners in the 2016–17 season. In 28 games for the Roadrunners, he averaged 13.0 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game. Dech transferred to Barry University and joined the Buccaneers for the 2017–18 season. In 32 games, he averaged 13.3 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game. He earned SSC All-Newcomer Team honours and was named in the SSC All-Tournament Team.

Professional

Following the 2017–18 U.S. college season, Dech returned to Australia to train with the Cairns Taipans and Brisbane Bullets. After a three-game stint with the Rockingham Flames at the back-end of the 2018 SBL season, Dech re-joined the Perth Wildcats for the 2018–19 NBL season as a training player. He was later designated as Perth's nominated replacement player, taking to the court only when rostered personnel were injured. He filled in for Damian Martin and Mitch Norton throughout the season, and in March 2019, he was crowned a champion for the second time when the Wildcats defeated Melbourne United in the NBL grand final series. Dech was subsequently awarded the Coaches' Award by the team. He went on to play in New Zealand during the off-season, where he helped the Wellington Saints win the NZNBL championship.

On 9 April 2019, Dech signed a two-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks after being highly sought after as a free agent. The 2019–20 NBL season saw Dech earn nominations for both the league's most improved player and defensive player of the year. Following his first season with the Hawks, Dech returned to New Zealand to play for the Southland Sharks.

Dech is one of seven children.