US basketballer Jermaine Maybank racked up 80 points by speeding
A former star American basketballer famous for bringing his freestyle form to Australia has been banned from our roads after racking up a whopping 80 demerit points for continually speeding.
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United States-born basketballer Jermaine Maybank has scored big time off the court, racking up a whopping 80 demerit points through his dodgy driving.
The 37-year-old McKinnon Cougar coach, and former Sandringham Sabres and Hume City Broncos player, is seen as a leadership hero to young athletes wanting to get into the game.
But his performance on the road has left a lot to be desired after accruing dozens of demerit points – enough to lose his licence six times over – for speeding offences.
Maybank, originally from The Bronx in New York, used to play for Kansas State until coming Down Under in 2008 and joining the Sandy team.
The 195cm guard is also heavily involved in bringing streetball — a New York-derived freestyle, informal version of basketball — to this country.
But his own street prowess was not the best when it came to obeying road rules.
He had accrued all those demerit points while driving on his United States licence, and when he transferred to a Victorian permit, the points were also swapped over.
But he didn’t realise, and said he didn’t get a VicRoads mail telling him he was suspended from November 20 last year until April 19, 2021.
Just two weeks after that ban started he was seen by police driving down a service road on Nepean Highway in Mentone.
He was pulled over and when asked why he was driving while he was suspended, he said he didn’t know he was.
Maybank said he had left all his mail at his then-former girlfriend’s home and she hadn’t passed it on.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of driving while suspended at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning.
Maybank’s defence lawyer said her client had “made an honest mistake” and was genuinely unaware.
She said he had been accruing demerit points while driving on his American licence and when he transferred to a Victorian version he didn’t know they had been transferred as well.
The lawyer said Maybank didn’t incur all the points as some were by his girlfriend and others from players at the club he was working at, as they often borrowed his car.
She said Maybank was involved in the community, was very supportive of young players and assists in not-for-profit tournaments.
He was now back with his girlfriend, she said, and she was happy to drive him until he gets his licence back.
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Magistrate Charles Tan said this incident was very early into the very long suspension period, and there had been no suggestion he had driven unlicensed since.
“You already have a long suspension period to serve, I don’t need to impose anything further,” he said.
Maybank was fined $800, with no conviction recorded.