Rainbow Coast Raiders
| Rainbow Coast Raiders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leagues | State Basketball League |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Dissolved | 1999 |
| History | Men: Rainbow Coast Raiders 1989–1995 Albany Raiders 1996–1997 Great Southern Raiders 1998 Rainbow Coast Raiders 1999 Women: Rainbow Coast Raiders 1992–1994 |
| Arena | Albany Sports Centre |
| Location | Albany, Western Australia |
| Team colors | 1989–1997 White, green, yellow/gold[1] 1998–1999 White, purple, black[1] |
| Championships | 0 |
Rainbow Coast Raiders was a State Basketball League (SBL) club based in Albany, Western Australia. The club fielded a team in both the Men's SBL (MSBL) and Women's SBL (WSBL). The Raiders played their home games at Albany Sports Centre.
Club history
Men's team
1989 saw the formation of the State Basketball League (SBL) with both a men's and women's competition. A team from Albany, known as the Raiders, entered the Men's SBL for its inaugural season.[2][3] They were the first team outside of Perth to enter the SBL[4] and represented the Rainbow Coast and Great Southern region.[1]
The Raiders missed the finals in their first three seasons before making the top eight for the first time in 1992, finishing seventh with a 12–12 record and losing 2–0 in the quarter-finals to the Cockburn Cougars.[3] The 1993 season marked the Raiders' best ever season, as they finished third with a 17–7 record and defeated the Willetton Tigers 2–1 in the quarter-finals. They went on to lose 2–1 to the Wanneroo Wolves in the semi-finals.[3]
The Raiders did not play finals again from 1994 onwards,[3] folding following the 1999 season due to financial constraints.[4]
Between 2012 and 2015, attempts were made by Albany Basketball Association to submit bids and applications for a return of the Raiders to the SBL.[4][5]
Women's team
In 1992, a Raiders women's team entered the Women's SBL for the first time. In three seasons, the team amassed three wins and 57 losses.[6]
Season-by-season results
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References
- ^ a b c "Rainbow Coast Raiders" (PDF). SBL.asn.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Raiders Representative Development Program". Albany Basketball Association. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d "MSBL History". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Edmunds, Tim (14 October 2015). "Raiders' return to SBL not forgotten". albanyadvertiser.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Albany SBL bid takes shape". TheWest.com.au. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021.
- ^ "WSBL History". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020.