Knox Raiders
| Knox Raiders | |
|---|---|
| Knox Raiders logo | |
| Leagues | NBL1 |
| Founded | 1982 |
| History | Knox Raiders 1982–2014; 2016–present |
| Arena | State Basketball Centre |
| Location | Wantirna South, Victoria |
| Team colors | Blue and yellow |
| CEO | Stephen Walter |
| Championships | 2 (1991, 2009) (M) 6 (1992, 1994—SEABL, 1994—ABA, 1996—SEABL, 1996—ABA, 2013) (W) |
| Conference titles | 6 (1991, 1994, 1996, 2006, 2008, 2009) (M) 2 (2012, 2013) (W) |
| Website | KnoxBasketball.com.au |
Knox Raiders is a member club of the NBL1 based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club fields both a men's and women's team. The club is a division of Knox Basketball Incorporated (KBI), the major administrative basketball organisation in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The Raiders play their home games at the State Basketball Centre.
Club history
Knox Basketball was established in 1965 to provide youth from the City of Knox with a sporting and social infrastructure to develop and promote personal, team and social skills in a sporting environment. Founded by Alf Stevens, Alice Jago and Heather Kemp, it began as an after school competition at the Mossfield Avenue Facility, Ferntree Gully in 1974. In 1980, its headquarters moved to the 3 court facility in Park Crescent at Boronia which was later expanded to six courts in 1989.[1]
In 1982, Knox's senior program was established,[2] with a Raiders men's team entering the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) that year, followed by the women's team in 1990. In 1991, the Raiders men were South Conference champions and SEABL champions. The men won five more conference titles between 1994 and 2009, with 2009 also seeing the Raiders win the SEABL championship.[3] The Raiders women meanwhile won their first SEABL championship in 1992, before claiming the SEABL-ABA championship double in 1994 and 1996. They next saw success in 2013 with the SEABL championship.
In November 2014, Knox Basketball Incorporated withdrew its Knox Raiders SEABL teams from the 2015 season due to its dire financial position. The Raiders requested they remain a financial member of the SEABL with the intention of returning in season 2016. The SEABL retained the club's financial guarantee with the Raiders classified as a non-playing member of the league in 2015.[4][5]
In November 2015, KBI announced that their senior men's and women's teams would be playing in the Big V State Championship instead of the SEABL in 2016.[6]
In October 2018, KBI's Big V teams were entered into the newly-established NBL1.[7]
References
- ^ "ABOUT US". KnoxBasketball.com.au. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "KNOX ANNOUNCES 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY ALL-STAR TEAMS". SEABL.com.au. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017.
- ^ "RAIDERS WIN 2009 SEABL CHAMPIONSHIP". SportsTG.com.au. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "KNOX RAIDERS NOT COMPETING IN 2015". SEABL.com.au. 20 November 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017.
- ^ Hustwaite, Megan (12 December 2014). "Knox Raiders drop out of SEABL for 2015 season as association looks to get its finances under control". HeraldSun.com.au. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Knox Raiders Enter BigV State Championship In 2016". KnoxBasketball.com.au. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ Ward, Roy (31 October 2018). "Basketball Victoria announces new elite league to replace SEABL". SMH.com.au. Retrieved 11 November 2018.