Durham Wildcats
 | This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. (May 2018) |
| Durham Wildcats | |||
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| League | NBL D3 North | ||
| Established | 2005 | ||
| History | Durham Wildcats 2005-2015 Reformed 2020-present | ||
| Arena | Newton Aycliffe LC | ||
| Location | County Durham | ||
| Team colours | Blue and White | ||
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The Durham Wildcats are an English basketball club based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The original incarnation were members of the British Basketball League, the top-level competition in the United Kingdom, and played their home games at the Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre.
Established in 2005, the club enjoyed a rapid rise through the English Basketball League system with two successive promotions in between 2008 and 2010, before applying to join the top-tier British Basketball League in 2011. The club completed four seasons in the BBL, but withdrew following the 2014-15 season.
The newly reformed Wildcats re-entered the English Basketball League in 2020.
Franchise history
In 2001 the merger of the Belmont Basketball Club and a group of U16 players from Belmont School resulted in a club that competed in the Durham County Local League playing with teams in the 1st and 3rd divisions.
In 2005 Wildcats were officially founded with a team that competed in the EBL Division 3 North for four seasons.
In the first two seasons Wildcats played their home games at Spennymoor Leisure Centre in County Durham. At the start of the 2007-2008 season the team moved to the Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre, which is located in southern Durham.
In the 2008-2009 season the Wildcats won a highly competitive, and close-fought, EBL Division 3 North, gaining promotion to EBL Division 2.
On 28 February 2010 they won their first national silverware beating Westminster Warriors in the Patron's Cup Final (96-70), that was held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. They went on to win the League title with 18-2 wins gaining promotion to EBL Division 1. On 25 April 2010 they beat Team Northumbria (70-67) in the Play-offs Final at the Amaechi Basketball Centre, completing the Division 2 Treble.
Wildcats' had a mixed 2010-2011 season in Division 1 and weren't able to emulate the success of the past few seasons. A mediocre 7-11 record gave them a 7th-place finish as well as only making it to the 3rd Round of the National Cup and Quarter-finals of the post-season Play-offs.
After weeks of rumours, it was officially announced on 26 May 2011 that the Wildcats would be the latest addition to the British Basketball League following the withdrawal of Worthing Thunder.[1]
On 17 July 2015 it was announced that the Wildcats would not be participating in the 2015-16 BBL season. The team had previously recruited players from Durham University, however players called up to the team on international student visas were found to be ineligible to play. The team is now seeking to re-structure and join the league at a later date.[2]
Home arenas
- Spennymoor Leisure Centre (2005-2007 and 2009)
- Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre (2007-present)
Season-by-season records
| Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | Trophy | Cup | Head Coach | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
| Durham Wildcats | ||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | D3 Nor | 4 | 6th | 16 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 0.438 | Did Not Qualify | 2nd Round (NS) | 2nd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2006–07 | D3 Nor | 4 | 4th | 20 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 0.650 | Quarter Finals | 3rd Round (NS) | 3rd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2007–08 | D3 Nor | 4 | 7th | 20 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 0.550 | Did Not Qualify | Quarter Finals (NS) | 1st Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2008–09 | D3 Nor | 4 | 1st | 22 | 18 | 4 | 36 | 0.818 | Semi Finals | 3rd Round (NS) | 2nd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2009–10 | D2 | 3 | 1st | 20 | 18 | 2 | 36 | 0.900 | Winners, beating Northumbria | Winners (PC) | Quarter Finals (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2010–11 | D1 | 2 | 7th | 18 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 0.389 | Quarter Finals | 1st Round (NT) | 3rd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| Durham Wildcats | ||||||||||||
| 2011–12 | BBL | 1 | 11th | 33 | 3 | 30 | 6 | 0.090 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (BT) | 1st Round (BC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2012–13 | BBL | 1 | 10th | 33 | 10 | 26 | 20 | 0.303 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (BT) | 1st Round (BC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2013–14 | BBL | 1 | 8th | 33 | 14 | 19 | 28 | 0.424 | Quarter Finals, losing to Newcastle Eagles | 1st Round (BT) | Quarter Finals (BC) | Lee Davie |
| 2014–15 | BBL | 1 | 12th | 36 | 8 | 28 | 16 | 0.286 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (BT) | 1st Round (BC) | Lee Davie |
Trophies
- EBL Division 2:
- Winners: 2009/10
- EBL Division 3 North:
- Winners: 2008/09
- EBL Division 2 Play-offs:
- Winners: 2009/10
- Patron's Cup:
- Winners: 2009/10
Players
Final Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
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References
- ^ "Durham Wildcats join British Basketball League". BBC Sport. 26 May 2011.
- ^ "Durham Wildcats withdraw from BBL for 2015-16". BBC Sport. 17 June 2015.