Durham Wildcats
| Durham Wildcats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| League | British Basketball League | ||
| Established | 2005 | ||
| History | Durham Wildcats 2005-present | ||
| Arena | Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre (Capacity: 1,200) | ||
| Location | Newton Aycliffe, Durham | ||
| Team colours | Blue/white(home) yellow/black(away) | ||
| Head coach |  Lee Davie | ||
| Website | GoDurhamWildcats.com | ||
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Durham Wildcats is a basketball team based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. They are currently members of the British Basketball League, the top-level competition in the United Kingdom, and play their home games at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre.
Established in 2005, the club has enjoyed a rapid rise through the English Basketball League system with three successive promotions in three seasons between 2009 and 2011, from Division 3 (North) to the British Basketball League.
Franchise history
In 2001 the merge 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 February 28, 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 April 25, 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 May 26, 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 | ||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | EBL Div. 3 (N) | IV | 6th | 16 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 0.438 | Did Not Qualify | 2nd Round (NS) | 2nd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2006–2007 | EBL Div. 3 (N) | IV | 4th | 20 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 0.650 | Lost in Quarter-finals to Cardiff Celts, 53–71 | 3rd Round (NS) | 3rd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2007–2008 | EBL Div. 3 (N) | IV | 7th | 20 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 0.550 | Did Not Qualify | Quarter-final (NS) | 1st Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2008–2009 | EBL Div. 3 (N) | IV | 1st | 22 | 18 | 4 | 36 | 0.818 | Lost in Semi-final to Westminster Warriors, 85–90 | 3rd Round (NS) | 2nd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2009–2010 | EBL Div. 2 | III | 1st | 20 | 18 | 2 | 36 | 0.900 | Winners in Final to Team Northumbria, 70–67 | Winners (PC) | Quarter-final (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2010–2011 | EBL Div. 1 | II | 7th | 18 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 0.389 | Lost in Quarter-final to London Leopards, 68–77 | 1st Round (NT) | 3rd Round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2011–2012 | BBL | I | 11th | 33 | 3 | 30 | 6 | 0.090 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (BT) | 1st Round (BC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2012–2013 | BBL | I | 10th | 33 | 10 | 26 | 20 | 0.303 | Did Not Qualify | 1st Round (BT) | 1st Round (BC) | Dave Elderkin |
| 2013–2014 | BBL | I | 8th | 33 | 14 | 19 | 28 | 0.424 | Lost in Quarter-final to Newcastle Eagles, 157–194 (agg) | 1st Round (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Lee Davie |
| 2014–2015 | BBL | I | - | 36 | - | - | - | - | - | - (BT) | - (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
Current roster
Template:Durham Wildcats roster