Geelong United (NBL1 South)
| Geelong Supercats | |
|---|---|
| File:Geelong 13.png | |
| Leagues | NBL (1982-1996) ABA (1996-present) |
| Founded | 1982 |
| History | Geelong Cats (1982–1987) Geelong Supercats (1988–1996) St Laurence Geelong Supercats (1996–present) |
| Arena | Geelong Arena, Geelong |
| Location | Geelong, Victoria |
| Team colors | Red, Blue and White |
| Championships | SEABL: 1999 (South Conference) 2005, 2006, 2007 (East Conference) ABA1999, 2006 |
The Geelong Supercats are an Australian basketball team, based in the Victorian City of Geelong, that currently plays in the Australian Basketball Association and previously played in the National Basketball League.
NBL History
The Geelong Cats were founded as part of the Victorian Basketball Association in 1978. After achieving championship success in that league in 1981, the club was pitted against four NBL clubs (the West Adelaide Bearcats, the St. Kilda Saints, Nunawading Spectres and Launceston Casino City) over two tournaments. After defeating all of these NBL teams the Supercats were accepted into the NBL for the 1982 season.[1] With star players such as Cal Bruton and James Crawford on the roster,[2] the Cats recorded 13 straight victories and finished second overall at the end of the regular season with 21 wins and 7 losses. Remarkably, the Cats also competed in the Grand Final in their first season. However, they lost to the West Adelaide Bearcats 80–74.[3]
The following several seasons continued to be successful for the Cats, but they failed to reach the Grand Final again. By 1986, star players such as Bruton and Crawford had moved on and the club was sliding down the NBL ladder.
In 1988, the Cats changed their name to the Supercats and continue under that moniker to this day. However, the 1988 season saw the Supercats lose all 24 games that season.[4] Star recruits, such as Shane Heal, helped the Supercats recover from such depths and the team made its last finals appearance in 1991 after finishing 4th in the regular season with an 18-11 record. After the finals appearance in 1991 where they were eliminated in the first round by the North Melbourne Giants, the Supercats fell dramatically and dropped to last on the NBL ladder in 1992 and failed to regain a position in the finals in their remaining years.[3]
In 1996, the Supercats were one of three teams (the Gold Coast Rollers and the Hobart Devils being the other two) that returned their NBL licences to the league due to changed entry criteria. While not the first time teams had folded in the league, the sudden departure of the Supercats, Rollers and Devils signified that the NBL's successful era (between the late 1980s and the late 1990s) was truly over.
ABA History
Since 1997, the Supercats have competed solely in the ABA, as part of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).
Over the last couple of seasons the Supercats have been particularly successful. In 1999 the Supercats won the South Conference final beating the Nunawading Spectres 82–81, before going on to win their 2nd ABA national championship by beating Kilsyth Cobras 98–78 in Canberra. In 2005, 2006 and 2007 the Supercats became SEABL East conference champions. In 2006 the club won its second ABA National club championship in less than 10 yrs when they defeated the Dandenong Rangers 94–80.[5]
Honour Roll
| NBL Championships: | None |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 2 (1982, 1991) |
| NBL Grand Final Appearances: | 1 (1982) |
| NBL Most Valuable Players: | None |
| NBL Grand Final MVPs: | None |
| All-NBL First Team: | James Crawford (1982, 1983, 1984), Cal Bruton (1983, 1984) |
| NBL Coach of the Year: | Cal Bruton (1982) |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | None |
| NBL Most Improved Player: | Shane Heal (1990) |
| NBL Best Defensive Player: | Terry Dozier (1991) |
| NBL Best Sixth Man: | None |
| NBL Good Hands Award: | Shane Heal (1990) |
References
- ^ http://www.supercats.com.au/club-history/ Official Supercats site – Early Beginnings
- ^ http://www.nblstats.com/roster.php?teamid=10039 NBL Stats – Geelong Cats 1982
- ^ a b http://www.supercats.com.au/club-history/2/ Official Supercats site – NBL Years
- ^ http://www.nblstats.com/roster.php?teamid=10127 NBL Stats – Geelong Supercats 1988
- ^ http://www.supercats.com.au/ Official Geelong Supercats website