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Northland Suns

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Northland Suns
LeagueNational Basketball League
Established1980s
HistoryNorthland Suns
1995–1998
LocationWhangarei, Northland Region, New Zealand
Team coloursOrange & Navy Blue
Championships0
WebsiteSunsBasketball.co.nz

The Northland Suns were a New Zealand professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). Northland basketball began in the early 1980s when the team played in the Conference Basketball League (CBL) under the names of Cable Price Whangarei, Abbey Mazda Northland and Mobil Marters Northland. Mobil Marters won the CBL title in 1991 with the help of Pero Cameron,[1] and with a further CBL title in 1994, the team was promoted to the NBL for the 1995 season.

The team was renamed the Northland Suns for their NBL stint, which incidentally did not last long as the failed to make the playoffs in four seasons. After going winless in 1998,[2] the Suns left the NBL and ceased operations until being resurrected in 2010. After a 12-year hiatus, Whangarei-based NBL player Travis McIlroy, who played for the Auckland Stars in 2009, began working alongside Tai Tokerau Basketball to resurrect the regional team. McIlroy was appointed chief executive and operations manager of the Northland Suns after Tai Tokerau agreed to the move.[3] They subsequently re-joined the Conference Basketball League, now a Zone 1 league called the Supercity Basketball Competition, with a squad containing local talent such as Corey Te Tai and Ethan Penney.[4][5] However, they finished the 2010 season in last place out of nine teams.[6] The Suns continued to play in the Zone 1 league in 2011 and 2012,[7][8] with their best season coming in 2012 when they finished runners-up after losing to Waitakere West in the grand final.[9] Their 2012 squad contained local NBL players B. J. Anthony and Ray Cameron.[10]

Notable past players

References

  1. ^ SportRITE - Two good reasons for keeping our stars here
  2. ^ Basketball: Nuggets closing on unwanted record
  3. ^ Suns rise again in quest to join NBL
  4. ^ Northland suns sure to learn from loss to classier Massey
  5. ^ Team look on the sunny side
  6. ^ SuperCity Basketball Championships
  7. ^ Northland Suns to participate in Senior Provisional Intercity Competition Zone 1 2012
  8. ^ Basketball: Stargazers can get Suns to burn bright
  9. ^ Waitakere West winning the 2012 Senior Intercity Competition
  10. ^ Basketball: Star recruits have Northland links
  11. ^ Basketball: Suns want fitting farewell for Carmen
  12. ^ Ronnie Joyner Basketball New Zealand profile
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