City of Birmingham Rockets

Last updated

City of Birmingham Rockets
League NBL D1
Established2003;21 years ago (2003)
HistoryCity of Birmingham
2003–2017
City of Birmingham Rockets
2017–present
ArenaNechells Centre
Capacity400
Location Birmingham, England
Website Official website

The City of Birmingham Rockets are an English basketball club, based in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands.

Contents

History

The club was formed in 2003 as the City of Birmingham Basketball Club.[ citation needed ]

The founders of the club were looking to provide regular opportunities and a clear pathway for young people from Birmingham and the surrounding areas to play basketball. The club runs representative teams at various age levels from Under-11s through to seniors, based in one of the most deprived wards in the country, with participants drawn from all parts of the city.[ citation needed ]

The senior men's team entered the English Basketball League in 2014. The volunteer-led organisation's name was then changed to the City of Birmingham Rockets in August 2017 to recognise a partnership set up with Houston Rockets and NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon. [1]

Despite spending most of their existence with a focus on youth development and competing in the lower divisions of the English Basketball League, with new backing it has been mooted that the Rockets could join the British Basketball League [2] [3] in the near future; however, these plans appear to be hold at least for the 2019–20 season. [4] [5]

The Rockets' home venue was refurbished in 2021 with funding from 2K, the American video game company behind the NBA 2K game series. [6]

Players

City Of Birmingham Rockets 23-24 roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.
G Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Teesdale, Karl 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
G Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dawes, Jordan 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
G Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Powell, Zack 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
G Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McGregor, Lucas 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
G Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mughal, Faaris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
G Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gayle, Martyn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
G Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Henry, Leon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
F Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Noel, Levi 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
F Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jackman, Orlan 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
F Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Okosieme, Luke 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Head coach

Flag of the United States.svg Charles Smith


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Notable former players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Season-by-season records

SeasonDivisionTierRegular SeasonPost-SeasonNational Cup
FinishPlayedWinsLossesPointsWin %
City of Birmingham
2014–15 D4 Mid 53rd1697180.5631st roundDid not compete
2015–16 Dev SW 53rd20128240.6001st round1st round
2016–17 D4 Mid 55th18108200.556Did not qualify1st round
City of Birmingham Rockets
2017–18 D4 Mid 54th22166320.727Did not qualify1st round
2018–19 D4 Mid 55th1688160.500Did not qualify3rd round
2019–20 D3 Mid 42nd21174350.810No playoffs1st round
2020–21 D2 Nor 3Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 D2 Nor 37th22913190.409Did not qualify2nd round
2022–23 D2 Nor 31st22211420.955Winners2nd round
2023–24 D1 29th24915180.375Did Not Qualify
2024–25 D1 2

Honours

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References

  1. Amardeep Bassey (25 August 2018). "NBA Legend Hakeem Olajuwon on Why He's Made Birmingham His Home – and What He Thinks of Trump". Huffington Post.
  2. Mark Woods. "BBL Shake Up Format". MVP247.
  3. Mark Woods. "Hope Remains for Leeds Franchise". MVP247.
  4. Sam Neter (10 March 2023). "Troy Deeney throws hat into ring for Birmingham BBL franchise". Hoopsfix.
  5. Sam Neter (27 January 2022). "Investment group looking to establish BBL franchise in Birmingham". Hoopsfix.
  6. Sam Neter (23 November 2020). "2K to fund court refurb in conjunction with City of Birmingham Rockets". Hoopsfix.
  7. Sam Neter (22 April 2022). "City of Birmingham Rockets take NBL D2 Playoff crown". Hoopsfix. Retrieved 26 April 2023.