Gold Coast Blaze

Last updated

Gold Coast Blaze
Gold Coast Blaze.png
Leagues NBL
FoundedNovember 2006
DissolvedJuly 2012
HistoryGold Coast Blaze
2007–2012
ArenaThe Furnace
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Capacity5,269
Location Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland
Team colorsBlue, orange, black, white
    
Championships0

The Gold Coast Blaze were an Australian men's professional basketball team which competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The Blaze played five seasons in the NBL between 2007 and 2012, and played their home games at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Contents

History

In November 2006, the NBL announced a Gold Coast team would join the competition in the 2007–08 season after a licence was granted to a consortium headed by former Adelaide 36ers coach David Claxton. [1] The franchise was initially owned by Claxton and local businessmen Tom Tate and Owen Tomlinson. [2] It was announced that the team would play its home games at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. [2]

In February 2007, the team name was revealed to be the Gold Coast Blaze. There had been a voting competition where 'Heat' had won as the preferred name, but it was not able to be considered following objections from the NBA and the Miami Heat. [3]

Brendan Joyce was the team's inaugural head coach, [4] while Scott McGregor, Juaquin Hawkins, Pero Cameron and Casey Frank were notable inaugural signings. The 2008–09 season saw Shane Heal join the Blaze.

In May 2012, the Blaze entered voluntary administration. [5] They later joined forces with the Gold Coast Basketball Association and reverted to a community model. They reportedly received a $500,000 cash injection from a mystery fan. [6]

On 17 July 2012, the Blaze were withdrawn from the NBL by owners, Owen and Ben Tomlinson. Basketball Australia had ordered the Tomlinsons to post a $1 million bank guarantee before granting them a licence for the 2012–13 season. The Tomlinsons, who had earlier declared they had secured the finances to operate in the 2012–13 season, had already reappointed staff when they were informed their submission would not be granted. [6] Basketball Australia had given the owners until the end of the month to provide "irrefutable evidence" they could operate a team and repay their debts to the league; the Tomlinsons instead decided to withdraw from the league and dissolve the franchise. [7] [8]

Notable former players

Honour roll

NBL Championships:0
NBL Finals Appearances:3 (2007/08, 2009/10, 2011/12)
NBL Grand Final appearances:0
NBL Most Valuable Players:None
NBL Grand Final MVPs:None
All-NBL First Team: Mark Worthington (2011/12)
All-NBL Second Team: James Harvey (2007/08), Adam Gibson (2009/10, 2011/12), Anthony Petrie (2009/10)
All-NBL Third Team: James Harvey (2008/09), Adris Deleon (2011/12)
NBL Coach of the Year:None
NBL Rookie of the Year:None
NBL Most Improved Player: Anthony Petrie (2010/11)
NBL Best Defensive Player:None
NBL Best Sixth Man: Erron Maxey (2009/10)

Season by season

NBL championsLeague championsRunners-upFinals berth
SeasonTierLeagueRegular seasonPost-seasonHead coachCaptainClub MVP
FinishPlayedWinsLossesWin %
Gold Coast Blaze
2007–08 1 NBL 8th301515.500Lost elimination final (Townsville) 89–97 Brendan Joyce Pero Cameron
James Harvey
Scott McGregor 		James Harvey
2008–09 1 NBL 10th30822.267Did not qualifyBrendan JoyceJames Harvey Luke Whitehead
2009–10 1 NBL 4th281612.571Lost semifinals (Perth) 0–2 Joey Wright James Harvey Adam Gibson
2010–11 1 NBL 6th281315.464Did not qualifyJoey WrightAdam Gibson Joe Ira Clark
2011–12 1 NBL 3rd281711.607Lost semifinals (Perth) 1–2Joey WrightAdam Gibson Adris Deleon
Regular season record1446975.4790 regular season champions
Finals record615.1670 NBL championships

As of the end of the 2011–12 season

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pero Cameron</span> New Zealand basketball player

Sean Pero MacPherson Cameron is a New Zealand basketball coach and former player. A FIBA Hall of Fame member, he captained the New Zealand Tall Blacks from 2000 to 2010, helping lead New Zealand to the semifinal of the 2002 FIBA World Championship, earning an All-Tournament Team selection in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Kings</span> Australian mens basketball team

The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the Sydney Supersonics in October 1987. The Kings have won five NBL championships in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2022 and 2023. They were the first team to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind Melbourne United (six) and the Perth Wildcats (ten) for championships won.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne United</span> Australian basketball team

Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane Bullets</span> Basketball team in Brisbane, Queensland

The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL foundation teams and have won three NBL championships, being successful in the 1985 and 1987 seasons, and again in 2007. They have also competed in the 1984, 1986 and 1990 grand finals and have reached the playoffs 22 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Heal</span> Australian basketball player

Shane Douglas Heal is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sydney Razorbacks</span> A defunct NBL club based in Western Sydney

The West Sydney Razorbacks were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Sydney, New South Wales.

Mika John Vukona is a Fijian-born New Zealand former professional basketball player who is the general manager of basketball operations for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Between 2003 and 2018, he spent 13 seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL and helped them win four championships. He was also a regular with the Nelson Giants in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) and was a long-time New Zealand Tall Black.

James Harvey is an Australian former professional basketball player who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). He attended school at Wesley College in South Perth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007–08 NBL season</span> Professional basketball season

The 2007–08 NBL season was the 30th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. On 21 November 2006, the Gold Coast Blaze joined the league, expanding it to 13 teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Gibson</span> Australian basketball player

Adam Matthew Gibson is an Australian former professional basketball player who is a development coach for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played 16 years in the NBL for the Brisbane Bullets, South Dragons, Gold Coast Blaze, Adelaide 36ers and Phoenix. He is a two-time NBL champion, having won his first in 2007 with the Bullets and his second in 2009 with the Dragons. He is also a five-time All-NBL Team member and was crowned the NBL Best Defensive Player in 2009.

Craig Robert Bradshaw is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. Bradshaw played four years of college basketball at Winthrop University in the United States before playing professionally with clubs in New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Spain, South Korea and Latvia from 2007 to 2012.

Mark Worthington is an Australian basketball player for the Willetton Tigers of the NBL1 West. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Kendall</span> Australian basketball player and coach

Luke Kendall is an Australian basketball coach and former player. He played seven years in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2004 and 2011, winning a championship in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008–09 NBL season</span> Professional basketball season

The 2008–09 NBL season was the 31st season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 10 teams contested the league.

Casey Frank is an American-New Zealand former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks before playing in New Zealand and Australia between 2002 and 2016. He was a regular member of the New Zealand Tall Blacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Joyce</span>

Brendan Joyce is an Australian professional basketball coach. He has coached all levels of the game. He has been to 3 Olympic Games with both the Australian men's Boomers team 2004, 2008 and women's Opals team 2016 and 2 world championships for Boomers men 2006 in Japan and Opals women in 2014. Joyce was also assistant coach of the Boomers at the Melbourne Commonwealth games Gold medal team. Brendan is a former professional basketball player and head coach of the National Basketball League (Australasia) the Wollongong Hawks and the Gold Coast Blaze. In October 2021, Joyce took up the Head Coach role at new T1 League franchise Kaohsiung Aquas in Kaohsiung City in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Goulding</span> Australian basketball player (born 1988)

Christopher James Goulding is an Australian professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). He made his debut in the NBL in 2006 as a development player with the Brisbane Bullets, going on to play for the Perth Wildcats and Gold Coast Blaze, before settling in Melbourne. In the NBL, Goulding is a three-time championship winner and a two-time All-NBL First Team honouree. He also won the league's scoring title in 2014 and claimed Grand Final MVP honours in 2018. Goulding is a regular with the Australian Boomers, but he also holds a British passport thanks to his father, which allowed him to play as a local in Spain and Italy between 2014 and 2016.

Daniel James Dillon is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats before playing professionally in Australia, Romania, Poland, Japan, and France.

Jason Robert Cadee is an Australian professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He debuted in the NBL in 2010 and won the NBL Best Sixth Man Award in 2020.

Anthony Petrie is an Australian basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2007 and 2018. He is currently the head coach of the Gold Coast Rollers in the NBL1 North.

References

  1. ↑ "Gold Coast to join NBL". ABC News. 21 November 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Gold Coast 'will be ready to rumble'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 November 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  3. ↑ "Gold Coast sets NBL a Blaze". NBL.com.au. 23 February 2007. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  4. ↑ "Joyce ready for next challenge". NBL.com.au. 5 February 2007. Archived from the original on 8 September 2007.
  5. ↑ "Blaze in administrators' hands". ABC News. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Blaze up in smoke as owners walk away". goldcoast.com.au. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012.
  7. ↑ Ward, Roy (18 July 2012). "Gold Coast Blaze out of the NBL". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  8. ↑ "NBL must learn from Gold Coast Blaze demise". michaeldifabrizio.com. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.