| Hunter Pirates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues | NBL | ||
| Founded | 2003 | ||
| Dissolved | 2006 | ||
| History | Canberra Cannons 1979–2003 Hunter Pirates 2003–2006 Singapore Slingers 2006–present | ||
| Arena | Newcastle Entertainment Centre | ||
| Location | Newcastle, New South Wales | ||
| Team colors | Red, black, gold, white | ||
| Championships | 0 | ||
The Hunter Pirates are a defunct Australian professional men's basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). It was based in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales.
The franchise began as the Canberra Cannons, one of the foundation members of the NBL. At the end of the 2002–03 season, new owners moved the team to Newcastle and renamed the franchise the Hunter Pirates. The Pirates played at the 4,658-seat Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
In its first season, 2003–04, the team came last, winning only two games. Initial coach Bruce Palmer was fired partway into the season and was replaced by assistant coach David Simmons.
In 2004–05, former Perth Wildcats, Australian Boomers and Australian Institute of Sport coach Dr. Adrian Hurley was appointed as the head coach and led the team to eighth place with a 15–17 record. In the playoffs, the Pirates were eliminated by the Brisbane Bullets in the opening round.
In 2005–06, the Pirates made the playoffs [1] where they were beaten by the Cairns Taipans. Following their third season, the Pirates withdrew from the NBL due to financial difficulties and being unable to find a major sponsor. [2] [3] [4]
In March 2006, the Singapore Slingers took over the Pirates' licence. [5]
| NBL Championships: | 0 |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 2 (2004/05, 2005/06) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 0 |
| NBL Most Valuable Players: | Brian Wethers (2004/05) |
| All-NBL First Team: | Brian Wethers (2004/05) |
| NBL Coach of the Year: | Adrian Hurley (2004/05) |
| NBL Most Improved Player: | Geordie Cullen (2003/04) |
Source: www.nbl.com.au [6]
| NBL champions | League champions | Runners-up | Finals berth |
| Season | Tier | League | Regular season | Post-season | Head coach | Captain | Club MVP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Win % | |||||||
| Hunter Pirates | |||||||||||
| 2003–04 | 1 | NBL | 12th | 33 | 2 | 31 | .061 | Did not qualify | Bruce Palmer Dave Simmons | Brendan Mann | Geordie Cullen |
| 2004–05 | 1 | NBL | 8th | 32 | 15 | 17 | .469 | Lost elimination final (Brisbane) 99–113 | Adrian Hurley | Brendan Mann | Brian Wethers |
| 2005–06 | 1 | NBL | 8th | 32 | 13 | 19 | .406 | Lost elimination final (Cairns) 80–88 | Adrian Hurley | Aaron Trahair | Mike Helms |
| Regular season record | 97 | 30 | 67 | .309 | 0 regular season champions | ||||||
| Finals record | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0 NBL championships | ||||||
As of the end of the 2005–06 season
Source: Hunter Pirates Year by Year [7]
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