Kalamunda Eastern Suns | |
---|---|
Leagues | NBL1 West |
Founded | 2008 |
History | Kalamunda Eastern Suns 2008–present |
Arena | Ray Owen Sports Centre |
Location | Lesmurdie, Western Australia |
Team colors | Orange, black, white |
President | Scott Parker |
Vice-president(s) | Shane Lowe |
General manager | Luke Sunderland |
Head coach | M: Aaron Trahair W: Marcus Bardill |
Championships | 0 |
Website | SunsBasketball.com.au |
Kalamunda Eastern Suns is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Kalamunda & Districts Basketball Association (KDBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in Perth's eastern region. The Suns play their home games at Ray Owen Sports Centre.
Kalamunda & Districts Basketball Association (KDBA) was incorporated on 1 October 1971. [1] In 1991, KDBA affiliated with Basketball Western Australia and entered teams as the Kalamunda Hornets in the WA Junior State League competition. [2] A decade later, Basketball Western Australia encouraged the amalgamation of KDBA and their regional rival, Swan Districts Basketball Association (SDBA). Hills Raiders Basketball Association (HRBA) saw this as an opportunity for their players to access this level of competition as well. As a result, a new association called Eastern Region Basketball Association (ERBA), playing as Eastern Suns, was formed in 2001. The ERBA's inaugural president was Bob Little (HRBA President & SDBA Life Member) and all three associations had two representatives with ERBA. Initially there was input from all three associations, but this deteriorated when SDBA found themselves in financial difficulty with increasing debt to Basketball WA. KDBA was in a position to seek a license from the State Basketball League (SBL) but was unwilling to assume the SDBA debt as part of their license (in excess of $40,000). Swan City Mustangs SBL and Association ceased to operate following the 2003 season. [2]
In 2006, ERBA was disbanded and KDBA introduced the Kalamunda Eastern Suns. The following year, KDBA were granted an SBL license for the 2008 season. [2]
In 2008, the Suns debuted in the SBL with men's and women's teams. The inaugural men's coach was Joe Mackay, while Craig Mansfield and Rob Butt coached the women's team. [1] While the men's team finished in ninth place with a 12–14 record, the women's earned a finals berth with a sixth-place finish and a 13–11 record. [3] They went on to sweep the third-seeded Cockburn Cougars in the quarter-finals, [4] [5] before losing to the Perry Lakes Hawks in the semi-finals. [6] [7] [8]
In 2013, the women's team made their way through to their first WSBL Grand Final behind coach Craig Mansfield and captain Chelsea Armstrong, as well as Ajay Jones, Jennie Rintala and Melissa Moyle. [9] They finished the regular season in fifth place with a 12–10 record and advanced through the first two rounds of the finals undefeated, beating the Lakeside Lightning in the quarter-finals and the South West Slammers in the semi-finals. [10] In the championship decider at the WA Basketball Centre on 30 August, the Suns were defeated 72–47 by the Wanneroo Wolves. [11] Rintala top-scored for Kalamunda finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. [12] Between 2008 and 2015, the women's team only missed the finals once. [13] [14]
Women
Men
NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to Western Australia. NBL1 replaced the former SBL to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in Western Australia. As a result, the SBL became the west conference of NBL1.
Goldfields Giants is an NBL1 West club based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The team is affiliated with Kalgoorlie-Boulder Basketball Association (KBBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Giants play their home games at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium.
South West Slammers is an NBL1 West club based in Bunbury, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The Slammers play their home games at Eaton Recreation Centre and represent Western Australia's South West region.
Perth Redbacks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perth Basketball Association (PBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in Perth's eastern suburbs and across the CBD. The Redbacks play their home games at Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre.
Jarrad Prue is an Australian former basketball player. He played 15 seasons with the Lakeside Lightning of the NBL1 West between 2003 and 2021 and won three championships. He is the NBL1 West's all-time leading rebounder.
Lakeside Lightning is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is owned and managed by Lakeside Baptist Church. The Lightning play their home games at Lakeside Recreation Centre.
Joondalup Wolves is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Wanneroo Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the Joondalup/Wanneroo region. The Wolves play their home games at HBF Arena.
Alexandra Antonietta Ciabattoni is an Australian professional basketball player for the Cockburn Cougars of the NBL1 West. She played college basketball for the Newman Jets before beginning her career in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
Willetton Tigers is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Willetton Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the Melville/Canning region. The Tigers play their home games at Willetton Basketball Stadium.
East Perth Eagles is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of East Perth District Basketball Association (EPDBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in Perth's north eastern suburbs. The Eagles play their home games at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.
The Geraldton Buccaneers, also known as the Buccs, are an Australian basketball team based in Geraldton, Western Australia. The Buccaneers compete in the Men's NBL1 West and play their home games at Activewest Stadium. The team is affiliated with Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region.
Warwick Senators is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Churches of Christ Sport & Recreation Association (CCSRA) and serves as the major administrative basketball organisation in the City of Stirling. The Senators play their home games at Warwick Stadium.
Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Flames play their home games at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.
Mandurah Magic is an NBL1 West club based in Mandurah, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Mandurah Basketball Association (MBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Magic play their home games at Mandurah Aquatic & Recreation Centre.
Stacey Barr is an Australian rules footballer and basketball player. She has played for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's competition, and has played in the Women's National Basketball League for the Perth Lynx.
The NBL1 West Grand Final Most Valuable Player is an annual NBL1 West award given to the best performing player in both the Women's Grand Final and Men's Grand Final. Known as the State Basketball League (SBL) Grand Final Most Valuable Player from 1996 to 2019, the SBL was rebranded to NBL1 West in 2021.
The All-NBL1 West First Team is an annual NBL1 West honour bestowed on the best players in the league each year. Under the State Basketball League (SBL) brand, a five-player all-star team was named every year between 2005 and 2019. On a few occasions, the Most Valuable Player has not been named in the All-Star Five / First Team.
The 2018 State Basketball League season was the 30th season of the State Basketball League (SBL). The regular season began on Friday 16 March and ended on Saturday 28 July. The finals began on Friday 3 August and concluded with the women's grand final on Friday 31 August and the men's grand final on Saturday 1 September.
The 2017 State Basketball League season was the 29th season of the State Basketball League (SBL). The regular season began on Friday 17 March and ended on Saturday 29 July. The finals began on Friday 4 August and concluded with the women's grand final on Friday 1 September and the men's grand final on Saturday 2 September.