Kitsap Admirals

Last updated
Kitsap Admirals
KitsapAdmiralsLogo.jpg
League ABA 2012–15
IBL 2013
NABL 2016–2017 Independent (2018–2021)MBL 2022–2023
Founded2011
ArenaOld East Bremerton High School Gym
Location Bremerton, Washington
Team colorsBlack, Yellow, White
   
Head coachAshley Robinson (HC)
Michael Wilson (AC)
OwnershipAshley Robinson
ChampionshipsPAC NW 2016
Tacoma Pro–Am 2016
International Chinese Tour 2017
Never Left Behind League 2017
About the Rim 2017
Seattle Pro–Am Summer League West Conference Champs 2016
Website KitsapAdmirals.com

The Kitsap Admiral Basketball Club is a semi-professional international feeder program that is based in Bremerton, Washington. It was established in 2011 by former semi-pro basketball player Ashley D. Robinson.

Contents

History

On Dec. 19, 2011, the Kitsap Sun announced that the city of Bremerton had landed an ABA franchise. Originally, the Admirals intended to make the Kitsap Sun Pavilion their home venue. [1] However, the building did not meet the arena requirements of the league (regulation hardwood court floor). Unable to renovate the arena, the Kitsap Admirals made Olympic College's Bremer Student Center their home.

The Admirals made their ABA debut on Nov. 3, 2012 at OC against the Seattle Mountaineers. The first basket in team history was a three-pointer by Bremerton graduate Ben Wilson. The Admirals lost to Seattle 97-89. [2] The team earned their first victory in their second game, played on Veterans Day 2012, defeating the Lakewood Panthers at Pierce College.

The Kitsap Admirals Basketball Club is a Washington state non-profit organization. The organization includes the Admirals Prep team, AAU girls and boys programs; and "360 STAND UP!," an anti-bullying program in communities within the 360 area code.

ABA to NABL

"The combination of right time and right place presented itself and we walked through the door," the Robinsons wrote of why they became involved in the Kitsap Admirals. It has long been known what professional sports does for a city and the people that reside there, they wrote. They saw a need in the community and decided to become part of the solution. "The youth and young adults are this generation’s responsibility," they wrote.

Ashley Robinson is a former ABA and IBL player and is well-known in both professional circuits. His character on and off the court caught the attention of then-ABA chairman Don Simms, owner of the Seattle Mountaineers. Simms approached Joe Newman, CEO of the ABA, about the Robinsons owning a franchise and the deal was made.

The Admirals were initially part of the American Basketball Association, or ABA, but now play in the NABL (North American Basketball League), which was established in 2015 in Dallas, Texas. Robinson is West Coast Conference chairman. He is the Head Coach of the Ridgetop Raiders Middle School boys & Asst Coach of the Central Kitsap High School girls basketball team.

The Admirals play at 3030 Wheaton Way, Bremerton, in what was formerly East Bremerton High School.

Season-by-season

SeasonLeagueWLResultPlayoffs
2012-13 ABA4102ND PAC NWFINALS
2013 IBL 05N/ADNP
2013-14 ABA5102ND PAC NWFINALS
2014-15 ABA882ND PAC NWFINALS
2015-16INDEPENDENT100PAC CHAMPSCHAMPS
2017NABL120CONFERENCE CHAMPSCHAMPS

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bremerton, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap. Bremerton is connected to downtown Seattle by two ferries: a 60-minute ferry that carries both vehicles and walk-on passengers, and a 28-minute Fast Ferry that carries passengers and a limited number of bicycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Blanchet High School</span> School in Seattle, Washington, United States

Bishop Blanchet High School is a private coeducational Catholic high school located north of Green Lake in Seattle, United States. The school was founded in 1954 by the Archdiocese of Seattle, and named for the first bishop of the diocese, A.M.A. Blanchet (1797–1887). Originally named Blanchet High School, in 1999 the title Bishop was added to make the school easily identified as Catholic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Basketball Association (2000–present)</span> Semi-professional basketball league

The American Basketball Association (ABA) is an American semi-professional men's basketball minor league that was founded in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham Slam</span> Basketball team in Bellingham, Washington

The Bellingham Slam are a semi-professional basketball team that formerly competed for seven seasons in the International Basketball League. Before joining the IBL, they played two seasons in the American Basketball Association. They were originally expected to play in Everett, Washington, but were relocated to Bellingham, Washington under the ownership of John Dominguez. The team currently competes in the annual Seattle Pro–Am basketball tournament organized by Seattle, Washington native and former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jamal Crawford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. A. Diddle Arena</span> Sports venue in Bowling Green, Kentucky

E. A. Diddle Arena is a 7,326-seat multi-purpose arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. The arena, built in 1963, is home to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers men's basketball team and Lady Toppers basketball and volleyball teams. It is also known as Academic-Athletic Building #1. It also holds Military Science and Physical Education & Recreation classes and offices.

Olympic College is a public community college in Bremerton, Washington. It opened as Olympic Junior College on September 5, 1946. Olympic College serves Kitsap and Mason counties in Washington. The college's service area contains two major naval installations: Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Hospital Bremerton.

The International Basketball League (IBL) was a semi-professional men's basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States. In 2010 the Albany Legends became the first team in the Northeastern United States to join. The IBL also sometimes featured teams from China and Japan which temporarily relocated to the United States for the IBL season. The IBL season typically ran from the end of March through July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Mountaineers</span> Basketball team in Everett, Washington

The Seattle Mountaineers are a semi-professional basketball club and a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). They are currently a touring exhibition team that plays against junior and community colleges within the United States and Canada. After four years as an IBL franchise, the Mountaineers jumped to the ABA in 2010 and applied and received non-profit status. Team owner, president and head coach Don Sims is a Christian. The club's basketball program provides an inclusive, Christian-based experience and teaches players the benefits of competition and understand its redemptive value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayfront Center</span> Arena in Florida, United States

Bayfront Center was an indoor arena located in St. Petersburg, Florida that hosted many concerts, sporting and other events. Depending on the configuration, it could hold up to 8,600 people. The arena was opened in 1965 and demolished in 2004. It adjoined the Mahaffey Theater, which is still standing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snohomish County Explosion</span> Semi-professional basketball team

The Snohomish County Explosion was a semi-professional basketball team that last played in the National Athletic Basketball League (NABL) in 2010. The team was based in Everett, Washington, in 2007 in Monroe, Washington, from 2008 to 2010. The Explosion is owned by Courtyard Media Foundation, whose president Nathan Mumm oversaw team operations. The Explosion were the IBL's 2007 Western Division Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz of Tacoma</span> Basketball team in Tacoma, Washington

The Jazz of Tacoma were a professional basketball team based in Tacoma, Washington which were members of the International Basketball League (IBL) from 2007 to 2009. This is not the first attempt at a professional basketball franchise in Tacoma. The Tacoma Thunder played for two seasons in the league and were replaced by a franchise named the Tacoma Jets, who never took to the courts, having been replaced by the Jazz. In 2009, the team was replaced by the Tacoma Tide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle SuperSonics</span> American professional basketball team, 1967–2008

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference Pacific and Northwest divisions from 1967 until 2008. After the 2007–08 season ended, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, where they now play as Oklahoma City Thunder.

Rashaad Dominic Powell is an American basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Idaho, where he was named the Big West Conference Defense Player of the Year in 2004, and later professionally for several seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitsap Pumas</span> Soccer club

Kitsap SC Pumas was an American soccer team based in Bremerton, Washington, United States. The team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. From its foundation in 2009 to 2016, the club played in the Premier Development League (PDL), as a professional club. As part of the agreement upon leaving PDL after the 2016 season, the club was unable to use the "Kitsap Pumas" name during the 2017 season while playing in NPSL. The club was officially renamed Kitsap SC until September 1, 2017 when the Pumas name was restored. The club announced on July 20, 2018 that it would cease operations due to declining attendance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sound Warriors</span> Ice hockey team in Bremerton, Washington

The West Sound Warriors were a junior ice hockey that played at the Bremerton Ice Center in Bremerton, Washington. Formerly, the team was a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III ice hockey team that played in the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac/NPHL) and the United States Premier Hockey League-USP3 (USPHL-USP3). In the 2017–18 season, the team was an AAU-sanctioned junior team in the Western States Hockey League. The WSHL franchise was sold to a new ownership group in Bremerton after the one season and became the West Sound Admirals.

The Blue Hills just west of Bremerton, Washington, also called the Bremerton Hills, Bald Hills, and Wildcat Hills, consist of Gold Mountain, Green Mountain, and several informally named hills. Reaching an elevation of 1761 feet, a thousand feet above the glacial till that fills the Puget Lowland, they form a prominent landmark visible around the region. They are formed of uplifted blocks of marine basalts, the steep-walled canyons between the various summits being the fissures between the blocks. In addition to Gold Mountain and Green Mountain are several other prominent peaks unofficially named according to their elevation :

The expansion of the National Basketball Association has happened several times in the league's history since it began play in 1946. The most recent examples of the expansion of the NBA are the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat in 1988, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic in 1989, Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995, and New Orleans Hornets in 2002. In June 2022, Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that while there are no current plans to expand beyond 30 teams, the NBA "invariably will expand."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Basketball League</span> American minor professional basketball league

The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 49 teams as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis Swarm</span> Basketball team in St. Charles, Missouri

The St. Louis Swarm was a professional basketball team based in St. Charles, Missouri from 1999 to 2001. They were members of the International Basketball League and won the league's only two championship series in 2000 and 2001. The Swarm played home games at Family Arena.

The Trenton Shooting Stars were a professional basketball team in the International Basketball League (IBL) from 1999 to 2001.

References

  1. "Kitsap lands an ABA franchise". Kitsap Sun. 19 December 2011.
  2. "Kitsap Admirals drop ABA opener to Seattle Mountaineers". Kitsap Sun. 3 November 2012.