Launceston Casino City

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Launceston Casino City
Launceston Casino City Logo.png
NicknameTigers [1]
Leagues NBL
Founded1980
Dissolved1982
HistoryLaunceston Casino City
1980–1982
Arena Dowling Street Stadium
Location Launceston, Tasmania
Team colorsYellow, red, dark green
   
Championships1 (1981)

Launceston Casino City is a defunct Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). Formed in 1980, the club was based in Launceston, Tasmania. It lasted only three seasons before folding, but won the NBL championship in 1981.

Contents

History

Launceston Casino City entered the NBL in the 1980 season with a grant from the Tasmanian Government and the support of the developers of the state's second casino. [1] Their inaugural team included Olympian Ian Davies [1] and club president was Gary Carr. [2] In its first season, the team finished ninth in the 12-team competition with nine wins.

In the 1981 NBL season, the team improved to 14 wins and finished second in the regular season. The top-seeded St. Kilda Saints decided to forgo the NBL finals to compete in the 1981 FIBA Club World Cup. This meant the Saints' finals spot went to the fifth-placed Brisbane Bullets, and Launceston entered the post-season as the competition's top seed. [3] In the semi-final, Launceston defeated the Bullets 71–69. They then met the Nunawading Spectres in the grand final at Apollo Stadium in Adelaide, where they won 75–54 to claim the NBL championship. [4]

In its third and final NBL season in 1982, the team won five games and finished 12th. The team was coached by Curtis Coleman. During the season, the club directors decided on a majority vote to replace Coleman with Max Pike, who helped Jim Ericksen coach the team previously. The players however would not agree to the change and would only play under Coleman. [5]

In 2009, a public plea was made by the Northern Tasmanian Basketball Association to help locate Launceston Casino City's lost premiership silverware including the championship cup and banner. [6] The banner was found in a Hobart shed in 2019 [7] and was later unveiled at the Silverdome by the Tasmania JackJumpers in 2023. [8]

Honour roll

NBL Championships:1 (1981)
NBL Finals Appearances:1 (1981)
NBL Grand Final Appearances:1 (1981)
NBL Most Valuable Players:None
NBL Grand Final MVPs:None
All-NBL First Team: Ian Davies (1980)
NBL Coach of the Year:None
NBL Rookie of the Year:None
NBL Most Improved Player:None
NBL Best Defensive Player:None
NBL Best Sixth Man:None

Season by season

NBL championsLeague championsRunners-upFinals berth
SeasonTierLeagueRegular seasonPost-seasonHead coach
FinishPlayedWinsLossesWin %
Launceston Casino City
1980 1 NBL 8th22913.409Did not qualifyRex Johnstone
Phil Thomas
1981 1 NBL 2nd22148.636Won semifinal (Brisbane) 71–69
Won NBL final (Nunawading) 75–54		Jim Ericksen
1982 1 NBL 13th26521.192Did not qualifyCurtis Coleman
Regular season record702842.4000 regular season champions
Finals record2201.0001 NBL championships

As of the end of the 1982 season

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Back in the Day: Tin shed artists". Basketball Australia . 3 February 2012. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Edwards, Phil (8 November 2013). "Tasmania loses basketball legend". The Examiner . Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "Flashback: Paying homage to Tasmania's first NBL title". NBL Official Website. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  4. ↑ Woods, Dan (31 March 2024). "Remember When: Launceston won Tassie's first title". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "FLASHBACK 48: March 29, 1982". BotiNagy.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Hunt for Casino City's lost silverware". The Examiner . 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Mathieson, Andrew (4 September 2019). "Unfurling the Past: A lost tale of a former NBL club". The Examiner . Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  8. ↑ Tuxworth, Jon (18 January 2023). "Launceston Casino City's long lost NBL championship flag to finally be unveiled". The Mercury . Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
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