Warwick Senators

Warwick Senators
Leagues	NBL1 West
Founded	1989
History	Stirling Senators 1989–2018 Warwick Senators 2019–present
Arena	Warwick Stadium
Location	Warwick, Western Australia
Team colors	Green, blue, white
CEO	Joshua Nipps
General manager	Michael Norman
Head coach	M: Andrew Cooper W: Brad Robbins
Championships	2
Retired numbers	2 (6, 42)
Website	WarwickSenators.com.au

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.

Club history

Background

The creation of Stirling Basketball Association began in the late 1960s when a group of 15–17-year-old boys from the Tuart Hill Junior Basketball Club formed a new club because there was no clear pathway for them to continue their basketball careers in the Western Australian Senior District Basketball Competition. Introduced to the sport of basketball at Tuart Hill High School, the boys dominated the state's junior competitions through the 1960s and provided the bulk of the Western Australian junior state team representatives. At that time, Tuart Hill was a feeder club for the Perth Basketball Club, the leading senior club in Western Australian basketball. Limited selection meant that many boys would be left with the prospect of not having a senior career in basketball after dominating the sport in junior ranks. Led by Alan Simmonds, a number of boys from Tuart Hill approached the state association and proposed that a new district association be formed called the Stirling Basketball Association. The Stirling proposal was based on the incorporation of the Tuart Hill Boys and Norths Girls junior basketball clubs. The proposal was accepted and Stirling Basketball Association was formed in 1971, providing a pathway for all Tuart Hill boys' and Norths girls' basketball players to enter the Western Australian Basketball Association senior competitions under the Stirling name. ^[1]

The Senators men won the John Leonard Perpetual Shield four times.

Nicknamed the Senators, the inaugural Stirling 'A' Grade District men's team competed for the first time in the 1972 season. While Simmonds became the first Club President and team captain, Colin James from New South Wales became the team's first head coach. ^[1] In 1974, the Senators men reached the grand final, where they lost to Swan Districts by 13 points. The following year, the team again made the grand final, this time winning 69–68 over Perth to claim their maiden premiership. ^[1] Between 1974 and 1987, the Senators men competed in ten A-Grade grand finals, where they won four premierships (1975, 1978, 1981 and 1982). Additionally, the Senators women competed in eight A-Grade grand finals, where they won five premierships (1974, 1981, 1984, 1985 and 1988). ^{[2] [3]}

1978 proved a milestone year as the club was selected to represent Western Australia in the National Australian Club Championships. This competition was a precursor to the NBL. ^[1] At the 1978 Australian Club Championships in Adelaide, the Senators were the surprise team of the championships. While expected to lose early in the qualifying rounds, the team reached the final to become the first Western Australian team to do so. There they lost to the highly-credentialed Nunawading Spectres led by Bill Palmer and Alan Black, despite leading by a point at half time. ^[1]

SBL and NBL1 West

NBL1 Championship Trophies, National (left) and West (right), won by the Senators women in 2022

1989 saw the formation of the State Basketball League (SBL) with both a men's and women's competition. Stirling, trading as the Senators, entered a team into both the Men's SBL and Women's SBL. ^[4]

In 1990, the men's team played in their first and only MSBL Grand Final, losing 114–91 to the Perth Redbacks. ^[5] The women's team claimed the minor premiership in 1990 with a first-place finish a 20–4 record ^[4] before going on to lose the WSBL Grand Final 70–67 to the Wanneroo Wolves. ^[5] In 1993, the women returned to the WSBL Grand Final, where they lost 68–51 to the Swan City Mustangs. ^[5]

In 1994, the women's team played in their third WSBL Grand Final and won their maiden championship with a 72–59 win over the Perry Lakes Hawks. ^[5] The team was led by coach Kim Redshaw and centre Fiona Robinson. ^[6]

In 2007, the women's team won their second minor premiership with a 20–2 record before reaching their fourth WSBL Grand Final, ^[7] where they lost 66–40 to the Perry Lakes Hawks. ^[8]

In 2012, Stirling Basketball Association came under the umbrella of the Churches of Christ Sport & Recreation Association (CCSRA). ^[9] In 2019, the club rebranded from the Stirling Senators to the Warwick Senators. ^[10]

In the 2019 season, the women's team reached the WSBL Grand Final, ^[11] where they lost 85–56 to the Rockingham Flames. ^[12]

In 2020, the men's team finished as minor premiers in the amateur-based West Coast Classic. ^[13] They reached the grand final, where they defeated the Perry Lakes Hawks 96–81. It marked the men's team's first-ever title. ^[14]

In 2021, the SBL was rebranded as NBL1 West. ^{[15] [16]}

In 2022, the women's team finished as minor premiers with an 18–2 record and reached the NBL1 West Grand Final, where they defeated the Willetton Tigers 87–61 to win their first championship in 28 years. ^{[17] [18]} At the NBL1 National Finals, the Senators went undefeated and won the NBL National championship after defeating the Ringwood Hawks 83–75 in the grand final. ^[19] The team was led by coach Jonelle Morley, guard Stacey Barr and forward Leonie Fiebich. ^{[20] [21]}

Notable club figures

Senators banners and retired jersey numbers

Senators' Warwick Stadium banner, November 2016

Ellis's and Olowoyo's retired jersey numbers, July 2018

In July 2014, the Senators retired Mike Ellis' No. 6 jersey. Ellis began playing for Stirling in 1974 at the age of 17, going on to contribute at every level including coaching and serving in leadership roles. ^[22]

In July 2018, the Senators retired Carmie Olowoyo's No. 42 jersey. Olowoyo played over 260 games for the Senators, beginning his career in 1995 before ending his career in 2010. ^{[23] [24]}

Accolades

Women

• Championships: 2 (1994, 2022)
• Grand Final appearances: 6 (1990, 1993, 1994, 2007, 2019, 2022)
• Minor premierships: 3 (1990, 2007, 2022)

Men

• Championships: Nil
• Grand Final appearances: 1 (1990)
• Minor premierships: Nil

References

1. "ABOUT US". StirlingSenators.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
2. McDonald's State Basketball League Fixtures 1988. Western Australian Basketball Federation (Inc.). 1988.
3. McDonald's State Basketball League Handbook 1989. Western Australian Basketball Federation (Inc.). 1989.
4. "2015 SBL Media Guide". SBL.asn.au. p. 57. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023.
5. "Past Champions". SBL.asn.au. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
6. "1994 Stirling Senators Women". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
7. "2007 SBL season". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
8. Smith, Megan (1 October 2007). "Local Sports Roundup 72". outinperth.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
9. "Policy Document Stirling Senators Governance and Management". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
10. "Senators Rebrand 2019". senatorsbasketball.com.au. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
11. "DAGOSTINO HOPES IT'S THIRD TIME LUCKY AS COACH". SBL.asn.au. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
12. "GRAND FINAL SPOTLIGHT | DEEP FLAMES TOO HOT FOR SENATORS". SBL.asn.au. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
13. "SEMI-FINAL MEN'S WEST COAST CLASSIC PREVIEW". SBL.asn.au. 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020.
14. "DEEP SENATORS TOO MUCH AS WARWICK WINS FIRST BANNER". SBL.asn.au. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020.
15. "NBL1 West to tip off in 2021". NBL1.com.au. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
16. Garlepp, Josh (30 October 2020). "State Basketball League to become NBL 1 West as WA clubs agree to unite under national second-tier banner". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
17. "WARWICK SENATORS CROWNED NBL1 WEST CHAMPIONS". nbl1.com.au. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
18. "NBL1 West Recap | Women's Grand Final". nbl1.com.au. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
19. "NBL1 National Finals Recap | Women's Championship Game". nbl1.com.au. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
20. "Coaching the best women's team in the Country". NBL1.com.au. 8 March 2023. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023.
21. "Fiebich's rise from NBL1 West to WNBA championship series". The West Australian. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
22. Van Houwelingen, Laura (23 July 2014). "Senators to honour #6 Mike Ellis". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
23. "SENATORS RETIRE OLOWOYO'S JERSEY NUMBER". sbl.asn.au. 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
24. "Carmie Olowoyo Jersey Retirement". StirlingSenators.com.au. 30 July 2018. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.

External links

• Official website