Knox Raiders

Knox Raiders
Knox Raiders logo
LeaguesNBL1 South
Founded1982
HistoryKnox Raiders
1982–2014; 2016–present
ArenaState Basketball Centre
LocationWantirna South, Victoria
Team colorsBlue and yellow
CEOGrant Harrison
ChairmanDavid Thomas
General managerNathan Sewell
ChampionshipsMen:
ABA (1)
SEABL (1)
NBL1 (2)
NBL1 South (1)
Women:
ABA (3)
SEABL (4)
Conference titlesMen:
SEABL (6)
Women:
SEABL (2)
WebsiteKnoxBasketball.com.au

Knox Raiders is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Knox Basketball Incorporated (KBI), the major administrative basketball organisation in the City of Knox. The Raiders play their home games at the State Basketball Centre.

Club history

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Early years

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Knox Basketball was established in 1965 to provide youth from the City of Knox with a sporting and social infrastructure to develop and promote personal, team and social skills in a sporting environment. Founded by Alf Stevens, Alice Jago and Heather Kemp, it began as an after school competition at the Mossfield Avenue Facility, Ferntree Gully in 1974. In 1980, its headquarters moved to the 3 court facility in Park Crescent at Boronia which was later expanded to six courts in 1989.[1]

SEABL

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In 1982, Knox's senior program was established,[2] with a Raiders men's team entering the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) that year.[3] A women's team entered the SEABL in 1990[3] after playing in the Women's Basketball Conference (WBC). Knox were WBC grand finalists in 1987.[4]

In 1991, the Raiders men were SEABL South Conference champions[5][6] and ABA National champions.[7] The men won five more conference titles in 1994, 1996, 2006,[6] 2008 and 2009. They were ABA National runners-up in 1996[7] and won the SEABL championship in 2009.[8] The Raiders women claimed the SEABL-ABA championship double in 1992, 1994 and 1996.[5][6][7] In 1998 and 2005, the women finished as ABA National runners-up.[7][9]

In 2012 and 2013, the Raiders women were back-to-back conference champions. They won the SEABL championship in 2013.[10][11][12]

In November 2014, Knox Basketball Incorporated withdrew its Knox Raiders SEABL teams from the 2015 season due to its dire financial position. The Raiders requested they remain a financial member of the SEABL with the intention of returning in season 2016. The SEABL retained the club's financial guarantee with the Raiders classified as a non-playing member of the league in 2015.[13][14]

Big V

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In November 2015, KBI announced that their senior men's and women's teams would be playing in the Big V in 2016 instead of the SEABL.[15]

NBL1

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In October 2018, KBI's Big V teams were entered into the NBL1 for its inaugural season in 2019.[16] The NBL1 South season did not go ahead in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

In 2023, the men's team won the NBL1 South championship[18] and the NBL1 National championship.[19] In 2024, the men's team lost in the NBL1 South elimination final but returned to the NBL1 National Finals as defending champions, where they won back-to-back NBL1 National championships.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "ABOUT US". KnoxBasketball.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  2. ^ "KNOX ANNOUNCES 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY ALL-STAR TEAMS". SEABL.com.au. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b "SEABL Ladders History" (PDF). seabl.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2008.
  4. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (24 March 2022). "Perth Lynx overcame a tough WNBL season but their finals campaign can be built on WAIS Rockets heritage". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b "PAST CHAMPIONS". seabl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2002.
  6. ^ a b c "FORMER CHAMPIONS". seabl.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 June 2008.
  7. ^ a b c d "ABA PREMIER AND RUNNERS-UP CLUBS". ABABasketball.net.au. Archived from the original on 7 April 2001.
  8. ^ "RAIDERS WIN 2009 SEABL CHAMPIONSHIP". SportsTG.com.au. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  9. ^ "ABA National Champions". SportsTG.com. 26 May 2008. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  10. ^ Greaves, Shanae (10 September 2012). "Dreams shattered as Raiders lose to three-peat champions". KnoxBasketball.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2017. At the final siren the scoreboard showed 65-48 in favour of the Rangers who ecstatically celebrated their third championship in a row.
  11. ^ Potter, Jarrod (14 September 2012). "Rangers claim three-peat victory". StarCommunity.com.au. Retrieved 15 June 2017. DANDENONG became the first SEABL women's team to attain a three-peat, defeating the Knox Raiders 65-48 to claim their third championship in a row.
  12. ^ Ryan, Conor (17 September 2013). "Knox Raiders win breakthrough SEABL women's championship". heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 28 January 2020. The Raiders turned in a four-quarter powerhouse performance to win, 82-61.
  13. ^ "KNOX RAIDERS NOT COMPETING IN 2015". SEABL.com.au. 20 November 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017.
  14. ^ Hustwaite, Megan (12 December 2014). "Knox Raiders drop out of SEABL for 2015 season as association looks to get its finances under control". HeraldSun.com.au. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Knox Raiders Enter BigV State Championship In 2016". KnoxBasketball.com.au. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  16. ^ Ward, Roy (31 October 2018). "Basketball Victoria announces new elite league to replace SEABL". SMH.com.au. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  17. ^ Arsenis, Damian (20 March 2020). "2020 NBL1 season facing uncertainty as South teams withdraw". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  18. ^ "NBL1 South Recap | Men's Grand Final 2023". NBL1.com.au. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  19. ^ "NBL1 National Finals Recap | Men's Championship Game 2023". NBL1.com.au. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Recap NBL1 National Finals | Men's Championship Game". NBL1.com.au. 18 August 2024. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024.
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