Joondalup Wolves
| Joondalup Wolves | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leagues | State Basketball League |
| Founded | 1989 |
| History |
Wanneroo Wolves 1989–2013 Joondalup Wolves 2014–present |
| Arena | Joondalup Basketball Stadium |
| Location | Joondalup, Western Australia |
| Team colors | Green & white |
| Main sponsor |
City of Joondalup Merriwa Tavern & Bistro |
| President | Ryan Hunter |
| Head coach |
M: Ben Ettridge W: Craig Friday |
| Team captain |
M: Seb Salinas W: TBA |
| Championships |
3 (1993, 2011, 2015) (M) 4 (1990, 1992, 1995, 2013) (W) |
| Website | WolfpackBasketball.com.au |
The Joondalup Wolves (formerly the Wanneroo Wolves) are a basketball club from Perth, Western Australia competing in the semi-professional State Basketball League (SBL). The Wolves are a division of the Wanneroo Basketball Association, the major administrative basketball organisation in the Joondalup/Wanneroo region. Located at the Joondalup Basketball Stadium, the club is sponsored by the City of Joondalup and the Merriwa Tavern & Bistro.
History
Established in 1983 by the Wanneroo Basketball Association, the Wanneroo Wolves were a foundation club for the State Basketball League's inaugural season in 1989, entering teams for both the men's and women's competitions.[1] Success quickly arose for the Wolves as the women won three early championships in 1990, 1992 and 1995, while the men won their first championship in 1993.
In 2011, the men's SBL grand final between the Wanneroo Wolves and the Perry Lakes Hawks became the first event to sell out the WA Basketball Centre since the venue's opening in early 2010. It's 2,000 seat capacity was sold out, forcing Basketball WA to release 100 standing room tickets.[2] The Wolves were successful in defeating the Hawks to claim their first title in 12 years, as they were guided by head coach Ben Ettridge and led by Perth Wildcats players Greg Hire and Brad Robbins.[3]
In 2013, both the Wolves men and women made it through to the MSBL and WSBL Grand Finals for the first time in club history.[4] However, the men were unable to produce the goods against the Lakeside Lightning after the women overwhelmed the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.
In 2014, the Wanneroo Basketball Association changed the team name from Wanneroo Wolves to Joondalup Wolves, but success did not follow suit as the women lost in the semi-finals, while the men failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007.[5]
Moving on from the hiccup of 2014, the men redeemed themselves in 2015 as they finished the regular season three games clear on top of the standings and went on to win the club's third men's SBL championship with a 30-point Grand Final victory over the South West Slammers, largely thanks to head coach Ben Ettridge and Grand Final MVP Trian Iliadis.[6][7]
In August 2015, the Wanneroo Basketball Association announced the retirements of Life Members and longstanding employees Van and Mary Kailis. Having commenced work with the Wanneroo Basketball Association in 1986, Van and Mary Kailis were considered the forefront of basketball's growth in the Wanneroo area, building one of the most successful and professionally operated basketball associations in Western Australia.[8]
Honours
| MSBL Champions: | 3 (1993, 2011, 2015) |
| WSBL Champions: | 4 (1990, 1992, 1995, 2013) |
| MSBL MVP: | Vince Kelley (1992), Damian Matacz (2012) |
| WSBL MVP: | |
| MSBL Coach of the Year: | |
| WSBL Coach of the Year: | Van Kailis (1990) |
| MSBL Rookie of the Year: | Trent Mayger (1998), Steven Watts (1999) |
| WSBL Rookie of the Year: | Christine Boyd (1997), Kelli Hayward (1999) |
| MSBL Most Improved Player: | Matthew Schmechtig (2005), Greg Hire (2006), Seb Salinas (2010) |
| WSBL Most Improved Player: | Samantha Duff (2004), Ainsleigh Sanders (2006) |
| MSBL All-Star Five: | Greg Hire (2011), Damian Matacz (2012) |
| WSBL All-Star Five: |
Current roster
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References
- ↑ "SBL Standings 1989". CockburnCougars.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Hope, Shayne (26 August 2011). "SBL grand final set for sell-out". Yahoo.com. The West Australian. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ "Wanneroo take out SBL title". Yahoo.com. The West Australian. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Donaldson, Mark (27 August 2013). "Wolves hungry for finals feed". CommunityNews.com.au. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Pike, Chris (31 July 2014). "A look at the men's SBL teams not in playoffs". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Pike, Chris (29 August 2015). "Wolves too good for Slammers to win third men's SBL championship". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ↑ Pike, Chris (3 September 2015). "Wolves' depth the key to dominant 2015 championship win". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ "End of an Era For The Wolfpack Family". FoxSportsPulse.com. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
External links
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