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Basketball Western Australia

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 9 min
Basketball Western Australia
SportBasketball
JurisdictionWestern Australia
AbbreviationBasketball WA
BWA
Founded1946; 78 years ago (1946)
AffiliationBasketball Australia
HeadquartersBendat Basketball Centre, Floreat, Western Australia
ChairpersonFiona Notley
CEONathan Cave
Official website
www.basketballwa.asn.au

Basketball Western Australia (a.k.a. the Western Australian Basketball Federation) is the governing body of basketball in Western Australia and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at a state and local level.

History

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The John Leonard Perpetual Shield

The Western Australian Basketball Federation (WABF) was founded in 1946 as the Western Australian Basketball Association, which later became known as the Amateur Basketball Association of Western Australia. The original Western Australian Basketball Association was formed by a small group of basketball enthusiasts at the Perth YMCA on Murray Street on Wednesday, 3 April 1946. The sport had already been played across the state for 35 years, but there had been no official management or promotion of the sport. John Leonard, a highly respected Perth businessman, athlete and two-time winner of football's coveted Sandover Medal, played a key role in orchestrating the first meeting on 3 April 1946. The initial aim was to form a body that would manage, control and promote the development of basketball in Western Australia.[1] The resulting winter competition played at Claremont Showground saw teams compete for the John Leonard Perpetual Shield.[2]

After the 1962 Commonwealth Games, the WABF's headquarters switched to the newly built Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium. The A Grade competition continued until 1972, when it was renamed the District Competition, involving seven association teams, although this was soon increased to eight. This format continued to 1987, although the competition underwent several name changes as sponsors began to show their interest. 1987 was something of a watershed year for the WABF, as the entire structure of the game in Western Australia was being reconsidered.[2]

The impetus for the rethink was the dire financial straits which the WABF found itself in the previous year. The Perth Wildcats had been a financial burden since joining the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1982, and at the end of the 1986 season, the WABF was $400,000 in the red. A task force was established to sort out the mess, and the upshot was that Perth businessman Bob Williams, sponsor of the Wildcats in 1986, purchased a 60 percent interest in the team from the WABF for $200,000. The WABF's administration was also restructured, with Alan Marshall joining as chief executive with a brief to put the WABF on a firm financial footing.[2][3]

A census in 1987 showed that 61 percent of WABF members were from country areas, so it was decided to try to include several country teams in the state's premier basketball league. However, this could not be done until the WABF had traded out its difficulties. Fortunately, the Wildcats had a hugely successful season in 1987—reaching the NBL Grand Final in their first trip to the finals—attracting much television coverage, which saw basketball's popularity soar.[2]

An immediate result of the sport's new popularity was the debut of McDonald's as a sponsor. The fast-food chain entered into a $150,000 three-year deal with the WABF, sponsoring the premier competition and funding an extensive junior programme.[2]

In 1988, it was decided to form a State Basketball League (SBL) for both men and women, and to develop it into an elite, statewide competition as soon as possible. This meant seeking out private owners and attracting corporate sponsorship, so as to not burden the association. As part of basketball's development, the Western Australian Institute of Sport men's team was included in the SBL under Warren Kuhn.[2]

Simon Leunig, who had been the WABF's development officer, was appointed general manager of the SBL, and set about organising an expanded league for 1989. His marketing strategy paid off, and three new franchises were established in country areas: the Rainbow Coast Raiders from Albany were the first, followed by the Batavia Buccaneers from Geraldton and the Souwest Slammers from Bunbury.[2]

The expanded SBL, which was limited to men's teams in 1989, was sponsored by McDonald's and Skywest, with a $65,000 grant from the State Government to help with travel costs.[2]

Operations

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Basketball WA has had two ownership stints of the Perth Lynx that play in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL),[4] the first from 2001 and 2015[5] and the second from 2020 to 2024.[6][7]

Basketball WA are in charge of operations for the Perth Wheelcats and Western Stars,[8] who play in the National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) and the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League (WNWBL) respectively.[9]

Basketball WA's most prominent competitions are the NBL1 West and the Western Australian Basketball League (WABL). The NBL1 West comprises both a men's and women's semi-professional competition, while the WABL consists of multiple under-age junior divisions.[10]

Since 2014, Basketball WA has been in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Bendat Basketball Centre under a co-management agreement with VenuesWest.[11]

Notable people

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Chief Executive Officers

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Years CEO
2008–2015 Rick Smith[12][13][14]
2015 Christian Rice (acting)[14]
2015–2023 Rob Clement[15][16]
2023 Evan Stewart (acting)[17][18][19]
2023– Nathan Cave[18][20]

Presidents / Chairs of the Board

[edit]
Years President
2002–2011 Elizabeth Woods[21]
Years Chairperson
2011–2014 Elizabeth Woods[21]
2014–2021 Keith Dunlap[21][22]
2021–2022 Jennifer Riatti (acting)[22][23]
2022– Fiona Notley[23]

Hall of Fame inductees

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The Basketball WA Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 2021 with 11 inductees.[24]

† Indicates those inductees who are now deceased
Year Name Category
2021 Luc Longley Player
2021 Andrew Vlahov Player
2021 Mike Ellis Player
Coach
2021 Tully Bevilaqua Player
2021 Melissa Sinfield Player
2021 Rohanee Cox Player
2021 Andy Stewart Coach
2021 John Gardiner † Player
Coach
2021 Brad Ness Wheelchair athlete
2021 Tom Mills Referee
2021 Elizabeth Woods Technical official
2022 Justin Eveson Wheelchair athlete
2022 Melissa Marsh Player
2022 Mark Worthington Player
2023 Fiona Robinson Player
2023 Paul Rogers Player
2024 Ricky Grace Player

Source: Basketball WA

References

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  1. ^ "HISTORY OF BASKETBALL WA". basketballwa.asn.au. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h McDonald's State Basketball League Handbook 1989. Western Australian Basketball Federation (Inc.). 1989. pp. 7–9.
  3. ^ Small, Marie-Louise (8 October 1987). "BOB WILLIAMS HAS THE BALL IN HIS COURT". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  4. ^ "MEDIA RELEASE – PERTH LYNX". basketballwa.asn.au. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Perth Wildcats purchase WNBL license". NBL.com.au. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  6. ^ "PERTH LYNX TO ENTER NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH". wnbl.basketball/perth. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020.
  7. ^ "TRANSITION OF PERTH LYNX WNBL LICENCE". wnbl.basketball/perth. 13 June 2024. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024.
  8. ^ "BE ACTIVE WESTERN STARS FEATURE". WNWBL. 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023.
  9. ^ "ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES". basketballwa.asn.au. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022.
  10. ^ Garlepp, Josh (15 April 2021). "NBL1 West and 33 divisions of WABL start this weekend as basketball exceeds pre-COVID strength". The West Australian. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  11. ^ "VenuesWest and Basketball WA to co-manage premier facility". VenuesWest.wa.gov.au. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  12. ^ "BWA Appoints New CEO". basketballwa.asn.au. 15 January 2008. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Basketball WA battles government". PerthNow. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Member Update: Rick Smith Resignation". basketballwa.asn.au. 2 April 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  15. ^ "New Basketball WA CEO". basketballwa.asn.au. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 April 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Announcement – BWA Announces Departure of CEO". basketballwa.asn.au. 18 April 2023. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  17. ^ Randall, Michael; Logue, Matt (31 May 2023). "Basketball news: Billion-dollar Melbourne property developer Pelligra Group could save WNBL". Herald Sun. Code Sports. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024.
  18. ^ a b "BWA CEO Announcement – Nathan Cave". basketballwa.asn.au. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  19. ^ "BWA Announces departure of Deputy CEO". basketballwa.asn.au. 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  20. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (29 November 2023). "Dribble Podcast: New Basketball WA CEO Nathan Cave outlines his plan to retain WNBL licence for Perth Lynx". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "Elizabeth Woods Appointed to BA Board". basketballwa.asn.au. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Basketball WA – Chairperson". basketballwa.asn.au. 15 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  23. ^ a b "MEDIA RELEASE – BASKETBALL WA BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS". basketballwa.asn.au. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  24. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (13 August 2021). "Basketball WA's Hall of Fame to induct 11 people including Luc Longley, Andrew Vlahov and Mike Ellis". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
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Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_Western_Australia
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