Hunter Pirates
Encyclopedia
| Hunter Pirates | |
 |
|
| Established | 2003/04 |
| Final Season | 2005/06 |
| Former Home Venue | Newcastle Entertainment Centre Newcastle Entertainment Centre Newcastle Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose Australian arena located within the Newcastle Showgrounds and was opened in 1992 at a cost of A$12m.... , Newcastle Newcastle, New South Wales The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas... |
| Team Colours | Red, Yellow and Black |
| Championships | None |
| Team History | Canberra Cannons (1979-2002/03) Hunter Pirates (2003/04-2005/06) Singapore Slingers (2006/07-2007/08) |
The Hunter Pirates were an Australian basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, based in the city of Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, that competed in the National Basketball League.
Team history
The team was once known as the Canberra CannonsCanberra Cannons
The Canberra Cannons were a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates...
, one of the foundation members of the NBL (the others were the Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons (Australia)
Newcastle Falcons were an Australian basketball team, that played in Newcastle, in the National Basketball League. The team played in the NBL's inaugural season in 1979, and left the league in the late 1990s, after new owners based in Albury couldn't resolve the club's ongoing financial...
, Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...
and Brisbane Bullets
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy...
). At the end of the 2002-03 season, new owners moved the team to Newcastle and renamed the franchise the Hunter Pirates, keeping with the maritime battlers theme. The Pirates new home arena was the 4,658 seat Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Newcastle Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose Australian arena located within the Newcastle Showgrounds and was opened in 1992 at a cost of A$12m....
.
In its first season, 2003-04, the team came last, winning only two games. Initial coach Bruce Palmer
Bruce Palmer (basketball)
Bruce Palmer is an American-born basketball coach, best known as a colourful head coach in Australia's NBL. He is currently the head coach for the Brisbane Capitals in the Australian Basketball Association League....
was controversially fired partway into the season and was replaced by assistant coach David Simmons.
In 2004-05, former Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
, Australian Boomers
Australia national basketball team
The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...
and Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
coach Dr. Adrian Hurley
Adrian Hurley
Dr Adrian Hurley OAM is a former Australian basketball coach and a former player. He is now retired and is presently President of Basketball NSW and serves on advisory committees for Basketball Australia and the National Basketball League....
was employed as coach. A mostly-retooled team produced much better results, finishing 8th with a 15-17 record. The Pirates made the NBL Playoffs, only to be eliminated by the Brisbane Bullets
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy...
in the opening round.
Adrian Hurley quit at the end of the 2005-06 season after the Hunter Pirates were beaten by the Cairns Taipans
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. The club is based in the northern Queensland city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake native to Australia, entered the NBL in the 1999/2000 season...
in the playoffs.
The club did have plans in the next few years to move from the Entertainment Centre to a new stadium to be built at the Stockland Supercentre out at Glendale
Glendale, New South Wales
Glendale is a suburb of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, located west of Newcastle's central business district at the northern tip of Lake Macquarie...
, a suburb of Newcastle but this never eventuated.
The Pirates withdrew from the NBL competition at the end of the 2005/06 season due to financial difficulties and their inability to secure a major sponsor, and the club's NBL licence was put up for sale. http://au.sports.yahoo.com/051028/2/c4hl.html It was revealed on NBN News
NBN Television
NBN Television is a television station based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout the northern half of New South Wales and...
that, in an effort to remain in the competition, the club had considered turning itself into a not-for-profit organisation, thereby able to access various grants.
In the end, the Pirates' licence was sold to a Singapore consortium, and the Singapore Slingers
Singapore Slingers
The Singapore Slingers are an Asian basketball team that formerly competed in the Australian National Basketball League. They were the first - and so far the only - Asia-based club to compete in the NBL when they joined at the start of the 2006/07 season....
began competing in the 2006-07 season http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=3165.
Honour Roll
| NBL Championships: | 0 |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 2 (2004–05, 2005–06) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 0 |
| NBL Most Valuable Players: | Brian Wethers Brian Wethers Brian Wethers is an American professional basketball player. Wethers primarily plays the small forward or shooting guard position.-College basketball:... (2005) |
| All-NBL First Team: | Brian Wethers (2005) |
| NBL Coach of the Year: | Adrian Hurley Adrian Hurley Dr Adrian Hurley OAM is a former Australian basketball coach and a former player. He is now retired and is presently President of Basketball NSW and serves on advisory committees for Basketball Australia and the National Basketball League.... (2005) |
| NBL Most Improved Player: | Geordie Cullen (2004) |
Source: www.nbl.com.au