Southland Sharks

Southland Sharks
Leagues National Basketball League
Founded 2010
History Southland Sharks
2010–present
Arena Stadium Southland
Location Invercargill, Southland,
New Zealand
Team colors Orange, blue, black
Main sponsor SIT Zero Fees
General manager Jill Bolger
Team manager Troy Paulin
Head coach Judd Flavell
Championships 2 (2013, 2015)
Website SharksBasketball.co.nz
Uniforms
Home
Away

The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand men's basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). They play their home games at Stadium Southland in Invercargill, and for sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SIT Zero Fees Southland Sharks. In 2013, the Sharks won their first NBL championship in just their fourth year as a franchise.[1] In 2015, the Sharks won their second NBL title.[2] The Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) have been a sponsor of the Sharks since their inception in 2010.[3]

History

Early years

The Southland Sharks began as a Conference Basketball League side (New Zealand's second tier competition) in the early 1990s. After winning CBL titles in 1995 and 1998, four Southland businessmen tried to launch an independent NBL franchise out of Southland in 2002, only for it to fall over after failing to get sufficient backing from the Community Trust of Southland.[4] The following year, the Sharks men's representative team disbanded completely.[5]

It was not until 2008 that Southland men's basketball rose again with Southland Basketball Association's re-establishment of a men's representative team called the Flyers. The Flyers entered the southern zone divisional tournament with the hopes of qualifying for the 2008 New Zealand divisional championships.[5][6][7]

In 2009, the Southland Flyers won the national tournament with help from Tall Blacks players Brendon Pongia, Ed Book and Terrence Lewis, and former Taranaki and Canterbury power forward Ben van Oosten.[8][9] Coached by Richard Dickel, the team also featured rugby star Joe Tuineau for a short while.[10][11]

Sharks rebirth

On 22 December 2009, the Southland Basketball Association received a three-year license to enter a team in the National Basketball League, with the re-established Sharks becoming the region's third professional sports team after the Southland Stags Rugby union team and the Southern Steel netball team.[4]

After confirming Richard Dickel as the coach, the new franchise made a splash in the off-season by signing many high profile players, the first of which was 28-year-old former Australian Boomers' point guard Luke Martin. Former Manawatu Jets' big man Gareth Dawson, Conference Basketball League shooting guard Ian Cathcart, former Otago Nuggets' combo guard Pete Burgess, Australian-born former Harbour Heat sharp shooter Daniel Munday and veteran big man James Paringatai all signed on with the Sharks for the 2010 season. Another coup for the Sharks came with the signing of former New Mexico State Aggies centre Martin Iti, who was able to play as a local due to holding both an Australian and a New Zealand passport.

With the franchise's impressive local signings, next came the two imports. The first import announced was former UNLV Runnin' Rebels swingman René Rougeau who was a star performer in his four years at the college. The Sharks struggled in their search for a second import as they were running out of time before the start of the season. With captain Luke Martin's responsibilities to the Wollongong Hawks keeping him from joining the Sharks on time, the franchise signed former Melbourne Tigers' shooting guard Mike Rose to a short-term deal.[12][13] The Sharks also had Invercargill-based players Paratene McLeod, Bubba Lau'ese, Izaac Williams and Andrew Wheeler on their inaugural roster.

2010 season: Inaugural season

As pre-season preparation, the Sharks participated in the Southern Showcase Tournament involving all the South Island-based NBL teams. They had mixed results after a week together, defeating the Nelson Giants 70-65 and losing to the Christchurch Cougars 80-82 in overtime. They also lost by one point to the Otago Nuggets 74-75.

With the arrival of their American imports in René Rouegau and Mike Rose, the Sharks began to prepare for their first regular season game against the Hawke's Bay Hawks. In their first ever NBL game on 6 March 2010, at Stadium Southland, the Sharks faced the Hawks in front of 1,500 fans. The Sharks unveiled their bright orange home uniform that matched the franchise's main sponsor's colours, the Southern Institute of Technology. Their starters Martin Iti, James Paringatai, René Rougeau, Mike Rose and Daniel Munday all put up strong performances with Munday scoring the franchise's first basket, while the two imports, Rougeau and Rose, both starred. After 40 minutes, the teams could not be separated with the scores locked at 84-all. With an overtime period needed, the Hawks came out victorious, winning 105-90.

Losing their next game away from home to the Harbour Heat at the North Shore Events Centre 96-82, the Sharks looked for revenge against first up opponents, Hawke's Bay. Once again on the back of tremendous performances from imports Rose and Rougeau, the Sharks achieved their first ever win. After their first win, they were bought back down to earth as they were thrashed by 44 points by the Wellington Saints. They continued their up and down form, winning against the Christchurch Cougars before losing to the Taranaki Mountainairs. They then came home where they achieved their first success at Stadium Southland, winning 85-79 against the Cougars. After losing to Nelson, they went back-to-back against the Otago Nuggets, winning the Invercargill Licensing Trust Challenge Shield, which is contested every time the two sides meet. Mike Helms replaced Rose as the Sharks' second import after just seven games.[14]

They then started a four match home game streak, selling out three of them. They lost to the Waikato Pistons and Wellington Saints before beating the Manawatu Jets and Harbour Heat. They left themselves in a good position to reach the playoffs for the first time in their first season as they only needed to win two of four away games to end the season. Their away trip began with the Sharks losing in overtime to the second place Waikato Pistons at Hamilton Boys' High School. They then came one win closer to the playoffs with a win against the Taranaki Mountainairs with Rougeau recording another double-double with 32 points and 10 rebounds. A loss to the Nelson Giants saw the Sharks needing to beat the lowly Manawatu Jets in their final regular season game of the season.[15] With a 96-88 win over the Jets to finish the regular season, the Sharks claimed sixth spot and booked themselves a playoff berth. They went on to lose in their quarter-final match-up to the Nelson Giants, 67-82, ending their inaugural season in the NBL. Centre Martin Iti earned Rookie of the Year honours in 2010, while import swingman René Rougeau was named to the All-Star five.

2011 season

With the franchise's re-signing of Gareth Dawson, James Paringatai, Ian Cathcart and Paratene McLeod for the 2011 season, some stability was built after the loss of captain Luke Martin to the Auckland Pirates. The Sharks also picked up Christchurch-based guard Sam Dobbs, local talent Tim Campbell and former Tall Blacks point guard Mark Dickel for the 2011 season, joining the franchise to play under his brother, Richard. Another former Tall Black, small forward Brendon Polyblank, also signed with the team and made the Sharks a serious contender for the title.[16] The Sharks went on to finish sixth place again with a win/loss record of 6-10. They faced the Hawke's Bay Hawks in the quarter-finals where they lost 75-89.

2012 season

Having been the worst three-point shooting team in the NBL during their first two seasons in the competition – shooting a mediocre 28.8% from beyond the arc – head coach Richard Dickel was much more confident heading into the 2012 season, as he felt his squad was more balanced and contained more outside shooting weapons. With Tall Black Craig Bradshaw and experienced American Larry Abney, the Sharks hoped a better inside presence would help free up his outside shooters. Having revamped the roster in 2012, with only Kevin Braswell, James Paringatai, Dan Peck, Paratene McLeod and Andrew Wheeler returning from the 2011 squad, new faces included former Junior Tall Blacks captain Dion Prewster, Gold Coast Blaze development player Jimmy Todd, and former Otago Nuggets' guard Shaun Tilby.[17] Despite what was considered a far more promising roster, the Sharks missed the playoffs for the first time, as they finished second last on the ladder with a 5-11 win/loss record.

2013 season: First Championship

With the Sharks' addition of American rookie forward Brian Conklin for the 2013 season, along with it came the franchise's first success. To suit up alongside Conklin was the team's core group of players such as Braswell, McLeod, Wheeler, Paringatai, Peck, with the addition of former Shark Luke Martin, young forward Reuben Te Rangi, and veteran NBL player Leon Henry. Despite finishing the regular season in fourth place with a win/loss record of 11-5, the Sharks managed to defeat the number one seeded Wellington Saints in the semi-final and the number three seeded Nelson Giants in the grand final. Leon Henry was subsequently named the Final Four MVP for his performances over the two games.[18] Other awards also went to head coach Paul Henare who earned Coach of the Year honours, while Conklin was named to the All-Star five.

2014 season

The Sharks managed to retain Brian Conklin for the 2014 season after the big man spent the off-season playing in Australia for the Townsville Crocodiles. Most of the core group also stuck together with the hope of claiming back-to-back championships. However, the Sharks' season was rocked in late May with the suspensions of Reuben Te Rangi, Leon Henry and Shea Ili after the trio were involved a fight outside a bar in New Plymouth following a win.[19][20] Centre Gareth Dawson was also stood down in May after he tested positive for a banned drug.[21]

With a dwindling roster, having lost four players in the space of a month, head coach Paul Henare was forced to come out of retirement to help salvage the team's reputation and season.[22] Former players Dan Peck and Puke Lenden were also brought into the side to bolster the wing positions, while Fijian forward Tai Wesley was signed under the FIBA Oceania Pacific Island rule.[23] The Sharks finished the 2014 season in fourth place again, but unfortunately could not repeat their 2013 form and lost the semi-final to the Hawke's Bay Hawks.

2015 season: Second Championship

After losing Brian Conklin to Puerto Rico, the Sharks were forced to look elsewhere to rebuild their roster for the 2015 season. Having retained guard Kevin Braswell as their import for another season, the Sharks looked to the Townsville Crocodiles again as a source for their second import. 2014–15 Australian NBL Most Improved Player Todd Blanchfield, a teammate of Conklin's, was signed by the Sharks as the team's second import for the 2015 season.[24] A strong starting line-up for the Sharks was built with the additions of Duane Bailey[25] and Adrian Majstrovich,[26] and the re-signing of Fijian forward Tai Wesley.[27] Shea Ili was also retained by the Sharks after being given a life line by the franchise following his incident in New Plymouth the year before.[28] With Ili playing a sixth man role, the Sharks now had a number of scoring options and depth.

After winning the first game of the season with a convincing 100-74 victory over the Manawatu Jets, the Sharks went on a three-game losing streak and looked to be on course for another mediocre season. However, this was not to be the case as the Sharks did not lose another game and finished the regular season on a 14-game win streak to claim their first minor premiership with a 15-3 win/loss record. To add to the season's triumph, the Sharks retired Kevin Braswell's No. 12 jersey after the veteran guard announcement his retirement from basketball a week earlier.[29][30][31] After defeating the Super City Rangers in the semi-final on 4 July, the Sharks faced the reigning champions the Wellington Saints in the grand final the following day. In a tense final at TSB Bank Arena, the Sharks defeated the Saints 72-68 to win their second title in three years.[2] With the win, they broke the 2001 Waikato Titans 15-game winning streak to finish the season with 16 wins in a row.[32] Tai Wesley was named the Final Four MVP after scoring 24 points in the semi-final, and 19 points in the grand final.[2] Wesley and Blanchfield were subsequently named to the All-Star five, while head coach Paul Henare was named Coach of the Year for the third time in his coaching career.[33]

2016 season

With two-time championship winning head coach Paul Henare departing the Sharks after three seasons at the helm to take up the role of head coach for the New Zealand Tall Blacks, the Sharks nabbed former New Zealand Breakers assistant and long-time Breakers Academy coordinator Judd Flavell to replace Henare and lead the team in 2016.[34] After valuable role player Duane Bailey re-signed with the club on a two-year deal shortly after the appointment of Flavell,[35] Bailey's New Zealand Breakers teammate Alex Pledger was signed up by the Sharks for a return to the league in 2016. Pledger was named league MVP in 2011 while playing for the Waikato Pistons, and garnered Finals MVP honours in 2012 while playing for the Auckland Pirates.[36] The Sharks began building their roster with the signings of Everard Bartlett[37] and Derone Raukawa,[38] and the re-signing of club stalwart forward James Paringatai.[39] The club later signed Townsville Crocodiles pair Nick Kay and Jordair Jett as the two imports, following on the tradition of Crocodiles imports, having had Brian Conklin and Todd Blanchfield in previous years.

Jett was a star early for the Sharks, winning Player of the Week two times over the first four rounds. However, a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season after appearing in just six games, and to replace him, the club brought in Jett's Crocodiles teammate Mitch Norton.[40] Norton lasted just two games for the Sharks after he was called up by the Australian national team for their China tour.[41] With another import change, the Sharks signed Demetrius Miller for the rest of the season.[42] However, Miller's poor form over four games led to his release and the return of Norton in mid-May.[43] The Sharks finished the regular season in third place with an 11–7 record. With the Final Four being held in Invercargill for the first time in NBL history, the Sharks were eager to utilise home court advantage. However, they were defeated 79–75 by the Wellington Saints in their semi-final match-up, as the Saints got revenge on their grand final defeat at the hands of the Sharks in 2015.[44]

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Southland Sharks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht.
F 7 New Zealand Bailey, Duane 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
G 8 New Zealand Raukawa, Derone 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
C 35 New Zealand Pledger, Alex 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in)
G New Zealand Aston, Luke 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
C Australia Hunter, James 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)
Head coach
  • New Zealand Judd Flavell
Assistant coach(es)
  • New Zealand Mark Bell
Team manager
  • New Zealand Troy Paulin
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (I) Import player
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: 6 December 2016

Notable past players

References

  1. ↑ Worthington, Sam (14 July 2013). "Hungry Sharks claim unlikely NBL title". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Hyslop, Liam (5 July 2015). "Southland Sharks beat Wellington Saints in tense NBL final". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "SIT to continue Sharks sponsorship". Stuff.co.nz. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 Burdon, Nathan (23 December 2009). "Southland basketball begins top player search". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Southland basketball teams get revamped". Stuff.co.nz. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Revamped team ready to take flight". Stuff.co.nz. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Southland Flyers preparing for big liftoff in 2009". Stuff.co.nz. 23 December 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Egan, Brendon (6 July 2009). "Flyers soar to victory". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Egan, Brendon (14 July 2009). "Ed Book big coup for Flyers". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  10. ↑ Egan, Brendon (27 July 2009). "Big Joe means business". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Egan, Brendon (11 September 2009). "Coach demands more D from Flyers". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  12. ↑ Savory, Logan (2 March 2010). "Import bolsters Sharks". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. ↑ Egan, Brendon (3 March 2010). "Mike Rose set to give Sharks a good shot". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Egan, Brendon (5 April 2010). "Southland Sharks can rise to top: Mike Rose". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  15. ↑ Egan, Brendon (18 June 2010). "Southland Sharks ready to create history". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  16. ↑ Egan, Brendon (19 March 2011). "Southland Sharks title win would be 'awesome'". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  17. ↑ Egan, Brendon (11 February 2012). "Southland Sharks 2012 squad 'more balanced'". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  18. ↑ Wastney, Chris (14 July 2013). ""Started from the bottom, Now we're here!" – Sharks win NBL". NZhoops.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  19. ↑ Savory, Logan (31 May 2014). "Short-handed Sharks vow to meet challenge". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  20. ↑ "Shark player given reprieve". Stuff.co.nz. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  21. ↑ McCracken, Heather (26 May 2014). "Southland basketball player tests positive for banned drug". NZHerald.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  22. ↑ Savory, Logan (30 May 2014). "Henare, Peck make comeback for the Sharks". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  23. ↑ Savory, Logan (5 June 2014). "Southland Sharks bulk up their sagging stocks". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  24. ↑ McAuliffe, Hugh (9 January 2015). "Sharks sign Todd Blanchfield". Australiabasket.com. Sports I.T. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  25. ↑ Savory, Logan (1 November 2014). "Southland Sharks hook Kiwi Breakers player". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  26. ↑ Savory, Logan (10 December 2014). "Southland Sharks sign former Breaker A J Majstrovich". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  27. ↑ Savory, Logan (7 November 2014). "Southland Sharks snare Wesley for second stint". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  28. ↑ Savory, Logan (24 November 2014). "Shea Ili hoping to redeem for Southland Sharks". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  29. ↑ Savory, Logan (20 June 2015). "Southland Sharks guard Kevin Braswell announces his retirement". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  30. ↑ Savory, Logan (26 June 2015). "Sharks veteran Kevin Braswell to play for his mum in final game in Invercargill". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  31. ↑ Savory, Logan (28 June 2015). "Southland Sharks retire Kevin Braswell's No 12 jersey". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  32. ↑ Pickett, Brittany (6 July 2015). "Southland Sharks greeted by fans at airport". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  33. ↑ "CRAIG WINS MVP". Basketball.org.nz. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  34. ↑ Savory, Logan (1 September 2015). "Judd Flavell named Southland Sharks coach". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  35. ↑ Savory, Logan (7 September 2015). "Duane Bailey resigns with Southland Sharks for 2016 and 2017 Kiwi NBL seasons". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  36. ↑ Donaldson, Scott (15 September 2015). "Southland Sharks sign Alex Pledger". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  37. ↑ Savory, Logan (16 October 2015). "Southland Sharks sign Everard Bartlett for 2016 National Basketball League". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  38. ↑ Donaldson, Scott (6 November 2015). "Southland Sharks sign Derone Raukawa for 2016 basketball season". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  39. ↑ "Southland Sharks re-sign James Paringatai". Stuff.co.nz. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  40. ↑ "Mitch Norton to replace crocked Jordair Jett for Southland Sharks". Stuff.co.nz. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  41. ↑ Savory, Logan (16 April 2016). "Southland Sharks grab revenge against Canterbury Rams in NBL". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  42. ↑ Savory, Logan (17 April 2016). "Southland Sharks' latest import arrives in Invercargill". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  43. ↑ Savory, Logan (5 May 2016). "Southland Sharks cut import Demetrius Miller for remainder of season". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  44. ↑ Savory, Logan (3 June 2016). "Wellington Saints book NBL final spot with semifinal win over Southland Sharks". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
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