The Gold Coast Blaze were an Australian men's professional basketball team which competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The Blaze played five seasons in the NBL between 2007 and 2012, and played their home games at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
| Gold Coast Blaze | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues | NBL | ||
| Founded | November 2006 | ||
| Dissolved | July 2012 | ||
| History | Gold Coast Blaze 2007–2012 | ||
| Arena | The Furnace Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre | ||
| Capacity | 5,269 | ||
| Location | Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland | ||
| Team colors | Blue, orange, black, white | ||
| Championships | 0 | ||
|
| |||
History
editIn November 2006, the NBL announced a Gold Coast team would join the competition in the 2007–08 season after a licence was granted to a consortium headed by former Adelaide 36ers coach David Claxton.[1] The franchise was initially owned by Claxton and local businessmen Tom Tate and Owen Tomlinson.[2] It was announced that the team would play its home games at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.[2]
In February 2007, the team name was revealed to be the Gold Coast Blaze. There had been a voting competition where 'Heat' had won as the preferred name, but it was not able to be considered following objections from the NBA and the Miami Heat.[3]
Brendan Joyce was the team's inaugural head coach,[4] while Scott McGregor, Juaquin Hawkins, Pero Cameron and Casey Frank were notable inaugural signings. The 2008–09 season saw Shane Heal join the Blaze.
In May 2012, the Blaze entered voluntary administration.[5] They later joined forces with the Gold Coast Basketball Association and reverted to a community model. They reportedly received a $500,000 cash injection from a mystery fan.[6]
On 17 July 2012, the Blaze were withdrawn from the NBL by owners, Owen and Ben Tomlinson. Basketball Australia had ordered the Tomlinsons to post a $1 million bank guarantee before granting them a licence for the 2012–13 season. The Tomlinsons, who had earlier declared they had secured the finances to operate in the 2012–13 season, had already reappointed staff when they were informed their submission would not be granted.[6] Basketball Australia had given the owners until the end of the month to provide "irrefutable evidence" they could operate a team and repay their debts to the league; the Tomlinsons instead decided to withdraw from the league and dissolve the franchise.[7][8]
Notable former players
edit
Shane Heal 1 season: '08-'09
Luke Whitehead 2 seasons: '07-'09- Scott McGregor 2 seasons: '07-'09
- Ater Majok 1 season: '11-'11
- Mark Worthington 2 seasons: '10-'12
Adris Deleon 1 season: '11-'12- Chris Goulding 3 seasons: '09-'12
- Jason Cadee 2 seasons: '10-'12
- Anthony Petrie 3 seasons: '09-'12
Pero Cameron 3 seasons: '07-'10
Honour roll
edit| NBL Championships: | 0 |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 3 (2007/08, 2009/10, 2011/12) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 0 |
| NBL Most Valuable Players: | None |
| NBL Grand Final MVPs: | None |
| All-NBL First Team: | Mark Worthington (2011/12) |
| All-NBL Second Team: | James Harvey (2007/08), Adam Gibson (2009/10, 2011/12), Anthony Petrie (2009/10) |
| All-NBL Third Team: | James Harvey (2008/09), Adris Deleon (2011/12) |
| NBL Coach of the Year: | None |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | None |
| NBL Most Improved Player: | Anthony Petrie (2010/11) |
| NBL Best Defensive Player: | None |
| NBL Best Sixth Man: | Erron Maxey (2009/10) |
Season by season
edit| NBL champions | League champions | Runners-up | Finals berth |
| Season | Tier | League | Regular season | Post-season | Head coach | Captain | Club MVP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Win % | |||||||
| Gold Coast Blaze | |||||||||||
| 2007–08 | 1 | NBL | 8th | 30 | 15 | 15 | .500 | Lost elimination final (Townsville) 89–97 | Brendan Joyce | Pero Cameron James Harvey Scott McGregor |
James Harvey |
| 2008–09 | 1 | NBL | 10th | 30 | 8 | 22 | .267 | Did not qualify | Brendan Joyce | James Harvey | Luke Whitehead |
| 2009–10 | 1 | NBL | 4th | 28 | 16 | 12 | .571 | Lost semifinals (Perth) 0–2 | Joey Wright | James Harvey | Adam Gibson |
| 2010–11 | 1 | NBL | 6th | 28 | 13 | 15 | .464 | Did not qualify | Joey Wright | Adam Gibson | Joe Ira Clark |
| 2011–12 | 1 | NBL | 3rd | 28 | 17 | 11 | .607 | Lost semifinals (Perth) 1–2 | Joey Wright | Adam Gibson | Adris Deleon |
| Regular season record | 144 | 69 | 75 | .479 | 0 regular season champions | ||||||
| Finals record | 6 | 1 | 5 | .167 | 0 NBL championships | ||||||
As of the end of the 2011–12 season
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Gold Coast to join NBL". ABC News. 21 November 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Gold Coast 'will be ready to rumble'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 November 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Gold Coast sets NBL a Blaze". NBL.com.au. 23 February 2007. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Joyce ready for next challenge". NBL.com.au. 5 February 2007. Archived from the original on 8 September 2007.
- ^ "Blaze in administrators' hands". ABC News. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Blaze up in smoke as owners walk away". goldcoast.com.au. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012.
- ^ Ward, Roy (18 July 2012). "Gold Coast Blaze out of the NBL". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "NBL must learn from Gold Coast Blaze demise". michaeldifabrizio.com. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.