The Solent Kestrels are an English professional basketball club based in the city of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. Founded in 1998, the Kestrels play their home games at the Solent Sports Complex at

Solent University Solent University (formerly Southampton Solent University) is a public university based in Southampton, United Kingdom. It has approximately 10,500 students (2019/20). Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre and th ...

, and compete in NBL Division 1, the second tier of the British basketball system.

History

Junior roots

The club was founded in 1998 by Jimmie and Bev Guymon, who wanted somewhere for their son and other youngsters in the area to play competitive basketball. Originally set up to offer junior basketball to boys teams from under-13's to under-18's, the club offers junior basketball to boys and girls from under-10 up to under-18 National League level. The girls program was introduced in 2001, an initiative of Ollie Jerram and Bev Guymon, giving Ollie's daughter the opportunity to play with other girls, as mixed basketball was not allowed after the age of 15. In their first season, the team won the U16 National title.

Elite academy

The club is partnered with

Itchen College Itchen Sixth Form College (also known as Itchen College) is a mixed sixth form college in Bitterne, Southampton, Hampshire, England. It was established in 1906 and was originally a mixed secondary school, it later became Itchen Grammar School un ...

, with whom they offer elite level, under-19 basketball development to some of the county's top male and female players.

Senior teams

The Kestrels, currently in partnership with

, offers senior basketball with four teams playing at

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

level. The men's senior team, established in 2012, are the current National Basketball League League and Playoffs champions, the second tier of British men's basketball. In 2020, the Kestrels became the first-ever NBL team to reach the semi-finals of a top-tier

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

competition, the BBL Trophy, and eventually finished as runners-up, losing to the

Newcastle Eagles The Newcastle Eagles are a professional basketball team based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Playing in the top-tier British Basketball League and holding the franchise for Tyne & Wear, they are the most successful team in the League's histor ...

96-94 after overtime in the final.

Men's team

Honours

:: National Cup Champions (2): 2019-20 , 2021-22 :: National League Division 1 League Champions (4): 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 :: National League Division 1 Playoffs Champions (3): 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22 :: National Trophy Champions (1): 2017-18 :: National League Division 2 League Champions (1): 2015-16 :: National League Division 3 South League Champions (1): 2014-15 :: L Lynch Trophy Champions (1): 2020-21

Players

Current squad Notable former players *

Joel Freeland Joel Daniel Freeland (born 7 February 1987) is a British former professional basketball player who last played for CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. Standing at , he played at the power forward and center positions. He also represented the Gr ...

* Will Neighbour *

Jeremy Sochan Jeremy Juliusz Sochan (; born May 20, 2003) is a Polish-American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a member of Poland men's national basketball team. He played colle ...

Season-by-season records

Record in BBL competitions

Women's team

Honours :: National League Division 1 League Champions (1): 2016-17

References

{{reflist Basketball teams in England Sport in Southampton Basketball teams established in 1998 1998 establishments in England