South West Slammers is an

NBL1 West NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

club based in

Bunbury, Western Australia Bunbury is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's third most populous city after Perth and Mandurah, with a population of approximately 75,000. Located at ...

. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The Slammers play their home games at Eaton Recreation Centre and represent Western Australia's South West region. The club was originally based in the

City of Bunbury The City of Bunbury is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, covering an area of along the coast about south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The City of Bunbury is one of four local governments comp ...

at Hay Park Recreation Centre (became known as South West Sports Centre in 2002) but relocated north to the suburb of Eaton in 2005 and moved into Eaton Recreation Centre.

Club history

Men's team

1989 saw the formation of the

State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

(SBL) with both a men's and women's competition. A team from Bunbury, known as the Slammers, entered the Men's SBL for its inaugural season. The Slammers were a dominant force in the first decade on the league, winning championships in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999, while also making grand final appearances in 1991 and 1992. However, after six grand final appearances and four championships in 11 years, things went decidedly south for the team. Following the 2001 season, the Slammers had a disastrous 11-year stretch without making the finals and an overall record of 46–225, which included two winless seasons and two years where they had just the one win. Following the 2012 season, the Slammers knew they had to do something different to become a force again, and that's where the appointment of

Ty Harrelson Ty Harrelson (born September 22, 1980) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who played the majority of his career in Germany and Australia. He is the current head coach of SC Rasta Vechta in the German Basketball Bundesl ...

as player-coach came to fruition. Harrelson outlined a three-year plan that he hoped would set up the Slammers for long-term success. As a result, the Slammers played finals basketball in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The three-year plan culminated in making the 2015 MSBL Grand Final behind the likes of Harrelson,

Clive Weeden Clive-Warren Nye Harvey-Weeden (born November 22, 1987) is an American basketball player for the South West Slammers of the NBL1 West. He played four seasons of college basketball for Dartmouth College before moving to Europe to begin his professi ...

, Tre Nichols, Brian Voelkel and Trent Worthington. In their first grand final since 1999, the Slammers were defeated 105–75 by the

Joondalup Wolves Joondalup Wolves is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Wanneroo Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organisa ...

Women's team

In 1992, a Slammers women's team entered the Women's SBL. The team struggled over their first three seasons, as they finished in ninth place each year while registering a 6–14 record in both 1992 and 1993, and a 3–17 record in 1994. The team subsequently exited the league following the 1994 season and had a five-year hiatus, returning in 2000. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, after 15 seasons of not playing in the finals, the Slammers finished in third place with a 15–7 record. They went on to reach the WSBL Grand Final, where they defeated the

Rockingham Flames Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrat ...

85–48 to win their maiden championship. In

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, the SBL was rebranded as

Accolades

South West Slammers championship banners

Women *

Championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

: 1 (2012) *Grand Final appearances: 1 (2012) * Minor premierships: Nil Men *

: 4 (1995, 1996, 1998, 1999) *Grand Final appearances: 7 (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2015) * Minor premierships: 3 (1992, 1996, 1999)

References

External links

Official website
* {{NBL1 West Basketball teams established in 1989 1989 establishments in Australia Basketball teams in Western Australia NBL1 West teams