The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team based in
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...
. The Sharks compete in the
National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at
Stadium Southland
ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill, New Zealand is a multi-purpose venue, capable of conducting a wide range of events from large scale concerts to sporting events and exhibitions. Incorporating the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, the stadium com ...
. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank Southland Sharks.
Team history
The Southland Sharks brand dates back to the 1990s when the Smokefree Southland Sharks competed in the
Conference Basketball League
The Conference Basketball League (CBL) was a second-tiered men's semi-professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with th ...
(CBL) and won championships in 1995 and 1998. In 2002, a group of local businessmen launched a bid to enter a Southland team into the
National Basketball League (NBL), but that attempt fell over late in the piece when the Community Trust of Southland declined a $150,000 application.
In October 2009, Southland Basketball Association was granted a three-year NBL license. In December 2009, the Sharks were confirmed for the
2010 NBL season.
The Sharks made playoff appearances in their first two seasons in the NBL, before missing the post-season 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 ...
. In
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, the Sharks won their maiden
NBL championship with a 92–81 win over the
Nelson Giants
The Nelson Giants are a New Zealand basketball team based in Nelson. The Giants compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Trafalgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Mike Pero Nelson ...
in the final. After another playoff appearance in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, the Sharks won their first
minor premiership in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, before going on to reach the NBL final, where they won their second championship with a 72–68 win over the
Wellington Saints
The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena.
Team history
The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1 ...
. With the win, they broke the 2001
Waikato Titans
The Waikato Pistons were a New Zealand basketball team based in Hamilton. The Pistons competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at Hamilton Boys' High School.
After sitting out the 2012 NBL season, the Pist ...
15-game winning streak to finish the season with 16 wins in a row. The 2015 season also saw the Sharks retire
Kevin Braswell
Kevin Lavelle Braswell (born January 23, 1979) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Georgetown University before playing professionally in Europe and New Zealand. He currently serves as a ...
's No. 12 jersey.
After another playoff appearance in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, the Sharks made their third NBL final in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, where they lost 108–75 to the Saints. In
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, the Sharks returned to the NBL final for the fourth time in six years, where they won their third championship with a 98–96 win over the Saints.
The Sharks sat out the
2020 season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
In 2022, the Sharks' inaugural sponsors
SIT Zero Fees decided to end its long-term partnership with the team.
Honour roll
Players
Current roster
Notable past players
*
Larry Abney
Lawrence Abney (born May 19, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current player development coach/ basketball operations assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. Born in Nyack, New York, he was nicknamed ''Birdman'' thro ...
*
Everard Bartlett
Everard Verdon Bartlett (born 6 February 1986) is a New Zealand basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as the head coach of the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). Bartlett was a regular ...
*
Todd Blanchfield
Todd Blanchfield (born 7 November 1991) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He began his NBL career in 2009 with the Townsville Crocodiles, where he played six seasons. ...
*
Craig Bradshaw
Craig Robert Bradshaw (born 28 July 1983) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. Bradshaw played four years of college basketball at Winthrop University in the United States before playing professionally with clubs in New Zeala ...
*
Kevin Braswell
Kevin Lavelle Braswell (born January 23, 1979) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Georgetown University before playing professionally in Europe and New Zealand. He currently serves as a ...
*
Brian Conklin
*
Gareth Dawson
* /
Mark Dickel
Mark Robert Dickel (born 21 December 1976) is a New Zealand-Australian former professional basketball player and coach.
Early years
Dickel attended Logan Park High School in Dunedin, New Zealand. In 1993, he joined the Otago Nuggets of the New ...
*
Kaniel Dickens
Kaniel Dickens (born July 21, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round (50th pick overall) in the 2000 NBA draft.
College career
Dickens first played college basketball for ...
*
Mike Helms
*
Paul Henare
*
Leon Henry
Leon Hofeni Nehemiah Henry (born 14 October 1985) is a New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the Knox Raiders of the NBL1 South. He debuted in the New Zealand NBL in 2004 and has since won seven championships. He also p ...
* /
Martin Iti
*
Jordair Jett
Jordair Jett (born August 17, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Saint Louis Billikens where he was named Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year in 2014, becoming the school's firs ...
*
Nick Kay
Nicholas Colin Kay (born 3 August 1992) is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners before beginning his profe ...
* /
Adrian Majstrovich
Adrian "A. J." Majstrovich (born 9 February 1980) is a New Zealand-Australian former professional basketball player. He spent the majority of his 20-year career playing in the Australian NBL, New Zealand NBL and State Basketball League (SBL) ...
* /
Luke Martin
Luke Martin (born 22 January 1981) is an Australian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing in the National Basketball League (NBL). In 2004 and 2005, he represented the Australian national team.
Ea ...
*
Daniel Munday
Daniel Munday (born 7 March 1985) is an Australian former basketball player.
Early life
Munday was born in Karratha, Western Australia. He graduated from Willetton Senior High School in Perth in 2002.
Basketball career
Munday played for the Ma ...
*
Mitch Norton
Mitchell Robert Norton (born 1 April 1993) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He began his career in 2011 with the Townsville Crocodiles before joining the Illawarra H ...
*
James Paringatai
*
Alex Pledger
Alex John Pledger (born 27 March 1987) is a New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the Southland Sharks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played college basketball in the United States before play ...
* Brendon Polyblank
* /
Dion Prewster
Dion Anthony Prewster (born 10 January 1990) is an American-born New Zealand professional basketball player for the Sandringham Sabres of the NBL1 South. He played college basketball for San Jacinto College and Stephen F. Austin State University ...
*
Mike Rose
*
René Rougeau
*
Reuben Te Rangi
* /
Arthur Trousdell
* /
Tai Wesley
Tai William Evans Wesley (born May 13, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Utah State Aggies, where he was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2011. After begin ...
References
External links
Official team website"Southland Sharks: Standing tall among us"at stuff.co.nz
"Jill Bolger's 40 years of dedication to Southland basketball recognised"at stuff.co.nz
{{National Basketball League (New Zealand)
Basketball teams established in 2010
Basketball teams in New Zealand
National Basketball League (New Zealand) teams
2010 establishments in New Zealand