The West Sydney Razorbacks (known in its final season as the Sydney Spirit) were an
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n professional
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 that competed in the
National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
They were the second team to represent Sydney's west in the NBL, several years after the Fosters (West Sydney)
Westars were largely absorbed in a merger with the
Sydney Supersonics
The Sydney Supersonics are a defunct basketball team that competed in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). The team joined the NBL in 1979 as the City of Sydney Astronauts, becoming the Sydney Supersonics in 1982 as a result of a merge ...
to form the
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...
. After the demise of the Sydney Kings in 2008, the Razorbacks rebranded themselves as Sydney Spirit to appeal to the greater Sydney community, as they were the sole remaining Sydney-based NBL team prior to the rebirth of the Kings in 2010. The experiment failed and the Spirit folded in 2009.
History
As the West Sydney Razorbacks
The Razorbacks were formed in 1992 as the West Sydney Slammers in the
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
, and were granted a National Basketball League licence in 1997. The licence was held by the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club which participated in the National Rugby League (NRL). Canterbury-Bankstown had plans to develop land in the south-west Sydney suburb of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
to create a multi purpose venue, called "The Oasis" which included a licensed club, Rugby League stadium as well as Basketball stadium to house the Razorbacks. Initially though, the club would play home games out of the EG Whitlam Centre in Liverpool.
The club was headed up by basketball
Olympian Robbie Cadee as General Manager, who launched the franchise in 1998–99. The club had recruited strongly for their inaugural season led by former league MVP
Derek Rucker
Derek Alan Rucker (born October 2, 1966) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who starred in the Australian National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League for 15 seasons.
Playing career
Prior to th ...
, veteran
Bruce Bolden
Bruce Bolden (born November 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 years in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia. He won an NBL championship with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1992, when he ...
and young stars Simon Dwight and
John Rillie
John Peter Rillie (born 4 November 1971) is an Australian basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as head coach of the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played 16 seasons in the NBL between 1995 and 2010 ...
. They were also coach by former Olympian
Gordie McLeod
Gordon "Gordie" McLeod (born 7 November 1956 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League (NBL).
Professional career ...
. The Razorbacks, played their first game in the NBL on 10 October 1998 defeating the
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...
103–97. The team also become the first club to win the "Doomsday Double" against the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
and
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle".
Afte ...
on consecutive nights, however, beyond that initial success, they struggled away from home and ultimately failed the reach the play-offs.
They qualified for the NBL play-offs in their second season - 1999–2000, losing to eventual champions, the Perth Wildcats 2–1 in the first round. During Round 11 of the
1999–00 season, the Razorbacks defeated the Kings 88–81 in an away game at the
Sydney Super Dome
The Sydney SuperDome (currently known as the Qudos Bank Arena) is a large multipurpose arena located in Sydney, Australia. It is situated in Sydney Olympic Park, and was completed in 1999 as part of the facilities for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
...
. This game attracted the still standing (as of
2016–17) NBL attendance record of 17,803. Following their first two seasons in Liverpool the club moved their home games to the 5,006 seat
State Sports Centre
The State Sports Centre (known commercially as the Quaycentre) is a multi-use indoor arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and was opened in November 1984. With a total of 3,854 fixed and retractable seats the main arena is a focal poi ...
in
Homebush Bay
Homebush Bay is a bay on the south bank of the Parramatta River, in the west of Sydney, Australia. The name is also sometimes used to refer to an area to the west and south of the bay itself, which was formerly an official suburb of Sydney, a ...
for the 2000–01 season. They failed to build on the success of their previous seasons and finished outside of the play-offs.
General Manager Cadee responded by recruiting
Sam Mackinnon
Samuel Mackinnon (born 25 August 1976) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is the general manager of basketball for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). His athleticism above the rim saw ...
from the
Townsville Crocodiles
The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainmen ...
and
Scott McGregor from rivals Sydney Kings. Despite MacKinnon not playing a single game as result of a knee sustained whilst playing for Townsville, the Razorbacks made history in season 2001–02 becoming the first Sydney team in the NBL's 24-year history to contest the Grand Final series. The
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
went on to win the championship with a 2-1 result in the best-of-three series.
For the 2002–03 season the Razorbacks added Willie Farley from Adelaide who replaced foundation player John Rillie, who had taken up an offer to play for
AEK Athens
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. They also added another former Sydney Kings player Aaron Trahair to their line-up. Rillie would return to the club later in the season.
Late in 2002 it was revealed that "The Oasis" development was riddled with misappropriation of funds and the planned development would not proceed The Razorbacks owners, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club had also been found guilty of serious and systematic breaches of the NRL salary cap regulations and were fined the maximum of $500,000 and deducted all 37 premiership points received during the season.
Despite the crisis engulfing its parent, the Razorbacks flourished; breaking club records for most wins in a season, most wins on the road and most wins at home in
2003-04, the Razorbacks made it to their second Grand Final series, this time against the Sydney Kings. In the new best-of-five format, the Razorbacks, who at one stage were up 2–1 in the series, lost 2–3.
Following the loss in the Grand Final to the Sydney Kings the Razorbacks underwent wholesale changes. After coaching the team for their first six seasons,
Gordie McLeod
Gordon "Gordie" McLeod (born 7 November 1956 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League (NBL).
Professional career ...
was dumped. A new coach was appointed in
2004–05 – Mark Watkins who previously had been the team's long-term assistant coach. High-profile players John Rillie and Sam Mackinnon would also leave for Townsville and Brisbane respectively.
The Razorbacks had two shocking years in a row. The first of these years started off with Dwight's forced retirement with a chronic knee injury and promising youngster Steve Markovic walking out on the club to play in Europe just a few weeks before the start of season. This left Scott McGregor as the sole remaining player from the Grand Final loss to Sydney. The 2005–06 season started off with import
Nick Horvath
Nick Horvath (born February 18, 1981) is an American-New Zealand former professional basketball player who played the majority of his career in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). In 2010, he became the first person to win an NCA ...
sustaining a knee injury in the first game, which sidelined him for the season, whilst fellow import Jermaine Blackburn was sacked midway through the season.
Cadee axed Watkins and hired
Cal Bruton
Calvin Thomas Bruton, (born 29 September 1954) is an American-born Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He has been an integral part of the National Basketball League (NBL) since its inception. Bruton won an NBL champio ...
as coach in late 2006 amid a long Razorbacks losing streak. During the
2006-07 season the Razorbacks finally broke a 20-game losing streak against the
Wollongong Hawks
The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...
. Six games after that, the Razorbacks thumped the Kings 106–75 at the Pig Pen, spoiling
Brian Goorjian
Brian Warwick Goorjian (born 28 July 1953) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player served as the head coach of the Bay Area Dragons of the East Asia Super League (EASL). He is also currently the head coach of th ...
's record of games coached.
Among this turmoil, with "The Oasis" development now dead and buried, the original team owner, Canterbury-Bankstown Rugby League Club, withdrew its support. Tri Media Group later took over the running of the club, which had almost folded.
As a result of their financial troubles, the Razorbacks squad for season 2007–08 was composed mainly of young NBL
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
s, headed by first time NBL coach
Rob Beveridge
Rob Beveridge (born 15 January 1970) is an Australian professional basketball coach. After coaching the under-19 Australian Emus at the 2003 World Championship to a gold medal win, he began his National Basketball League (NBL) coaching caree ...
. This period was most notable for the emergence of Damian Martin and Matthew Knight who would establish themselves as future stars of the league.
During the 2003–04 season,
Bruce Bolden
Bruce Bolden (born November 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 years in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia. He won an NBL championship with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1992, when he ...
became the first Razorback to have his singlet (No. 32)
retired
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
. In
2005-06 Simon Dwight, the NBL's all-time top shot-blocker, had his No. 45 honored as well.
As the Sydney Spirit
In July 2008, following the Sydney Kings' withdrawal from the NBL, the Razorbacks re-branded as the Sydney Spirit for the
2008–09 season in an attempt to capitalise as the sole basketball side in Sydney. The opening match of the Spirit's season attracted a lacklustre crowd of 1,500 fans.
In late November 2008, the club's owner, Greg Evans, informed the league that he intended to put the club into administration. The league stepped in with a rescue package to allow the Spirit to complete the remainder of the season, with the players and coaching staff agreeing to accept the league's minimum salary. The club also established a special financial account to allow interested parties to make contributions to supplement the league's rescue package; the first contribution was
A$30,000 by Australian
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
Andrew Bogut
Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian former basketball player who spent the majority of his professional career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tall center was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks ...
.
As a result of the agreement to take significant pay cuts,
Julian Khazzouh
Julian Khazzouh (born 23 February 1986) is a Lebanese-Australian former professional basketball player. He played in Australia, the Netherlands, Israel, and Lebanon.
Early life and career
Born in Melbourne, Khazzouh moved to Sydney as a child an ...
,
Liam Rush and import
Derrick Low
Derrick Low (born March 21, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Pieno žvaigždės of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga.
Professional career
After college, Low was not selected at the 2008 NBA draft.
In July 2008 ...
all left the Spirit for overseas clubs.
Honour roll
Source
NBL.com.au
Season by season
References
External links
National Basketball League official website
{{NBLdefunct
Defunct National Basketball League (Australia) teams
Sports teams in Sydney
Basketball teams established in 1998
Basketball teams disestablished in 2009
Basketball teams in New South Wales
1998 establishments in Australia
2009 disestablishments in Australia