The Reading Rockets are an English semi-professional basketball club based in the town of
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Founded in 1997, the Rockets compete in
NBL Division 1, the second tier of the British basketball system.
History
The Rockets were formed in 1997 by current owner Gary Johnson together with his son Matt, starting in Division 3. The club won promotion at the first attempt, and in the National Basketball League reorganisation of 2000,
England Basketball
Basketball England (BE, formally ''England Basketball'')[English Basketball League
The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a league competition representing semi-professional and amateur basketball clubs from England and Wales. It forms levels 2 to 4 on the British basketball pyramid, in line with the Scottish ...](_blank)
, and once again was restructured with a new format, with Rockets finishing in second place in the new EBL Division 1. In the following season the Rockets finished third and were runners-up to
Worthing Thunder
The Worthing Thunder are an English professional basketball team based in Worthing, West Sussex. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball League (NBL). Founded in 1999 as the Worthing Rebels after the Worthing Bears had relocated to Bri ...
in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
The club completed its most successful season ever in 2008-09, going undefeated to win all four national championships. The club applied to join the
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 ...
(Top division of the British Basketball System) as a member franchise for the
2012–13 season but was unsuccessful. In the 2013-14 season the Rockets completed the treble and were Play Off Championship finalists. Rockets’ Ladies won the Division 2 Southern league in 2014. As a stepping stone into the Senior Men’s team, the Rockets’ run academies at the
John Madejski Academy and the
Henley College.
The club has squads ranging from developing Under-12s to the Division 1 senior men's side, and coaching staff regularly visit local schools and run satellite clubs as part of the Community Rockets scheme.
In 2022, the Rockets applied to join the
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 ...
starting from the 2023–24 season.
Elite Basketball Academy
Reading Rockets are also partnered with John Madejski Academy, Of whom run one of the Elite Basketball Academies in the country. Since The Academy started in 2013, many players have been through the academy and have gone on to achieve many things since. Here are some notable former academy Students.
Men
Honours
* Men's National League Division 1 League Champions (3): 2008/2009, 2012/13, 2013/14
* Men's National Cup Winners (3): 2004/05, 2008/09, 2013/14
* Men's National League Division 1 Play Off Champions (4): 2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2012/13
* Men's National Trophy Winners (5): 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2013/14
Players
Current squad
Notable former players
*
E.J. Harrison
* Adam Kelly
* Ted Smith
* Tyrell Smith
* David Watts
* Niko Scott
* Ryan Lohfink
*
Luke Nelson
* Matt Johnson
* Harrison Gamble
* Andy Powlesland
* Jermaine Williams
* Pem Bristol
* Danny Carter
Staff
Former head coaches
Season-by-season records
Record in BBL competitions
Women
Players
Current squad
Notable former players
* Cat Lutz-Sadler
* Steph Johnson
* Maike Delow
* Carmen Segura Moreno
* Sitota Gines Espinosa
Staff
Former head coaches
Honours
* Women's National League Division 2 Champions (1): 2013/14
* Women's National League Division 2 South West Champions (1): 2015/16 1
Season-by-season records
*DNQ denotes Did Not Qualify.
See also
*
Basketball in England
Basketball has a very long history in England, being introduced there by YMCA almost immediately after it was invented (having been created by the Canadian Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts). World Wars I and II further spurred its ...
References
External links
*
Basketball news at Reading Post
{{English Basketball League
Basketball teams established in 1997
Basketball teams in England
Rockets
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...
1997 establishments in England