Geelong Supercats

Geelong United is a NBL1 South club based in Geelong, Victoria. Previously known as the Geelong Supercats, the club fields teams in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is affiliated with Geelong United Basketball and plays its home games at the Geelong Arena.

Club history

Early years

The Geelong Basketball Club was established in 1977 with a men's team. The team entered the Victorian Championship and finished sixth in 1978 and fifth in 1979. In 1980, the team signed Cal Bruton, Steven Kelocinski and Ray Shirley. That year, the side won three major tournaments and finished runners-up in the VBA championships.

In 1981, the Geelong Cats debuted in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) and won the inaugural SEABL championship and inaugural ABA National championship. Geelong was subsequently invited to compete in the Converse Super Challenge in Adelaide against Launceston (1981 national league winners), West Adelaide (No. 1 team in South Australia), and St Kilda (Australia's representative in the world championships in Brazil). Geelong emerged victors of the Super Challenge. The club was also the Victorian Summer Championship Premiers with a resounding victory over the national league team Nunawading. With the victory, Geelong was accepted into the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 1982 season.

NBL franchise

The Cats finished runners-up in the 1982 NBL season. They had 13 straight wins during the season and finished second on the ladder after the home-and-away rounds. They eventually lost in the NBL Grand Final to the West Adelaide Bearcats 80–74 after having trailed by 22 points. Cal Bruton was named NBL Coach of the Year. In 1983 and 1984, the Cats finished on top of the NBL's Western Division both years.

The team suffered at the hands of ownership problems during the latter part of the 1980s to the extent that a mass exodus of players at the end of 1987 contributed to a winless season in 1988, the same year the team changed its name from the Cats to the Supercats. At the end of the 1988 season, a group of local businessmen fought to save the team and as a result were granted a license to ensure Geelong's ongoing participation in the NBL.

After a top-three finish in 1991, another exodus of players resulted in the Supercats finishing last in 1992. Following the 1996 season, the license was sold back to the NBL. The team had recorded 388 NBL games in 15 years.

Return to SEABL and introduction of women's team

In 1997, the Supercats re-entered the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). They missed the finals with a 12–12 record. In 1998, the Supercats had a 23–8 record and finished runners-up to Hobart for the South Conference title. The second-place finish entitled the Supercats to participate in the National finals, where they lost to eventual champions Cairns in the semi-finals.

In 1999, the Supercats finished first in the South Conference with a 22–8 record and defeated Nunawading in the South Conference final. In the National finals, wins against Cairns (94–93) and the AIS (101–92) were followed by a 98–78 win over Kilsyth in the grand final. They subsequently won their second ABA National championship.

In 2000 and 2001, both seasons ended with conference semi-finals losses to Frankston. In 2002, the Supercats reached the conference grand final, where they lost 111–100 to the AIS. In 2003, they finished fourth in the East conference with a 14–12 record before losing in the semi-final to Hume City. In 2004, they finished in fourth in the East conference with a 14–14 record. They went on to lose in the elimination semi-final before earning a wild card entry into the National finals due to Geelong being the host venue. There the Supercats were eliminated by the Sydney Comets in the first round.

In 2005, Geelong finished the regular season as minor premiers with a 15–11 record and went on to defeat Mildura to secure the SEABL East Conference championship. Geelong again played host to the ABA National finals, with the Supercats again losing to the Sydney Comets in the first round.

In 2006, imports Jamal Brown and Shawn Myers guided the Supercats to a second-place finish with a 17–9 record before leading them to a 108–73 win over Canberra in the conference grand final to record their second consecutive SEABL East Conference championship. Travelling to Newcastle the following week for the ABA National finals, the Supercats defeated Southern Districts and Knox to reach the grand final. There Geelong defeated Dandenong 94–80 to claim their third national championship.

The core group of local Geelong talent and both imports Myers and Brown were retained for the 2007 season. The team was undefeated through the first 17 games and went on to record their best-ever season of 22 wins and 4 losses to secure the minor premiership. Geelong met Canberra in the 2007 Conference Grand Final, which saw the rematch go to Geelong; they won an unprecedented third straight SEABL conference title. Geelong hosted the North Adelaide Rockets in the ABA National quarter-finals and defeated them by 29 points but then were defeated by eventual National Champions, the Cairns Marlins, the following weekend in the ABA National semi-finals.

2008 was a rebuilding year for the Supercats, who saw their season end with a conference semi-final loss to Frankston. The Supercats returned to the conference grand final in 2009, where they again lost to Frankston.

The 2010 season saw Jamie O'Loughlin take over as head coach. With import Isma'il Muhammad staying on for another season, the Supercats recruited J'Nathan Bullock to the second import spot. The combination proved ultimately successful, with Geelong winning the South Conference title against Hobart and then defeated Bendigo in the SEABL Championship final.

The women's program of Basketball Geelong, the Geelong Lady Cats, played in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in 1986 and in the Victorian Basketball League (VBL) during the 1990s. The team was an inaugural member of the Big V in 2000. After winning the 2010 Big V championship, the team entered the SEABL for the first time in 2011.

In 2017, the Supercats women won their first SEABL championship with a 76–67 grand final victory over the Bendigo Braves.

NBL1 and new Geelong United ownership

In 2019, following the demise of the SEABL, the Supercats joined the NBL1 for the new competition's inaugural season. The women's team reached the 2019 NBL1 grand final, where they lost 86–76 to the Kilsyth Cobras. That same year, Basketball Geelong and Corio Bay Basketball Association amalgamated under a new banner, Geelong United Basketball (GUB).

The Supercats did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The teams officially became known as Geelong United Supercats for the 2022 NBL1 season. In April 2024, GUB completed its branding change for the NBL1 teams from 'Supercats' to 'United'.

NBL Season by season

Future

In March 2025, NBL owner Larry Kestelman revealed that the Geelong Supercats brand could be revived by the league if the city was to be awarded a new licence in the future.

References

External links

Official website

{{NBLdefunct

Sport in Geelong
South East Australian Basketball League teams
Defunct National Basketball League (Australia) teams
Defunct Women's National Basketball League teams
Basketball teams in Victoria (state)
Basketball teams established in 1981
1981 establishments in Australia
Big V teams
Geelong United