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Southland Sharks

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Southland Sharks
Southland Sharks logo
LeagueNZNBL
FoundedDecember 2009
HistorySouthland Sharks
2010–2019; 2021–
ArenaStadium Southland
LocationInvercargill, Southland, New Zealand
Team coloursOrange, blue, black
Main sponsorSBS Bank
ChairmanNick Jeffrey
General managerJill Bolger
Head coachVacant
Championships3 (2013, 2015, 2018)
Retired numbers2 (12, 35)
WebsiteSharksBasketball.co.nz

The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank Southland Sharks.

Team history

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The Southland Sharks brand dates back to the 1990s when the Smokefree Southland Sharks competed in the Conference Basketball League (CBL) and won championships in 1995 and 1998.[1] 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.[2][3]

In October 2009, Southland Basketball Association was granted a three-year NBL license.[4] In December 2009, the Sharks were confirmed for the 2010 NBL season.[3][5]

The Sharks made playoff appearances in their first two seasons in the NBL, before missing the post-season in 2012. In 2013, the Sharks won their maiden NBL championship with a 92–81 win over the Nelson Giants in the final.[6][7] After another playoff appearance in 2014, the Sharks won their first minor premiership in 2015, before going on to reach the NBL final, where they won their second championship with a 72–68 win over the Wellington Saints.[8] With the win, they broke the 2001 Waikato Titans 15-game winning streak to finish the season with 16 wins in a row.[9] The 2015 season also saw the Sharks retire Kevin Braswell's No. 12 jersey.[10][11][12]

After another playoff appearance in 2016, the Sharks made their third NBL final in 2017, where they lost 108–75 to the Saints.[13] In 2018, 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.[14][15]

The Sharks sat out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

In 2022, the Sharks' inaugural sponsors SIT Zero Fees[17] decided to end its long-term partnership with the team.[18]

Honour roll

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NBL Championships: 3 (2013, 2015, 2018)
NBL Playoff appearances: 9 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
NBL Grand Final appearances: 4 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018)
Most Valuable Player:
Kiwi MVP:
All-Star Five: René Rougeau (2010), Brian Conklin (2013), Todd Blanchfield (2015), Tai Wesley (2015), Alex Pledger (2016), Jarrad Weeks (2018)
Most Outstanding Guard:
Most Outstanding Kiwi Guard:
Most Outstanding Forward: Brian Conklin (2013), Tai Wesley (2015)
Most Outstanding Kiwi Forward/Centre:
Scoring Champion:
Rebounding Champion: Alex Pledger (2016)
Assist Champion:
Rookie of the Year: Martin Iti (2010)
Coach of the Year: Paul Henare (2013, 2015)

Players

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Current roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Southland Sharks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht.
F 1 New Zealand Telfer, Scott 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
G 2 United States Asberry, Caleb (I) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
F 3 New Zealand Inger, Brayden 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)
G 4 New Zealand Burton, Alonzo (C) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
F 5 New Zealand Hall, Ben 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
G 7 New Zealand Riwhi, Joseph
G 10 New Zealand Webster, Quake 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
G 13 New Zealand Kapea, Matariki 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
F 15 New Zealand Snow, Riley 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
G 22 United States Robb, Cooper (I) 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
G 25 New Zealand Wheeler, Andrew 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
F 34 New Zealand Coll, Connor 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
C 45 New Zealand McRae, Callum 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • New Zealand John Auld
  • New Zealand Miles Pearce
Team manager
  • New Zealand Daryl Greig
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (I) Import player
  • Injured Injured
Updated: 13 June 2024

Notable past players

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References

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  1. ^ "2010 Conference Basketball League" (PDF). Basketball.org.nz. pp. 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2015.
  2. ^ Egan, Brendon (20 December 2009). "NBL decision expected next week". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b Burdon, Nathan (23 December 2009). "Southland basketball begins top player search". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  4. ^ Savory, Logan (22 December 2009). "Basketball green light expected today". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 22 December 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  5. ^ Richens, Matt (23 December 2009). "NBL move will cost: Davey". Waikato Times. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  6. ^ Worthington, Sam (14 July 2013). "Hungry Sharks claim unlikely NBL title". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013.
  7. ^ Jourdain, Daniel (14 July 2013). ""Started from the bottom, Now we're here!" – Sharks win NBL". NZhoops.co.nz. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
  8. ^ Hyslop, Liam (5 July 2015). "Southland Sharks beat Wellington Saints in tense NBL final". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  9. ^ Pickett, Brittany (6 July 2015). "Southland Sharks greeted by fans at airport". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  10. ^ Savory, Logan (20 June 2015). "Southland Sharks guard Kevin Braswell announces his retirement". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  11. ^ Savory, Logan (26 June 2015). "Sharks veteran Kevin Braswell to play for his mum in final game in Invercargill". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  12. ^ Savory, Logan (28 June 2015). "Southland Sharks retire Kevin Braswell's No 12 jersey". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  13. ^ Savory, Logan (18 June 2017). "Judd Flavell 'dead keen' to return as Southland Sharks coach in 2018". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Reuben Te Rangi leads Southland Sharks to thrilling NBL final win over Wellington Saints". Stuff.co.nz. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  15. ^ Anderson, Niall (5 August 2018). "Basketball: Southland Sharks beat Wellington Saints in superb final to win NBL title". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  16. ^ "2020 Update - Sharks confirm NBL plans". sharksbasketball.co.nz. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  17. ^ "SIT to continue Sharks sponsorship". Stuff.co.nz. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  18. ^ Savory, Logan (8 April 2022). "SBS Bank steps up to fill sponsorship void with Southland Sharks". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
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