Brisbane Bullets
Encyclopedia
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball
team competing in Australia's National Basketball League
. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks
. The team played in Midnight Navy and Maize colours. The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
was the home court for the Brisbane Bullets from the 1998-2008. Until then they were first based at the Chandler Arena
from 1979–1986 and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre
from 1986-1997.
The Bullets won three NBL Championships in their history, being successful in the 1985 and 1987 seasons and again in 2007, as well as having competed in the 1984, 1986 and 1990 grand finals. The team reached the play-offs 21 times in their illustrious 30 year history.
On 30 June 2008, it was announced that the Bullets license had been returned to the NBL, following financial difficulties for the owner, Eddy Groves
and the failure of attempts to find a new ownership group.
On 23rd August 2011, Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock told ABC radio's Spencer Howson that the success of the Boomers upcoming game against New Zealand in Brisbane was important to the bid to revive an NBL team in the Queensland capital.
Sengstock told Howson that fan support for the Boomers Olympic qualification game against the New Zealand Tall Blacks on Friday 9 September at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre would be an important barometer for those looking to relaunch the Brisbane Bullets.
The BA CEO also said that there had been significant progress towards returning a team to Brisbane for the 2012/13 season and that he wanted the team to be called the Bullets.
of Bruce Fitzgerald, and head coach
Bob Young. Of the 18 games played during the inaugural NBL season, Brisbane won 13 and lost five, finishing in fifth place. Brisbane's Calvin Bruton
finished as the league's highest points per game scorer of the season.
The Bullets made it to the finals in the second NBL season of 1980. Dave Claxton took over as head-coach as well. Finishing in third place, winning 17 of their 22 season games, the Bullets met the West Adelaide Bearcats
in the second semi-final, losing 94-101. Brian Banks made the NBL First Team that season.
Brian Banks became the Bullets' captain the following season. After making the finals in the second season, Brisbane did so again in 1981. Brisbane finished in fifth place, but first-placed St. Kilda
did not attend the finals, as they were in Brazil
contesting the World Club Championship. The Bullets lost to Launceston Casino City 71-69 in the first semi-final. In 1982, with new coach Rick Harden, the Bullets missed out on qualifying for the finals, finishing eighth. In the following season, they finished fifth, still outside of finals contention. Import guard Ron "The Rat" Radliff
, known for his long curly hair and brilliant outside shooting played his first season for the Bullets and in the NBL in 1983.
Under new coach Brian Kerle, who would go on to win the 1984 Coach of the Year
award, the Bullets' first playoffs appearance since 1981 came about after finishing the 1984 regular season in 1st place with a 19-5 record, a major improvement on their 10-12 record in 1983. After defeating the Coburg Giants and the Geelong Supercats
in the finals, the team were into their first ever grand final with the game to be played at The Glasshouse in Melbourne
. Unfortunately they were not successful in capturing their first championship losing to the defending champion Canberra Cannons
84-82. Star import Leroy Loggins
capped off a great season with the Bullets by winning the leagues Most Valuable Player
award.
The Bullets had emerged as the league's most powerful team under Brian Kerle and again finished in first place the 1985 season with a 20-6 record and were again grand finalists after a hard fought win over the Cannons in the finals. With the game being held at their home venue (Chandler Arena
), the Bullets were hot favourites to defeat the Adelaide 36ers
in what was to be the last single game grand final in NBL history. Leading 78-74 going into the last period of play the Bullets then outscored Adelaide 42-21, setting an NBL grand final record for points scored in the final period and easily accounting for the 36ers 120-95 to record their first ever championship win.
The team's major change during the 1986 season was when they moved out of the 2,700 seat Chandler Arena
and into the brand new Brisbane Entertainment Centre
which could seat up to 13,500 fans, giving the Bullets the largest and newest home arena in the NBL at the time. They finished the regular season in 3rd place with a 17-8 record but progressed to their 3rd grand final in a row with wins over the Sydney Supersonics and regular finals opponent Canberra in the playoffs. In the first ever NBL grand final series to be played over three games, the Bullets would go down to the Adelaide 36ers 2-1, losing game 3 of the series 113-91 in Adelaide
. Leroy Loggins was again voted the leagues MVP in 1986 giving himself and Brisbane a second MVP title.
1987 saw the Bullets back to second on the ladder with a 20-6 season, earning themselves a bye in the playoffs until the semi finals. There they defeated the Illawarra Hawks two games to one to advance to a league record 4th grand final in a row where this time they were up against the Perth Wildcats
in their first ever grand final series. The Bullets won their second NBL championship winning two games to none. Leroy Loggins continued to star for the Bullets and in 1987 he won his third MVP award (shared with Adelaide's
Mark Davis
) as well as being voted as the Grand Final MVP.
The Bullets finished the 1988 regular season in third place with an 18-6 record but they would not reach their 5th grand final in a row after losing in the elimination final. A highlight of the 1988 season for the Bullets was first year player Shane Heal
winning the NBL's Rookie of the Year
award. The 1989 season saw the team fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 1983 when they finished the regular season in 8th place with an 11-13 record.
The team made a huge turn around in 1990, finishing in third place and going 18-8 for the season. They would again win their way into the grand final, again playing the Perth Wildcats. This time however the Bullets went down 2-1, losing game three at home 109-86. Game two of the series, with the Bullets leveling at one game all with a 106-90 win saw a then NBL grand final record crowd of 13,221 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. This is still the highest ever grand final crowd for a game played outside of Melbourne and the 7th largest overall. Brian Kerle won his second Coach of the Year award while new import guard Derek Rucker won the NBL's MVP award.
The 1991 season was not nearly as successful, as the team finished in ninth place, way out of finals contention with a 13-13 record. However, in 1992, the Bullets were back in the finals, making it to the quarter-finals. In 1993, Bruce Palmer
became the new Bullets coach, and the team made it as far as the semi-finals.
From 1994 through to the 1996 seasons, the Bullets made it as far as the quarter-finals, finishing in fifth, sixth and eighth place respectively. David Ingham took over as head coach for the 1996 and 1997 seasons, with Brian Kerle returning to the club to coach the Bullets from 1998 to 2000 while the high cost of playing home games at the Entertainment Centre forced the Bullets to move to the smaller (4,000) capacity Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
from the 1998 season.
The Bullets failed to get to the finals during the early years of the 2000s. The 2001-02 season
was especially disappointing for the Bullets, as they finished second-last on the regular season table, winning just 4 of their 28 fixtures. Although, the Bullets won 22 of their 33 fixtures in 2003-04
to finish in a more respectable fourth place on the ladder.
The team qualified for the finals in the 2004-05
and the 2005-06
seasons. They finished in fifth place in 2005-06, just missing out on a quarter-final place. They hosted the Perth Wildcats at home in game one, though they lost 96-91 and were eliminated.
During the 2006-07 pre-season Blitz, the Bullets won all three of their group stage games to finish at the top of Pool A and advance to the quarter-finals. Defeating the Wollongong Hawks
and the Sydney Kings
to make it into the final, the Bullets went on to defeat the Melbourne Tigers
to win the pre-season title.
Following on from their pre-season success, the Bullets easily won the minor premiership for the 2006-07 season
, claiming an end of season record of 28 wins and only 5 losses. This included an all-time NBL record-breaking 21-game winning streak, marking the Bullets' most successful season since 1979. After defeating the Sydney Kings in the semis, Brisbane made their first NBL grand final since 1990. They took out the finals series 3-1 over defending champions the Melbourne Tigers to be crowned NBL champions for the third and last time. Due to a conflict in scheduling, the grand final games in Brisbane were played at the Bullets former home, the Entertainment Centre, instead of their regular home at the Convention Centre.
In March 2008, the Bullets' childcare-centre mogul owner Eddy Groves
- who had run into financial strife with his ABC Learning
Centres empire - announced he would be forced to sell the club. On April 16, 2008, Logan businessman David Kemp was officially announced as the new owner. However, Kemp pulled out of the sale, and attempts to find a new ownership group were unsuccessful. On 30 June 2008, it was announced that the Bullets' license had been returned to the NBL. They have not played in the NBL since. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/30/2289560.htm.
Sengstock told Howson that fan support for the Boomers Olympic qualification game against the New Zealand Tall Blacks on Friday 9 September at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre would be an important barometer for those looking to relaunch the Brisbane Bullets.
The BA CEO also said that there had been significant progress towards returning a team to Brisbane for the 2012/13 season and that he wanted the team to be called the Bullets. http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article/2011/august/brisbane-boomers-game-vital-to-bullets-bid-sengstock/
Source: www.nbl.com.au
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team competing in Australia's National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...
. The team played in Midnight Navy and Maize colours. The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre is Australia’s most awarded venue and has been officially ranked among the world’s top three convention centres on three separate occasions....
was the home court for the Brisbane Bullets from the 1998-2008. Until then they were first based at the Chandler Arena
Chandler Arena
The Chandler Arena is a Brisbane sport venue, located in the suburb of Chandler. It has seating capacity for 2,700, and hosts netball, basketball, indoor soccer, badminton and volleyball....
from 1979–1986 and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a centre, located in Boondall, a Brisbane City suburb, in Queensland, Australia.The arena has an assortment of seating plans, which facilitate the comfort of its users, subject to performance. Specific seating plans usually are allocated, depending on the...
from 1986-1997.
The Bullets won three NBL Championships in their history, being successful in the 1985 and 1987 seasons and again in 2007, as well as having competed in the 1984, 1986 and 1990 grand finals. The team reached the play-offs 21 times in their illustrious 30 year history.
On 30 June 2008, it was announced that the Bullets license had been returned to the NBL, following financial difficulties for the owner, Eddy Groves
Eddy Groves
Edmund Stuart "Eddy" Groves is an Australian businessman, founder and former Chief Executive Officer of ABC Learning, once one of Australia's largest companies and one of the world's biggest childcare providers prior to going into administration.-Early life:Eddy Groves was born in Durban, South...
and the failure of attempts to find a new ownership group.
On 23rd August 2011, Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock told ABC radio's Spencer Howson that the success of the Boomers upcoming game against New Zealand in Brisbane was important to the bid to revive an NBL team in the Queensland capital.
Sengstock told Howson that fan support for the Boomers Olympic qualification game against the New Zealand Tall Blacks on Friday 9 September at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre would be an important barometer for those looking to relaunch the Brisbane Bullets.
The BA CEO also said that there had been significant progress towards returning a team to Brisbane for the 2012/13 season and that he wanted the team to be called the Bullets.
History
The Bullets were established in 1979 for the foundation season of the National Basketball League, under the captaincyCaptain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
of Bruce Fitzgerald, and head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Bob Young. Of the 18 games played during the inaugural NBL season, Brisbane won 13 and lost five, finishing in fifth place. Brisbane's Calvin Bruton
Cal Bruton
Calvin Bruton is a former player and coach in the Australian National Basketball League. Originally an American import, but later becoming a naturalised Australian, Bruton has been an integral part of the league since its inception...
finished as the league's highest points per game scorer of the season.
The Bullets made it to the finals in the second NBL season of 1980. Dave Claxton took over as head-coach as well. Finishing in third place, winning 17 of their 22 season games, the Bullets met the West Adelaide Bearcats
West Adelaide Bearcats
The West Adelaide Bearcats are a semi-professional basketball team competing in the Australian Basketball Association.-NBL:The West Adelaide Bearcats was a foundation club in the NBL which merged with the Adelaide 36ers in 1985. Founded in 1946, it won the NBL championship 80–74 against the Geelong...
in the second semi-final, losing 94-101. Brian Banks made the NBL First Team that season.
Brian Banks became the Bullets' captain the following season. After making the finals in the second season, Brisbane did so again in 1981. Brisbane finished in fifth place, but first-placed St. Kilda
Southern Melbourne Saints
The Southern Melbourne Saints, previously known as the St Kilda Saints and the Westside Melbourne Saints, were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League....
did not attend the finals, as they were in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
contesting the World Club Championship. The Bullets lost to Launceston Casino City 71-69 in the first semi-final. In 1982, with new coach Rick Harden, the Bullets missed out on qualifying for the finals, finishing eighth. In the following season, they finished fifth, still outside of finals contention. Import guard Ron "The Rat" Radliff
Ron Radliff
Ron Radliff is a former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League between 1983 and 1992. He won the NBL Championship with the Brisbane Bullets in 1985 and 1987 before finishing his career as part of the...
, known for his long curly hair and brilliant outside shooting played his first season for the Bullets and in the NBL in 1983.
Under new coach Brian Kerle, who would go on to win the 1984 Coach of the Year
NBL (Australia) Coach of the Year
The NBL Coach of the Year award takes into account regular-season performances only, and is voted on by head coaches, assistant coaches and team captains on a 3-2-1 basis.* 1980 Barry Barnes...
award, the Bullets' first playoffs appearance since 1981 came about after finishing the 1984 regular season in 1st place with a 19-5 record, a major improvement on their 10-12 record in 1983. After defeating the Coburg Giants and the Geelong Supercats
Geelong Supercats
The Geelong Supercats are an Australian basketball team, based in the Victorian City of Geelong, that currently plays in the Australian Basketball Association and previously played in the National Basketball League.-NBL History:...
in the finals, the team were into their first ever grand final with the game to be played at The Glasshouse in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Unfortunately they were not successful in capturing their first championship losing to the defending champion Canberra Cannons
Canberra Cannons
The Canberra Cannons were a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates...
84-82. Star import Leroy Loggins
Leroy Loggins
Leroy Loggins is a former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 to the 2000-01 season...
capped off a great season with the Bullets by winning the leagues Most Valuable Player
NBL (Australia) Most Valuable Player
At the conclusion of each NBL game, both coaches award votes to the best players from that game. Each coach has 10 votes to allocate, with no more than 5 to be awarded to one player by each coach....
award.
The Bullets had emerged as the league's most powerful team under Brian Kerle and again finished in first place the 1985 season with a 20-6 record and were again grand finalists after a hard fought win over the Cannons in the finals. With the game being held at their home venue (Chandler Arena
Chandler Arena
The Chandler Arena is a Brisbane sport venue, located in the suburb of Chandler. It has seating capacity for 2,700, and hosts netball, basketball, indoor soccer, badminton and volleyball....
), the Bullets were hot favourites to defeat the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
in what was to be the last single game grand final in NBL history. Leading 78-74 going into the last period of play the Bullets then outscored Adelaide 42-21, setting an NBL grand final record for points scored in the final period and easily accounting for the 36ers 120-95 to record their first ever championship win.
The team's major change during the 1986 season was when they moved out of the 2,700 seat Chandler Arena
Chandler Arena
The Chandler Arena is a Brisbane sport venue, located in the suburb of Chandler. It has seating capacity for 2,700, and hosts netball, basketball, indoor soccer, badminton and volleyball....
and into the brand new Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a centre, located in Boondall, a Brisbane City suburb, in Queensland, Australia.The arena has an assortment of seating plans, which facilitate the comfort of its users, subject to performance. Specific seating plans usually are allocated, depending on the...
which could seat up to 13,500 fans, giving the Bullets the largest and newest home arena in the NBL at the time. They finished the regular season in 3rd place with a 17-8 record but progressed to their 3rd grand final in a row with wins over the Sydney Supersonics and regular finals opponent Canberra in the playoffs. In the first ever NBL grand final series to be played over three games, the Bullets would go down to the Adelaide 36ers 2-1, losing game 3 of the series 113-91 in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Leroy Loggins was again voted the leagues MVP in 1986 giving himself and Brisbane a second MVP title.
1987 saw the Bullets back to second on the ladder with a 20-6 season, earning themselves a bye in the playoffs until the semi finals. There they defeated the Illawarra Hawks two games to one to advance to a league record 4th grand final in a row where this time they were up against the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
in their first ever grand final series. The Bullets won their second NBL championship winning two games to none. Leroy Loggins continued to star for the Bullets and in 1987 he won his third MVP award (shared with Adelaide's
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
Mark Davis
Mark Davis (NBL)
Mark Davis is a naturalised Australian former basketball player who played from 1985 to 2001 with the National Basketball League's Adelaide 36ers, gaining the nickname of "Chairman of the Boards" for his record breaking rebounding achievements.-Professional career:Davis was signed by then Adelaide...
) as well as being voted as the Grand Final MVP.
The Bullets finished the 1988 regular season in third place with an 18-6 record but they would not reach their 5th grand final in a row after losing in the elimination final. A highlight of the 1988 season for the Bullets was first year player Shane Heal
Shane Heal
Shane Douglas Heal is a retired Australia professional basketball player who last played with the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League, retiring at the end of the 2008/09 season. During his early years as a player, Heal played for the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats...
winning the NBL's Rookie of the Year
NBL (Australia) Rookie of the Year
* 1983 Jamie Kennedy * 1984 Andrew Gaze * 1985 Mike McKay * 1986 Steve Lunardon * 1987 Greg Hubbard * 1988 Shane Heal...
award. The 1989 season saw the team fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 1983 when they finished the regular season in 8th place with an 11-13 record.
The team made a huge turn around in 1990, finishing in third place and going 18-8 for the season. They would again win their way into the grand final, again playing the Perth Wildcats. This time however the Bullets went down 2-1, losing game three at home 109-86. Game two of the series, with the Bullets leveling at one game all with a 106-90 win saw a then NBL grand final record crowd of 13,221 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. This is still the highest ever grand final crowd for a game played outside of Melbourne and the 7th largest overall. Brian Kerle won his second Coach of the Year award while new import guard Derek Rucker won the NBL's MVP award.
The 1991 season was not nearly as successful, as the team finished in ninth place, way out of finals contention with a 13-13 record. However, in 1992, the Bullets were back in the finals, making it to the quarter-finals. In 1993, Bruce Palmer
Bruce Palmer (basketball)
Bruce Palmer is an American-born basketball coach, best known as a colourful head coach in Australia's NBL. He is currently the head coach for the Brisbane Capitals in the Australian Basketball Association League....
became the new Bullets coach, and the team made it as far as the semi-finals.
From 1994 through to the 1996 seasons, the Bullets made it as far as the quarter-finals, finishing in fifth, sixth and eighth place respectively. David Ingham took over as head coach for the 1996 and 1997 seasons, with Brian Kerle returning to the club to coach the Bullets from 1998 to 2000 while the high cost of playing home games at the Entertainment Centre forced the Bullets to move to the smaller (4,000) capacity Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre is Australia’s most awarded venue and has been officially ranked among the world’s top three convention centres on three separate occasions....
from the 1998 season.
The Bullets failed to get to the finals during the early years of the 2000s. The 2001-02 season
2001-02 NBL Season
Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2000-2001.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 154 games were played, 28 for each team. The top 6 teams qualified for the finals series.-First Round:1st played...
was especially disappointing for the Bullets, as they finished second-last on the regular season table, winning just 4 of their 28 fixtures. Although, the Bullets won 22 of their 33 fixtures in 2003-04
2003-04 NBL Season
Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2003-2004.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 198 games were played, 33 for each team...
to finish in a more respectable fourth place on the ladder.
The team qualified for the finals in the 2004-05
2004-05 NBL Season
Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2004-2005.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 176 games were played, 32 for each team...
and the 2005-06
2005-06 NBL Season
Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2005-2006.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 176 games were played, 32 for each team. The top 8 teams qualified for the finals series.KeyThe quarter finals were...
seasons. They finished in fifth place in 2005-06, just missing out on a quarter-final place. They hosted the Perth Wildcats at home in game one, though they lost 96-91 and were eliminated.
During the 2006-07 pre-season Blitz, the Bullets won all three of their group stage games to finish at the top of Pool A and advance to the quarter-finals. Defeating the Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...
and the Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
to make it into the final, the Bullets went on to defeat the Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
to win the pre-season title.
Following on from their pre-season success, the Bullets easily won the minor premiership for the 2006-07 season
2006-07 NBL Season
The 2006-07 National Basketball League is the 29th season of professional basketball in Australia. For the first time, a team was established from outside the Australasian area, with the Singapore Slingers taking over the licence of the Hunter Pirates...
, claiming an end of season record of 28 wins and only 5 losses. This included an all-time NBL record-breaking 21-game winning streak, marking the Bullets' most successful season since 1979. After defeating the Sydney Kings in the semis, Brisbane made their first NBL grand final since 1990. They took out the finals series 3-1 over defending champions the Melbourne Tigers to be crowned NBL champions for the third and last time. Due to a conflict in scheduling, the grand final games in Brisbane were played at the Bullets former home, the Entertainment Centre, instead of their regular home at the Convention Centre.
In March 2008, the Bullets' childcare-centre mogul owner Eddy Groves
Eddy Groves
Edmund Stuart "Eddy" Groves is an Australian businessman, founder and former Chief Executive Officer of ABC Learning, once one of Australia's largest companies and one of the world's biggest childcare providers prior to going into administration.-Early life:Eddy Groves was born in Durban, South...
- who had run into financial strife with his ABC Learning
ABC Learning
ABC Learning is an Australian company that was the world's largest provider of Early Childhood Education services. It is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with its market capitalisation reaching A$2.5 billion in March 2006...
Centres empire - announced he would be forced to sell the club. On April 16, 2008, Logan businessman David Kemp was officially announced as the new owner. However, Kemp pulled out of the sale, and attempts to find a new ownership group were unsuccessful. On 30 June 2008, it was announced that the Bullets' license had been returned to the NBL. They have not played in the NBL since. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/30/2289560.htm.
2011: Hope for Revival
On 23rd August 2011, Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock told ABC radio's Spencer Howson that the success of the Boomers upcoming game against New Zealand in Brisbane was important to the bid to revive an NBL team in the Queensland capital.Sengstock told Howson that fan support for the Boomers Olympic qualification game against the New Zealand Tall Blacks on Friday 9 September at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre would be an important barometer for those looking to relaunch the Brisbane Bullets.
The BA CEO also said that there had been significant progress towards returning a team to Brisbane for the 2012/13 season and that he wanted the team to be called the Bullets. http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article/2011/august/brisbane-boomers-game-vital-to-bullets-bid-sengstock/
Honour roll
| NBL Championships: | 3 (1985, 1987, 2007) |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 21 (1980, 1981, 1984–88, 1990, 1992–99, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 6 (1984–87, 1990, 2007) |
| NBL Most Valuable Players NBL (Australia) Most Valuable Player At the conclusion of each NBL game, both coaches award votes to the best players from that game. Each coach has 10 votes to allocate, with no more than 5 to be awarded to one player by each coach.... : |
Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins is a former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 to the 2000-01 season... (1984, 1986–87), Derek Rucker (1990), Steve Woodberry (1999), Sam Mackinnon Sam Mackinnon Samuel Mackinnon is a retired Australian professional basketball player whose last team was the NBL team Melbourne Tigers.-Playing career:... (2007) |
| NBL Grand Final MVPs: | Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins is a former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 to the 2000-01 season... (1987); Sam Mackinnon Sam Mackinnon Samuel Mackinnon is a retired Australian professional basketball player whose last team was the NBL team Melbourne Tigers.-Playing career:... (2007) |
| All-NBL First Team NBL (Australia) All NBL teams -NBL First Teams:* 1980 Cal Stamp, Danny Morseu, Brian Banks, Herb McEachin, Ian Davies and Ken Richardson* 1981 Rocky Smith, Danny Morseu, Al Green, David Nelson and Owen Wells* 1982 George Morrow, James Crawford, Leroy Loggins, Phil Smyth and Larry Sengstock... : |
Brian Banks (1980), Larry Sengstock Larry Sengstock Larry Sengstock is a retired Australian basketball player and the current CEO of Basketball Australia and NBL.... (1982), Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins is a former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 to the 2000-01 season... (1984–88, 1990, 1993–94), Derek Rucker (1990), Steve Woodberry (1999), Stephen Black Stephen Black Stephen Black is an Australian former professional basketball player who last played for the Cairns Taipans of the NBL. He is the son of Alan Black... (2004), Sam Mackinnon Sam Mackinnon Samuel Mackinnon is a retired Australian professional basketball player whose last team was the NBL team Melbourne Tigers.-Playing career:... (2007), Ebi Ere Ebi Ere Ebi Ere is a US-born Nigerian professional basketball player. He plays shooting guard for the Obradoiro CAB, in the Spanish Liga ACB. He previously played for the Sydney Kings, also of the NBL. Ere won the grand final 2007 with the Brisbane Bullets... (2008) |
| NBL Coach of the Year NBL (Australia) Coach of the Year The NBL Coach of the Year award takes into account regular-season performances only, and is voted on by head coaches, assistant coaches and team captains on a 3-2-1 basis.* 1980 Barry Barnes... : |
Brian Kerle (1984, 1990), Joey Wright Joey Wright Joey Wright is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Gold Coast Blaze.-College career:... (2004, 2007) |
| NBL Rookie of the Year NBL (Australia) Rookie of the Year * 1983 Jamie Kennedy * 1984 Andrew Gaze * 1985 Mike McKay * 1986 Steve Lunardon * 1987 Greg Hubbard * 1988 Shane Heal... : |
Shane Heal Shane Heal Shane Douglas Heal is a retired Australia professional basketball player who last played with the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League, retiring at the end of the 2008/09 season. During his early years as a player, Heal played for the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats... (1988), John Rillie John Rillie John Rillie is an Australian basketball player. Rillie previously captained the Townsville Crocodiles in the NBL but his contracted was not renewed. In his first season in the NBL, Rillie won Rookie of the Year honours playing for the Brisbane Bullets. He is known for his long range shooting... (1995) |
| NBL Most Improved Player NBL (Australia) Most Improved Player * 1988 Darren Lucas * 1989 Mark Bradtke * 1990 Shane Heal * 1991 Andrew Parkinson * 1992 Andrew Svaldenis * 1993 Scott Ninnis... : |
Wade Helliwell (2002) |
| NBL Best Defensive Player NBL (Australia) Best Defensive Player * 1980 Ray Wood * 1981 Ray Wood * 1982 Phil Smyth * 1983 Phil Smyth * 1984 not awarded* 1985 not awarded* 1986 not awarded* 1987 Leroy Loggins... : |
Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins is a former professional basketball player who played in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 to the 2000-01 season... (1987, 1990), Ben Castle (2004), Sam Mackinnon Sam Mackinnon Samuel Mackinnon is a retired Australian professional basketball player whose last team was the NBL team Melbourne Tigers.-Playing career:... (2007) |
| NBL Best Sixth Man NBL (Australia) Best Sixth Man * 1996 Mike McKay * 1997 Ben Pepper * 1998 Jason Smith * 1999 Bruce Bolden * 2000 Ben Knight... : |
Mike McKay (1996) |
Source: www.nbl.com.au
Season-by-Season
| Season | Results | Finals | Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 1979 NBL Season Here are results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 1979.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 90 games were played, 18 for each team... |
5th (10-8) | - | Bob Young | Bruce Fitzgerald |
| 1980 1980 NBL Season Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 1980.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 132 games were played, 22 for each team.-Finals:... |
3rd (15-7) | Lost semi-final | Dave Claxton | Bruce Fitzgerald |
| 1981 1981 NBL Season Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 1981.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 132 games were played, 22 for each team.-Finals:... |
5th (13-9) | Lost semi-final | Dave Claxton | Brian Banks |
| 1982 1982 NBL Season The 1982 National Basketball League was the fourth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested in the league from 6 states and 1 territory across Australia... |
8th (12-14) | - | Rick Harden | Brian Banks/Larry Sengstock |
| 1983 | 5th (10-12) | - | Rick Harden | Larry Sengstock |
| 1984 | 1st (19-5) | Lost Grand Final | Brian Kerle | Larry Sengstock |
| 1985 | 1st (20-6) | Champions | Brian Kerle | Larry Sengstock |
| 1986 | 3rd (17-9) | Lost Grand Final | Brian Kerle | Larry Sengstock |
| 1987 | 2nd (20-6) | Champions | Brian Kerle | Larry Sengstock |
| 1988 | 3rd (18-6) | Lost elimination final | Brian Kerle | Larry Sengstock |
| 1989 | 8th (11-13) | - | Brian Kerle | Larry Sengstock |
| 1990 | 3rd (18-8) | Lost Grand Final | Brian Kerle | Leroy Loggins |
| 1991 | 9th (13-13) | - | Brian Kerle | Leroy Loggins |
| 1992 | 7th (12-12) | Lost quarter-final | Brian Kerle | Leroy Loggins |
| 1993 | 4th (16-10) | Lost semi-final | Bruce Palmer | Leroy Loggins |
| 1994 | 5th (18-8) | Lost quarter-final | Bruce Palmer | Leroy Loggins |
| 1995 | 6th (16-10) | Lost quarter-final | Bruce Palmer | Leroy Loggins |
| 1996 | 8th (14-12) | Lost quarter-final | Dave Ingham | Leroy Loggins |
| 1997 | 5th (15-15) | Lost elimination final | Dave Ingham | Leroy Loggins |
| 1998 | 4th (16-14) | Lost semi-final | Brian Kerle | Leroy Loggins |
| 1998-99 | 5th (13-13) | Lost elimination final | Brian Kerle | Leroy Loggins |
| 1999-00 | 10th (7-21) | - | Brian Kerle | Leroy Loggins |
| 2000-01 | 10th (4-24) | - | Richard Orlick | Leroy Loggins |
| 2001-02 2001-02 NBL Season Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2000-2001.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 154 games were played, 28 for each team. The top 6 teams qualified for the finals series.-First Round:1st played... |
7th (14-16) | - | Richard Orlick | Simon Kerle |
| 2002-03 2002-03 NBL Season The 2002-03 National Basketball League is the 25th season of professional basketball in Australia.... |
11th (6-24) | - | Richard Orlick/Joey Wright | Simon Kerle |
| 2003-04 2003-04 NBL Season Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2003-2004.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 198 games were played, 33 for each team... |
4th (22-11) | Lost semi-final | Joey Wright | Derek Rucker |
| 2004-05 2004-05 NBL Season Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2004-2005.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 176 games were played, 32 for each team... |
5th (17-5) | Lost semi-final | Joey Wright | Derek Rucker |
| 2005-06 2005-06 NBL Season Here are the results and statistics from the National Basketball League season of 2005-2006.-End of Season Ladder:This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. In all, 176 games were played, 32 for each team. The top 8 teams qualified for the finals series.KeyThe quarter finals were... |
6th (17-15) | Lost elimination final | Joey Wright | Derek Rucker |
| 2006-07 2006-07 NBL Season The 2006-07 National Basketball League is the 29th season of professional basketball in Australia. For the first time, a team was established from outside the Australasian area, with the Singapore Slingers taking over the licence of the Hunter Pirates... |
1st (28-5) | Champions | Joey Wright | Sam Mackinnon |
| 2007-08 2007-08 NBL Season 2007-08 is the 30th NBL season.On 21 November 2006, the NBL announced that Gold Coast Blaze will join the league, expanding it to 13 teams.-2007-08 league participants:-Pre-season Transactions:... |
3rd (21-12) | Lost semi-final | Joey Wright | Sam Mackinnon |