Southern_Melbourne_Saints

Southern Melbourne Saints

Southern Melbourne Saints

Defunct basketball team in Melbourne, Australia

The Southern Melbourne Saints, previously known as the St. Kilda Saints, the St. Kildas Pumas and Westside Saints,[1] were an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne. The Saints competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 1979 and 1991.

Quick Facts Leagues, Founded ...

History

St Kilda was one of the ten inaugural, foundation teams of the NBL that competed in the league's first season in 1979, operating out of Albert Park Basketball Stadium at the time. As the St Kilda Pumas, the team was the powerhouse team over the league's first three seasons behind coach Brian Kerle, winning three straight minor premierships and claiming the first two NBL Championships. In 1981, after finishing the regular season in first place, the Saints decided to compete in the FIBA Club World Cup in Brazil rather than contest the NBL finals. The team never regained this level of success, as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals for the rest of their tenure in the NBL.[2][3][4][5]

In 1987, the Saints changed their name to incorporate a wider area of Melbourne rather than just the suburb of St Kilda.[6] For the next three years, the team was known as the "Westside Saints", playing out of the 2,000-seat Keilor Stadium. In 1991, the team changed their name again, this time to the "Southern Melbourne Saints".[7]

Prior to the 1992 season, the Saints merged with the Eastside Spectres to become the South East Melbourne Magic.[8]

Honour roll

NBL Championships: 2 (1979, 1980)
NBL finals appearances: 2 (1980, 1983)
NBL Grand Final appearances: 2 (1979, 1980)
NBL Most Valuable Player: Rocky Smith (1980)
NBL Grand Final MVP: Larry Sengstock (1979), Rocky Smith (1980)
All-NBL First Team: Danny Morseu (1980, 1981), Rocky Smith (1981), Phil Smyth (1982)
NBL Coach of the Year: None
NBL Rookie of the Year: None
NBL Most Improved Player: Andrew Parkinson (1991)
NBL Best Defensive Player: Phil Smyth (1982)
NBL Best Sixth Man: None

Season by season

NBL champions League champions Runners-up Finals berth
More information Season, Tier ...

As of the end of the 1991 season

*Note: In 1981, the St. Kilda Saints did not compete in the playoffs, choosing to compete at the World Club Championships in Brazil.

*Note: In 1983 and 1984, the NBL was split into Eastern and Western divisions during the regular season.

Source: Southern Melbourne Saints Year by Year

References

  1. [1]
    Scholes, Gary (30 November 1990). "Sport: Dufelmeier set to rise from ashes yet again". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. p. 26. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  2. [2]
    "Pumas to survive Cannons? - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  3. [3]
    Blake, Martin (30 October 1992). "13 years on, a game they now notice". The Age. p. 24. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Last fling saves Pumas". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 June 1979. p. 25. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. [5]
    Comerford, Damien (17 June 1980). "Pumas title in the basket". The Age. p. 33. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  6. [6]
    Blake, Martin (21 May 1987). "Saints move to the west in their search for greater glory". The Age. p. 34. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  7. [7]
    Brown, Michelle (24 April 1991). "Self-belief makes Saints go marching in". The Age. p. 36. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  8. [8]
    Howell, Stephen (19 January 1992). "The making of Melbourne Magic". The Age. p. 68. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Southern_Melbourne_Saints, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.