Australian Basketball Association

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This article is about the ABA in Australia. For the semi-professional men's basketball minor league in the United States, see American Basketball Association (2000–present). For the defunct professional men's basketball league in the United States, see American Basketball Association. For other uses, see ABA.
Australian Basketball Association (ABA)
Australian Basketball Association (emblem).jpg
ABA logo
Formerly South Eastern Conference
1965–1970
South Eastern Basketball League
1981–1987
South East Australian Basketball League 1988–1991
Continental Basketball Association
1992–1998
Australian Basketball Association
1999–2008
Sport Basketball
Founded 1965
Ceased 2008
Country  Australia
Continent FIBA Oceania (Oceania)
Related competitions Big V
Premier League
QBL
SEABL
Waratah League
Level on pyramid 2

The Australian Basketball Association (ABA) was a second-tiered semi-professional men's and women's basketball entity in Australia which sat under the professional National Basketball League (NBL) and Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The association incorporated five regional leagues – the Big V (Victoria), Premier League (South Australia), Queensland Basketball League (Queensland), South East Australian Basketball League (Southeast Australia), and Waratah League (New South Wales) in both men's and women's competitions.

History

The Australian Basketball Association's (ABA) roots can be traced back as far as 1965, when just eight clubs competed in the South Eastern Conference (SEC). The SEC continued for six seasons until in 1971, the Australian Club Championships gained pre-eminence.

In 1981, the SEC was reborn as the South Eastern Basketball League (SEBL) when the Australian Club Championships ceased to operate due to the rise of Australia's first truly national competition, the National Basketball League. The SEBL was divided into a South and East Conference format in 1986, a league that now consisted of 21 teams from New South Wales, ACT, Tasmania and Victoria.[1] That same year, Queensland's State Basketball League was founded. In 1988, the SEBL was renamed the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), and in 1990, a women's competition was introduced.[2] In 1992, the SEABL was renamed the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and in 1994, the CBA expanded to a three-conference competition with Queensland's "North" conference merging with the South and East conferences. 1994 marked the first year in Australian state basketball league history that teams from outside the original south-east concept competed in an end of season national tournament.

1998 saw further expansion with the inclusion of a Central Conference from South Australia. South Australia's league had been running since 1957[3] before finally joining what was becoming a growing national competition. In that same year, the switch of NBL and WNBL seasons to summer enabled the CBA to offer professional players a showcase for their skills during the winter months. In December 1998, Basketball Australia took ownership of the CBA and renamed it the Australian Basketball Association. The competition was henceforth known as the ABA from the 1999 season onwards.[4]

2000 saw the addition of an entirely new competition in the Big V from Victoria, and in 2001, the Waratah Conference from New South Wales was included for the first time.

From 2002 to 2006, the champions of each of the five leagues and a number of wildcard entries competed at the ABA National Finals. This addition of a truly national ABA final series marked the dawn of a new era of national basketball competition in Australia.[5] The ABA National Finals became known as the Australian Club Championships (ACC) in 2007, but following the 2008 ACC tournament, Basketball Australia's Competitions Commission took over the management of all state-based leagues and competitions from 2009 onwards.

Past men's champions

South Eastern Conference (SEC)
Winner
1965 Melbourne Church of England
1966 Melbourne Church of England
1967 Melbourne Church of England
1968 Melbourne Church of England
1969 Melbourne Church of England
1970 Melbourne Church of England
South Eastern Basketball League (SEBL)
Year Location Grand Final Grand Final MVP
1981 Albert Park Stadium (VIC) Geelong Cats 97 def Frankston Bears 88
1982 Albert Park Stadium Frankston Bears 89 def Melbourne Tigers 87
1983 Albert Park Stadium Melbourne Tigers 114 def Bulleen Boomers 102
1984 Coburg Basketball Stadium (VIC) Bulleen Boomers 109 def Chelsea Gulls 108
1985 Kilsyth Sports Centre (VIC) Kilsyth Cobras 98 def Bulleen Boomers 87
1986 Bendigo Stadium (VIC) Newcastle Hunters 124 def Sydney City Comets 117 (OT)
1987 Devonport Recreation Centre (TAS) Adelaide Buffalos 124 def Newcastle Hunters 102
South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL)
Year Location Grand Final Grand Final MVP
1988 Broadmeadows Basketball Stadium (VIC) Bendigo Braves 121 def Bulleen Boomers 118
1989 Kilsyth Sports Centre Ballarat Miners 125 def Bulleen Boomers 118
1990 Knox Basketball Stadium (VIC) Bulleen Boomers 128 def Ballarat Miners 101
1991 Knox Basketball Stadium Knox Raiders 81 def Ballarat Miners 79
Continental Basketball Association (CBA)
Year Location Grand Final Grand Final MVP
1992 Knox Basketball Stadium Sydney City Comets 117 def Ballarat Miners 90
1993 Keilor Basketball Stadium (VIC) NE Melbourne Arrows 124 def Murray Bridge Bullets 113[6]
1994 Bendigo Stadium Ballarat Miners 104 def Cairns Marlins 81 Eric Hayes (Ballarat)[7]
1995 Whitlam Leisure Centre (NSW) Ballarat Miners 101 def Frankston Blues 86 Grant Keys (Ballarat)
1996 Devonport Recreation Centre NW Tasmania Originals 101 def Knox Raiders 88 Dave Biwer (NW Tasmania)
1997 Geelong Arena (VIC) Sunshine Coast Clippers 80 def Cairns Marlins 78 Billy Ross (Sunshine Coast)
1998 Gold Coast Cairns Marlins 88 def Frankston Blues 74 Chris Sneed (Cairns)[8]
Australian Basketball Association (ABA)
Year Location Grand Final Grand Final MVP
1999 Southern Cross Basketball Stadium (ACT) Geelong Supercats 98 def Kilsyth Cobras 78[9]
2000 Bendigo Stadium Hobart Chargers def Kilsyth Cobras Brad Williams (Hobart)[10]
2001 Not held[11]
2002 Bendigo Stadium Hobart Chargers 98 def Australian Institute of Sport 93 Andrew Beattie (Hobart)
2003 Bendigo Stadium Mount Gambier Pioneers 127 def Ballarat Miners 113 Kurt Russell (Mount Gambier)
2004 Geelong Arena Cairns Marlins 104 def NW Tasmania Thunder 100 Aaron Grabau (Cairns)[12]
2005 Geelong Arena Bendigo Braves 102 def Sydney City Comets 98 Jason Cameron (Bendigo)[13]
2006 Newcastle Basketball Stadium (NSW) Geelong Supercats 94 def Dandenong Rangers 80 Ash Cannan (Dandenong)[14]
Australian Basketball Association (ABA) / Australian Club Championships (ACC)
Year Location Grand Final Grand Final MVP
2007 Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (VIC) Cairns Marlins 110 def Dandenong Rangers 98 Aaron Grabau (Cairns)[15]
2008 Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre Rockhampton Rockets 103 def Hobart Chargers 99 Ryan McDade (Rockhampton)[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ FLASHBACK 21: SEBL Finals, Sept.20, 1986
  2. ↑ HISTORIC MOVE FOR AUSTRALIAN BASKETBALL
  3. ↑ Men's Premiers
  4. ↑ Basketball Australia Annual Report 1998 (p. 28)
  5. ↑ History of the ABA
  6. ↑ FROM THE VAULT - 1993 CBA FINAL - MURRAY BRIDGE VS NE MELBOURNE
  7. ↑ FROM THE VAULT - 1994 CBA GRAND FINAL - BALLARAT V CAIRNS
  8. ↑ 1998 CBA Mens Finals Homepage
  9. ↑ History – Geelong Supercats
  10. ↑ FROM THE SEABL VAULT - 2000 ABA FINAL - HOBART VS KILSYTH
  11. ↑ Basketball Australia Annual Report 2001
  12. ↑ Road to the National Finals
  13. ↑ Basketball Australia Annual Report 2005
  14. ↑ Basketball Australia Annual Report 2006
  15. ↑ AUSTRALIAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS – 2007
  16. ↑ Basketball Australia – 2008 Annuel Report (p. 21)

External links

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