The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team based in the

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

city of

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the

Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre is an indoor sports arena located in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The capacity of the arena is 5,257 and was built in 1993. Tenants From 1993 until the end of the 2013–14 NBL season, the ...

. Between their inception in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

and their final season in 2015–16, the Crocodiles enjoyed financial stability and sustained community support, but on-court success eluded them.

Team history

1986–1992: Gaining admission into the NBL

Former

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL f ...

guard Mark Bragg, a Townsville resident, began campaigning to bring an NBL franchise to

in the late 1980s. The franchise adopted the name of Townsville's State League team, becoming the Townsville Suns. The NBL was ready to admit the Suns, along with fellow Queenslanders the

Gold Coast Cougars The Gold Coast Cougars were the re-branded Daikyo Dolphins after major sponsor Daikyo had to end sponsorship of the team due to financial problems with the Australian arm of the company. History See also *Sport in Australia * Australian ...

, in 1990, but financial backing for the Suns' venue fell through. Local government then got behind Bragg's bid, and the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre was completed in time for the Suns' debut in February 1993.

1993–1998: Early years

With Bragg at the helm as head coach, the Suns struggled during their debut season, but it only took five games before they recorded their first-ever NBL win, a victory over the Newcastle Falcons. Townsville broke the mould in 1993, becoming the first Australian team to hire an 'import' player from a country other than the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

;

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n player

Rimas Kurtinaitis Rimas Kurtinaitis (born May 15, 1960) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach, and a retired professional basketball player, who was a member of the senior Soviet and Lithuanian national basketball teams during his playing career. He won ...

was a crucial part of the team during their debut season. The Suns finished 4–22 and took the wooden spoon. Townsville would not reach the playoffs in its first six seasons, although they came perilously close in the 1997 season; needing only one win from their final six games to ensure a historic playoff appearance, the Suns went 0–6 after centre Clarence Tyson suffered a season-ending knee injury in Canberra. After a disappointing 1998 campaign, Mark Bragg was sacked as head coach. With 151 games played out of the Suns' 164,

Jason Cameron Jason Cameron (born April 19, 1969) is an American television presenter and actor most notable for his role on the TLC reality show, '' While You Were Out'' and is currently hosting ''Man Caves'' and ''Desperate Landscapes'' for the DIY Netwo ...

was the only player to have played in all six Suns seasons. Throughout, Townsville fans stuck by the team, ensuring the club set an Australian record for attendances; the Suns sold out their first 69 games at the "Furnace" (capacity 4,141), a streak that was only broken after the venue was expanded for the 1998 season.

1998–2001: Name change and finals basketball

It was a very different team that took the court in the 1998/99 season. The team had been involved in a dispute with the NBA's

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

, who held the "Suns" trademark in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Faced with the prospect of paying Phoenix royalties on merchandise sales, the team changed its name to the Townsville Crocodiles. New head coach

Ian Stacker Ian Stacker (born ) is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. Listed by the NBL in 1983 as 181 cm and a guard, he had an eight-year playing career before becoming a successful coach in the National Basketball League ...

took the reins, and immediately attracted top-name talent like Australian Olympic player

Sam Mackinnon Samuel Mackinnon (born 25 August 1976) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is the general manager of basketball for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). His athleticism above the rim saw ...

, but it would take one more season before Townsville's long-suffering fans saw playoff basketball. The Crocodiles finished second in the NBL in 1999/2000 with a 22–6 record, meaning they got a first-round bye in the NBL playoffs. But they faced a battle-hardened

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

team in the semi-finals, and were defeated 2–1 in front of their disappointed home fans. Perth would go on to win the championship. The Crocs again went 22–6 the following year and, under the league's new playoff system, eliminated both the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...

and the

Victoria Titans The Victoria Titans (known in its final two seasons as the Victoria Giants), were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Melbourne, Victoria. History The Titans ...

. It came down to the grand final series, where the team lost 2 games to 1- 95–92 in the final game- after a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback by the

Wollongong Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...

2002–2006: Missed opportunities

Townsville missed the playoffs in 2002 and the 2003 season looked no better, but the Crocodiles strung together a 16-game winning streak to again finish second on the NBL ladder. (The streak equaled an NBL record.) Townsville lost the opening-round series 2–1 to Wollongong, but by virtue of NBL rules, got a second chance to advance; they were then finally eliminated by the eventual champion

. After another disappointing season in 2005–06, Townsville head coach Ian Stacker's contract was not renewed. The Crocodiles again failed to make the playoffs. Trevor Gleeson was appointed coach and the team improved on their failed 2005–06 season by making the play-offs. They won their first final against one of the newcomers in the Singapore Slingers but lost their second to the Sydney Kings.

2006–2009: Return to finals

2007–08 saw the Crocs struggle in their first ten games, only winning three matches. Before the season, the team was struggling with injuries to both 7-foot centre's

Ben Pepper Ben Pepper (born 15 July 1975) is a retired Australian basketball player, who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball League. Professional career Ben Pepper, a center began his pro career in the NBL with the Newcastle Falcons in the ...

(back) and

Greg Vanderjagt Greg Vanderjagt (born 27 May 1984) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He is formerly an assistant coach for the Townsville Croc ...

(knee) along with

swingman A swingman is an athlete capable of playing multiple positions in their sport. Basketball In basketball, the term “swingman” (a.k.a. “wing” or “guard-forward”) denotes a player who can play both the shooting guard (2) and small forwa ...

Bradley Sheridan Bradley Michael Sheridan (born 19 February 1980, in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian basketball player who used to play in the NBL. Sheridan joined in Victoria Titans in 1999 after he travelled to the Australian Institute of Sport. At t ...

(back). The team ended up losing newly signed import Rosell Ellis who suffered a freak of an injury when he tore his

pectoral muscle Pectoral muscles (colloquially referred to as "pecs") are the muscles that connect the front of the human chest with the bones of the upper arm and shoulder. This region contains four muscles that provide movements to the upper limbs or ribs. Pe ...

during a weight session just after two matches. In those two matches saw Ellis get 27 points and 11 rebounds in both matches. The Crocs then brought in streetball legend Corey 'Homicide' Wiliams which saw the Crocs turn back into a strong team. With also help from the crocs bench saw them finish the season in fifth place with a record of 17–13. But just like the 2006–07 season, saw the crocs win their first game against another newcomer

Gold Coast Blaze The Gold Coast Blaze were an Australian men's professional basketball team which competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The Blaze competed in their inaugural season in 2007–08. The club was based on the Gold Coast and joined the ...

but were once again saw them smashed by the team who finished one win higher than the Crocs in the

96–78. The crocs have now made a push to make it to the top four in the 2008–09 season when they re-signed imports Williams and Ellis and also signings Brad Williamson and Steven Broom from the

and former Boomer Russell Hinder. The 2008/09 season saw them struggle to have a full roster with

(ankles),

(personal reasons) and Steven Broom (shoulder) leaving the club before the season had even began. The local fans were able to rally behind the club to finish 5th. The Crocs were unable to make the grand final series as they were knocked out by eventual champions

South Dragons The South Dragons were an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). They made their debut in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09. The club was based at MSAC in Melbourne's in ...

2013–2016: Financial troubles and disbandment

On 8 April 2013, the Crocodiles announced that Barrier Reef Basketball Pty Ltd was relinquishing its National Basketball League license, putting the Crocodiles' 2013–14 season in doubt. In September 2013, the Crocodiles re-entered the league as a community owned club under head coach,

Shawn Dennis Shawn Dennis (born 27 October 1965) is a professional basketball head coach for Nagoya Diamond Dolphins of Japan's B.League. Head coaching record , - , style="text-align:left;", Shiga Lakestars , style="text-align:left;", 2017-18 , 60, , ...

. In June 2014, the Crocodiles announced that the

Townsville RSL Stadium The Townsville Stadium (previously Townsville RSL Stadium) is a multi-purpose indoor venue located at the Murray Sporting Complex in Annandale, Queensland. The facility features an international standard wooden sports floor, multi-purpose funct ...

would be their new home court for the 2014–15 season. Following the 2014–15 season, the Crocodiles decided to place themselves into Voluntary Administration. On 21 May 2015, they re-entered the league for a second time after regaining control of the Deed of Company Arrangement and subsequently received NBL approval to re-enter the competition. The Crocodiles also announced that they would be returning to the

for the 2015–16 season. In February 2016, the

Queensland Police The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

seized a compressed air launcher use by the team for over ten years to launch folded T-shirts into the crowd, after the device was deemed to be a category B weapon. On 14 April 2016, the Crocodiles pulled out of the 2016–17 season due to financial pressures.TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES ANNOUNCEMENT

Retired Jerseys

* #7 David Blades * #21 Robert Rose

Honour roll

Season by season

Kevin Sugars Medal (Club MVP)

*1993 Ricky Jones *1994 Darryl Johnson *1995 Derek Rucker *1996 Clarence Tyson *1997 Derek Rucker *1998 Derek Rucker *1999 Robert Rose *2000 Sam Mackinnon & Robert Rose *2001 Robert Rose *2002 Robert Rose *2003 Pat Reidy & Wayne Turner *2004 Pat Reidy *2005 John Rillie *2006 Larry Abney *2007 Larry Abney & John Rillie *2008 John Rillie *2009 Corey Williams *2010 Corey Williams *2011 Luke Schenscher *2012 Peter Crawford *2013 Gary Ervin *2014 Brian Conklin *2015 Brian Conklin *2016 Jordair Jett Source
Award Winners

Notable players

Larry Abney Lawrence Abney (born May 19, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current player development coach/ basketball operations assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. Born in Nyack, New York, he was nicknamed ''Birdman'' thro ...

Will Blalock William Anthony Blalock (born September 8, 1983 in Boston) is a former American professional basketball player, who last played for the Saint John Mill Rats of the National Basketball League of Canada. Early years Blalock played basketball at E ...

* Chris Cedar *

Brian Conklin Brian Conklin (born September 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for FC Porto (basketball), FC Porto of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. He played college basketball for Saint Louis University and has since played in New Zea ...

* Peter Crawford * Gary Ervin * Wayne Turner * Russell Hinder *

Luke Nevill Luke Alexander Nevill (born 19 February 1986) is a former Australian professional basketball player who last played for Yulon Luxgen Dinos of the Taiwan Super Basketball League. He played college basketball for the University of Utah. Early li ...

* Josh Pace * Robert Rose * /

Derek Rucker Derek Alan Rucker (born October 2, 1966) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who starred in the Australian National Basketball League for 15 seasons. Playing career Prior to the commencement of his professional care ...

Luke Schenscher Luke Dean Schenscher (born 31 December 1982) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball for Georgia Tech before having stints in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls in 2006 and the Portland Tr ...

* / Corey Williams

References

External links

National Basketball League official website

Townsville Crocodiles official website
{{Townsville Sports Teams Defunct National Basketball League (Australia) teams Sport in Townsville Basketball teams in Queensland Basketball teams established in 1993 Basketball teams disestablished in 2016