The Kitsap Admiral Basketball Club is a semi-professional international feeder program that is based in Bremerton, Washington. It was established in 2011 by former semi-pro basketball player Ashley D. Robinson.
History
On Dec. 19, 2011, the
Kitsap Sun
The ''Kitsap Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Bremerton, Washington, United States. It covers general news and serves Kitsap, Jefferson, and Mason counties on the west side of Puget Sound. It has a circulation of about 30,000 while rea ...
announced that the city of Bremerton had landed an ABA franchise. Originally, the Admirals intended to make the Kitsap Sun Pavilion their home venue. However, the building did not meet the arena requirements of the league (regulation hardwood court floor). Unable to renovate the arena, the Kitsap Admirals made Olympic College's Bremer Student Center their home.
The Admirals made their ABA debut on Nov. 3, 2012 at OC against the
Seattle Mountaineers. The first basket in team history was a
three-pointer
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
by Bremerton graduate Ben Wilson. The Admirals lost to Seattle 97-89.
The team earned their first victory in their second game, played on
Veterans Day
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring Veteran, military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who ...
2012, defeating the Lakewood Panthers at
Pierce College
Pierce College may refer to:
* Pierce College (Washington)
* Los Angeles Pierce College
** Pierce College station
See also
* Peirce College
* Franklin Pierce University
Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hamps ...
.
The Kitsap Admirals Basketball Club is a Washington state non-profit organization. The organization includes the team; the Flight 360 Dance Crew and JR Flight Dance Crew; the Pom-Pom Squad and the AAU girls and boys programs; and "360 STAND UP!," an anti-bullying program in communities within the 360 area code.
ABA to NABL
"The combination of right time and right place presented itself and we walked through the door," the Robinsons wrote of why they became involved in the Kitsap Admirals. It has long been known what professional sports does for a city and the people that reside there, they wrote. They saw a need in the community and decided to become part of the solution. "The youth and young adults are this generation’s responsibility," they wrote.
Ashley Robinson is a former ABA and IBL player and is well-known in both professional circuits. His character on and off the court caught the attention of then-ABA chairman Don Simms, owner of the Seattle Mountaineers. Simms approached Joe Newman, CEO of the ABA, about the Robinsons owning a franchise and the deal was made.
The Admirals were initially part of the American Basketball Association, or ABA, but now play in the NABL (North American Basketball League), which was established in 2015 in Dallas, Texas. Robinson is West Coast Conference chairman. He is the Head Coach of the Ridgetop Raiders Middle School boys & Asst Coach of the Central Kitsap High School girls basketball team.
The Admirals play at 3030 Wheaton Way, Bremerton, in what was formerly East Bremerton High School.
Season-by-season
References
External links
Official websiteIBL info page
{{Washington Sports
International Basketball League teams
Basketball teams established in 2011
2011 establishments in Washington (state)
Minor League Basketball Association
Bremerton, Washington