Geraldton Buccaneers
| Geraldton Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leagues | State Basketball League |
| Founded | 1989 |
| History |
Geraldton Buccaneers 1989–present |
| Arena | Activewest Stadium |
| Location | Geraldton, Western Australia |
| Team colors | Blue, yellow, white |
| Main sponsor | S&K Electrical Contracting |
| General manager | Andrew Horstman |
| Head coach | Ray Evans |
| Team captain | Mat Wundenberg |
| Championships | 1 (2000) |
| Website | GeraldtonBuccaneers.com.au |
The Geraldton Buccaneers, also known as the Buccs, are an Australian basketball team based in Geraldton, Western Australia. The Buccaneers compete in the Men's State Basketball League (SBL) and play their home games at Activewest Stadium. The team is affiliated with Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the S&K Electrical Geraldton Buccaneers.
In the 1980s, the highest level of basketball in the state of Western Australia was played in Perth's 'District' competition. In an effort to expand the league, the president of Basketball Western Australia, Bob Williams, began approaching various business people in the country areas of Western Australia to gauge their interest in a statewide basketball competition. Among the businessmen Williams approached were Brian Middleton and Graham Greenaway, residents of Geraldton. Middleton and Greenaway convinced Kevin Jones, the Administrator of the Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), to join them in establishing a competitive basketball team in Geraldton. With Jones leading the project, Middleton and Greenaway provided funding for the license to be a part of the upcoming statewide competition and became the team's private owners. They served as the licensees until the GABA eventually bought the rights to the team.
After some deliberation, management decided on the Batavia Coast Buccaneers as the first name of the team. Williams got his wish, with a statewide competition starting in 1989. Albany became the first team to join the competition, followed by Geraldton, Bunbury and then Kalgoorlie and Mandurah.
1989 saw the formation of the State Basketball League (SBL) with both a men's and women's competition. A Geraldton men's team, the Buccaneers, entered the MSBL and saw instant success. The Buccs' initial coaching staff included Head Coach Tom McLain, a former player for the Perth Wildcats, and his two assistants, Kevin Jones and Jim O'Dea. Americans Dan Hunt and Brian Funingsland were the team's first import players, while Perth native Ray Chamberlain joined the squad. The rest of the team was made up of local Geraldton residents.
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