Mandurah Magic
| Mandurah Magic | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leagues | State Basketball League |
| Founded | 1990 |
| History |
Men: Kanyana Kings 1990–1995 Mandurah Magic 1996–present Women: Mandurah Magic 1996–present |
| Arena | Mandurah Aquatic & Recreaction Centre |
| Location | Mandurah, Western Australia |
| Team colors | Red, gold, white |
| President | Aaron Lucas |
| Head coach |
M: Aaron Trahair W: Randy Miegel |
| Team captain |
M: Taylor Mullenax W: TBA |
| Championships | 0 |
| Website | Mandurah Magic |
Mandurah Magic is a State Basketball League (SBL) club based in Mandurah, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's SBL (MSBL) and Women's SBL (WSBL). The club is a division of Mandurah Basketball Association (MBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Magic play their home games at Mandurah Aquatic & Recreaction Centre.
In 1990, a Kanyana Kings men's team from Mandurah entered the State Basketball League, a year after the league's inaugural season. The Kings saw immediate success with forward Vince Kelley and centre Carl Gonder leading them to a 20–6 record in their first season. While Kelley left the Kings in 1991, Gonder remained in Mandurah and played a further three years before retiring following the 1993 season. In four seasons for the Kings, Gonder scored 3,275 points in 109 games, good for an average of 30 points a game. As a result of his successful tenure, his #11 jersey was retired by the Kings in 1993.
The Kings' first six seasons in the SBL brought little success, as they recorded three straight losing seasons between 1993 and 1995.
In 1996, the club was renamed Mandurah Magic. With the rebrand came the inclusion of a women's team to complement the men's team. The first two years of the Magic in the SBL saw both teams record back-to-back losing records, with the men collecting just six wins, while the women faired only slightly better with nine wins. The following three years saw better prospects for the Magic, but over the club's first 13 years, there had only been seven winning records set by either the men (1990, 1991, 1992, 1999) or women (1998, 1999, 2000).
In 2003, the Magic women finished in fourth position on the WSBL's South ladder with an 8–8 record and made their way through to their first ever Grand Final, where they faced the back-to-back defending champions the Perry Lakes Hawks. In the championship decider on 5 September 2003, the Magic were outclassed by the Hawks, losing 73–44. In the game, Gemma Collins top scored for the Magic with 15 points, while Megan Thompson had 12 points.
In 2004, the women collected the club's first ever minor premiership after finishing the regular season in first place with a 17–3 record. After failing to return to the Grand Final in 2004, they made their way through to their second championship decider in 2005, where they faced the Willetton Tigers. In a close affair, the Tigers defeated the Magic 59–54. A year later, the Magic were crowned minor premiers for a second time after finishing the regular season in first place with a 19–3 record. They went on to qualify for their third WSBL Grand Final in four years, but once again fell short as they lost 56–53 to the Lakeside Lightning.
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