Rockhampton Rockets
| Rockhampton Rockets | |
|---|---|
| Leagues | Queensland Basketball League |
| Founded | 1986 |
| History |
Rockhampton Rockets 1986–present |
| Arena | Hegvold Stadium |
| Location | Rockhampton, Queensland |
| Team colors | Navy blue & white |
| President | Steve Richards |
| Vice-president(s) | Frank Haack |
| Head coach | Neal Tweedy |
| Team captain | James Mitchell |
| Championships | 5 (1996, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014) |
| Website | Rockhampton.basketballqld.com.au |
The Rockhampton Rockets are an Australian basketball team based in Rockhampton, Queensland. The Rockets compete in the Men's Queensland Basketball League (QBL) and play their home games at Hegvold Stadium. The team is affiliated with Rockhampton Basketball Inc., the major administrative basketball organisation in the region.
Rockhampton Basketball Inc., originally known as the Rockhampton Amateur Basketball Association, was formed in March 1962. Frank Howie, the coach of the first Rockhampton team to compete in a Queensland championship in 1961, was elected the inaugural secretary of the association; while John Hegvold, a member of that inaugural team, was the foundation vice-president of the association. Rockhampton's basketball stadium, known as Hegvold Stadium, was designed by John's father Eddie and had its grand opening in December 1962. The facility was named in honour of Eddie.
1986 saw the formation of the Queensland State Basketball League (QSBL) with both a men's and women's competition. Rockhampton Basketball subsequently entered a team into both competitions—the Rockets joined the Men's QSBL, and the Cyclones joined the Women's QSBL. The Rockets were unsuccessful in claiming their maiden title during the moniker of the QSBL, as they failed to reach the championship game over the first eight seasons of the competition. In November 1993, the QSBL joined the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and became the association's North Conference in 1994; Rockhampton was one of 12 teams in the conference's inaugural season.
In 1995, the Rockets made their way through to their first ever grand final, where they were defeated by Southern Districts. The following year, they returned to the grand final and won their maiden state championship with a victory over Southern Districts in the title game.
The Rockets endured a championship drought between 1997 and 2007, as they made a lone grand final appearance in 2006 that saw a defeat at the hands of Southern Districts. On 17 August 2008, swingman Ben Thompson starred in the Rockets' 97–80 grand final victory over the Townsville Heat to claim the Warren Berginey Cup and their first QABL state championship in 12 years. In an inspirational performance, Thompson hit a game-high 30 points, including six-of-eight three-pointers, collected eight rebounds and three assists on his way to MVP honours. Two weeks later, the Rockets celebrated the city's first national championship after a courageous 103–99 victory over the Hobart Chargers in the grand final of the 2008 Australian Club Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. Centre Ryan McDade was named grand final MVP after recording 24 points and 19 rebounds.
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