Stirling Senators
| Stirling Senators | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leagues | State Basketball League |
| Founded | 1989 |
| History |
Stirling Senators 1989–present |
| Arena | Warwick Stadium |
| Location | Warwick, Western Australia |
| Team colors | Blue, white, green |
| Main sponsor | Bethanie |
| CEO | Joshua Nipps |
| Head coach |
M: Mike Ellis W: Glenn Clarke |
| Team captain |
M: Ashley Litterick W: TBA |
| Championships |
0 (M) 1 (1994) (W) |
| Website | StirlingSenators.com.au |
Stirling Senators is a State Basketball League (SBL) club based in Perth, 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 the overarching Stirling Senators Basketball Club (SSBC), the major administrative basketball organisation in the City of Stirling. The SSBC was established in 1971 as Stirling Basketball Association, and in 2012, the Club came under the umbrella of Churches of Christ Sport & Recreation Association (CCSRA).
The creation of the Stirling Senators Basketball Club began in the late 1960s when a group of 15–17 year old boys from the Tuart Hill Junior Basketball Club formed the club because there was no clear pathway for them to continue their basketball careers in the Western Australian Senior District Basketball Competition. Introduced to the sport of basketball by Tuart Hill High School Physed Master Ed Rogers, the boys from Tuart Hill Junior Basketball Club dominated the state's junior competitions through the 1960s and provided the bulk of the Western Australian junior state team representatives. At that time Tuart Hill was a feeder club for the Perth Basketball Club, the leading senior club in Western Australian basketball. Coached by former American college coach Norm Majors, Perth were in a position where they merely selected a few of the best from Tuart Hill. Limited selection meant that many boys would be left with the prospect of not having a senior career in basketball after dominating the sport in junior ranks.
Led by Alan Simmonds, a number of boys from Tuart Hill approached the state association and proposed that a new district association be formed called the Stirling Basketball Association. The Stirling proposal was based on the incorporation of the Tuart Hill Boys and Norths Girls junior basketball clubs in the Stirling Association. The proposal was accepted and the Stirling Basketball Association was formed in 1971, providing a pathway for all Tuart Hill boys and Norths girls basketball players to enter the Western Australian Basketball Association senior competitions under the Stirling name. Nicknamed the Senators, the inaugural Stirling 'A' Grade District men's team competed for the first time in the 1972 season. While Simmonds became the first Club President and team captain, Colin James from New South Wales became the team's first head coach. After just three years in the senior competition, the team competed in its first 'A' Grade District grand final in 1974, losing to Swan Districts by 13 points. The follow year the team again made the grand final, this time against arch rivals Perth. History was made that night as the Stirling Senators won the game with a nail biting one-point victory, winning 69–68. The young boys from Tuart Hill lead by Colin James had become the best senior basketball team in Western Australia.
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