Australian Basketball Association
The Australian Basketball Association (ABA) was a semi-professional basketball entity based in Australia. The ABA was Australia's biggest basketball competition for many years. With over 120 teams participating across five leagues and six states, the ABA competition was the vital link between grass roots basketball in Australia and the elite NBL and WNBL leagues. The association provided a high standard of competition for local basketballers from across the country as well as an intense environment for professionals to use in their off seasons.[1]
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| Formerly | South Eastern Conference 1965–1970 South Eastern Basketball League 1981–1987 South East Australian Basketball League 1988–1991 Continental Basketball Association 1992–1998 Australian Basketball Association 1999–2008 |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Ceased | 2008 |
| Country | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Continent | FIBA Oceania (Oceania) |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Related competitions | Big V Premier League QBL SEABL Waratah League |
Between 1965 and 2008, the ABA played an integral part in the development of Australian basketball with hundreds of former and active NBL and WNBL players honing their skills against world-class opposition. Many NBL and WNBL clubs also benefited from their involvement in ABA competition, including the Melbourne Tigers who competed in the SEBL before joining the NBL.[2]
In its heyday, the ABA incorporated five leagues – SEABL (south and east conferences), QABL (north conference), CABL (central conference), Big V (Victorian conference), and Waratah League (New South Wales conference). With the support of Basketball Australia, the competition consistently built upon the successful structure created by the well-respected Continental Basketball Association. The end result was a culmination of over 30 years of evolution, during which time the ABA had mushroomed from eight teams in the south-east of Australia to a competition that involved 135 men's and women's teams based in six states and territories. The ABA was representative of the huge number of junior-based associations across the country and was the endorsed national development league of the sport's peak body, Basketball Australia.[2]
History
The Australian Basketball Association's (ABA) roots can be traced back as far as 1965, when just eight clubs competed in the South Eastern Conference (SEC). The SEC continued until 1971 when the Australian Club Championships gained pre-eminence.[2]
In 1981, the SEC was reborn as the South Eastern Basketball League (SEBL) when the Australian Club Championships ceased to operate due to the rise of Australia's first truly national competition, the National Basketball League (NBL).[2]
The SEBL was divided into a South and East Conference format in 1986; the same year Queensland's State Basketball League was founded. In 1994, the bodies merged to create the long-standing North, South and East Conference concept of the National Continental Basketball Association.[2]
1998 saw further expansion with the inclusion of a Central Conference from South Australia. In that same year, the switch of NBL and WNBL seasons to Summer enabled the ABA to offer professional players a showcase for their skills during the Winter months.[2]
Extensive discussions and numerous meetings regarding the establishment of an Australian-wide association based basketball championship consumed considerable energy and time throughout 1998. This activity culminated in December 1998 with the Basketball Australia Council formalising the ownership and the national structure of an association based national competition. This competition was set to consist of representation from Basketball Australia's Constituent Associations in a series of regional geographic competitions and incorporating the existing CBA competition structure. The management of this competition was offered to the CBA. To accommodate this decision, it was agreed that a new company, CBA (National) Ltd, would amend its Memorandum & Articles and change its name to Australian Basketball Association Ltd. Basketball Australia and all participating conferences were equal shareholders in this management company. The competition was thus promoted under the Australian Basketball Association banner from 1999 with further enhancements to be applied the following year as envisaged in the approved guidelines for the establishment and conduct of the new competition.[3]
2000 saw the addition of Big V from Victoria and in 2001 the Waratah Conference from New South Wales was included for the first time.[2]
Starting in 2002, the champions of each of the six conferences and a number of wildcard entries competed at the annual ABA National Finals. This addition of a truly national ABA finals series marked the dawn of a new era of national basketball competition in Australia.[2]
The ABA National Finals became known as the Australian Club Championships (ACC) in 2007 and continued on as such in 2008. Following the 2008 season, Basketball Australia's Competitions Commission took over the management of all state-based leagues and competitions from 2009 onwards, thus disbanding the ABA and leaving its affiliated leagues to be independent.
ABA National Champions
Men
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballarat Miners | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1989, 1994, 1995 | 1990, 1991, 1992 |
| Cairns Marlins | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1998, 2004, 2007 | 1994, 1997 |
| Geelong Cats/Supercats | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1981, 1999, 2006 | — |
| Bulleen Boomers | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1984, 1990 | 1983, 1985, 1988 |
| Bendigo Braves | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1988, 2005 | 1989 |
| Hobart Chargers | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2000, 2002 | 2008 |
| Frankston Bears/Blues | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1982 | 1981, 1995, 1998 |
| Kilsyth Cobras | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1985 | 1999, 2000 |
| Sydney City Slickers/Sydney City Comets/Sydney Comets | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1992 | 1986, 2005 |
| Melbourne Tigers | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1983 | 1982 |
| Newcastle Hunters | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1986 | 1987 |
| Knox Raiders | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1991 | 1996 |
| North-West Tasmania Originals/Thunder | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1996 | 2004 |
| Adelaide Buffalos | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1987 | — |
| North East Melbourne Arrows | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1993 | — |
| Suncoast Clippers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1997 | — |
| Mount Gambier Pioneers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2003 | — |
| Rockhampton Rockets | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2008 | — |
| Dandenong Rangers | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 2006, 2007 |
| Chelsea Gulls | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1984 |
| Murray Bridge Bullets | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1993 |
| Australian Institute of Sport | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2002 |
Women
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayside/Frankston Blues | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1993, 1997, 2004 | 1991, 1992, 1994 |
| Knox Raiders | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1992, 1994, 1996 | 1998, 2005 |
| Bendigo Braves | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2000, 2003 | 2006 |
| Townsville Sunbirds/Flames | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2007, 2008 | 1997 |
| Dandenong Rangers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1990, 1991 | — |
| Kilsyth Cobras | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1998, 2002 | — |
| Ballarat Miners | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2005, 2006 | — |
| Launceston Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Southern Districts Spartans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1999 | — |
| Sturt Sabres | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 1990, 2002 |
| Broadmeadows Broncos | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1993 |
| Adelaide Opals | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1995 |
| Norwood Flames | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1999 |
| Nunawading Spectres | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2000 |
| Forestville Eagles | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2003 |
| North Adelaide Rockets | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2004 |
| Hume City Broncos | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2007 |
| Sydney Comets | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2008 |
See also
- Basketball Australia
- Big V
- List of developmental and minor sports leagues
- National Basketball League
- Premier League
- Queensland Basketball League
- South East Australian Basketball League
- State Basketball League
- Waratah League
References
- "2007 ABA Media Guide" (PDF). ABABasketball.net.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2007.
- "History of the ABA". ABABasketball.net.au. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012.
- "Basketball Australia Annual Report 1998" (PDF). Basketball Australia. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2017.