Sydney Kings
Established	1988
Team Colours	Purple and gold
Home Venue	Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney
Major Sponsor	Firepower
Championships	2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05
Team History	City of Sydney Astros (1979-1981)/Sydney Supersonics (1982-1987) merged with Bankstown Bruins (1979-1985)/West Sydney Westars (1986/1987) to become the Sydney Kings (1988-Present)
Chief Executive	TBA
Coach	Brian Goorjian
Captain	Jason Smith
Website	www.sydneykings.com.au

The Sydney Kings are a basketball team competing in the National Basketball League in Australia. They are the first team to win three consecutive championships in the NBL. They play their home games at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Haymarket, Sydney. Image File history File links Sydney_Kings2. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sydney Entertainment Centre is an entertainment venue located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. ... This is about the city of Sydney in Australia. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brian Goorjian (born July 28, 1953 in Glendale, California, USA) is a basketball coach for the Sydney Kings and Australian Boomers basketball team. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... National Basketball League Logo (2004 - Present) The National Basketball League is Australias top-level professional basketball competition. ... The Sydney Entertainment Centre is an entertainment venue located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. ... Haymarket is an area at the southern end of the central business district of Sydney, Australia, and is adjacent to Darling Harbour. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ...

History

The Kings were formed from a merger between the Bankstown Bruins and the Sydney Supersonics in 1988. The team adopted the purple-and-gold colours traditionally linked with royalty.

Before the merger, no Sydney-based teams had even made the final four in NBL competition. That changed in 1989, when the Kings finished fifth with a 15-9 record and advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over the Melbourne Tigers. The Kings were then eliminated by the Canberra Cannons. The Melbourne Tigers is a team in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), and along with the South Dragons is one of two teams based in Melbourne. ... The Canberra Cannons were a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. ...

Sydney did not make the playoffs again until 1992, when, led by imports Dwayne McClain (who was named to the All-NBL First Team) and Ken McClary (ranked 5th in the league in rebounds), the Kings finished second on the ladder. This time they advanced to the semi-finals and were beaten by the Tigers, who would eventually lose to the South-East Melbourne Magic in the championship series. Dwayne Edward McClain (born February 7, 1963 in Worcester, Massachusetts) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the 2nd round (27th overall) of the 1985 NBA Draft. ... 1980 Cal Stamp, Danny Morseu, Brian Banks, Herb McEachin, Ian Davies and Ken Richardson 1981 Rocky Smith, Danny Morseu, Al Green, David Nelson and Owen Wells 1982 George Morrow, James Crawford, Leroy Loggins, Phil Smyth and Larry Sengstock 1983 Leroy Loggins, James Crawford, George Morrow, Phil Smyth and Cal Bruton... A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. ... The South East Melbourne Magic were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. ...

Over the next few years the Kings, despite the rich pockets of private owner Mike Wrublewski, earned a reputation for being chronic under-achievers. They failed to make the playoffs in 1993 or 1995, and were eliminated in the first round in 1994 and 1996. The team soon received the nickname of 'the Violet Crumbles', a popular chocolate sold in purple wrapper; the joke being that the team was wrapped in purple and shattered under pressure. 'The cardiac Kings' was another tag, for the team's frequency to stumble in the fourth quarter. Violet Crumble Violet Crumble is an Australian chocolate bar that is manufactured in Sydney, Australia by Nestlé. It is one of the best selling chocolate bars in Australia. ...

After their 1996 elimination, the Kings would not make the NBL playoffs again until 2001, when they made it to the first round before being eliminated by the Townsville Crocodiles. Australian Olympic team guard Shane Heal was recruited to lead the team, and he finished second in the league in scoring average, behind Olympic teammate Andrew Gaze. Heal finished third in scoring average in the 2002 season, but the Kings again failed to make the playoffs. The Townsville Crocodiles are a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. ... Shane Heal (born September 6, 1971 in Victoria, Australia) is a professional and Olympics basketball player. ... Andrew Gaze (born July 24, 1965 in Melbourne, Australia) is Australias best known basketball player, and possibly its best ever. ...

For the 2002/03 season, Heal was joined by talented imports Chris Williams and Kavossy Franklin. The team also welcomed the NBL's all-time leader in coaching victories, Brian Goorjian. The Kings finished on top of the ladder with a 22-8 record, and swept the Perth Wildcats in the grand final series to claim their first-ever championship. Kavossy Franklin (born July 18, 1975 in Houston, Texas) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the South Dragons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). ... Brian Goorjian (born July 28, 1953 in Glendale, California, USA) is a basketball coach for the Sydney Kings and Australian Boomers basketball team. ... The Perth Wildcats are an Australian basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. ...

Heal retired after the 2003 season, and C.J. Bruton was recruited to take his place, Jason Smith was signed after returning to the NBL after playing in Europe but unfortunately was injured 13 games into the season and was replaced by import Chris Carrawell. The Kings started the 2003/04 season with 12 successive wins, and would eventually win their second championship after their best-of-five grand final series with crosstown rivals West Sydney went down to the deciding fifth game. Kings player Matt Nielsen would win the regular season and finals MVP this year before leaving to play overseas. Calvin Bruton Jr. ... Jason Smith (born October 20, 1974, in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian basketball player currently playing in the NBL. He is a 194cm 94kg shooting guard / small forward known for his accurate three-point shooting and defense. ... Chris Carrawell (born November 25, 1977 in Saint Louis, Missouri) is an American professional basketball player who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2nd round (41st overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft and was subsequently waived on October 26, 2000. ... The West Sydney Razorbacks are a professional basketball team competing in Australias National Basketball League. ... Matthew Nielsen (born February 3, 1978, in Penrith, New South Wales) is an Australian basketball player currently playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League for BC Lietuvos Rytas in Vilnius, Lithuania. ... 1979 Ken Richardson (West Adelaide Bearcats) 1980 Rocky Smith (St. ...

The Kings again performed strongly in the 2004/05 season despite a disastrous early game against Townsville which saw C.J. Bruton out for weeks with an elbow injury, and a season ending torn ACL for rookie of the year candidate Luke Kendall. The Kings managed without their starting backcourt until C.J. came back and they signed import forward Mark Sanford, moving Jason Smith down to shooting guard. Arguably stronger than before the Kings finished on top of the ladder and crushed the Wollongong Hawks in three games to become the first team in Australian league history to win three consecutive championships. Jason Smith won the finals MVP with many Kings fans thinking he also deserved the regular season award. The anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. ... The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australias National Basketball League (NBL), based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. ...

In the 2005-06 season, the Kings again finished atop the ladder and made it to the grand final. Import centre Rolan Roberts suffered a torn pectorial muscle imitating a Vince Carter dunk during the All Star dunk competition and was replaced by Sedric Webber. In the finals they were swept 3-0 by the Chris Anstey led Melbourne Tigers. Vincent Lamar Carter (born January 26, 1977) is an American All-Star basketball player in the NBA. He currently plays for and co-captains the New Jersey Nets. ... Chris Anstey (Born on January 1, 1975 in Melbourne) is one of Australias premier basketball players. ... The Melbourne Tigers is a team in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), and along with the South Dragons is one of two teams based in Melbourne. ...

The Kings have been noted for a characteristic somewhat akin to 'cheque-book basketball'. Especially during the 1990's, in order to promote basketball in the largest media market in Australia, the NBL removed virtually all salary cap restrictions on the team. This still did not work, until the Kings were able to lure league best coach Brian Goorijan north to coach the Kings, after the demise of the Victoria Titans. The Victoria Titans were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. ...

With Goorijan able to implement his defensive tactics which were so successful with the Magic and Titans, in addition to finally being able to purchase high quality superstar imports he was unable to attain due to financial constraints on the team in Melbourne, there seemed to be no stopping the Kings. This included players like league MVP Chris Williams and powerhouse players such as Rolan Roberts. In addition, many Victorian groomed players who had previously played for Goorijan such as Jason Smith and Brad Sheridan followed him north to Sydney.

Some commentators started to declare Sydney the new basketball capital of Australia, taking the title from Melbourne, however, basketball mogul Lindsay Gaze of the Melbourne Tigers was quick to point out this disparity, noting, 'Once Sydney and NSW start winning all the junior championships, then they can talk.' Lindsay Gaze (born August 16, 1936 in Adelaide) is an Australian basketball player and coach. ...

Honour Roll

Source: www.nbl.com.au

Retired numbers

1. 23 Shane Heal
2. 33 Damian Keogh

Current Roster

Sydney Kings Current Roster
Head Coach: Brian Goorjian				Edit
G	1		Ed Scott	(USA; Clemson University)
G/F	20		David Barlow	(VIC; Metro State University, Denver, Colorado)
G	4		BJ Carter	(NSW)
C	25		Ian Crosswhite	(VIC; University of Oregon)
F/C	21		Russell Hinder	(NSW; University of San Francisco/Augusta State University)
G	21		Luke Kendall	(VIC), [[Metro State University, Denver, Colorado])
G/F	12		Bradley Sheridan	(VIC)
G/F	10		Jason Smith - Captain	(VIC;California Lutheran University)
F	9		Anthony Susnjara#	(NSW; Coastal Carolina University)
F	11		Cameron Tovey	(WA)
F	11		Rodney Elliott*	(University of Maryland)
F	22		Mark Worthington	(WA;Metro State University, Denver, Colorado)
G	8		Blake Borgia#	(NSW)
* = Import, # = Development Player				Sydney Kings

Brian Goorjian (born July 28, 1953 in Glendale, California, USA) is a basketball coach for the Sydney Kings and Australian Boomers basketball team. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Clemson University is a public, coeducational, land-grant research university located in Clemson, South Carolina. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... The University of San Francisco (often abbreviated USF, or sometimes USFCA) is a private, coeducational Jesuit university in the United States. ... Augusta State University is a public, four-year university located in Augusta, Georgia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Jason Smith (born October 20, 1974, in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian basketball player currently playing in the NBL. He is a 194cm 94kg shooting guard / small forward known for his accurate three-point shooting and defense. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... California Lutheran University (CLU also known as Cal Lutheran) is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... Coastal Carolina University (CCU) is an independent, state-supported university in Conway, South Carolina, located nine miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malaysia. ... Emblems: Floral - Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii); Mammal - Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus); Bird - Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) Motto: none Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Const. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public coeducational university situated in suburban College Park, Maryland just outside Washington, D.C. The flagship institution of the University System of Maryland, the university is most often referred to... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii); Mammal - Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus); Bird - Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) Motto: none Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Const. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ...

External links

• Official Sydney Kings site
• Official National Basketball League Website