Townsville Crocodiles
Established	1993
Team Colours	Royal Blue, White, Green and Yellow
Home Venue	Townsville Entertainment Centre, Townsville
Major Sponsor	McDonald's
Championships	None
Team History	Townsville Suns (1993-1998) Townsville Crocodiles (1998/99-Present)
Chief Executive	Ian Smythe
Coach	Trevor Gleeson
Captain	John Rillie
Website	www.crocodiles.com.au

The Townsville Crocodiles are a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Since being established for the 1993 NBL season, the Crocodiles have enjoyed financial stability and sustained community support, but on-court success has eluded them. Image File history File links Townsville_Crocodiles. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Townsville Entertainment Centre is an indoor sporting arena located in Townsville, Australia. ... ‎ The Strand CBD from Museum of Tropical Queensland, features Castle Hill in background Townsville (Postcodes: 4810-4819) is an urban centre on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. ... McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants, primarily selling hamburgers, chicken, french fries, milkshakes and soft drinks. ... This article is about the sport. ... The National Basketball League is Australias top-level professional basketball competition. ...

History

Former Brisbane Bullets guard Mark Bragg, a Townsville resident, began campaigning to bring an NBL franchise to Townsville in the late 1980s. The franchise adopted the name of Townsville's State League team, becoming the Townsville Suns. The NBL was ready to admit the Suns, along with fellow Queenslanders the Gold Coast Cougars, in 1990, but financial backing for the Suns' venue fell through. The Brisbane Bullets are a professional basketball team competing in Australias National Basketball League. ... ‎ The Strand CBD from Museum of Tropical Queensland, features Castle Hill in background Townsville (Postcodes: 4810-4819) is an urban centre on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. ...

Local government then got behind Bragg's bid, and the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre was completed in time for the Suns' debut in February of 1993.

With Bragg at the helm as head coach, the Suns struggled during their debut season, but it only took five games before they recorded their first-ever NBL win, a victory over the Newcastle Falcons. Townsville broke the mould in 1993, becoming the first Australian team to hire an 'import' player from a country other than the United States of America; Lithuanian player Rimas Kurtinaitis was a crucial part of the team during their debut season. The Suns finished 4-22 and took the wooden spoon. Rimas Kurtinaitis (born May 15, 1960 in Kaunas, Lithuania) is a former basketball player for the Lithuanian national basketball team current their assistant coach. ...

Townsville would not reach the playoffs in its first six seasons, although they came perilously close in the 1997 season; needing only one win from their final six games to ensure a historic playoff appearance, the Suns went 0-6 after centre Clarence Tyson suffered a season-ending knee injury in Canberra. After a disappointing 1998 campaign, Mark Bragg quit as head coach.

Throughout, Townsville fans stuck by the team, ensuring the club set an Australian record for attendances; the Suns sold out their first 69 games at the "Furnace" (capacity 4,141), a streak that was only broken after the venue was expanded for the 1998 season (new capacity of 5,257).

Name change

It was a very different team that took the court in the 1998/99 season. The team had been involved in a dispute with the NBA's Phoenix Suns, who held the "Suns" trademark in Australia. Faced with the prospect of paying Phoenix royalties on merchandise sales, the team changed its name to the Townsville Crocodiles. New head coach Ian Stacker took the reins, and immediately attracted top-name talent like Australian Olympic player Sam Mackinnon, but it would take one more season before Townsville's long-suffering fans saw playoff basketball. The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team, based in Phoenix, Arizona. ...

The Crocodiles finished second in the NBL in 1999/2000 with a 22-6 record, meaning they got a first-round bye in the NBL playoffs. But they faced a battle-hardened Perth Wildcats team in the semi-finals, and were swept 2-0 in front of their disappointed home fans. Perth would go on to win the championship. The Perth Wildcats are an Australian basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. ...

The Crocs again went 22-6 the following year and, under the league's new playoff system, eliminated both the Sydney Kings and the Victoria Titans. It came down to the grand final series, where the team lost 2 games to 1- 95-92 in the final game- after a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback by the Wollongong Hawks. The Sydney Kings are a basketball team competing in the National Basketball League in Australia. ... The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australias National Basketball League (NBL), based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. ...

Townsville missed the playoffs in 2002 and the 2003 season looked no better, but the Crocodiles strung together a 16-game winning streak to again finish second on the NBL ladder. (The streak equalled an NBL record.) Townsville lost the opening-round series 2-1 to Wollongong, but by virtue of NBL rules, got a second chance to advance; they were then finally eliminated by the eventual champion Sydney Kings. The Sydney Kings are a basketball team competing in the National Basketball League in Australia. ...

After another disappointing season in 2005-06, Townsville head coach Ian Stacker's contract was not renewed. The Crocodiles again failed to make the playoffs.

Trevor Gleeson was appointed coach and the team improved on their failed 2005-06 season by making the play-offs. They won their first final but lost their second to the Sydney Kings.

Honour roll

Source: www.nbl.com.au

Kevin Sugars Medal (Club MVP)

• 1993 Ricky Jones
• 1994 Darryl Johnson
• 1995 Derek Rucker
• 1996 Clarence Tyson
• 1997 Derek Rucker
• 1998 Derek Rucker
• 1999 Robert Rose
• 2000 Robert Rose & Sam Mackinnon
• 2001 Robert Rose
• 2002 Robert Rose
• 2003 Pat Reidy & Wayne Turner
• 2004 Pat Reidy
• 2005 John Rillie
• 2006 Larry Abney

Source: www.crocodiles.com.au

Current roster

Townsville Crocodiles Current Roster
Head Coach: Trevor Gleeson				Edit
G	24		Michael Cedar	(QLD)
F	7		Daniel Egan	(VIC)
F			Rosell Ellis	(Seattle; University of Washington)
C	31		Ben Pepper	(WA)
G/F	12		Bradley Sheridan	(VIC)
F/C	9		Andrew Rice	(England; Australian Institute of Sport)
G	31		John Rillie - Captain	(QLD; Gonzaga University)
G	4		Kelvin Robertson	(QLD)
C	13		Greg Vanderjagt	(NSW; Australian Institute of Sport)
G	6		Drew Williamson	(NSW; Metropolitan State College)
G/F	0		Galen Young	(USA; UNC Charlotte)
* = Import, # = Development Player				Townsville Crocodiles

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Governor HE Ms Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Area 1,852,642 km² (2st)  - Land 1,730,648 km²  - Water 121,994 km² (6. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... 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 This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Rosell Ellis (born February 19, 1975 in Seattle, Washington) is a player in the Philippine Baskeball Association and the Australian National Basketball League. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... tyler rules The Washington Huskies are the athletic teams at the University of Washington. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Ben Pepper born 15 July, 1975 in Geraldton, Western Australia, is an Australian basketball player who currently plays centre for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League. ... Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State or the Golden State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 15  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $100,900 (4th)  - Product per capita  $50,355/person... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... 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 This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Andrew Rice represents Oklahoma State Senate district 46. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) headquarters is sited in Canberra, the Capital city of Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... John Rillie (born November 4, 1971, in Toowoomba, Queensland) is an Australian basketball player currently playing in the NBL. Rillie currently captains the Townsville Crocodiles. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Governor HE Ms Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Area 1,852,642 km² (2st)  - Land 1,730,648 km²  - Water 121,994 km² (6. ... The Gonzaga Bulldogs (also known as the Zags) are the athletic teams at Gonzaga University; the term applies to any of the schools varsity teams. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Governor HE Ms Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Area 1,852,642 km² (2st)  - Land 1,730,648 km²  - Water 121,994 km² (6. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Motto(s): Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 50  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004... The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) headquarters is sited in Canberra, the Capital city of Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Motto(s): Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 50  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Currently #23 for the Yakama Sun Kings, Galen Young has had a career filled with both great success and near-great success. ... The Charlotte 49ers is the name for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. ...

External links

• Official Townsville Crocodiles site
• Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre site
• Official National Basketball League Website