Swan City Mustangs
Basketball team in Midvale, Western Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swan City Mustangs was a State Basketball League (SBL) club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fielded a team in both the Men's SBL (MSBL) and Women's SBL (WSBL). The club was a division of the now-defunct Swan Districts Basketball Association (SDBA), an administrative basketball organisation in the City of Swan. The Mustangs played their home games at Swan Park Leisure Centre.
| Swan City Mustangs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leagues | State Basketball League |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Dissolved | 2003 |
| History | Swan City Mustangs 1989–1996; 1999–2003 |
| Arena | Swan Park Leisure Centre |
| Location | Midvale, Western Australia |
| Team colors | Black, white, red |
| Championships | 4 |
| Website | SwansBasketball.com |
Club history
Background
Swan Districts Basketball Association (SDBA) was founded in 1964.[1] Swans entered the District Competition in 1974, with the men's team winning the grand final that year under coach Bob Muir.[1] The association's next A-grade premiership came in 1982 when the women's team were victorious under coach Fred Pesqua.[1] The women's team won again in 1983,[2] while the men's team won their second A-grade premiership in 1985.[3] Swan Districts did not play in 1987 and 1988.[3][4][5]
SBL
1989 saw the formation of the State Basketball League (SBL) with both a men's and women's competition. Swan Districts entered a team into both the MSBL and WSBL, with both teams recording winless inaugural seasons.[6][7]
In 1990, the Mustangs women recorded one win,[8] while the men earned the MSBL minor premiership with a first-place finish and a 23–3 record.[9] In 1991, both teams collected minor premierships and earned grand final berths. In the WSBL Grand Final, the Mustangs defeated the Perth Redbacks 79–66; and in the MSBL Grand Final, the Mustangs defeated the Souwest Slammers 123–120.[10]
In 1992, the women won their second straight minor premiership and again reached the WSBL Grand Final, where they lost 74–64 to the Wanneroo Wolves.[8] In 1993, the women won their third straight minor premiership and again reached the WSBL Grand Final, where they defeated the Stirling Senators 109–51 to win their second championship.[8] In 1994, the women won their fourth straight minor premiership[8] while the men reached their second MSBL Grand Final,[9] where they were defeated by the Perry Lakes Hawks 107–86.[10]
In 1995, the women returned to the WSBL Grand Final, where they lost 2–0 in the best-of-three series to the Wanneroo Wolves.[8] In 1996, the women collected their fifth minor premiership in six years and advanced through to their fifth grand final in six years.[8] In the 1996 WSBL Grand Final, the Mustangs defeated the Willetton Tigers 66–61 to win their third championship.[10]
In 1999, the Mustangs returned to the SBL after a two-year hiatus[8][9] where the Association sought to re-build the programme through juniors and local players.[11] The women's team finished last on the ladder four straight years between 1999 and 2002, winning just one game.[8] The men's team finished last or second last in each of those years as well.[9] In 2002, men's captain Jarrad Mohr was named joint Men's SBL MVP alongside Kurt Slabolepszy of the Stirling Senators.[12] Mohr joined Ken Epperson (1993) as the only Mustangs players to earn MVP honours.[13] In 2003, the women had a 6–10 record while the men had an 11–8 record.[8][9]
SDBA at this time was in financial difficulty with increasing debt in excess of $40,000 to Basketball Western Australia.[14] Following the 2003 season, the Swan City Mustangs SBL club and the Association ceased to operate.[14][8][9]
Season-by-season results
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