Knox Raiders

Club history

Early years

Knox Basketball was established in 1965 to provide youth from the City of Knox with a sporting and social infrastructure to develop and promote personal, team and social skills in a sporting environment. Founded by Alf Stevens, Alice Jago and Heather Kemp, it began as an after school competition at the Mossfield Avenue Facility, Ferntree Gully in 1974. In 1980, its headquarters moved to the 3 court facility in Park Crescent at Boronia which was later expanded to six courts in 1989.

SEABL

In 1982, Knox's senior program was established, with a Raiders men's team entering the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) that year. A women's team entered the SEABL in 1990 after playing in the Women's Basketball Conference (WBC). Knox were WBC grand finalists in 1987.

In 1991, the Raiders men were SEABL South Conference champions and ABA National champions. The men won five more conference titles in 1994, 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2009. They were ABA National runners-up in 1996 and won the SEABL championship in 2009. The Raiders women claimed the SEABL-ABA championship double in 1992, 1994 and 1996. In 1998 and 2005, the women finished as ABA National runners-up.

In 2012 and 2013, the Raiders women were back-to-back conference champions. They won the SEABL championship in 2013.

In November 2014, Knox Basketball Incorporated withdrew its Knox Raiders SEABL teams from the 2015 season due to its dire financial position. The Raiders requested they remain a financial member of the SEABL with the intention of returning in season 2016. The SEABL retained the club's financial guarantee with the Raiders classified as a non-playing member of the league in 2015.

Big V

In November 2015, KBI announced that their senior men's and women's teams would be playing in the Big V in 2016 instead of the SEABL.

NBL1

In October 2018, KBI's Big V teams were entered into the NBL1 for its inaugural season in 2019. The NBL1 South season did not go ahead in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, the men's team won the NBL1 South championship and the NBL1 National championship. In 2024, the men's team lost in the NBL1 South elimination final but returned to the NBL1 National Finals as defending champions, where they won back-to-back NBL1 National championships.

In 2025, the women's team reached the NBL1 South Grand Final, where they defeated Geelong United 84–64 to win the championship. The men's team, who lost in the NBL1 South preliminary final and had been set to once again play at the NBL1 National Finals as the reigning champions, withdrew from the 2025 National Finals due to not being able to field a team. At the 2025 NBL1 National Finals, the Raiders women reached the championship game, where they defeated the Cockburn Cougars 93–72 to win the NBL1 National championship.

References

References

1. "ABOUT US". KnoxBasketball.com.au.
2. (11 April 2011). "KNOX ANNOUNCES 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY ALL-STAR TEAMS". SEABL.com.au.
3. "SEABL Ladders History". seabl.com.au.
4. O'Donoghue, Craig. (24 March 2022). "Perth Lynx overcame a tough WNBL season but their finals campaign can be built on WAIS Rockets heritage". [[The West Australian]].
5. "PAST CHAMPIONS". seabl.com.au.
6. "FORMER CHAMPIONS". seabl.com.au.
7. "ABA PREMIER AND RUNNERS-UP CLUBS". ABABasketball.net.au.
8. (31 August 2009). "RAIDERS WIN 2009 SEABL CHAMPIONSHIP". SportsTG.com.au.
9. (26 May 2008). "ABA National Champions". SportsTG.com.
10. Greaves, Shanae. (10 September 2012). "Dreams shattered as Raiders lose to three-peat champions". KnoxBasketball.com.au.
11. Potter, Jarrod. (14 September 2012). "Rangers claim three-peat victory". StarCommunity.com.au.
12. Ryan, Conor. (17 September 2013). "Knox Raiders win breakthrough SEABL women's championship". heraldsun.com.au.
13. (20 November 2014). "KNOX RAIDERS NOT COMPETING IN 2015". SEABL.com.au.
14. Hustwaite, Megan. (12 December 2014). "Knox Raiders drop out of SEABL for 2015 season as association looks to get its finances under control". HeraldSun.com.au.
15. (6 November 2015). "Knox Raiders Enter BigV State Championship In 2016". KnoxBasketball.com.au.
16. Ward, Roy. (31 October 2018). "Basketball Victoria announces new elite league to replace SEABL". SMH.com.au.
17. Arsenis, Damian. (20 March 2020). "2020 NBL1 season facing uncertainty as South teams withdraw". pickandroll.com.au.
18. (12 August 2023). "NBL1 South Recap | Men's Grand Final 2023". NBL1.com.au.
19. (20 August 2023). "NBL1 National Finals Recap | Men's Championship Game 2023". NBL1.com.au.
20. (18 August 2024). "Recap NBL1 National Finals {{pipe}} Men's Championship Game". NBL1.com.au.
21. (14 August 2025). "NBL1 South 2025 Grand Final Previews". nbl1.com.au.
22. (16 August 2025). "South Recap {{!}} Women's Grand Final 2025". nbl1.com.au.
23. (18 August 2025). "Knox Raids Geelong's perfect season with stunning upset". Basketball Rookie Me Central.
24. (28 August 2025). "Can the Knox Raiders carry their championship-winning momentum into Canberra?". nbl1.com.au.
25. (19 August 2025). "Knox Raiders men's team withdraw from NBL1 National Finals, replacement team announced". nbl1.com.au.
26. (31 August 2025). "National Finals Recap {{!}} Women's Championship Game". nbl1.com.au.
27. (31 August 2025). "Bradley's MVP double leads Raiders to national title {{!}} Basketball.com.au". www.basketball.com.au.
28. (3 September 2025). "Inside Knox's streak-killing championship chase {{!}} Basketball.com.au". www.basketball.com.au.