History by the Numbers
A Short History of The Rockets
Established in 1939, the North Adelaide Basketball Club has a proud history as one of South Australia’s leading clubs with a reputation as a centre of excellence for young players. It has also been the breeding ground for Olympic medallists and national stars who continue to play both in Australia and overseas at the highest level.
The North Adelaide Basketball Club is currently based at Hillcrest Stadium, regarded as one of the most intimate and intimidating venues (for our opposition) in Adelaide.
We are currently negotiating to move to a new purpose built stadium and would welcome all our sponsors making that transition with us in the years to come. The club caters for boys and girls from aged five with one of the strongest spread of teams in the South Australian District Basketball Competition. Our teams regularly feature in district finals, grand finals and have a proud history of representation at national level.
Olympic, National and International stars are also closely linked to The Rockets including multiple Olympian Mike McKay, Sydney Olympics silver medallists Jo Hill and Carla Boyd and national players including current Australian Opal Erin Phillips and form Adelaide Lightning star and assistant coach Tania Dhu. A number of international stars have also suited up for the club including former Adelaide 36er Dusty Rychart.
General Commentary
Formed in 1939 as the Panthers Basketball Club.
Name changed to North Adelaide Basketball Club in 1951, and at some point later, became known as the Roosters. This was changed to the Rockets in 1982.
The Club played in various stadiums/halls provided by the association before moving to new home facilities at Hillcrest in 1971.
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Women
State League Champions
1957 |
1961 |
1964 |
1965 |
1967 |
1969 |
1970 |
1971 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1982 |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1994 |
1998 |
2004 |
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Summer Season Premiers
1963-64 |
1964-65 |
1965-66 |
1967-68 |
1969-70 |
1973-74 |
1979 |
1983 |
ABA Central Conference Champions
1998
Women’s National Basketball League Champions
1990 |
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Australian Club Champions
1980 |
1983 |
1990 |
1991 |
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Premier League Champions
2014 |
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Merv Harris Memorial Trophy (named 1975) for Most Valuable NABC Player
1966 Pat Rowe
1968 Pat Rowe
1975 Chris Smythe
1976 Chris Smythe
1977 Jill Hammond
1978 Jill Hammond
1979 Anna Stabile
1980 Anna Stabile
1981 Ann Somers
1982 Ann Somers
1983 Jan Stirling
1984 Anna Stabile & Marina Moffa
1985 K Foster
1986 Pat Mickan
1987 Pat Mickan
1988 Deb Brown
1989 Vicky Daldy
1990 Donna Brown
1991 Marina Pearce
1992 Unknown
1993 Debbie Copley
1994 Debbie Giles
1995 Debbie Giles
1996 Jo Hill
1997 Belinda Wilson
1998 Belinda Wilson
1999 Jo Hill
2000 Lauren Green
2001 Belinda Wilson
2002 Belinda Tredwell
2003 Elizabeth Keane
2004 Erin Phillips
2005 Erin Phillips
2006 Erin Lorenzini
2007 Jo Hill
2008 Jenah Piwanski & Lauren Mansfield
2009 Jo Hill
2010 Jo Hill
2011 Jo Hill
2012 Jo Hill
2013 Jo Hill
2014 Jo Hill
2015 Jo Hill
Halls Medal winner whilst playing for North Adelaide (called Woolacott Medal until 1963)
C Winning (1960)
Pat Rowe (1962)
Bronte Russell (1963)
Noelene Lowe (1969)
Sylvia White (1971)
Jill Hammond (1979)
Jan Stirling (1982)
Kathy Foster (1985)
Donna Brown (1990)
Jo Hill (1994)
Sylvia White Medal (Awarded to the Best Player in the Highest Age Group of Junior Competition)
Vicki Daldy (1985)
Sharon Washington (1986 & 1987)
Leanne Perkins (1992)
Natasha Loveday (1994)
Senior State Team Representatives (First Year represented shown)
Barbara Kersley (1958 All District)
Merv Harris (Coach – 1960)
Carol Winning (1960)
Pat Rowe (1960)
Shirley Poynter (1961)
Jean Bain (Marshall) (1961)
Sylvia White (1964)
Kay McFarlane (1964)
Noelene Lowe (1964)
J Barratt (1965)
M Nagy (1965)
Robyn Estrich (1966)
Glenda Marshall (nee Palmer) (1964)
L Fullgrabe (1967)
Magdalien Nagy (1969)
Lyn Murtagh (1972)
Fran Barnes
Mara Mastins
Jenny Thompson (1972)
Ann Somers (1973)
Dianne McCarthy (1977)
Sandra Prettejohn (1977)
Sue Carter (1977)
Carol Plunkett (1977)
Marisa Rowe (1977)
Jane Drummond
Chris Smyth
Sally Hanley
Kay Cox
Jan Stirling (1983)
Laura Giaratto (1983)
Annalisa Stabile
Australian Representation while playing for North Adelaide
Merv Harris (Coach) 1963
Shirley Poynter 1963
Jean Marshall (Bain) 1963
Pat Rowe 1963
Glenda Marshall (Reserve 1966)
Barbara Kersley
Sylvia White 1962
Kay McFarlane (1972 Squad Member & Assistant Coach 1983)
Lyn Murtagh (1972 Squad member)
Jill Hammond 1971
Jan Stirling 1975
Marina Pearce 1983
Donna Brown 1986
Pat Mickan 1986
Kathy Foster 1983
Rachel Sporn 1990
Annalisa Stabile
Vicky Daldy (1991)
Jo Hill
Men
State League Champions
1953 |
1954 |
1957 |
1958 |
1959 |
1983 |
2007 |
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Summer Season Premiers
1952-53 |
1954-55 |
1955-56 |
1983
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Merv Harris Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player (named 1975, prior is MVP)
1946
1947
1948
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954 Alan Hare
1955
1956 Alan Hare
1957 Alan Hare
1958 Alan Hare
1966 Tom Foote (The Coca Cola Trophy)
1967
1968 Mike Megins
1969 Mike Megins
1970 Mike Megins
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975 Bob Hannan (The Merv Harris Trophy)
1976 Melvin Need
1977
1978 Joe Thiel
1979 Vince Tatarelli
1980 Vince Tatarelli
1981 B Johnson
1982 B Johnson
1983 Rick Hodges
1984 Al Green
1985 Al Green
1986 Rick Hodges
1987 Joe Thiel
1988 J Wulff
1989 P Tatarelli
1990 S Cottrell
1991 Graham Kubank
1992 Mike Parsons
1993 Billy Fikes
1994 Paul Bell
1995 Billy Fikes
1996 Nathan Hawkes
1997 Nathan Hawkes
1998 Billy Fikes
1999 Billy Fikes
2000 Billy Fikes
2001 Nathan Hawkes
2002 Nathan Hawkes
2003 Nathan Hawkes
2004 Ben Groves & Nathan Hawkes
2005 Nick Hambour
2006 Michael Zorich
2007 Dusty Rychart
2008 Erik Burdon
2009 Erik Burdon
2010 Michael Zorich
2011 Tom Rowe & Matt Lycett
2012 Luke Mapunda
2013 Tom Rowe
2014 Daniel Goodluck
2015 Aric Miller
Woolacott Medal Winners while Playing for North Adelaide (Based on BSA records)
Merv Harris (1948 - Panthers)
Alan Hare (1957)
Mike Megins (1970 - Awarded retrospectively in 2013)
Melvyn Need (1977 - Awarded retrospectively in 2013)
Al Green (1985)
Dusty Rychart (2007)
Erik Burdon (2008)
Keith Miller Medal (Awarded to the Best Player in the Highest Age Group of Junior Competition)
First year of award was 1980.
Ricky Noack (1988)
Paul Bell (1992)
Erik Burdon (2003 & 2004)
Josh Bond (2009)
Senior State Team Representation while playing for North Adelaide (First Year of representation shown)
Merv Harris (1946)
Colin Grunert (1951)
Keith McCarthy (1952)
Warren Bock (1952)
Ross Harris (1952)
Frank Angove (1951)
Alan Hare (1954)
Lou Dimitri
Basil Sellers (1958)
John Phillips
Barry Hare
John Horsell (1962)
Mike Megins (1966)
Malcolm Pearn
Scott Howarth (1973)
Melvin Need
Australian Representation while playing for North Adelaide
Alan Hare 1960
Merv Harris (Coach)
Frank Angove (Manager).
M Megins (Practice Squad 1969).