The Early Years

The WheelKings original National Wheelchair Basketball League team was formed by current coach Gerry Hewson in 1993 and was known then as the Pepsi Rollers. The team consisted mainly of development players who couldn't get a spot in the 2 existing Sydney teams, the NAB Cobras and the West Sydney Slix. Home court was the NSW Wheelchair Sports-owned Kevin Betts Stadium at Mt Druitt.

There weren't many wins in the first 2 years and it wasn't until 1995 that things started to change for the better. The team took on the name Zurich Rollers in recognition of their new insurance company sponsor and then broke new ground by becoming the first team in the NWBL to have an import player. His name was Gunnar Berglund from Sweden and he holds the distinction of having represented his country at 8 Paralympics. A prolific scorer, he joined forces with point guard Hewson to lift the team to new heights. The Rollers lost the semi-final to Dandenong Rangers by just 2 points but went on to win the playoff for third against the same team, paving the way for greater rewards the next season.

The First Championship

In 1996, City of Sydney Basketball Association stalwart and supporter of wheelchair basketball, Ken Harvey, opened up negotiations for the Rollers to come under the Sydney Comets banner and play home games at Alexandria Basketball Stadium. A partnership was duly formed and a new import was recruited in Petri Karkainen, a 6’8” (203cm) Paralympian from Finland. Along with fellow tall timber Seamus Tahata, Alan Dalton, and Michael King, they formed the biggest frontcourt in the league and, as they gained experience together, dominated opponents inside the key and on the boards. With Hewson, Duncan Nisbet, Lisa O’Nion, Donna Ritchie, Jane Webb, Kevin Faulkner and Craig Cannane hitting from outside, the Sydney Comets were a lethal combination.

Coming from third place, the Comets eliminated Dandenong Rangers in the semi-final before defeating fierce cross-town rivals, the Troy Sachs-led West Sydney Slix. It was a tough preliminary final in front of a big crowd at Kevin Betts Stadium but it was just the entree for the biggest game in the club’s brief history. Sydney were now in the grand final against the sensational Adelaide Thunder who had won 6 of the 8 championships since the league’s inception in 1988. They had no less than 5 Paralympians and were fronted by the mercurial David Gould, considered by many as the best player in the world at the time.

No-one gave Sydney a chance against the much more experienced and talented Thunder but it was a seesawing battle throughout. With defensive pressure reigning and Adelaide unable to build a decent lead, the Comets amazed everybody by wrestling a 4 point advantage in the final 2 minutes and then holding on for an outstanding championship victory!

Building to the Second Championship

With Karkainen unavailable for the 1997 season, and a run of absences and injuries to key players, the Comets could only manage 5th place, disappointingly missing a spot in the finals.

 

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