RECENTLY, the National Basketball League (NBL)1 announced the introduction of a league based on the eastern seaboard, as they expanded their work across Australia. With the Australian basketball system producing more talent than ever, it was a justified move, as the eastern league joins the NBL1 North, NBL1 South, NBL1 Central and NBL1 West as the competitions spread out across Australia.

The league will be made up of 12 teams from the eastern shores of Australia, with many coming from the Waratah 1 competition. The NBL1 has shown this competition allows teams to take their respective games to the next level, and the teams entering NBL1 East will be looking to do the same. In this series, we introduce you to the 12 sides who will be taking the court in the league’s inaugural season. Next up on the agenda is the Bankstown Bruins.

The Bankstown Bruins began their professional basketball history by joining the NBL in 1979 for the league’s first season. This was not a successful move with the team struggling for seven consecutive seasons, and following multiple brand changes, the organization eventually became the Sydney Kings, who went on to have plenty of success in Australia’s premier basketball league.

Bankstown was next heard from in the early 90’s, when they joined the NSW Premier Division, which eventually became the Waratah League. The organisation entered teams in both the men’s and the women’s competition, as the league began its inaugural season. It took just two years for the men to win their maiden championship, before going on to win two more in the next five seasons. The women enjoyed similar success, producing a three-peat between 1997 and 1999 as they announced themselves as one of the league’s best sides of all time.

The club began to build on this success throughout the 2000’s, particularly the women’s side, who were firmly established as a league powerhouse, and arguably the most successful women’s side in the modern era, with seven championships between 2003 and 2015. The men’s side also claimed their fourth title in 2016, after a significant drought.

The side will host their games at the Bankstown Basketball Stadium, which is based in their home city near Sydney in NSW.

With a history chock full of success, the Bruins will be looking to return to their winning ways of old, and the NBL1 East competition delivers the opportunity to do just that. A rebranded league on a much bigger stage should see this team return to the top of the table once again.

Picture credit: Bankstown Bruins