Team colors Purple & white League State Basketball League Championships 4 | President Steve Bezant Date founded 2000 | |
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Leagues State Basketball League History Men:
Lakeside Lightning
2000–present
Women:
Lakeside Lightning
2001–present Location North Lake, Western Australia Head coach M: Sam Oatman
W: Craig Mansfield Arena Lakeside Recreation Centre | ||
Lakeside Lightning is a State Basketball League (SBL) club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's SBL (MSBL) and Women's SBL (WSBL). The club is owned and managed by Lakeside Baptist Church. The Lightning play their homes games at Lakeside Recreation Centre.
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Inaugural season
In 2000, a Lakeside Lightning men's team entered the State Basketball League for the first time. They finished third in the MSBL's South Conference with a 12–7 record and went on to reach the grand final in their inaugural season, where they were defeated 96–76 by the Geraldton Buccaneers. The Lightning were led by American guard Ryan Borowicz (22.4 ppg) and forward-centre Mark Nash (17.9 ppg), and were coached by Club President Andy Stewart.
Championship era
In the wake of the men's success in 2000, a Lakeside Lightning women's team entered the WSBL in 2001. Success quickly followed for the women, as they made it through to their first WSBL Grand Final in 2002. In 2005, the men's team won their first MSBL championship behind a Grand Final MVP performance from Andy Gilbert. The following year, both teams were victorious, as the club took out both the MSBL and WSBL titles. The men were led by import Ben Earle and rebounding leader Jarrad Prue, while the women were led by Kristi Channing. In 2007, the men attempted to claim a three-peat but missed out by just two points after losing 96–94 to the Goldfields Giants in the grand final.
The men's team had a successful run of seasons between 2009 and 2012, with American import Luke Payne leading the way. They were crowned minor premiers in 2009, 2010 and 2011; finished second on the ladder in 2012; and had grand final appearances in 2009 and 2010, with 2009 resulting in a third championship for the men. During his four-year stint, Payne was named to the All-Star Five three times and earned Grand Final MVP honours in 2009.
With Luke Payne's departure following the 2012 season, the Lightning picked up two new imports for the 2013 season. Americans Ben Beran and Justin Cecil helped the Lightning finish first on the ladder in 2013 with a 23–3 record and guided them back to the MSBL Grand Final, where they defeated the Wanneroo Wolves 77–74. While Justin Cecil was named Grand Final MVP, Ben Beran was crowned the overall MSBL Most Valuable Player. The 2013 season also saw club legend Jarrad Prue become the all-time leading rebounder in MSBL history.
In 2014, while the men dropped to fourth and finished with a semi-final defeat, the women made it through to their third WSBL Grand Final (their first since 2006) behind coach Darren Nash and American forward Kari Pickens. The 2014 season also saw Jarrad Prue play his 300th MSBL game.
Fall from grace
After building a winning culture over many years, both Lakeside teams had a fall from grace in 2015 with a club-worst campaign. The men finished the regular season in 12th place on the ladder with a 9–17 record, marking their worst-ever regular-season placing and win/loss record—their previous worst season was the 2001 season when they finished ninth with an 11–15 record. The 2015 season also marked the first time the men missed out on a playoff spot since 2001. The women meanwhile finished their 2015 campaign with just one win in 22 contests, earning a last-place finish for the first time in club history.
In 2016, the women drastically improved, as they raced up the ladder to finish in sixth with an 11–11 record; their season ended with a quarter-final defeat. The men on the other hand finished in 11th place and set a new team-worst record at 7–19.