| Gold Coast Blaze | |
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| Established | 2007/08 |
| Team Colours | Aqua, Yellow and White |
| Home Venue | Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast, Queensland |
| Major Sponsor | TBA |
| Championships | None |
| Team History | Gold Coast Blaze (2007-Present) |
| Chief Executive | David Claxton |
| Coach | Brendan Joyce |
| Captain | James Harvey/Scott McGregor |
| Website | http://www.blazegc.com.au/ |
The Gold Coast Blaze is an Australian basketball team which competes in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on the Gold Coast Highway in Broadbeach, Gold Coast was opened on 29 June 2004 at a cost of $127 million This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. James Harvey (born February 15 1979, in Perth Western Australia) is an Australian Basketball player currently playing in the Scott McGregor (born February 5, 1976, in Newcastle New South Wales) is an Australian Basketball player currently playing in the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The National Basketball League is Australia 's top-level professional Basketball competition The Blaze are competing in their inaugural season in 2007/08. The club is based on the Gold Coast and joins three other NBL clubs competing from Queensland. This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The Blaze are not related to the previous Gold Coast representative in the NBL, the Gold Coast Rollers. Honour Roll
Contents |
History
The first official reports of a new Gold Coast franchise surfaced in September 2006. [1] Former Gold Coast Rollers head coach Dave Claxton spearheaded a bid for a new NBL license for the Gold Coast. Honour Roll On November 21, 2006 the NBL Board officially accepted the bid and announced the addition of a new Gold Coast franchise and reported that the club would compete out of the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on the Gold Coast Highway in Broadbeach, Gold Coast was opened on 29 June 2004 at a cost of $127 million [2]
At the beginning of 2007 the newly founded Gold Coast franchise held a competition to name the club. [3] The franchise offered four options to choose from including the 'Heat', 'Marlins', 'Flyers' and 'Waves', as well as the ability to suggest another alternative. On February 23 the franchise announced that it would compete under the 'Blaze' moniker. [4] Despite the 'Heat' name being voted the most popular in the naming competition, club officials decided it would be best to steer clear of the name following objections from the NBA, due to the name being held by American franchise the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat (often referred to simply as the Heat, including in some official team publications with HEAT in all capital letters are a professional Basketball
Prior to the official naming of the franchise, the Blaze made their first major signing on January 18 in signing former Wollongong Hawks head coach Brendan Joyce as their inaugural head coach. [5] Following this signing, two days later the club signed former West Sydney Razorbacks head coach Mark Watkins as the assistant coach. [6]
On April 5 the Blaze announced the signing of their first player: former West Sydney Razorbacks captain Scott McGregor [7]. Scott McGregor (born February 5, 1976, in Newcastle New South Wales) is an Australian Basketball player currently playing in the The first international signing was announced on May 2 with former Houston Rockets NBA player Juaquin "Hawk" Hawkins, who had met Gold Coast coach Brendan Joyce in California several years before[8]. The Houston Rockets are an American professional Basketball team based in Houston Texas. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.
Current Roster
| Gold Coast Blaze Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: Brendan Joyce Assistant Coach: Mark Watkins |
Edit | |||
| F | 12 |  |
Nic Campbell | (TAS; University of California, Irvine) |
| F | 1 |  |
Juaquin Hawkins * | (California; Long Beach State) |
| G | 33 | |
James Harvey | (WA) |
| F | 43 |  |
Casey Frank | (New York; Northern Arizona University) |
| C | 30 | |
Ben Melmeth | (NSW; University of Utah) |
| G | 7 | |
Tyson Demos | (NSW); (AIS) |
| F | 24 | |
Luke Whitehead | (California; University of Louisville) |
| G | 2 | |
Daniel Joyce | (VIC) |
| F | 10 | |
Scott McGregor | (NSW; AIS) |
| F | 11 | |
Pero Cameron | (NZL) |
| G | TBA | |
Shane Heal | (VIC) |
| C | 6 | |
Rowan Gray # | (QLD) |
| F | 9 | |
Jason Aucion # | (QLD) |
| * = Import, # = Development Player | Gold Coast Blaze | |||
Notes
- ^ http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20376713-5006371,00.html Nagy, Boti (2006). Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. California State University Long Beach (also known as Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach State, CSU Long Beach, CSULB, LBSU James Harvey (born February 15 1979, in Perth Western Australia) is an Australian Basketball player currently playing in the Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Northern Arizona University (NAU is a Public university in Flagstaff Arizona in the United States. The University of Utah Utes have consistently been one of the most successful basketball programs in the NCAA. The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS leads the development of elite sport and is widely acknowledged in Australia and internationally as a world best practice model for elite athlete Luke Edward Whitehead (born February 9, 1981 in Walnut Creek, California) is an American basketball player for the Gold Coast California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public University in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Scott McGregor (born February 5, 1976, in Newcastle New South Wales) is an Australian Basketball player currently playing in the The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS leads the development of elite sport and is widely acknowledged in Australia and internationally as a world best practice model for elite athlete New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Shane Douglas Heal (born 6 September 1970 in Melbourne, Victoria, is an Australian professional Basketball player currently Nunawading (ˌnʌnəˈwɒdɪŋ is a Suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent "Gold Coast to get a team". AdelaideNow. Retrieved February, 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=4240 NBL (2006). "NBL expands to Gold Coast". Retrieved February, 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=4539 NBL (2007). "Gold Coast name game". Retrieved February, 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=4745 Gold Coast Basketball (2007). "Gold Coast sets NBL a Blaze". Retrieved February, 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=4538 Gold Coast (2007). "Gold Coast signs Joyce". Retrieved February, 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=4724 Gold Coast (2007). "Watkins joins Gold Coast". Retrieved February, 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=4891 Gold Coast Blaze (2007). "McGregor named as Blaze's first signing". Retrieved April 5, 2007.
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200705/s1911983.htm "Hawkins to join Gold Coast Blaze". Retrieved May 2, 2007.