Birmingham Knights
The Birmingham Knights are a professional basketball team from Birmingham in England. Founded in 2011 following a successful application as a new franchise in the closed professional league British Basketball League (BBL ), they take on their gaming operations for 2013/14 season in September 2013. The professional basketball in Birmingham in the BBL this is based on the predecessor clubs Birmingham Bullets (1990 to 2006) and Team Birmingham Panthers (2007/ 08), representing previously the city in the BBL.
History
Birmingham Bullets (1974 to 2006)
The bullets were originally founded in 1974 in Coventry, and in 1980 relocated its headquarters, 40 km away Birmingham, where she, along with 14 other teams were as Bullets 1987 Founding member of the closed professional league BBL. In the following three seasons in the league shrank down to nine teams, they did not take part in the operation of the BBL game before they returned in 1991. Then you qualified to ten times in succession for the play- offs for the championship. 1996 and 1998 you won the Championship play-offs with a team of Tony Dorsey belonged, among others, " Most Valuable Player " ( MVP ) of the BBL in 1996. 2000 lost to the final of the play-offs against the Manchester Giants, where of the Giants impersonated Tony Dorsey, who also briefly played at the beginning of the 1996/97 season in the German Basketball Bundesliga for Steiner Bayreuth, again was MVP. Then sank the star of the Bullets and 2002 could be the first time in the comprehensive twelve teams at this time BBL do not qualify for the play- offs the best eight teams. Two years later they had a disastrous season and scored only two wins in 36 games this season. Sporty and economical shortly before the end, the mixture was held for two years, in which each one had the worst record of any sporting teams that participated had before you declare 2006 the insolvency and set the game mode.
Birmingham Panthers (2007 to 2008)
After the Wolves had taken the place of the bullets in the BBL from Worcester in 2006, 50 km away, a group led by the former assistant coach of the Bullets Herman Wilson found himself during the 2006/07 season ready to work with the local basketball team the Birmingham Athletics, also known as Aston Athletics known in the venue Aston Events Centre, to make a new start for a BBL franchise. Similar to the renaming of the Washington Wizards in the U.S. professional league NBA but we opted not to continue the club name " Bullets" and played after a successful application for 2007 in the 2007/ 08 season under the name of Team Birmingham Panthers in memory of the former franchise Doncaster Panthers.
The 2007/08 season was overshadowed by the search for a suitable venue because the Aston Events Centre was perceived as insufficient. Finally, they played in Walsall Campus Sports Centre of the University of Wolverhampton in Wolverhampton, 20 km away. Two games were worn out in the TCAT Arena at Telford College of Arts and Technology and even flirted with a transfer of the franchise in the nearly 50 km from Telford. Ultimately, however, was the lack of sporting success with just six wins in 33 games and in last place in the final table to a lack of spectator interest and lack of support from sponsors in which after the end of the season 2007/ 08 to renewed hiring a BBL franchise in Birmingham led. In the 2008 /09 season went under the name Panthers to a team in the English Basketball League ( EBL) Division 2.
Birmingham Knights ( since 2011 )
One group of investors around the Oaks Consultancy Ltd.. from Solihull succeeded in 2011 a successful application for membership in the BBL for a new franchise in the BBL from Birmingham. The launch of gaming operations was provided for the 2012/13 season, but was eventually moved to the 2013/14 season. The Knights are to complete their first games in September 2013 in the BBL. As a foundation for the professional team, the Birmingham Aces to act, playing their men's team in the EBL Division 3.