Rockingham Flames


Rockingham Flames is a State Basketball League club based in Rockingham, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's SBL and Women's SBL. The club is a division of Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association, the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Flames play their home games at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

Club history

Twenty years of no success (1992–2011)

The Rockingham Flames made their debut in the State Basketball League in 1992 in the form of a women's team, becoming the first club to introduce a women's program before a men's program. In 1994, a Rockingham Flames men's team entered the MSBL. Over their first 20 seasons in the SBL, neither the women or the men won a minor premiership or earned a grand final berth. Season 2008 marked the men's best regular season in their history, as they finished in second place with a 21–5 record. Season 2010 marked the women's best regular season, as they finished in second place with a 16–6 record. In contrast, the women went on to have their worst-ever season in 2011, when they finished last with a 2–20 record.

First grand final appearance (2012)

In 2012, the Flames welcomed back Kaye Tucker and Casey Haggar, the two most important players from their strong 2010 team. They also brought in American import centre Emma Cannon, who quickly proved herself to be one of the best imports in the league. The Flames finished the regular season in fourth place with a 15–7 record before reaching the WSBL Grand Final. It marked the first ever grand final appearance in the club's history. In the championship decider on 31 August at the WA Basketball Centre, Cannon and Tucker were unable to fire for the Flames, as the South West Slammers took out the title with an 85–48 win.

Sami Whitcomb / Cooper Land era (2013–2016)

2013 season: Whitcomb MVP

In 2013, the Flames acquired two imports that would become staples for the club over the ensuing four years. For the women, American guard Sami Whitcomb was signed, while for the men, American forward Cooper Land joined the Flames after his brother Taylor played for the Mandurah Magic in 2012. While the men missed the finals, the women finished in second place with a 16–6 record, with Whitcomb being named league MVP.

2014 season: WSBL champions; Land and Whitcomb MVPs

In 2014, the men accompanied the women in the finals, with both teams earning post-season berths. The men had their second-best regular-season campaign in their history, finishing in second place with a 17–9 record behind the Land brothers—Taylor joined Cooper at the Flames in 2014 after a two-year stint with Mandurah. The women had a blistering season in 2014, as they collected the club's first ever minor premiership with a first-place finish and a 20–2 record. While the men were ousted by the East Perth Eagles in the quarter-finals, the women went undefeated over the first two rounds of the finals to reach the WSBL Grand Final. In the championship decider on 29 August at the WA Basketball Centre, the Flames' one-two punch of Whitcomb and Darcee Garbin saw them beat the Lakeside Lightning 80–75 to claim their maiden WSBL championship. Whitcomb and Garbin were the two stars of the night for the Flames with Grand Final MVP Whitcomb hitting 20 first-half points on her way to 32 for the night to go with six rebounds and five steals on the back of shooting 11-of-21 from the field, and 6-of-11 from three-point territory. Garbin complemented Whitcomb well with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while captain Kaye Tucker retired as a champion in what was her 350th and last appearance in the league. At the end-of-season awards night, Whitcomb was named MVP of the WSBL for the second consecutive year, while Cooper Land was named MVP of the MSBL.

2015 season: WSBL champions; Whitcomb MVP

In 2015, both teams returned to the finals and saw success, with Whitcomb and Cooper Land once again leading the way. After finishing fifth with a 15–11 record, the men advanced through to the semi-finals, where they lost in straight sets to the Joondalup Wolves. The women on the other hand finished as minor premiers for the second straight year, once again with a 20–2 record. They made their way through to their third WSBL Grand Final in four years after going undefeated over the first two rounds of the finals. The Flames met the Willetton Tigers in the championship decider, a team who finished second in the regular season with an identical 20–2 record—Rockingham only claimed the minor premiership courtesy of a one-point edge in their two head-to-head battles. Behind a 41-point effort from Whitcomb, the Flames claimed back-to-back titles with a 68–63 win over the Tigers. Whitcomb subsequently earned her second consecutive Grand Final MVP. At the end-of-season awards night, Whitcomb was named MVP of the WSBL for the third consecutive year.

2016 season: Land MVP

In 2016, both Whitcomb and Cooper Land returned to the Flames for a fourth season. Behind a strong contingent of Whitcomb, Garbin, Ifunanya Ibekwe, Jacinta Bourne, Tarsha Fletcher, Ashlee Sidebottom, Talisia Bourne, Lizel Buckley, Amanda Pether and Ella Kennedy, the women entered the finals following another strong regular season, having finished in second position with an 18–4 record. However, their quest for a three-peat was denied after losing 2–1 to the Tigers in the semi-finals.
Season 2016 saw the men finish in fifth place with a 17–9 record. They went on to lose to the Geraldton Buccaneers in the quarter-finals in straight sets despite Cooper Land scoring 72 points over the two games. At the end-of-season awards night, Land was named MVP of the MSBL for the second time in three years.
Following the 2016 season, the Land brothers both parted ways with the Flames, as did Whitcomb.

Third WSBL championship (2019)

In 2019, the Flames women, led by Darcee Garbin, Maddie Allen, Christina Boag and Alex Ciabattoni, finished the regular season in seventh position with a 13–9 record before reaching the WSBL Grand Final after going undefeated over the first two rounds of the finals. In the grand final, the Flames were led by Allen's 17 points and 10 rebounds as they defeated the Warwick Senators 85–56 to win their third WSBL championship.

Accolades

WSBL
MSBL