| Singapore Slingers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Leagues | NBL (2006–2008) ABL (2009–2023) | |||
| Founded | 2006; 19 years ago (2006) | |||
| History | Canberra Cannons 1979–2003 Hunter Pirates 2003–2006 Singapore Slingers 2006–present | |||
| Arena | OCBC Arena | |||
| Capacity | 3,000 | |||
| Location | Kallang,Singapore | |||
| Team colours | Red, white, gold | |||
| Main sponsor | PengWine | |||
| General manager | Michael Johnson | |||
| Head coach | Neo Beng Siang | |||
| Ownership | HSJ Pte. Ltd. Basketball Enterprises Pte Ltd | |||
| Championships | 0 | |||
| Website | SingaporeSlingers.com | |||
| ||||
TheSingapore Slingers are aSingaporean professionalbasketball team that last competed in theASEAN Basketball League. The Slingers were known as theJobStreet.com Singapore Slingers between 2009 and 2014, due to sponsorship ties withJobStreet.com.[1]
The Slingers formerly competed in Australia'sNational Basketball League (NBL), becoming the first – and so far, the only – Asia-based club to compete in the NBL when they joined at the start of the2006–07 NBL season.[2] They withdrew from the competition in July 2008,[3] with their decision influenced by the financial costs of travelling.[4][5] They subsequently competed in the "Singapore Challenge Series", where they played against a range of teams from thePhilippines,China,Indonesia,Malaysia,India andAustralia.
In October 2009, the Slingers were one of the inaugural teams that began competition in theASEAN Basketball League. From their inception in 2006 until 2014, the Slingers played their home games at theSingapore Indoor Stadium. Ahead of the2014 ABL season, the Slingers moved into theOCBC Arena. In November 2016, the Singapore Slingers andStarHub have announced a partnership that will see the pay TV operator become the Official Broadcast Partner of the Singapore Slingers for three years.[6] In the2019–20 ABL season,Singtel became the Official Broadcast Partner of the Singapore Slingers.
The franchise originated as theCanberra Cannons from 1979 to 2002, anAustralian team representing the nation's capital city,Canberra. Initially playing at the Canberra Showgrounds before moving into the 5,200-seatAIS Arena (nicknamed "The Palace" as it was the largest and most modern arena in the league from 1979 to 1983) in1980, the Cannons competed in theNational Basketball League and won 3championships in1983,1984 and1988. The Cannons were one of the original ten NBL clubs, competing in the league's very first season in1979 where they reached the championship game with a 13–5 record, but fell at the final hurdle, losing to theSt Kilda Saints 94–93 in the Grand Final.
The Cannons failed to make the playoffs over the next few seasons but won their first NBL championship in 1983 where they downed thedefending championWest Adelaide Bearcats 75–73 in theGrand Final.Australian national teamPoint guard,Adelaide bornPhil Smyth, joined the team in 1983 led the NBL in steals and assists. Smyth was also named to his second straightAll-NBL First Team as well as winning his second straightNBL Best Defensive Player Award while Jamie Kennedy was named as theNBL's Rookie of the Year.
The title was retained in 1984, when the Cannons beat theBrisbane Bullets 84–82 in the Grand Final. Smyth had another big season, being named to the All-NBL First Team for the third straight year.
Canberra made the playoffs for the next three seasons but would fall to the Bullets in the semi-final each time, though Bob Turner did win the club's firstNBL Coach of the Year Award in1985. Championship glory eluded the Cannons until1988, when they beat theNorth Melbourne Giants 2–1 in a best-of-three championship series. Smyth was once again was named to the All-NBL First Team after leading the league in three-point percentage, free-throw percentage and steals, and was also named NBL's Best Defensive Player for the third time, while 7'0" (213 cm) American importcenterWillie Simmons led the league with 3.6 blocks per game. North Melbourne exacted their revenge in1989, beating the Cannons 2–0 in theGrand Final series. 1989 would prove to be the last NBL Grand Final the Cannons would appear in.
The Cannons failed to make the playoffs again until1992, where they were eliminated in the first round by the eventual champions, theSouth East Melbourne Magic. The club's greatest player Phil Smyth left the team after 10 seasons and returned home to join theAdelaide 36ers from1993 and the Cannons would not reach the playoffs again until1996, making the semi-finals before being eliminated by the Melbourne Tigers 2–1. Canberra again made the finals in1997, but were eliminated in the first round 2–1 by the North Melbourne Giants.
Financial problems dogged the club in the late 1990s and the team finally succumbed to its money woes in December 2002. The club managed to play all its remaining games of the2002–03 NBL season, but were unable to hold on to their star players, includingC. J. Bruton, the son of then-coachCal Bruton and all of their imports. Canberra finished with an 11–19 record and the team was bought by a consortium that moved the team toNewcastle.
After relocating to Newcastle, the new owners renamed the franchise theHunter Pirates, keeping with the Cannons' maritime battlers theme. The Pirates played their home games at the 4,658 seatNewcastle Entertainment Centre.
In itsfirst season as the Pirates, the team came last after winning only two games. The Pirates' coach,Bruce Palmer who had coached North Melbourne to its 1989 Grand Final win over Canberra, was also controversially fired partway into the season and was replaced by his assistant coach, former Melbourne Tigers championship forwardDave Simmons.
In the2004–05 NBL season, formerPerth Wildcats,Australian Boomers andAustralian Institute of Sport coachDr. Adrian Hurley was employed as coach. A mostly-retooled team produced much better results, finishing 8th with a 15–17 record. The Pirates made the NBL playoffs only to be eliminated by theBrisbane Bullets in the opening round. Hurley would quit at the end of the2005–06 season after the Pirates were beaten by theCairns Taipans in the playoffs.
The club had plans to move from the Entertainment Centre to a new stadium to be built at theStockland Supercentre out atGlendale in the next few years but this never eventuated. The Pirates withdrew from the NBL at the end of the2005–06 season due to financial difficulties and their inability to secure a major sponsor, and the club's NBL licence was put up for sale.Pirates snap NBL losing streak It was revealed onNBN News that, in an effort to remain in the competition, the club had considered turning itself into a non-profit organisation, thereby able to access various grants.
In the end, the Pirates' licence was sold to a Singapore consortium, who renamed the club as the Singapore Slingers and began competing in the2006–07 seasonNBL > News.
Although the Slingers had relocated toSingapore before the start of the2006–07 NBL season, they still played occasional home games in Newcastle. The Slingers home venue would be the 12,000 seatSingapore Indoor Stadium.
The re-branding of the club was the brainchild of NBL stalwart and former Canberra dual-championship winning coach Bob Turner who took over as the Slingers' CEO after the handover. The NBL believed the club would open the league to wider audiences and greater revenue. However, due to the distance involved, the team agreed to cover the travel expenses of all the teams which played them in Singapore.[7] The club averaged crowds of only 3,500 at its home games during the season.
In July 2008, following their second season in the NBL, the Slingers withdrew from the league due to the dramatic increase in international travel costs. The Slingers determined that the future focus of the team needed to be on participating in competitions within its local region in Asia rather than weekly games in Australia and New Zealand.[8][9]
Following their exit from the NBL, the Slingers organised and took part in the Singapore Challenge Series, a round of friendly matches played at theSingapore Indoor Stadium against a number ofPan-Asia Pacific basketball clubs such asIndonesian Basketball League championsSatria Muda Britama,[10] the Darwin All-Stars, a team made up of a majority of professional players originating fromDarwin as well asAir21 Express from thePBA. The series ended in January 2009.[11]
On 1 September 2009, it was announced that the Slingers would be one of six founding teams of the newASEAN Basketball League which tipped off on 10 October 2009. The other five teams were theBrunei Barracudas, theKuala Lumpur Dragons, thePhilippine Patriots,Satria Muda BritAma fromIndonesia and theThailand Tigers. It was also revealed that the driving force behind the realisation of the league wasTony Fernandes, the founder ofAirAsia.
Upon their confirmation of entry in the inaugural ABL season, the Slingers announced that they had secured contracts withSingaporean playersPathman Matialakan andHong Wei Jian for the new season, as well asFilipinopoint guardAl Vergara.[12]
As part of their pre-season training for the ABL, the Slingers organised a second edition of the Singapore Challenge in September 2009, choosing to play four single-match games againstPBA sidesCoca-Cola Tigers,Ginebra Kings andSan Miguel Beermen, as well asSmart Gilas Pilipinas, the national basketball team of thePhilippines. The 2009 Singapore Challenge saw the Slingers come away with a 2–2 record, beating the Tigers and the Beermen while falling to Smart Gilas and Ginebra.[13]
Prior to their first game in the ABL, the Slingers' import player Kyle Jeffers was named as the co-captain for the team's maiden ASEAN Basketball League season, alongside local player Michael Wong.[14]
The opening night of the Slingers'ABL campaign saw them beat theBrunei Barracudas 87–69 on 18 October 2009. Homegrown talentWong Wei Long scored a season high of 14 points in that game, sinking 4three-pointers.Pathman Matialakan, the first Asian and Singaporean to ever play in theNBL when the Slingers were still competing inAustralia, became the first local Slinger to score in theABL with alayup. Kyle Jeffers also collected a record 20 rebounds in the same game whileHong Wei Jian wowed the crowd with two dunks in the 4th quarter.[15]
The Slingers did well in thefirst season of theABL, finishing in 2nd place with a 15–10 record behind thePhilippine Patriots. The team also managed to reach the semi-finals of the2010 ABL playoffs but were beaten 2–1 bySatria Muda BritAma.
After the2009–10 ABL Season concluded, coach Frank Arsego announced that he would be departing the club after spending two years in Singapore.[16]SingaporeanNeo Beng Siang, who was assistant coach to Arsego during the2009–10 ABL Season, was chosen to take charge of the team from the2010–11 ABL Season onwards.
Finishing the2010–11 regular season in 4th place with a 7–8 record, the Slingers managed to reach the semi-finals of the2011 ABL playoffs for the second season straight but lost 2–1 to eventual championsChang Thailand Slammers. The 2010–10 season also saw local starHong Wei Jian retiring from professional basketball after tearing hisanterior cruciate ligament and fracturing his knee.
The formulative years of the ABL saw local players such asWong Wei Long,Desmond Oh andLim Shengyu rising to prominence. While fans saw numerous changes in the Slingers' foreign import roster,Americancentre Kyle Jeffers andFilipinopoint guardAl Vergara were regulars in the team, re-contracting with the Slingers on several occasions.
The Slingers became the first team to cross the 100-point mark inABL history when they beat theBrunei Barracudas 102–61 on 9 January 2011. All players from the Slingers squad managed to get onto the scoreboard withLeo Avenido leading with 23 points and 4 assists.Tan Chin Hong was the player who scored the Slingers' 100th point.[17]
The2014 ABL pre-season saw the Slingers secure a big name in the form of ex-NBA playerHassan Adams, who turned out for theNew Jersey Nets in the2006–07 NBA Season and theToronto Raptors in the2008–09 NBA Season.[18] Adams impressed the crowd with a game-high 21 points in the Slingers' season opening game against new entrant Laskar Dreya South Sumatra at theOCBC Arena but struggled with his fitness and health and played sparingly after that. After he sustained a hip injury in a road game loss to Hi-Tech Bangkok City inBangkok, Adams sat out of the Slingers' next three games, watching from the sidelines as the Slingers went on to win all three againstSaigon Heat, Laskar Dreya andIndonesia Warriors. Adams was then officially released on 11 August 2014 after it was confirmed by the team's medical staff that he would be sidelined for 4 to 8 weeks due to his injury.[19]
The Slingers played their following game against theWestports Malaysia Dragons without a replacement for Adams in the foreign import slot and fell to a 59–85 defeat at the MABA Stadium inKuala Lumpur. The following game saw the Slingers exacting revenge on the Dragons with a 77–68 scoreline inSingapore, a match which also sawAustralian import Adam Becis turning out for the Slingers on a one match contract. Becis, who plays for the Singapore Supras in thePro-Am Singapore Basketball League, turned out to be a shrewd signing as he scored 12 points during the game, including athree-pointer which overturned the score to 54–52 in the Slingers' favour at the end of the third period.[20]
On 19 August 2014, the Slingers announced that they had signed formerSaigon Heat andBarangay Ginebra San Miguel forwardDior Lowhorn to fill up the empty world import slot. Lowhorn led the Slingers with 18 points in his first game but failed to stop the team from falling 54–65 to theIndonesia Warriors at home in a game which also saw rookie Russell Low score 10 points for the Slingers. A key player for theSingapore Youth National Team during the inauguralYouth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010, as well as theSingapore Men's National Team which won the bronze medal at the2013 Southeast Asian Games, Low was drafted into the team after completing hisNational Service.[21]
The next game saw the Slingers bounce back from defeat with a 77–62 win against Laskar Dreya at the Hi-Test Arena inBatam on 25 August 2014.Lowhorn chalked up an impressive 28 points and 10 rebounds while Kyle Jeffers posted 19 points.Wong Wei Long added a further 14 points for the Slingers to top off a performance which improved the Slingers' record to 6-4 and allowing them to climb up to third position in the league standings.[22]
On 31 August 2014, the Slingers ended Hi-Tech Bangkok City's undefeated run with a dramatic 78–75 victory in overtime. The game sawDior Lowhorn score a season high 35 big points which included athree-pointer from the baseline in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter that sent the game intoovertime. The game also sawWong Wei Long finish with 16 points whileAl Vergara added 11 points and 9 assists off the Slingers' bench.[23] Team captain Kyle Jeffers was injured in the same match when he fell awkwardly while competing for a rebound in the third quarter and had to be stretchered off.
The Slingers subsequently announced on 9 September 2014 that Jeffers had been placed on the injured reserve list while formerSaigon Heat centre Justin Howard had been brought in as a replacement. Prior to signing for the Slingers, Howard played two games in August 2014 for the Indonesia Warriors as a temporary replacement for the injuredChris Ellis.[24]
A 79–65 victory over the Saigon Heat in Singapore on 1 October 2014 saw the Slingers inch closer to a playoff berth with Howard putting in a big performance, finishing with 24 points and 20 rebounds.Lowhorn added 20 points and 9 rebounds whileWong added 14 points.Desmond Oh, who started atpoint guard also contributed 7 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to help the Slingers improve to an 11–6 record.[25] The game was also notable as the Slingers were dressed in a one-off, all pink ensemble for their 3rd annual Cancer Awareness Game. The pink jerseys were later auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds donated directly to the Singapore Cancer Society.
The Slingers currently plays at the 3,000 seatsOCBC Arena which opened in 2014 located atKallang. In 2013, theSingapore Sports Hub andOCBC Bank announced thatOCBC Group will become the largest sponsorship partner of the Singapore Sports Hub and will have naming rights to theOCBC Arena.[26]
From 2006 to 2014, the Singapore Slingers played their home games at the 12,000 seatsSingapore Indoor Stadium. During the 2006–08NBL seasons, it was the highest capacity stadium among the other stadiums.
| NBL champions | League champions | Runners-up | Finals berth |
| Season | Tier | League | Regular season | Post-season | Head coach | Captain | Club MVP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Win % | |||||||
| Singapore Slingers | |||||||||||
| 2006–07 | 1 | NBL | 8th | 33 | 13 | 20 | .394 | Lost elimination final (Townsville) 93–106 | Gordon McLeod | Ben Knight | Mike Helms |
| 2007–08 | 1 | NBL | 12th | 30 | 6 | 24 | .200 | Did not qualify | Gordon McLeod | Ben Knight | Mike Helms |
| Regular season record | 63 | 19 | 44 | .302 | 0 regular season champions | ||||||
| Finals record | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 NBL championships | ||||||
As of the end of the2007–08 season
| ABL champions | Season champions | Runners-up | Finals berth |
| Season | League | Regular season | Post-season | Head Coach | Captain | Club MVP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Win % | ||||||
| Singapore Slingers | ||||||||||
| 2009–10 | ABL | 2nd | 15 | 10 | 5 | .667 | Lost semifinals (Satria Muda) 1–2 | Frank Arsego | Kyle Jeffers Michael Wong | Michael LeBlanc |
| 2010–11 | ABL | 4th | 15 | 7 | 8 | .467 | Lost semifinals (Thailand) 1–2 | Neo Beng Siang | Kyle Jeffers Steven Khoo | Leo Avenido |
| 2012 | ABL | 5th | 21 | 9 | 12 | .429 | Did not qualify | Neo Beng Siang | Kyle Jeffers | Louis Graham |
| 2013 | ABL | 5th | 22 | 7 | 15 | .318 | Did not qualify | Neo Beng Siang | Kyle Jeffers | Rashad Jones-Jennings |
| 2014 | ABL | 3rd | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | Lost semifinals (Bangkok) 0–2 | Neo Beng Siang | Kyle Jeffers | Dior Lowhorn |
| 2015–16 | ABL | 2nd | 20 | 16 | 4 | .800 | Won Semifinals (Bangkok) 2–1 Lost ABL Finals (Malaysia) 2–3 | Neo Beng Siang | Desmond Oh | Justin Howard |
| 2016–17 | ABL | 2nd | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | Won Semifinals (Pilipinas) 2–0 Lost ABL Finals (Eastern) 1–3 | Neo Beng Siang | Desmond Oh | Justin Howard |
| 2017–18 | ABL | 5th | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | Lost Elimination Finals (Mono) 0–2 | Neo Beng Siang | Desmond Oh | Xavier Alexander |
| 2018–19 | ABL | 3rd | 26 | 16 | 10 | .615 | Won Quarterfinals (Macau) 2–1 Won Semifinals (Eastern) 2–0 Lost ABL Finals (Indonesia) 2–3 | Neo Beng Siang | Desmond Oh | John Fields |
| 2019–20 | ABL | 7th | 17 | 7 | 10 | .412 | Season cancelled* | Neo Beng Siang | Jun Yuan Lim Desmond Oh | Xavier Alexander |
| 2023 | ABL | 4th | 14 | 9 | 5 | .391 | Lost semifinals (Saigon) 1–2 | Neo Beng Siang | Delvin Goh | Kentrell Barkley |
| Season record | 210 | 118 | 92 | .562 | 0 Season champions | |||||
| Finals record | 37 | 16 | 21 | .432 | 0 ABL Championships | |||||
As of the end of the2023 season
*Note: Season cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic.[27]
| NBL Championships: | None |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | None |
| Finals Appearances | 1 (2006/07) |
| NBL Most Valuable Players: | None |
| All-NBL First Team: | None |
| All-NBL Second Team: | None |
| All-NBL Third Team: | Mike Helms (2006/07) |
| NBL Coach of the Year: | None |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | None |
| NBL Most Improved Player: | None |
| NBL Best Sixth Man: | None |
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility atFIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Singapore Slingers roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Updated: 2 January 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is the lineup of the Slingers for the2023 ABL season.[28]
Brad DavidsonLarry Davidson Blagoj Janev Ben KnightShane McDonald Ben MelmethDarren NgLuke SchenscherAaron Trahair Pero Vasiljevic
Eban Hyams
Lee Seung-jun
Jeremy Kench
Leonidez AvenidoJunjun CabatuJayson CastroDon Dulay Phillip MorrisonAl Vergara
Hassan Adams Christopher Vaughn CantaMarquin ChandlerChris CharlesJohn Fields Louis GrahamRod GrizzardMike HelmsJustin Howard Kyle JeffersRashad Jones-Jennings Michael LeBlanc Donald LittleDonald Rashaad Singleton Marcus Skinner Jerran YoungMarcus Elliott
Koh Meng Koon Michael Wong Wai Sian Lim Prasad Sadasivan Marcus NgPathman MatialakanHong Wei JianSteven Khoo Mitchell Frederick Folkoff Damien Goh Teck BengShengyu LimWei Long WongDesmond OhLeon KwekTeo Chun HoeNg Han BinDelvin GohRussel LowGordon McLeod (2006–08) Frank Arsego (2009–10)Neo Beng Siang (2010–present)
