City of Birmingham Rockets

City of Birmingham Rockets
City of Birmingham Rockets
League	NBL D1
Established	2003; 21 years ago
History	City of Birmingham; 2003–2017; City of Birmingham Rockets; 2017–present
Arena	Nechells Centre
Capacity	400
Location	Birmingham, England
Website	Official website

The City of Birmingham Rockets are an English basketball club, based in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands.

History

The club was formed in 2003 as the City of Birmingham Basketball Club.^{[citation needed]}

The founders of the club were looking to provide regular opportunities and a clear pathway for young people from Birmingham and the surrounding areas to play basketball. The club runs representative teams at various age levels from Under-11s through to seniors, based in one of the most deprived wards in the country, with participants drawn from all parts of the city.^{[citation needed]}

The senior men's team entered the English Basketball League in 2014. The volunteer-led organisation's name was then changed to the City of Birmingham Rockets in August 2017 to recognise a partnership set up with Houston Rockets and NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon.^[1]

Despite spending most of their existence with a focus on youth development and competing in the lower divisions of the English Basketball League, with new backing it has been mooted that the Rockets could join the British Basketball League^[2] ^[3] in the near future; however, these plans appear to be hold at least for the 2019–20 season. ^[4]^[5]

The Rockets' home venue was refurbished in 2021 with funding from 2K, the American video game company behind the NBA 2K game series.^[6]

Players

City Of Birmingham Rockets 23-24 roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	Name	Ht.
G	Teesdale, Karl	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
G	Dawes, Jordan	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
G	Powell, Zack	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
G	McGregor, Lucas	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
G	Mughal, Faaris	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
G	Gayle, Martyn	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
G	Henry, Leon	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
F	Noel, Levi	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
F	Hayden, CJ	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
F	Jackman, Orlan	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
F	Okosieme, Luke	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)

Head coach

Charles Smith

Legend

(C) Team captain
Injured

Notable former players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria
To appear in this section a player must have either: Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Season-by-season records

Season	Division	Tier	Regular Season						Post-Season	National Cup
Season	Division	Tier	Finish	Played	Wins	Losses	Points	Win %	Post-Season	National Cup
City of Birmingham
2014–15	D4 Mid	5	3rd	16	9	7	18	0.563	1st round	Did not compete
2015–16	Dev SW	5	3rd	20	12	8	24	0.600	1st round	1st round
2016–17	D4 Mid	5	5th	18	10	8	20	0.556	Did not qualify	1st round
City of Birmingham Rockets
2017–18	D4 Mid	5	4th	22	16	6	32	0.727	Did not qualify	1st round
2018–19	D4 Mid	5	5th	16	8	8	16	0.500	Did not qualify	3rd round
2019–20	D3 Mid	4	2nd	21	17	4	35	0.810	No playoffs	1st round
2020–21	D2 Nor	3	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22	D2 Nor	3	7th	22	9	13	19	0.409	Did not qualify	2nd round
2022–23	D2 Nor	3	1st	22	21	1	42	0.955	Winners	2nd round
2023–24	D1	2	9th	24	9	15	18	0.375	Did Not Qualify
2024–25	D1	2

Honours

NBL Division 2 Playoffs (1): 2022-23 ^[7]

References

^ Amardeep Bassey (25 August 2018). "NBA Legend Hakeem Olajuwon on Why He's Made Birmingham His Home – and What He Thinks of Trump". Huffington Post.
^ Mark Woods. "BBL Shake Up Format". MVP247.
^ Mark Woods. "Hope Remains for Leeds Franchise". MVP247.
^ Sam Neter (10 March 2023). "Troy Deeney throws hat into ring for Birmingham BBL franchise". Hoopsfix.
^ Sam Neter (27 January 2022). "Investment group looking to establish BBL franchise in Birmingham". Hoopsfix.
^ Sam Neter (23 November 2020). "2K to fund court refurb in conjunction with City of Birmingham Rockets". Hoopsfix.
^ Sam Neter (22 April 2022). "City of Birmingham Rockets take NBL D2 Playoff crown". Hoopsfix. Retrieved 26 April 2023.

[1] Amardeep Bassey (25 August 2018). "NBA Legend Hakeem Olajuwon on Why He's Made Birmingham His Home – and What He Thinks of Trump". Huffington Post.

[2] Mark Woods. "BBL Shake Up Format". MVP247.

[3] Mark Woods. "Hope Remains for Leeds Franchise". MVP247.

[4] Sam Neter (10 March 2023). "Troy Deeney throws hat into ring for Birmingham BBL franchise". Hoopsfix.

[5] Sam Neter (27 January 2022). "Investment group looking to establish BBL franchise in Birmingham". Hoopsfix.

[6] Sam Neter (23 November 2020). "2K to fund court refurb in conjunction with City of Birmingham Rockets". Hoopsfix.

[7] Sam Neter (22 April 2022). "City of Birmingham Rockets take NBL D2 Playoff crown". Hoopsfix. Retrieved 26 April 2023.

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