| Plymouth Raiders | ||||
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| Main sponsor | UCP Marjon | |||
| League | British Basketball League | |||
| Established | 1983 | |||
| History | Plymouth Raiders 1983-present |
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| Arena | Pavilions (Capacity: 1,480) |
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| Location | Plymouth, Devon | |||
| Head coach | Gavin Love | |||
| Colours | Green, White and Black | |||
| Website | ||||
| Uniforms | ||||
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The Plymouth Raiders, officially called UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders for sponsorship reasons, is South-west England's leading basketball team. Based in the city of Plymouth, they play their home games at the Pavilions arena and have competed in the top-tier British Basketball League since 2004. Prior to this, Raiders were the longest serving and most successful team of EBL Division 1. The franchise also operates Plymouth Marjon, a development programme in partnership with University College Plymouth St Mark & St John, with several teams competing in various divisions of the English Basketball League.
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The historic city of Plymouth is firmly established as a hotbed of basketball activity within England and over the last three decades Raiders, as well as the former Tamar Valley Cannons and the Marjon’s University team, have all enjoyed plenty of success in national competitions. Plymouth’s basketball origins can be traced back to the mid-1970s, with the original forerunning team Plymouth Panasonic. On the back of the successful Founders Cup run in 1978-1979, where they finished as Runners-up, Panasonic decided to enter the National League 2 (NBL) for the first time in 1979. Although making a good account in their rookie season under the helm of Coach Frank Pocock (finishing 3-11), the team withdrew from competition during the close season due to a lack of finances.
Following the withdrawal, the team was renamed Plymouth Kanaries and competed in local competitions for much of the early 1980s. Coach Pocock, along with a team of Plymouth businessmen including local teacher Keith Mollard - a former player, National League referee and Commissioner - backed an application for a Plymouth-based team to rejoin national competition and in 1983 were admitted to National League 2. Shortly after, the team was branded as the Plymouth Raiders, a name coined by Kanaries' American player Jim Musgrave. "He came up with the idea of a wily fox raiding the chicken coop, which is where (club mascot) Foxy came from,” revealed Pocock, in an interview with the Plymouth Evening Herald. The club colours of Red with Golden trim were adopted and a naming-rights sponsorship deal was agreed with local pharmaceutical producer Farley Health, giving birth to the Glucodin Plymouth Raiders.
Raiders played their first NBL Division 2 game on 1 October 1983 at the Mayflower Centre in Plymouth’s Central Park. Merseyside Mustangs were the inaugural challengers, though it wasn’t a baptism of fire some were expecting, instead Raiders succumbed to a narrow one-point defeat, with the game finishing 75-76 in Mustangs’ favour. Led by Coach Bob Karruck, the team endured an inconsistent rookie season, and for most of the campaign Raiders’ inexperience in the national leagues was exposed with just 6 victories in the 24 league games. The clubs first two American import signings were Dave Lutz and Don Nolan, though both left and were subsequently replaced in the close season by two more American’s in Micah Blunt and his stepbrother “Truck” Tunson.
There were high hopes for the club’s sophomore season, with the import signings adding some glitz to a roster that also included dual-nationality player Dave Lester and experienced home-grown talent Rob Harper, Richard Parsons and Kevan Dacres. However, pre-season hopes were soon dented when Blunt and Tunson left the club after only a 3 month stint. Juan Holcombe was drafted in as a replacement along with the experienced giant American Dave Downey, who marked his debut in emphatic style. On the road against Midlands-based club Sandwell, Downey posted a sensational 51 points, writing himself into the record books as the clubs’ highest game scorer at the time. Raiders notched up nine victories throughout the league season, a big improvement on the rookie season, while simultaneously reaching the Semi-finals of the National Trophy.
Fans-favourite Downey was retained for the 1985-86 season, which also saw the arrival of young Sunderland player Gary Stronach and highly-rated Appalachian State star Glenn Clyburn also signed for the club in 1985, albeit for a short spell. He departed in November and was quickly replaced by former Plymouth Kanaries player Jimmy Smith. Raiders tallied 11 wins out of 22 league games, but the highlight of the season for the club was an appearance in the National Trophy Final, which was held at their home court, the Mayflower Centre. They faced league Champions Calderdale Explorers, almost by default after Raiders’ Semi-final opponents Liverpool withdrew due to fixture congestion. Calderdale were firm favourites for the match, and any chance of a Raiders upset disappeared when star player Downey accepted a big offer to move to Argentina and so the Raiders crashed to a 98-114 defeat without him.
Following Downey’s departure, the franchise went into turmoil and severe financial restraints were put into place for the 1986-87 season. The objective was simple; survival. Raiders went on to win just four league games, but the club was still in operation and able to look forward to strengthening for the following season. The club received a huge financial boost from a sponsorship deal with Penzance-based JHB Oil in the summer of 1987, which also hailed the return of crowd-pleaser Dave Downey, along with fellow American compatriot Chris Hughey. The two affectionately became known as the “Twin Towers” by Raiders’ fans, while the team recorded their best season to date, finishing fourth in the renamed NBL Division 1 and reaching the post-season Play-offs for the first time.
In a memorable Semi-final series with league Champions Worthing Bears, Raiders won the first game at home though lost the second on the road, 119-110 after overtime. The game will forever be remembered for Worthing’s Billy Hungrecker’s heroic display in which he posted an incredible league record of 73 points. His phenomenal display sent the series into a third deciding game. However, there was no fairytale finish for Plymouth as, in front of a capacity crowd at Worthing Leisure Centre, Raiders fell short by nine points.
The 1988-89 season was not quite as triumphant as the previous season, a sixth placed finish did mean that Raiders were back in the end-of-season Play-offs, though the dream was short-lived with an exit in the Quarter-finals to Birmingham Bullets. Jon Goodemote and 6’11 star John Miller starred for the Raiders, who eventually went down to a 91-109 defeat in Birmingham, against a team who played in the professional top-flight Carlsberg League during the previous season.
The turn of the decade proved to be less than favourable for the franchise, and though the 1990-91 season started full of promise, it rapidly unravelled. Coach Karruck’s secured a massive coup with the signing of American John Watson, but his early season form soon caught the attention of bigger teams and quickly moved on to Carlsberg League franchise Hemel Royals. Goodemote soon followed suit and departed in mid-season, returning to his native USA. Watson’s replacement was Chris Hughey, returning to Raiders for a third spell but his stint was short-lived after an injury in January ruled him out for the rest of the season, leaving the team very exposed without any import players. A dire season ensued, with the Plymouth team muscling just four victories out of 18 games in the league, good enough only for last place. The lowest point of the turbulent season came on 12 January 1991, when the team lost by 55 points, 119-64, to Coventry Flyers, becoming Plymouth’s biggest recorded defeat. Raiders went on to record its lowest all-time score just two months later on 17 March, with a 96-47 loss to Bury Lobos. A leak in the Mayflower Centre roof occurred during the winter months adding to the clubs woes, forcing them to relocate to the John Kitto Centre for the remainder of the season. The small, aging venue proved unpopular and unattractive for fans, who often stayed away.
Raiders continued to lead a nomadic existence going into the 1991-92 season, playing games at far reaching venues such as the China Fleet Centre, Ivybridge Community College, and even 30 miles up the road at Torbay Leisure Centre in Paignton. The team returned to the Mayflower Centre to play under a new roof on 25 January 1992. On court, Raiders enjoyed a more successful season than in previous years. Jon Goodemote returned to the club during pre-season and boosted the team up to a sixth place finish with a 13-9 record. Raiders made a return appearance in the Play-offs for the first time since 1989 and after seeing off Ware Rebels in the Quarter-finals, they faced a stubborn Bury Lobos side that had just finished second in the league, missing out on the title on a head-to-head with Oldham Celtics. Bury proved too strong for Raiders and dumped them out of the competition in the Semi-finals, before going on to claim the silverware with a 69-58 victory over Middlesbrough Mohawks.
With no major sponsor following the expired-deal with Great Western Oils (formerly JHB Oil), Raiders went into the 1992-93 season in dire condition financially. A newspaper appeal in December was brought to the attention of Wolferstans Solicitors, who immediately came forth with a sponsorship package that saw the team renamed Wolferstans Plymouth Raiders from January 1993. With a financial backer in place, Raiders season improved though they still missed out on the post-season Play-offs, after finishing ninth with a 9-13 league record.
During the close season, Bob Karruck announced his retirement as Coach of the Plymouth Raiders, a position he held since their inception into the National League 10 years previously. His assistant, Vic Flemming was appointed to take over, becoming only the Raiders’ second coach in the franchise’s history. Flemming pulled off a massive coup to sign highly rated American guard Trent Forbes for the 1993-94 season, and along with the acquisition of forward Greg Todd, Raiders’ season looked very promising. However Forbes’ departure mid-season threw the team’s campaign into turmoil, with Flemming calling upon Raiders favourite Jon Goodemote as his replacement. With only three wins, the team finished bottom of the league and were saved from relegation because Cardiff Heat and Sheffield Forgers were admitted to the professional top-flight Budweiser League (formerly Carlsberg League). A fantastic cup-run in the National Trophy saw the Raiders reach their first Final in eight years, since the loss to Calderdale at the Mayflower Centre in 1986. Raiders were up against the so-called “million pound franchise”, Sheffield Forgers, and coincidently the game was played at the brand-new Sheffield Arena. Plymouth were valiantly defeated by just two points, 60-62, to a team that would be crowned Budweiser League Champions the following year.
After just a year at the helm, Flemming left for Germany and long-serving player Gary Stronach took the post of player-coach, leading the team to ninth place. Despite missing out on the 1995 Play-offs, with a 7-15 record, it was an impressive first season for the rookie coach. The season’s highlight came late in the campaign when American Waymon Boone smashed Dave Downey’s individual club scoring record, posting 55 points against Swindon Sonics. The following season didn’t fare any better for Stronach and the Raiders, despite the addition of Ted Hotaling to the roster and the agreement of a new sponsorship deal with local business Rotolok, the team managed only a 10th place finish.
Having called the Mayflower Centre home for the past 13 years, Raiders vacated the ageing venue in 1996 and moved into the 1,480-capacity arena at the Pavilions in downtown Plymouth. The move proved to be an instant success, with crowds rising from an initial 300 people, to over 1,300 throughout the course of the season. On court, the signing of Coach Stronach’s long-time target Kenny Ervin as well as Jim McGilvery, brought plenty of firepower to the roster and above all expectations, finished second in the league, just one win behind Winners Ware Rebels. Progressing on to the Play-offs for the first time in five years, Raiders eliminated Coventry Crusaders in the Semi-finals, 56-48, in front of a packed-out Pavilions crowd, and advanced to the Final for the first time in franchise history. Over 500 fans travelled to Wembley Arena, where on 4 May 1997, Raiders clinched their first Play-off title with a 118-106 victory over Ware adding to the Division 1 and National Trophy Runners-up honours.
Raiders built on their successes, drafting in Nigerian international Daniel Okonkwo straight out of Yale University, as well as sealing return of former development player Richard Whitehouse from Plymouth State University and resigning Jim McGilvery to the 1997-98 roster. Coach Stronach mounted an all-out attack for silverware but found worthy challengers in the form of Richmond Jaguars, who not only pipped the Raiders to the league title, but also took the honours in the National Trophy Final, winning 87-76, and destroyed Raiders in the Play-off Final too. Despite leading early in the game, a resurgent Richmond stamped out the Raiders and stampeded to a 82-67 victory, in front of 1,700 travelling Plymouth fans at the Nynex Arena, in Manchester.[1] Though finishing as the Runner-up three times to Jaguars, it was still considered a hugely successful season, with player-coach Stronach collecting the Coach of the Month Award in November and new-signing Daniel Okonkwo picking up the Player of the Month award twice. Later that summer, Okonkwo was selected for Nigeria to compete in the World Championships in Greece.
The 1998-99 season brought a number of changes to the team with McGilvery leaving to sign for New Hampshire Thunder Loons in the USA, fellow American Ray Blackwell was signed as his replacement. Jimmy Smith also departed to Coventry, while Okonkwo was absent for much of the early campaign while he joined the Nigeria national team. As a temporary measure, Canadian Chris Webber was drafted in to fill Okonkwo’s void, but was soon snapped up by Leicester City Riders. Playcaller Gary Stronach, who since 1994 had occupied a player-coach role within the set-up, had opted to become the full-time Coach. For the third successive season Raiders were ousted from glory, losing 65-66 in the National Trophy Final to Teeside Mohawks, and controversially beaten to the league crown by surprise package Solent Stars. With both Raiders and Stars finishing the regular season on equal 21-5 records, the title was ultimately decided by a two point aggregate differential in the head-to-head between the two teams. The controversy arose in the final game between the two, which Solent were 99-88 winners, when a fan interrupted play by running onto the court. The referee incorrectly assuming that it was a Raiders bench player making the illegal intervention gave a technical foul against Coach Stronach and the subsequent two shots from the free throw line scored, became the deciding factor.[2] Raiders rallied a superb Play-off run and following the defeats of Cardiff Clippers, 111-101, and Guilford Pumas, 93-75, they edged out familiar foes Teeside in the Final at Guildford Spectrum, 71-66, securing the Play-off crown for the second time.[3]
More changes came during the summer of 1999, and after two very successful seasons, Daniel Okonkwo exited the team after accepting an offer to play in Lebanon for Al Sadaka. His void was filled by another import player, forward Michael Shantz from Hamilton College, and was joined with Brits Dean Williams and Jamie Burchell, as well as local talent Gavin Love, who had progressed through the Raiders’ development programme. The campaign didn’t match up to the previous trophy hauls of recent years and due to a number of factors, the team slumped to a 4th place finish, Raiders’ lowest finish in five years. Accepting an invitation to compete in the Uniball Trophy with the elite teams of the BBL added to an already congested schedule and regular beatings from Brighton, Sheffield and Chester Jets did little to help morale, and saw Raiders finish 0-6 in Group D. Long-term injuries to rookie Gavin Love as well as Jamie Loveridge further hampered the team and forced Coach Stronach to recruit Canadian-Greek Nick Chatzinikolis from Brighton in December to fill the gaps. Raiders’ defence of their Play-off crown was weak and they fell at the first hurdle, losing 59-78 to Sutton Pumas in the Quarter-final at the Pavilions.
The 2000-2001 season saw Stronach recruit arguable the strongest roster the franchise had ever seen, bringing in Todd Cetnar and Terrence Durham, two American imports straight out of Albany and St. Bonaventure University’s respectively. The addition of local players Roderick Wellington, Deng Deng (brother of Luol Deng), Canadian Peter Knechtel and Welsh international Nathan Hayes, bolstered an impressive roster and with eight straight victories to open the season, the Raiders were on course to claim the newly-rebranded NBL Conference title. The first defeat of the campaign came in the Trophy Semi-final to a Worthing Thunder team that inflicted two further defeats upon Plymouth throughout the season and matched the Raiders all the way in the hunt for silverware. However it was Raiders who came out on top with a 19-2 record and the Conference crown for the first time in the franchise’s history. The season was completed with an excellent run in the Play-offs sweeping aside Sutton (98-68) and Manchester Magic (162-155 over two games), before commanding an 83-77 defeat on Worthing at Wembley Arena and claiming the Championship double.[4]
Though the nucleus of the Double-winning team was kept, the summer of 2001 saw the departures of influential Centre Terrence Durham to Portugal’s Sampaense as well as Pete Knechtel to Teeside, and the addition’s of Power-forward Drew Samuels and Myron Riley, a standout at local college, Marjon. The lack of size due to Durham’s exit was a factor in Raiders mixed start to the campaign, but a place in the Trophy Semi-final was attained only to be faced with familiar foes Worthing, who took the clash with a 109-103 victory. Just four defeats were recorded in the league but Raiders accepted second place as Teeside, with former Plymouth star Knetchel, conquered the Conference and took the title. The newly-formatted Play-offs also ended in disappointment with a defeat in the Final Fours Semi-final to Solent Stars, 89-109 at the SkyDome Arena. The announcement of a sponsorship deal with Plymouth-based sports bar Kularoos brought in extra finance allowing more changes to the roster for the 2002-2003 season. Todd Cetnar returned to the USA for tryouts with Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, before signing with Adirondack Wildcats, while Raiders reinforced with Tennessee Tech forward DeAntoine Beasley and NBA draft prospect Inyo Cue.[5] The season was very much a repeat of the previous campaign, with a Trophy Semi-final exit to Worthing (108-105 in overtime) and four league defeats meant Raiders finished second to Teeside again. The Play-offs were equally as unsuccessful and after an overtime win against Sutton in the Quarter-final, Raiders were expelled by Reading Rockets, losing the two game series by 3 points.
After two seasons in Portugal, Terrence Durham’s return was the only adjustment in a largely unchanged roster for the 2003-2004 season which saw the club accept an invitation to appear in the BBL Trophy for a second time, adding to a tough schedule including the league (now reverted to EBL Division 1), the National Trophy and the National Cup, which for the first time in history didn’t feature any BBL teams. Progress though the National Cup provided interest early in the season, and the Final was reached with Teeside Mohawks providing the opposition at the EIS Sheffield, however it was Raiders who walked away with the George Williams Trophy after a close 89-82 victory. The National Trophy was once more unattainable following a surprise defeat to Sutton in the Semi-final, but Raiders domination in the league secured another trophy, finishing first with just two defeats to London United and Reading, who finished in second place. The Play-off Final was reached again, but Raiders were unable to add a third title to the seasons haul as Teeside, exacting their National Cup defeat revenge, came out on top with an 80-75 win.
Having firmly established themselves as the dominant force in Division 1, the Plymouth board sought new challenges for the team and to expand the Raiders brand and during the summer of 2004 announced that they had been admitted into the top-tier BBL.[6] Raiders were the first team to be added to the professional league since the inception of Edinburgh Rocks in 1998, due to the BBL’s operation as a closed league with a ‘buy-in’ policy. With the loss of Dean Williams and Roderick Wellington to Thames Valley Tigers, Coach Stronach strengthened the roster with Canadian Ryan French, American Gerrick Morris, and exercised the BBL’s import rules - allowing four instead of three in the EBL - to bring back former star Terrence Durham. The rest of the team was filled with local talent including new captain Gavin Love, Marjon standout Myron Riley and former development player Allister Gall, returning from four years at USA college Franklin Pierce. The season started positively, winning their opening game at home to Milton Keynes Lions, 63-46, but a hard season ensued for Raiders, who relied heavily on the scoring abilities of DeAntoine Beasley and Durham and the incredible blocking power of Morris, who set a BBL record with 12 blocks in a game against London Towers. Raiders finished the season at 12-28, missing out on the Play-off’s in 9th place, but the rookie campaign was a learning curve for the team and Coach Stronach, setting the standard required for competition at the top level. Forward Durham claimed his own personal accolade, finishing as the league’s top rebounder with 13.6 per game. His performances caught the eyes of many team scouts across Europe and left at the end of the season to sign for French ProA team Reims Champagne Basket.
With progress in mind and the exits of Durham, Morris and Ryan French, Stronach recruited three new American’s to take their place, namely Gaylon Moore from EBL’s Worthing, Andrew Lasker, and 6ft9, 300 lbs Centre Carlton Aaron from UMKC Kangaroos. A narrow 76-75 defeat to Chester opened the new season, and Raiders would play six more games before finding their first win of the season against new franchise Guildford Heat. However it was a one-off victory as six more losses followed and the loss of Carlton Aaron through injury was a further blow to the campaign, which saw Raiders languishing at 2-14 by Christmas. The New Year brought about a change of fortune as Raiders embarked on a 14 wins to 10 defeats run which pulled them into contention for a Play-off place but were pipped to the final spot by Brighton, ending in 9th position.
A largely untweeked roster entered the 2006-07 season, with the signing of Mark Woodhouse from Iceland the only notable difference. The opening weekend saw two defeats to Guildford and Leicester Riders, but a four game winning streak brought the season, and new aspirations, to life and by December Raiders found themselves top of the BBL for the first time in franchise history[7] and greater success was to come in the BBL Trophy. Having topped a group that included Guildford, Worthing and Reading, Raiders swept aside Leicester, 83-64, at the Pavilions to progress to the Final, another first for the club. The Final was hosted by Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena on 4 March 2007, and coincidently the opponents were Newcastle Eagles who had won all four BBL trophies during the previous season and in the week before the Final defeated Raiders 99-75 in the league.[8] Against all odds, Plymouth outmuscled and outclassed the hosts on the way to a historic 65-74 victory, just three years after making the jump from the EBL. Scoring a game-high 25 points and claiming 12 rebounds, Carlton Aaron was named as the game’s MVP, adding to his November Player of the Month award.[9][10]
In the league, Raiders constantly held a Play-off position for the majority of the season and though qualifying with ease, just missed out on home advantage with a 5th place finish. A journey in to uncharted territory awaited the Plymouth team appearing in their first BBL Play-offs, however it was also a long journey to face opponents Scottish Rocks, as the league’s most Southern and Northern teams met in the one-off clash. A dream first appearance to the Finals Weekend for Raiders was dashed by a 6-point defeat, 83-77, but a huge worry was an in-game injury to captain Gavin Love’s Achilles tendon, which subsequently forced the Point Guard to miss a call-up to the Great Britain national team.[11] At the end of season awards, Raiders “big-man” Aaron was named in the All-Star first team and 4th in the MVP ballot, finishing the season on 17 points-per-game, 12.4 rebounds-per-game and a field goal scoring average of 59%. On 1 May, the Raiders development programme was awarded with the prestigious Club Mark accolade by Sport England and England Basketball.[12] Off court progress in building the club’s brand was also made during the same month with the appointment of a new Chief Executive, David Briggs.
With such an excellent season under his belt, star man Carlton Aaron departed the team during the close-season, trying out for teams in South Korea, before eventually signing for a Guildford side preparing for their first appearance in Europe’s ULEB Cup.[13] Several bench players including Woodhouse and Jean Wakanena also followed Aaron out the door, and with empty slots and an extended budget from the board, Coach Stronach was looking to build a team to bring more silverware to the Southwest. An experienced game-winner was essential and with that in mind, Stronach wasted no time in bringing back Terrence Durham for his third spell at Raiders, as Aaron’s replacement. A stronger bench was also vital, and so speedy Guard Anthony Martin and hustler James Noel were signed from Chester and Worcester Wolves respectively. With Gavin Love still undergoing a long rehabilitation programme due to his injury, Canadian dual-national Brody Bishop was drafted in to provide extra cover at the key Point Guard position, and started with an MVP performance in a dream debut against Guildford in the Cup Winners' Cup. The inaugural Cup pitted the winners of the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy from the previous season together in a two game series which Raiders lost 176-168 on aggregate. Further disappointment was added with First Round defeats in the Trophy and the Cup, following a shock home defeat to London Capital.
After committing over two decades of service to the Raiders, Coach Stronach was presented by the BBC with a Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in November, honouring the success he has brought to Plymouth.[14] On court, the team’s form in the Championship was exceeding all expectations and consistently occupied a spot in the top four positions, trailing Newcastle in second place for a several months.[15] The league looked like going right down to the wire and only a late season defeat to Sheffield ruled out a second place finish, but a solid run of results in the final week against Rocks and Milton Keynes sealed the third place finish, Raiders’ highest placing in franchise history. A home Play-off tie against Sheffield was the reward, and despite missing key player Durham through injury, Raiders cruised to a 91-73 victory and to a place at the 2008 Finals Weekend at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena. Unfortunately, Raiders couldn’t replicate the same performance and crashed to an 81-66 defeat at the hands of eventual winners Guildford. They went on to face Newcastle in the 3rd place game on 4 May 2008, and though losing 54-33 at half-time, edged out their opponents in a tight 96-92 victory taking 3rd place and rounding off the most successful season in the clubs history.[16] With an average of 19 points-per-game, Plymouth’s top scorer Andrew Lasker was named in the All-Star team for the 2007-08 season .[17] After being declined by Newcastle and Guildford - who both finished above Plymouth in the league - FIBA approached Raiders with an invitation to compete in the EuroChallenge for the 2008-09 season, which Raiders also duly declined.[18]
After six years of sponsorship from Kularoos, the Raiders board announced during the summer of 2008 a major new deal had been reached with Plymouth-based chewing gum giant Wrigley’s Airwaves, reportedly “one of the biggest in basketball history”.[19][20] The extra funds brought in allowed for a bigger budget in terms of recruiting, and within days the signing of Kwbana Beckles was publicised. Beckles came with plenty of pedigree having appeared in Sweden, Switzerland, Israel and spells for NBA teams Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors.[21][22] Veteran player DeAntoine Beasley took-up the new dual role as player/assistant coach, declining a coaching job in the USA[23] while captain Gavin Love, who missed much of the previous season through injury signed a new one-year contract.[24]
Raiders opened the season with an 80-104 demolition of the league’s new boys Worthing Thunder, who had just made the leap from EBL. Another defeat of London Capital followed but the first home game saw the visiting Scottish Rocks crush Plymouth 68-88, with further defeats to Everton Tigers and Newcastle, it was a woeful start for the Raiders. In October, the team was boosted with the visit of a FIBA inspection team that approved the use of the Pavilions for European competition matches, providing a top-two finish is achieved in the Championship.[25] Though the team were struggling to find dorm in the league, the BBL Cup campaign was in full flow and following a 101-76 demolition of Leicester, Raiders found themselves in a two-game Semi-final series against Guildford. A 73-80 victory at the Spectrum and 74-69 win four days later in Plymouth booked Raiders’ place in only their second BBL Final.[26] Their Final opponents were table-topping Everton, who Raiders managed to beat in an 89-85 thriller just weeks before, but it was the Tigers who stamped their authority on the game and inflicted the biggest Cup Final defeat recorded with a 103-49 victory at the National Indoor Arena.[27][28] Raiders played without influential stalwart Beasley who had suffered a dislocated shoulder during a Trophy game with Worcester the week before, adding to the team’s injury woes that included Durham and Love. Reinforcement was needed, and at the end of January Coach Stronach announced the signing of Gerald Robinson, an American with a Dutch passport, from Spanish team Oviedo.[29] A week later, Gavin Love announced he was to retire from playing after 13 years with the Raiders, citing multiple injuries as the reason. In honour of his services to the club, his number six jersey was retired at a ceremony on 14 February 2009 prior to a game with Guildford.[30] Israeli Point Guard Haggai Hundert was drafted in from Slovenia to fill the void left by Love.[31] The franchise expanded on its ambitions to play in Europe with the announcement on 16 March, of a co-operation deal with Spanish giants Unicaja Málaga.[32] The alliance will see Raiders coaches going to Spain to gain experience and young players coming to Plymouth to improve their English and education. The team missed out on the chance of a second Final appearance with a two-game series defeat to Guildford in the Trophy, losing 187-161 on aggregate in the Semi-final, while in the league, an 75-82 win away to Leicester put them back in contention for a top-four finish. However an agonising 96-73 defeat at the hands of Sheffield Sharks dealt a huge blow, in a game that also saw Andrew Lasker, Anthony Martin and Terrence Durham sidelined by injury.[33] A mixed run of results ended the regular season and with Plymouth finishing the campaign in 5th place, a road trip to Guildford Heat was on the cards in the Play-off Quarter-final. Raiders produced a stellar performance and secured their second successive Finals Weekend appearance with a 81-89 win with the help of Lasker’s 26 point haul. A day later, the BBL announced the season’s All-Star team including Lasker, who finished 8th in the MVP vote.[34] Unfortunately for Raiders, their National Indoor Arena jink kicked in again and were trounced by Newcastle in the Semi-final by a 93-71 scoreline.
The franchise announced during the close season that the player’s budget would be slashed by 60-65% for the following season, citing the economic climate and a lack of sponsorship as the main reasons for the cuts.[35] Though the entire roster - bar Terrence Durham who would remain injured for most of the year - were offered reduced contracts for the proceeding 2009-2010 season, there was a mass exodus with Andrew Lasker, DeAntoine Beasley, Kwbana Beckles, Gerald Robinson, Haggai Hundert, Anthony Martin and Gaylon Moore all heading for the exit. Only James Noel[36] and new team captain Allister Gall[37] stayed on and they were joined with several prospects promoted from reserve team Raiders II, including Jay Marriott, Jamie Burchell and Michal Czynienik. The reserves, playing under the banner of the Raiders development scheme produced many successful names, including Gall, former captain Gavin Love and the aforementioned three promoted to the first team. With progress in mind, the summer saw the unveiling of a restructured development programme following a merger with of Raiders development with local club Plymouth Marjon Cannons. The combination abolished a once strong rivalry between Raiders and the Cannons, now operating under one umbrella as Plymouth Marjon, and headed by former Cannons coach George Hatchell.[38]
Eric Flato, a recent graduate of Yale University, was the first import player drafted in to the new-look roster[39] and the news was soon followed by the capture of Terry Horton, another American, who was brought in from Germany.[40] American-Irish Matthew Hilleary also joined the ranks from the Irish Superleague and the roster was completed with Puerto Rican Florentino Valencia signing up from Battle Creek Knights in the USA. With an almost entirely new line-up fielded, it was always conceivable that the team would take time to gel together, but after opening the new season with losses to Worthing, Cheshire, Milton Keynes and Sheffield, changes needed to be made. Anthony Martin was re-signed following a brief and unsuccessful spell at Worcester, having departed the Raiders just months earlier.[41] He made an immediate impact and his 14 points aided Raiders to an 96-95 overtime win at home to Newcastle, only the second victory recorded by Plymouth. A premature exit of the Trophy came about with a 95-101 loss to Milton Keynes, and to add more fire-power former Raiders development talent Anthony Rowe signed on a one month deal in November.[42] Things worsened for Plymouth when starting Point Guard Eric Plato picked up a career-threatening injury ruling him out for the rest of the season, and so was subsequently released.[43] His replacement was another familiar face in Andrew Lasker, the team’s top-scorer for the past four seasons, who was one of many to leave Raiders during the summer.[44] He marked his return in a 69-84 loss to Everton on December 5, posting a game-high 23 points.[45]
Rooted to the bottom of the league standings, Raiders managed to turn things around with a 71-78 away victory at Guildford, ending their eight-game losing streak, continuing the momentum into the new year and chalking-up a shock away win at Everton Tigers 74-87. In February it was announced that James Noel was released from his contract, due to a series of long-term injuries, allowing the team's bench players more opportunity.[46] Form started to improve throughout the Spring, but a double loss to Glasgow and Worthing at the beginning of April ended any hopes of qualifying for the Play-offs with fives games left of the regular season.[47] Two weeks later it was announced by the club that after 24 years of service Gary Stronach was to step down as head coach at the end of the season.[48] Coming as a shock to many fans, Stronach cited the reason for his departure was that "it's time for me to move on, broaden the horizon and see what's out there."[49] Disappointingly he marked his departure with a 99-108 loss to Worthing in the final game of the season, a result that secured the final Play-off place for Worthing.
The club started preparations for the new season immediately and ushered in the new era post-Stronach with the appointment of former player and team captain Gavin Love as the new head coach of the Raiders' first team, stepping up from his previous position of Stronach's assistant coach.[50][51] Love's first signing as head coach came in the form of dual-national American Guard Cody Toppert from Germany.[52] His wife Brittany, a professional football player and United States international, followed him to Plymouth and signed for local team Plymouth Argyle Ladies.[53] Love continued to build the new-look Raiders roster with the signings of England international Taner Adu from Essex Pirates[54] and American import players Otis Polk and Brian McKenzie, straight out of college.[55] British youngsters Matt Guymon and Sam Cricelli were also drafted in soon after[56][57] however England international Guymon left within weeks of the season opener for personal reasons.[58] With the announced returns of Marriott, Czynienik and Anthony Rowe from the previous season the roster was starting to take shape, but Love was dealt a further blow when fan-favourite Allister Gall announced he would not be renewing his contract for the upcoming campaign.[59]
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pld. | W | L | Pts. | Play Offs | Trophy | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Panasonic | |||||||||
| 1979–1980 | NBL 2 | 7th | 14 | 3 | 11 | 6 | DNQ | Semi-final | 1st Round |
| Plymouth Raiders | |||||||||
| 1983–1984 | NBL 2 | 10th | 24 | 6 | 18 | 12 | DNQ | Quarter-final | 1st Round |
| 1984–1985 | NBL 2 | 8th | 22 | 9 | 13 | 18 | DNQ | Semi-final | 2nd Round |
| 1985–1986 | NBL 2 | 8th | 22 | 11 | 11 | 22 | DNQ | Runner-up | 2nd Round |
| 1986–1987 | NBL 2 | 8th | 18 | 4 | 14 | 8 | DNQ | Quarter-final | 2nd Round |
| 1987–1988 | NBL 1 | 4th | 18 | 12 | 6 | 24 | Quarter-final | Quarter-final | 2nd Round |
| 1988–1989 | NBL 1 | 6th | 20 | 10 | 10 | 20 | Quarter-final | Quarter-final | 2nd Round |
| 1989–1990 | NBL 1 | 9th | 22 | 8 | 14 | 16 | DNQ | - | - |
| 1990–1991 | NBL 1 | 10th | 18 | 4 | 14 | 8 | DNQ | - | - |
| 1991–1992 | NBL 1 | 6th | 22 | 13 | 9 | 26 | Semi-final | - | - |
| 1992–1993 | NBL 1 | 9th | 22 | 9 | 13 | 18 | DNQ | - | - |
| 1993–1994 | NBL 1 | 10th | 18 | 3 | 15 | 6 | DNQ | Runner-up | - |
| 1994–1995 | NBL 1 | 9th | 22 | 7 | 15 | 14 | DNQ | - | - |
| 1995–1996 | NBL 1 | 10th | 22 | 7 | 15 | 14 | DNQ | - | - |
| 1996–1997 | NBL 1 | 2nd | 26 | 19 | 7 | 38 | Winners | Runner-up | - |
| 1997–1998 | NBL 1 | 2nd | 22 | 19 | 3 | 38 | Runner-up | Runner-up | - |
| 1998–1999 | NBL 1 | 2nd | 26 | 21 | 5 | 42 | Winners | Runner-up | - |
| 1999–2000 | NBL 1 | 4th | 24 | 16 | 8 | 32 | Quarter-fina | 2nd Round | - |
| 2000–2001 | NBL Conf. | 1st | 21 | 19 | 2 | 38 | Winners | Semi-final | - |
| 2001–2002 | NBL Conf. | 2nd | 18 | 14 | 4 | 28 | Semi-final | Semi-final | - |
| 2002–2003 | NBL Conf. | 2nd | 22 | 18 | 4 | 36 | Semi-final | Semi-final | - |
| 2003–2004 | EBL 1 | 1st | 22 | 20 | 2 | 40 | Runner-up | Semi-final | Winners |
| 2004–2005 | BBL | 9th | 40 | 12 | 28 | 24 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
| 2005–2006 | BBL | 9th | 40 | 16 | 24 | 32 | DNQ | 1st Round | 1st Round |
| 2006–2007 | BBL | 5th | 36 | 20 | 16 | 40 | Quarter-final | Winners | Quarter-final |
| 2007–2008 | BBL | 3rd | 33 | 24 | 9 | 48 | Semi-final | 1st round | 1st round |
| 2008–2009 | BBL | 5th | 33 | 20 | 13 | 40 | Semi-final | Semi-final | Runner-up |
| 2009–2010 | BBL | 10th | 36 | 11 | 25 | 22 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
| 2010–2011 | BBL | 5th | 33 | 19 | 14 | 38 | Quarter-final | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
Notes:
The following information is established according to the official websites of the team (www.plymouthraiders.com) and Britain's top professional league, the BBL (www.bbl.org.uk).
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster • updated 2011-12-29 |
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As of Ocotber 2011
| Name | From | To | Regular Season | Play-offs | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | ||||
| Bob Karruck | 1983 | 1993 | 86 | 126 | 2 | 3 | Retired in 1993 |
| Vic Flemming | 1993 | 1994 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gary Stronach | 1994 | 2010 | 252 | 155 | 19 | 9 | Player/coach until 1998 |
| Gavin Love | 2010 | Present | 19 | 14 | 0 | 2 | |
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