Eltham Wildcats

Did You Know?

• The Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club was founded in 1964 at Eltham High School by teacher David Hickman.
• The Wildcats men won the NBL1 South championship in 2024 with a 79–70 grand final victory over the Ballarat Miners.

Club history

The men's team debuted in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 1982, finishing 13th with a 5–12 record. In 1983 they placed 15th with a 3–19 record, and as Eltham/Coburg in 1984 they finished 11th with a 9–17 record. The men's SEABL team ceased after 1985 when the club combined with others to form the North East Melbourne Arrows. The women's team made a one-season appearance in the Women's Basketball Conference (WBC) in 1985. They returned in 1987 to win the inaugural Victorian Women's Conference (VWC) championship, then were VWC runners-up in 1988. After the league rebranded to the Country Victorian Invitation Basketball League (CVIBL) in 1989, Eltham won the CVIBL Division One championship in 1990 and were runners-up in 1991. The women entered the SEABL competition in 1992, finishing fourth with a 12–8 record. They placed fifth in 1993 (11–9), fourth in 1994 (17–9), and second in 1995 (21–5). The women ceased SEABL competition after 1995, while continuing in CVIBL Division One in 1993, 1994 and 1995. In 1996 the women competed in the league below the CVIBL Premier Division. In 1997 the women remained in the CVIBL second division while a men's team returned in the Victorian Basketball League (VBL) second division. In 1998 the women's CVIBL became known as the VBL, with both teams in the second divisions. Both entered the VBL Premier Division in 1999. In 2000 the Wildcats were inaugural members of the Big V Championship Division. The women's team reached their first Big V grand final in 2004, losing 2–1 to the Melbourne Tigers. In 2005 they won their maiden Big V championship with a 2–1 series win over the Sandringham Sabres.