Nunawading Spectres

Club history

The Nunawading Spectres first appeared in the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1979, one of ten teams in the league's debut season. In 1987, the team became the Eastside Spectres, a name they kept for five years before merging with the Southern Melbourne Saints in 1992 to create the South East Melbourne Magic. Over their NBL run, the Spectres reached the grand final twice, falling to Launceston in 1981 and Perth in 1991. A women's team from Nunawading played in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) from 1982 to 1991. Guided by coach Tom Maher and guard Robyn Maher, they won six championships in ten seasons, including four straight from 1986 to 1989. After the 1991 season, the Dandenong Rangers took over their WNBL license. In 1990, while the Eastside Spectres were still competing in the NBL, a new Nunawading Spectres men's team started up in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). A women's Spectres side joined the SEABL in 1992. The men claimed their first SEABL East Conference title in 1995. The women finished as SEABL runners-up in 2000 and 2008, while the men were conference runners-up in 1999 and 2004. In 2011, the men won their second conference title and first overall SEABL championship, beating the Bendigo Braves 88–61 in the grand final; guard Shane McDonald scored a game-high 28 points and earned MVP. After being conference runners-up in 2013, the men secured a third conference title in 2014 with a roster featuring Mitch Creek, Tommy Greer, Shane McDonald, Simon Conn, and Matt O'Hea, but lost the SEABL grand final 85–71 to the Mount Gambier Pioneers. In 2018, the Spectres men were again SEABL runners-up, losing the grand final to the Hobart Chargers. When the SEABL ended in 2019, the Spectres moved to the NBL1 and won the championship that year, defeating the Bendigo Braves 99–90 in the grand final. The NBL1 South season was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.