User:DarrenMentor/Toowoomba Mountaineers

Toowoomba Mountaineers
LeaguesQueensland Basketball League
Founded1949
ArenaUSQ Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre
Location20 Baker Street Toowoomba QLD
Main sponsorClive Berghofer Group
Head coachWillie Farley
Websitewww.toowoombamountaineers.com.au

The Toowoomba Mountaineers are a basketball team from Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The team participates in the Queensland Australian Basketball League, a Division of the ABA Australian Basketball Association

Team History edit

The "Mountaineers" were born foundedin the late 1960’s as the brainchild of by Barry Raftery and Neville Bousen. They played in the Eastern Conference competition against teams as far south as Hobart and gave Toowoomba its first glimpse of regular home games at the Indoor Bowls Hall. During this time Mountaineer Lyle Arndt was selected in the Australian team.

This Conference folded because of the tyranny of problems wit distance and was replaced by State and National Championships. where Barry Raftery, Barry Nielsen, Harry Spencer and John Gouldson coached teams predominantly consisting of the Mountaineers but badged as South Queensland. The official format of this competition during the 1970’s was one state and one national championship each year and mostly not in Toowoomba so the locals did not see games very often. Periodically a visiting American team played the Mountaineers in Toowoomba. During this era Trevor Dallas, Peter Rillie, Don Clark, Brian Macnish, Lyn Kearey and Cheryl Bliss were selected in Queensland teams.

Because of the lack of regular competition Basketball Queensland changed the format of the State Championships to a Club Carnival format in the early 1980’s when Saints Club coached by Harry Spencer and John Gouldson represented Toowoomba. During this time Toowoomba produced our only Olympians in John Dorge and Donna Brown (nee Quinn).

In the mid 1980’s Basketball Queensland introduced the AAABL series where invitation players from USA combined with the Mountaineers to play a home and away series which was played during July - September and this was the first time Toowoomba witnessed a genuine competition for the Mountaineers. The Mountainettes were born at this time.

The State League was born in Queensland in the late 1980’s and this competition ushered in the most successful era for basketball in Toowoomba with capacity crowds filling the stadium. John Rillie, Jenny Screen (both current NBL players) and the legendary Pop Dickerson are the products of this era. Harry Spencer, Lyn Kearey and Trevor Dallas were the driving forces behind the coaching of this time.

The costs of running a full state league and joining the ABA League resulted in the splitting of the Toowoomba teams in the late 1990’s where the USQ Association played ABA and the TBA in the Southern Cross. The division was not successful as it was difficult to support both competitions. We now have the leagues combined with the Mountaineers men and women giving Toowoomba people the opportunity to see the best players in a genuine home and away series.

Past and Present Players edit

  • David Blades
  • Torben Marcussen
  • Trevor Grieve
  • John Dorge
  • Clarence "POP" Dickerson
  • Danny Morseau
  • John Rillie


Mountaineers Hall of Fame edit

2001

  • J. Armstrong
  • D. Blades
  • C. Bliss
  • K. Brunner
  • T. Dallas
  • C. Dickerson
  • John Gouldson
  • L. Kearey
  • B. Nielsen
  • Brian Mcnish
  • Barry Raftery
  • John Rillie
  • Harry Spencer
  • Ron Tape

2002

  • M. Nielsen
  • K. Dallas
  • D. Brown
  • John Dorge

2003

  • Torben Marcussen
  • Peter Rillie
  • K. Schultz
  • Charlie Ubergang

2005

  • Trevor Grieve

2009

  • Clive Berghofer
  • Gayle Hohn

2012

  • Jenni Screen

Honour Roll edit

QBL Championships: 2
QBL Finals Appearances: 2 (200?–0?, 2005–0?)
QBL Grand Final appearances: 3
QBL Most Valuable Players: Clarence Dickerson (200?)
All-QBL First Team: Clarence Dickerson (200?)
QBL Coach of the Year: Harry Spencer (200?)
QBL Most Improved Player: John Rillie (200?)

Season-by-Season edit

Season Results Finals Coach Captain
1979 -
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985 Champions
1986 3rd (17-9) Lost Grand Final Brian Kerle Larry Sengstock
1987 2nd (20-6) Champions Brian Kerle Larry Sengstock
1988 3rd (18-6) Lost elimination final Brian Kerle Larry Sengstock
1989 Lost Grand Final
1990 Champions
1991 Champions - Harry Spencer
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996 8th (14-12)
1997 5th (15-15)
1998
1998-99 5th (13-13)
1999-00 10th (7-21)
2000–01 10th (4-24) -
2001–02 7th (14-16)
2002–03 11th (6-24)
2003–04 4th (22-11) Lost semi-final
2004–05 5th (17-5)
2005–06 6th (17-15)
2006–07 1st (28-5) Champions
2007–08 3rd (21-12)
2008–09 3rd (21-12) Lost semi-final Torben Marcussen Trevor Grieve
2009–10 3rd (21-12) Lost semi-final Torben Marcussen Trevor Grieve
2010–11 3rd (21-12) Clarence Dickerson
2011–12 3rd (21-12) Clarence Dickerson
2012–13 3rd (21-12) Clarence Dickerson
2013–14 3rd (21-12)

References edit

External Links edit