| Solent Kestrels | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | Men NBL Division 2 South Women NBL Division 1 |
| Established | 1998 |
| History | Solent Kestrels 1998-present |
| Arena | Solent Sports Complex |
| Capacity | 500 |
| Location | Southampton, Hampshire |
| Website | Official website |
The Solent Kestrels are an English professional basketball club based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. Founded in 1998, the Kestrels play their home games at the Solent Sports Complex at Solent University.
The club was founded in 1998 by Jimmie and Bev Guymon, who wanted somewhere for their son and other youngsters in the area to play competitive basketball. Originally set up to offer junior basketball to boys teams from under-13's to under-18's, the club offers junior basketball to boys and girls from under-10 up to under-18 National League level.[1] The girls program was introduced in 2001, an initiative of Ollie Jerram and Bev Guymon, giving Ollie's daughter the opportunity to play with other girls, as mixed basketball was not allowed after the age of 15. In their first season, the team won the U16 National title.
The club is partnered with Itchen College, with whom they offer elite level, under-19 basketball development to some of the county's top male and female players.[2]
The Kestrels, currently in partnership with Solent University, offers senior basketball with four teams playing at National League level.
The men's senior team, established in 2012, are previous National Basketball League League and Playoffs champions, the second tier of British men's basketball.[3] In 2020, the Kestrels became the first-ever NBL team to reach the semi-finals of a top-tier British Basketball League competition, the BBL Trophy, and eventually finished as runners-up, losing to the Newcastle Eagles 96-94 after overtime in the final.[4][5][6][7]
Notable former players
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
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To appear in this section a player must have either:
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Joel Freeland Will Neighbour Jeremy Sochan| Season | Division | Tier | League | Playoffs | National Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
| Solent Kestrels | ||||||||||||
| 2012-13 | D3 Sou | 4 | 7th | 18 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 0.389 | Did not qualify | 1st round | ||
| 2013-14 | D3 Sou | 4 | 3rd | 20 | 17 | 3 | 26 | 0.650 | Semi-finals | 1st round | ||
| 2014-15 | D3 Sou | 4 | 1st | 18 | 15 | 3 | 30 | 0.833 | Runners-Up | 1st round | ||
| 2015-16 | D2 | 3 | 1st | 22 | 18 | 4 | 36 | 0.818 | Runners-Up | 1st round | ||
| 2016-17 | D1 | 2 | 6th | 26 | 15 | 11 | 30 | 0.577 | Semi-finals | Runners-Up | ||
| 2017-18 | D1 | 2 | 2nd | 24 | 20 | 4 | 40 | 0.833 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | ||
| 2018-19 | D1 | 2 | 1st | 26 | 22 | 4 | 44 | 0.846 | Winners, beating Worthing | Runners-Up | ||
| 2019-20 | D1 | 2 | 1st | 23 | 22 | 1 | 47 | 0.957 | No playoffs | Winners, beating Reading | ||
| 2020-21 | D1 | 2 | 1st | 19 | 17 | 2 | 34 | 0.895 | Winners, beating Hemel | No competition | ||
| 2021-22 | D1 | 2 | 1st | 26 | 24 | 2 | 48 | 0.923 | Winners, beating Hemel | Winners, beating Newcastle | ||
| 2022-23 | D1 | 2 | 8th | 26 | 12 | 14 | 24 | 0.462 | 5th round | |||
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | BBL Trophy | R1 | Cheshire Phoenix | L 86-75 | |
| 2019–20 | BBL Trophy | R1 | London Lions | W 82-92 | |
| QF | Worthing Thunder | W 81-94 | |||
| SF | Bristol Flyers | W 103-67 | L 92-73 | ||
| F | Newcastle Eagles | L 96-94 (OT) | |||
| 2020–21 | BBL Trophy | R1 | Derby Trailblazers | W 73-101 | |
| QF | Surrey Scorchers | L 82-73 | |||
| 2021–22 | BBL Trophy | R1 | Glasgow Rocks | L 82-91 |
Honours