Cape Town Tigers
Cape Town Tigers | |||
---|---|---|---|
2021–22 Cape Town Tigers season | |||
League | Basketball Africa League South African National Championship | ||
Founded | 2019 | ||
History | Cape Town Tigers 2019–present | ||
Location | Gugulethu, Cape Town, South Africa | ||
Team colors | Black, White, Gold | ||
President | Raphael Edwards | ||
Head coach | Rasheed Hazzard | ||
Team captain | Pieter Prinsloo | ||
Ownership | Severus LLC | ||
Championships | 2 (2021, 2022) | ||
Website | www | ||
|
Cape Town Tigers is a South African basketball club based in Cape Town. The team is located in the Gugulethu township.[1] Established in 2019 by three American business partners, the club has won the South African national championship in 2021 and 2022.
The Tigers currently play internationally in the Basketball Africa League (BAL), besides competing domestically in the South African National Basketball Championship.
History
The team was founded in 2019 by the organisation Severus LLC, founded by American business partners Chante Butler, Raphael Edwards. Dia Martin, and William McFarlan.[2][3] The Severus company was established in order to develop a professional basketball team that could play in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) within 5 years.[4]
Its first roster featured two former NBA players in Billy Preston and Ben Uzoh. Several players for the South African national team were also on the team, such as Pieter Prinsloo, Christopher Gabriel, Thabo Sithole and Lehlogonolo Tholo.
In September 2021, the Tigers won their first national championship. The team beat Jozi Nuggets after overtime in the final, behind Ben Uzoh who scored 22 points in the championship game.[5] Later in the year, the team competed in the qualification games of the BAL for the first time. The team finished as third without playing its last game which was forfeited by opponent New Star after players tested positive for COVID-19.[6]
On August 22, 2022, the Tigers successfully defended their national title.[7] Three months later, on November 26, the Tigers clinched their second consecutive BAL spot after beating City Oilers in the Road to BAL semi-finals.[8]
In January 2023, Nigerian singer Mr Eazi purchased shares of the organisation.[9]
Honours
- Champions (2): 2021, 2022
- Quarterfinalist (1): 2022
Players
Current roster
- As of 27 February 2023.
Note: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
|
Head coach: Rasheed Hazzard
Notable players
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
Criteria |
---|
To appear in this section a player must have either:
|
Head coaches
Thus far, the Tigers have had three head coaches:
- Raphael Edwards: (2021)
- Relton Booysen: (2021–2022)
- Florsheim Ngwenya: (2022)[10]
- Rasheed Hazzard: (2023–present)
References
- ^ "Gugulethu-based club on track for Basketball African League 2022". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "Introducing Cape Town's Professional Basketball Team: The Cape Town Tigers". PRWeb. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "Cape Town's Tigers crowned SA's champs in basketball". www.capetownetc.com. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "Cape Town Tigers: The Mother City's basketball team aims to dominate". Ανθρώπινα Νέα | West Africa News. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "D'Tigers Ben Uzoh leads Cape Town Tigers to South Africa club championship". Premium Times. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "Cape Town Tigers qualify for BAL after New Star forfeit". ESPN.com. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Tigers sweep all to become 2022 South African champions and will head to BAL qualifiers". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
- ^ "Tigers earn a hard-fought victory over Oilers to qualify for the BAL 2023". FIBA.basketball. 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
- ^ Mumuni, Lukman (2023-01-24). "Mr Eazi takes inspiration from Jay Z as he buys shares in basketball team". SportsBrief - Sport news. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ Lehohla, Manyehlisa (2022-10-07). "Florsheim Ngwenya the right fit for the Tigers' BAL ambition". The Big Tip Off. Retrieved 2022-10-25.