The Bendigo Spirit are an Australian professional basketball team based in Bendigo, Victoria. The Spirit play in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at Red Energy Arena. The team debuted in the WNBL in 2007.
History The Bendigo Spirit were formed in 2007 and debuted in the Women's National Basketball League in the 2007–08 season. The inaugural team was coached by Bernie Harrower and was led by his daughter, Kristi Harrower.
The Spirit played in three straight WNBL Grand Finals between 2013 and 2015, winning back-to-back WNBL championships in 2012–13 and 2013–14. At the time, the team was led by Harrower, Gabrielle Richards, Kelly Wilson as well as imports Chelsea Aubry and the now naturalised, Kelsey Griffin.
The Spirit missed the playoffs every year between 2015–16 and 2023–24. In 2024–25, the Spirit returned to the playoffs and made the WNBL Grand Final behind league MVP, Sami Whitcomb. The Spirit went on to defeat the Townsville Fire 2–0 in the grand final series to win their third WNBL championship.
In July 2025, the Spirit unveiled a new logo with a rebranded colour scheme and identity.
Season-by-season records Season Standings Regular season Finals Head coachWLPCT Bendigo Spirit 2007–08 7th 10 14 41.6 Did not qualify Bernie Harrower 2008–09 5th 14 8 63.6 Lost Elimination Final (Adelaide, 73–81) Bernie Harrower 2009–10 5th 13 9 59.1 Lost Elimination Final (Townsville, 73–84) Bernie Harrower 2010–11 3rd 15 7 68.2 Won Semi Final (Logan, 74–53) Lost Preliminary Final (Canberra, 78–83) Bernie Harrower 2011–12 6th 12 10 54.5 Did not qualify Bernie Harrower 2012–13 1st 21 3 87.5 Won Semi Final (Dandenong, 78–71) Won Grand Final (Townsville, 71–57) Bernie Harrower 2013–14 1st 22 2 91.6 Won Semi Final (Dandenong, 71–62) Won Grand Final (Townsville, 94–83) Bernie Harrower 2014–15 2nd 15 7 68.2 Lost Semi Final (Townsville, 63–82) Won Preliminary Final (Sydney, 85–77) Lost Grand Final (Townsville, 65–75) Bernie Harrower 2015–16 6th 12 12 50.0 Did not qualify Simon Pritchard 2016–17 6th 13 11 54.1 Did not qualify Simon Pritchard 2017–18 8th 4 17 19.1 Did not qualify Simon Pritchard 2018–19 7th 7 14 33.3 Did not qualify Simon Pritchard 2019–20 7th 5 16 23.8 Did not qualify Tracy York20208th0130.0Did not qualifyTracy York2021–225th7943.7Did not qualifyTracy York2022–235th111052.3Did not qualifyTracy York2023–246th111052.3Did not qualifyKennedy Kereama2024-251st18385.7Won Semi Final (Sydney, 76-67, 91-74) Won Grand Final (Townsville, 70-60, 63-55)Kennedy KereamaRegular season 210 172 52.7 3 Minor PremiershipsFinals 6 5 54.5 3 WNBL Championships
Source: Bendigo Spirit
Players Current roster
Former players Kathleen MacLeod, (2007–08) Jenna O'Hea, (2007–08) Kristi Harrower, (2008–2015) Chelsea Aubry, (2009–2015) Heather Oliver, (2010–2018) / Kelsey Griffin, (2012–2018) Sara Blicavs, (2013–2015) Belinda Snell, (2014–2016) Betnijah Laney, (2017–18) Jennie Rintala Carley Ernst Chevannah Paalvast Alicia Froling Amelia Todhunter
Coaches and staff Head coaches Bendigo Spirit head coaches Name Start End Seasons Regular season Finals W L PCT G W L PCT G Bernie Harrower 2007 2015 8 121 61 66.4 182 6 5 54.5 11 Simon Pritchard 2015 2018 4 36 54 40.0 90 0 0 0.0 0 Tracy York 2019 2022 3 5 16 23.8 0 0 0 0.0 0 Kennedy Kereama 2022 1 7 0 100 0 0 0 0.0 0
Ownership In April 2022, the team's WNBL license was purchased from Bendigo Stadium Limited (BSL) by Sports Entertainment Group.
References
External links Official website