Sportclub Rasta Vechta is a German basketball club based in Vechta, Lower Saxony. Founded in 1979, the club has spent the majority of its history in the lower-tier German leagues. In 2012, the team was promoted to the second-tier ProA, and following their promotion from the ProA in the 2022–23 season, Rast Vechta now plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier.
History Foundation The club was founded on 26 June 1979 as the basketball team of the Antonianum Gymnasium, with former students playing in the team. The name of the club, "Rasta", is a tribute to reggae music because Bob Marley's Rastaman Vibration was playing when the name was decided.
Recent years (2012–2016) In the 2012–13 season, Vechta won the German second-tier ProA after beating Gloria Giants Düsseldorf in the finals. This season, they entered their new home arena, the Rasta Dome. After winning the ProA in its first season in the new arena, Vechta was promoted to the first-tier Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). In 2013, the arena, which had an original capacity of 2,000 spectators, was expanded to accommodate 3,140 fans in order to meet minimum size requirements for the Basketball Bundesliga. However, the team finished last in the 2013–14 season and were immediately relegated back to the ProA. In the 2015–16 season, Rasta once again promoted to the Bundesliga.Rasta Vechta macht Bundesliga-Aufstieg perfekt Just like the previous BBL adventure, the team would relegate again in its first season back.
National playoffs and European debut (2018–2020) In April 2018, Vechta promoted to the BBL for the third time, after defeating PS Karlsruhe Lions in the ProA semi-finals, 3–1. In the 2018–19 Basketball Bundesliga, Vechta had an incredible season under Spanish head coach Pedro Calles. Vechta claimed the fourth place in the regular season to advance to the BBL playoffs for the first time in club history. In the playoffs, it eliminated Brose Bamberg with a 3–1 score. In the semi-finals, Vechta was swept by title favorites Bayern Munich.
In the 2019–20 season, Rasta made its debut in Europe as it qualified for a spot in the Basketball Champions League (BCL). In Group B, the German team finished in the 5th place.
Rasta Vechta won their third ProA title in 2022-23, tying the record hold by Mitteldeutscher BC for most championships.
Honours ProA Winners: 2012–13, 2017–18, 2022–23 Runner-up: 2015–16
Players Current roster
Notable players
Brandon Bowman (2013–2014) Scott Machado (2016) Andrew Smith (2017–2018) Austin Hollins (2018–2019) Ish Wainright (2019–2020) Ike Iroegbu (2020–2021)
Season by season Champions Runners-up Playoff berth Promoted Relegated Season Tier League Finish Wins Losses Win%PlayoffsBBL-Pokal European competitionsHead coach Rasta Vechta2012–13IIProA 1st 31 9Won quarterfinals (Ehingen Urspring), 3–0Won semi-finals (BG Karlsruhe), 3–2Won finals (Düsseldorf Giants), 2–0 – – 2013–14IBBL18th 6 28 2014–15IIProA 10th 12 18 – – – 2015–16IIProA 2nd 34 4Won quarterfinals (Nürnberger BC), 3–0Won semi-finals (Oettinger Rockets), 3–0Lost finals (Jena) – – 2016–17IBBL 17th 3 30 – – – 2017–18IIProA 1st345Won quarterfinals (Phoenix Hagen), 3–0Won semi-finals (Karlsruhe), 3–0 Won finals (Crailsheim) – – 2018–19IBBL4th2714Won quarterfinals (Brose Bamberg), 3–1Lost semi-finals (Bayern), 0–3– – Pedro Calles2019–20IBBL9th129–Round of 163 Champions League Regular Season Pedro Calles2020–21IBBL 18th727–Group stage – Thomas Päch2021–22IIProA12th1616–– – Vladimir Lučić2022–23IIProA 1st277Won quarterfinals (Phoenix Hagen), 3–0Won semi-finals (Gießen 46ers), 3–1 Won finals (Tübingen)– – Vladimir Lučić Ty Harrelson2023–24IBBL6th2113Lost quarter-finals (Chemnitz), 1–3Quarterfinals – Ty Harrelson2024–25IBBL12th1616–Quarterfinals2 Champions League Regular season Martin Schiller2025–26IBBL7th1717Lost quarter-finals (Berlin), 2–3Quarterfinals4 Europe Cup Regular season Martin Schiller2026–27IBBL2 Champions League Martin Schiller
European record Season Achievement Record Notes Basketball Champions League 2019–20 Regular Season 6–8 5th place in Group B with Włocławek, Antwerp Giants, Hapoel Jerusalem, Élan Béarnais, Burgos, AEK and Bandırma 2024–25 Regular Season 1–5 4th place in Group D with ERA Nymburk, Galatasaray and Promitheas
Head coaches PeriodNameHonours 2000–2001 Matthias Weber 2001–2003 Thorsten Doeding 2003–2004 Michael Canisius 2004–2005 Kai Deitermann 2005–2009 Geschilderde Scheper 2009–2014 Pat Elzie 2014–2015 Stephen Arigbabu 2015 Pat Elzie 2015–2017 Andreas Wagner 2017–2018 Douglas Spradley 2018–2020 Pedro Calles BBL semifinalist (2019) 2020–2021 Thomas Päch 2021–2022 Vladimir Lučić 2022–2024 Ty Harrelson 2024– Martin Schiller
SC Rasta Vechta II The second team of Rasta Vechta plays in the ProA, the German second division. Current roster
References
External links