The 2024 NBL1 season was the fifth season of the NBL1. The season consisted of five conferences: South, North, Central, West and East.
The third annual National Finals were held on the Sunshine Coast, with two South teams winning the NBL1 National championship for the second straight year. The Waverley Falcons won in the women while the Knox Raiders men defended their 2023 National title.
Conference seasons The season began on 23 March for the Central Conference, 28 March for the West Conference, 3 April for the South Conference, 6 April for the East Conference and 11 April for the North Conference. All conference finals were concluded by 10 August.
South The women's minor premiers were the Knox Raiders with a 20–2 record while the men's minor premiers were the Mount Gambier Pioneers with an 17–5 record. Isabelle Bourne of the Keilor Thunder was named women's MVP while Nick Marshall of the Mount Gambier Pioneers was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final saw the Waverley Falcons defeat the Keilor Thunder 87–82 while the men's grand final saw the Eltham Wildcats defeat the Ballarat Miners 79–70. Carley Ernst of the Waverley Falcons was named women's grand final MVP while Angus Glover of the Eltham Wildcats was named men's grand final MVP.
North The women's minor premiers were the Northside Wizards with a 16–1 record while the men's minor premiers were the Mackay Meteors with a 15–2 record. Amanda Johnson of the Northside Wizards was named women's MVP while Sam McDaniel of the Brisbane Capitals was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final series saw the Rockhampton Cyclones defeat the Northside Wizards 2–1, with the Wizards winning 80–71 in game one and the Cyclones winning 81–76 in game two and 80–59 in game three, while the men's grand final series saw the Mackay Meteors defeat the Brisbane Capitals 2–0, with 91–79 in game one and 102–80 in game two. Lauren Heard of the Rockhampton Cyclones was named women's grand final MVP while Todd Blanchfield of the Mackay Meteors was named men's grand final MVP.
Central The women's minor premiers were the Sturt Sabres with a 14–4 record while the men's minor premiers were the South Adelaide Panthers with a 15–3 record. Casey Samuels of the Central Districts Lions was named women's MVP while Alex Starling of the South Adelaide Panthers was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final saw the Central Districts Lions defeat the Forestville Eagles 79–67 while the men's grand final saw the Forestville Eagles defeat the South Adelaide Panthers 92–90. Taylah Levy of the Central Districts Lions was named women's grand final MVP while Greg Mays of the Forestville Eagles was named men's grand final MVP.
West
The women's minor premiers were the Rockingham Flames with an 18–2 record while the men's minor premiers were the Geraldton Buccaneers with a 20–2 record. Teige Morrell of the Lakeside Lightning was named women's MVP while Joel Murray of the Mandurah Magic was named men's MVP.
The women's grand final saw the Rockingham Flames defeat the Cockburn Cougars 97–81 while the men's grand final saw the Mandurah Magic defeat the Willetton Tigers 91–89. Alexandra Sharp of the Rockingham Flames was named women's grand final MVP while Joel Murray of the Mandurah Magic was named men's grand final MVP.
East The women's minor premiers were the Albury Wodonga Bandits with a 20–0 record while the men's minor premiers were the Canberra Gunners with an 18–2 record. Nicole Munger of the Newcastle Falcons was named women's MVP while William Cranston-Lown of the Maitland Mustangs was named men's MVP.
The BA Centre of Excellence women's team, who finished the regular season with a 10–10 record, declared that they were not able to field a team for finals. They were subsequently removed from the East finals equation and the ladder was adjusted.
The women's grand final saw the Newcastle Falcons defeat the Sutherland Sharks 85–78 while the men's grand final saw the Maitland Mustangs defeat the Canberra Gunners 86–67. Nicole Munger of the Newcastle Falcons was named women's grand final MVP while William Cranston-Lown of the Maitland Mustangs was named men's grand final MVP.
Champions summary Women ConferenceChampionResultRunner-upSouthWaverley Falcons87 – 82Keilor ThunderNorthRockhampton Cyclones2 – 1(71–80, 81–76, 80–59)Northside WizardsCentralCentral Districts Lions79 – 67Forestville EaglesWestRockingham Flames97 – 81Cockburn CougarsEastNewcastle Falcons85 – 78Sutherland Sharks
Men ConferenceChampionResultRunner-upSouthEltham Wildcats79 – 70Ballarat MinersNorthMackay Meteors2 – 0(91–79, 102–80)Brisbane CapitalsCentralForestville Eagles92 – 90South Adelaide PanthersWestMandurah Magic91 – 89Willetton TigersEastMaitland Mustangs86 – 67Canberra Gunners
National Finals
The 2024 NBL1 National Finals took place at the University of the Sunshine Coast and Caloundra Indoor Stadium on the Sunshine Coast from Friday 16 August and Sunday 18 August.
The 2023 defending champions, the Bendigo Braves women and the Knox Raiders men, earned automatic qualification into the 2024 NBL1 National Finals. Joining them in the tournament were the 2024 champions from each of the five conferences. Due to multiple injuries sustained during the grand final series, the North women's champions the Rockhampton Cyclones withdrew from the National Finals. The Southern Districts Spartans subsequently took their place.
The six women's and men's teams were ranked based on their regular season performances while factoring the number of games within a season and the number of NBL/WNBL players and imports within each conference. The three winners from day one, plus the highest ranked loser, progressed to the Semi Finals on day two. The winners of the Semi Finals then played in the Championship Games on day three. The day one match-ups were announced on 11 August, with the women playing at UniSC Arena and the men playing at Caloundra Indoor Stadium. The day two matches saw the women shift to Caloundra while the men shifted to UniSC. The Championship Games on day three were both played at UniSC.
Two South Conference teams were victorious in the Championship Games for the second straight year, with the Waverley Falcons women and Knox Raiders men being crowned NBL1 National champions. The Raiders defended their 2023 title.
Day One – Friday Women Rank #1 vs Rank #6
Rank #3 vs Rank #4
Rank #2 vs Rank #5
Men Rank #2 vs Rank #5
Rank #3 vs Rank #4
Rank #1 vs Rank #6
Day Two – Saturday Women Semi Final: 2nd vs 3rd
Semi Final: 1st vs 4th
5th vs 6th
Men Semi Final: 2nd vs 3rd
Semi Final: 1st vs 4th
5th vs 6th
Day Three – Sunday Championship Games Women Rosters
+Bendigo Braves#PlayerStarters5Kasey Burton6Cassidy McLean14Madeline Sexton22Kelly Wilson ()25Megan McKayReserves1Caitlin Richardson3Poppy Blanch4Meg McCarthy10Jessie Rennie17Jessica ManganCoachMark AlabakovNathan BatchelorAndrea Walsh
+Waverley Falcons#PlayerStarters1Amelia Todhunter2Rebecca Cole5McKenzie Forbes11Carley Ernst23Renae Mokrzycki ()Reserves0Emma Povh3Meg Crupi8Sophia Locandro9Liana Kinkela10Mia Parsons13Hayley JoynerCoachElias PalioyiannisLisa Ewin
Game summary
Men Rosters
+Knox Raiders#PlayerStarters5Brody Nunn9Malith Machar10Ke'Jhan Feagin ()14Kyle Bowen22Austin RappReserves1Anzac Rissetto8Jacob Foy15Madut Akec21Dylan Hare43Tyrone Simos-PrimeranoCoachMatthew NunnBrayon BlakeBrenton O'Brien
+Mackay Meteors#PlayerStarters3Emmett Naar ()4Aiden Krause19Luca Yates32Amarco Doyle33Christian MaranReserves0Jerron Jamerson2Kye Medhurst5Mason Khalu13Kobey Sager15Brad RasmussenCoachJoel KhaluTroy BrownNathan Arousi
Game summary
All-Star Five Women Rebecca Cole (Waverley Falcons) Megan McKay (Bendigo Braves) Lilly Ritz (Central Districts Lions) Robbi Ryan (Rockingham Flames) Kelly Wilson (Bendigo Braves)
Men Kyle Bowen (Knox Raiders) Amarco Doyle (Mackay Meteors) Ke'Jhan Feagin (Knox Raiders) Aiden Krause (Mackay Meteors) Emmett Naar (Mackay Meteors)
References
External links 2024 NBL1 season ladders 2024 NBL1 season fixtures 2024 NBL1 National Finals Program Team previews for the 2024 NBL1 National Finals Top performers honoured at NBL1 Awards The stand out players from the National Finals