Basketball team in Southampton, Hampshire
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.
History
Junior roots
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.
Elite academy
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]
Senior teams
The Kestrels offers senior basketball with two 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]
Men's team
Honours
- National Cup Champions (2): 2019-20 , 2021-22 [8]
- National League Division 1 League Champions (4): 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22
- National League Division 1 Playoffs Champions (3): 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22
- National Trophy Champions (1): 2017-18 [9]
- National League Division 2 League Champions (1): 2015-16
- National League Division 3 South League Champions (1): 2014-15
- L Lynch Trophy Champions (1): 2020-21
Players
Notable former 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:
- Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
- Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
- Played at least one official NBA match at any time.
|
Season-by-season records
| 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
|
Quarter-finals
|
5th round
|
| 2023-24
|
D2 Sou
|
3
|
2nd
|
22
|
21
|
1
|
42
|
0.955
|
|
|
Record in BBL competitions
Women's team
Honours
- National League Division 1 League Champions (1): 2016-17 [10]
- National League Division 1 League Champions (1): 2022-23 [11]
See also
References
