Established in May 2016, Tralee Warriors BC made its Super League debut in the 2016–17 season. The Warriors, as they are affectionately known, were formed as a result of a collaboration between local clubs St Brendan’s and Tralee Imperials to bring Super League basketball back to Tralee. The club was immediately embraced and taken to the hearts of basketball fans in the town and has developed a loyal following playing to packed houses for their home games at the Tralee Sports Complex.
In their first season in the Men’s elite competition, the Warriors, under Head Coach Mark Bernsen, showed that they would be a force to be reckoned with and after a first round defeat to UCC Demons in Cork, the Super League newcomers got their campaign back on track to finish a highly creditable 4th in the League with a 17 win and 5 loss record for the season. The Warriors further heralded their arrival on the Super League stage by capturing the coveted Champions Trophy after a dramatic 74-73 win over the League champions Templeogue in Letterkenny.
The Warriors backed up their debut season by continuing to build their reputation as a formidable outfit both home and away and were in contention for League honours from the outset. However with the League title on the line they succumbed to Templeogue after a titanic tussle in Inchicore and the Warriors had to settle for 4th on the ladder for the second year running with a 16 win and 6 loss record. However just as they did the previous year the Warriors finished the season on a high by securing the Champions Trophy again after getting the better of arch rivals Templeogue in the decider by 73-61 in the WIT in Waterford.
The 2018/2019 season saw the Warriors reach the very pinnacle of Irish basketball by capturing the Super League title at just their third attempt. Under new Head Coach Pat Price, the Tralee side stayed a game in front of the rest of the League throughout the campaign and finally secured the title after a memorable home and away final weekend showdown with UCD Marian. The Warriors overcame the Dublin side after trailing by 12 with 4 minutes on the clock but produced a comeback for the ages to win out in overtime to bring the title decider to the Tralee Sports Complex the following day. On 24th March 2019 Garvey’s Tralee Warriors were crowned Super League champions in what was an unforgettable occasion at the spiritual home of the team.
The Warriors as reigning champions were the team to beat in the 2019/2020 season, and despite early defeats at home to UCD Marian and away to DBS Eanna, got their momentum going to be top of the table at the turn of the year. A National Cup semi-final defeat to DBS Eanna did not deflect the Warriors focus on retaining the League title. With the Super League crown within touching distance, the Tralee side had their hopes dashed when following an unprecedented legal challenge and with the season cut short due to the outbreak of Covid 19, the Warriors were denied back to back League titles.
Team Honours
- Basketball ireland Superleague Champions 21/22
- Basketball Ireland Pat Duffy Cup Champions 2022
- Basketball Ireland Men’s Super League Champions 2019
Individual Honours
- John Dowling Superleague Coach Of The Year 21/22
- Aaron Calixte Superleague Player Of The Year 21/22
- Daniel Jokubaitis MVP of The Cup Final 2022
- Men’s Super League Player of the Year 2017 – Trae Pemberton
- Men’s Super League Young Player of the Year 2017 – Ryan Leonard
- Men’s Super League Coach of the Year 2017 – Mark Bernsen
- Men’s Super League Coach of the Year 2019 – Pat Price
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