History of basketball at High

Basketball was introduced as a sport at Sydney High in March 1939. The first match was against the YMCA Juniors as a supporting match to a game between a team from “The Mariposa” and Sydney YMCA. The High team, coached by Mr V Pye, won 42-25. The 1939 team consisted of Centres, N Stubbs, O Weingott; Forewards, A Oliver, N Forest, J Ellard; Guards, R Jones, H Warren, T Antico, R Meleski.

The 1939 team, coached by Captain Wilthew, entered the City of Sydney Junior League, won that competition, won the Metropolitan Championship Final against a combined Western Suburbs team and took the title of State Junior Champions. 

A High team was formed again in 1940. However, the war most likely impacted sporting organisation and it was not until 1954 that basketball returned to High with an inter-house basketball competition played during lunch hour. 

The sport was encouraged by the opening of a new gymnasium with a full-sized basketball court on 29 October 1956. 

Basketball was inaugurated as an inter-school (CHS) competitive sport in 1958. The first grade team finished the season as undefeated Zone Premiers. The members were A Olsen, W Soothill, J Skinner, D Bennett, P Broadfoot, D Landa (Captain), P Baker (vice-captain) and A Powditch. William Edward Soothill, a member of the 1958 first grade side and was selected in the NSW schoolboys’ team. After leaving school, as an engineering student, he represented the University of Sydney in basketball and assisted with coaching High teams in 1959 and 1960 (zone premiers). He died in 1961 at the Coast Hospital, after a long illness, aged just 19. The William Soothill Memorial Trophy for basketball is given in his memory annually at speech night. 

In the 1960s, basketball was still a relatively unfamiliar sport. The Record for 1962 reported that the 1st grade captain was Andy Holt:

our American visitor, who has brought with him much experience from the United States, where basketball is a major sport.

The selection of grade teams for basketball was not easy. In 1963, it was reported: 

The best athletic talents in the school were drawn to the other “glamour sports”, with the result that even the first and second grade basketball teams had to be filled up with novices in the game.

Yet, by 1965, The Record could report that four of the six school teams were undefeated in the CHS competition and that the first grade team was “one of the finest the school has produced”, with their captain, Ron Furness being selected for the State under 18 team. 

However, it was still hard to sustain interest from the rest of the school. In 1968, The Record reported of basketball:

Enthusiasm, drive and playing ability come in large doses. The players lack one important thing, and that is interest and support from fellow classmates.

From the 1960s, the construction of more gymnasiums in schools led to the growth of basketball as an indoor game that was not weather dependant. Then, in 1969, for the first time, matches were arranged with GPS and Associated Schools. High’s 1st grade team were the unofficial premiers of this competition.

After a number of years of non-competition matches, the official GPS competition commenced in 1975. In the previous year, 1974, the master in charge, Mr G Hunter, had issued a dire warning:

It would seem that 1974 will be the last strong year of Basketball for SBHS. No longer can this school be regarded as a major basketball school in GPS or CHS competition. While our senior teams have been winning all their games, junior grades cannot be regarded as competitive.

The irony of the situation is that basketball becomes a major GPS sport in 1975 and it appears unlikely that any SBHS grade will be strong enough to win a competition next year.

Basketball needs a revival in this school. It needs good dedicated athletes who recognize basketball as a highly skilled and very rewarding game, a game that can be the basis of a healthy, sporting adult life.

However, The Record of 1976 stated that the introduction of basketball as a GPS sport:

heralded a new era for the game in the School. Nearly a hundred boys representing eleven different teams participated. If this is not evidence of continued interest in the game, what is?

But to the misfortune of the boys only two teachers offered their services. So the massive job of coaching the various teams fell to senior players like Ian Robertson, Alf Reynolds, Andrew Whitford, Ian Stone and Steve Hardman.

In 1977, 140 boys played basketball in school teams — “the largest number in the recorded history of the sport in the school”. Yet, The master in charge wrote:

With existing facilities and the lack of adequate support from staff members, organisation of training sessions proved to be difficult. Once again the assistance of senior players was called for, and they proved to be equal to the task. 

In addition to the GPS season, the GPS also established knockout competitions—the Raschke Cup, for 1st grade, and the PJ Yeend Shield, for 2nd grade. High won the inaugural Raschke Cup in 1980, and then won again in 1985, 1991, and 1993. The 2nd grade team also became GPS co-premiers in 1983. 

Finally, in 1994, High took out the 1st grade GPS premiership under coach Ross Farrington (with the assistance of Doug Downer (1984) a member of 2nd grade GPS premiership team in 1983). The team consisted of Duncan MacFarlane (Captain), Grant Cummins, Steven Andrews, Jason Jones-Hughes, Sam Bauers, Brenton Speed, Ragavan Sivanesarajah, Anton Murray and Carl Wong.

The 2010s became a golden era for High basketball under the guidance of Ben Hayman. High took out the 1st grade GPS premiership in 2011, 2012, and 2014 as well as in 2015 when they were undefeated GPS champions. High also took out the 2nd grade GPS premiership in 2013 and 2015.

In the same period High 1st grade won the  Rashke Cup in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016 and 2nd grade won the Yeend Shield in 2010 and 2017.

Other highlights for High basketball in the period include: back-to-back National Champions in 2010 and 2011; NSW All Schools State Champions in 2011 and 2014; and CHS State Champions in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

By the late 2010s, High basketball was regularly fielding 34 teams across all grades.

While, in the 1960s, High basketball looked to Americans for guidance on the finer points of the game, since the 2010s, High old boys have gone on to compete in US college basketball, most notably: Spencer Llewellyn (2009); Emmett Naar (2011); Geoff Gerlach (2014); Isaac Ayoubi (2022); and Henry Lau (2024). Some have represented Australia in FIBA World Cup qualifiers: Emmett Naar (2011); Craig Moller (2012). These old boys may all also be found in the highest level of competition in Australian NBL and NBL1 teams.