The Windsor Express are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, competing in the Basketball Super League. The Express play their home games at the WFCU Centre.
| Windsor Express | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues | Basketball Super League | ||
| Founded | 2012 | ||
| History | Windsor Express (2012–present) | ||
| Arena | WFCU Centre | ||
| Capacity | 6,500 | ||
| Location | Windsor, Ontario | ||
| Team colours | Maroon, black | ||
| President | Dartis Willis, Sr. | ||
| Head coach | Bill Jones | ||
| Ownership | Dartis Willis, Sr. | ||
| Championships | 2 (2013–14, 2014–15) | ||
| Website | windsorexpress.ca | ||
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History
editOn June 28, 2012, the NBL announced that Windsor had been awarded an expansion team for the 2012–13 season. As the eighth franchise, the league created divisions and placed the Express in the Central Division. On August 1, 2012 the team nickname was officially confirmed. The Express name is partially a tribute to the Underground Railroad and to the rail yards on the banks of the Detroit River.
The team compiled a 22–18 record in its inaugural year, placing second in the Central Division and being seeded 3rd in the playoffs. It lost its only post-season series, a semifinal against the Summerside Storm, three-games-to-two.
On April 17, 2014, the Express won their first championship against the Island Storm (formerly Summerside Storm), 121–106.[1]
The Express were named the 2015 NBL of Canada Champions on April 30, 2015 when the Halifax Rainmen forfeited game 7 after events that transpired earlier in the day. Halifax opted to forfeit the game and leave Windsor, where the game was set to take place, due to an on-court altercation between the two teams earlier in the day. [2]
On May 11, 2023 it was announced that the 3 other teams the Express competed with in the NBLC would be leaving the league to form the Basketball Super League along with The president of The Basketball League, David Magley.[3] Well the Express initially held off of joining the BSL in favor of exploring other options, it was announced on August 29, 2023 that Windsor would be joining the league for its inaugural season.
Home arenas
editOriginally opened in 2008, the WFCU Centre is a sports-entertainment arena in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The arena has a capacity of 7,000 when setup for basketball. The Express share the arena with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.[4] In 2019 The Express proposed a bid to renovate the Windsor Arena to become the new home of the Windsor Express and local recreational activities.[5] In 2021, the proposal was denied by the City.[6]
Current roster
editNote: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Windsor Express roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: April 24, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season-by-season record
edit| Season | Coach | Regular season | Post season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | |||
| National Basketball League of Canada | ||||||||||
| 2012–13 | Bill Jones | 22 | 18 | .550 | 3rd | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost First Round | |
| 2013–14 | Bill Jones | 29 | 11 | .718 | 1st | 11 | 6 | .647 | Won Championship | |
| 2014–15 | Bill Jones | 21 | 11 | .656 | 1st | 11 | 7 | .611 | Won Championship | |
| 2015–16 | Bill Jones | 21 | 19 | .525 | 2nd | 5 | 4 | .556 | Lost Division Finals | |
| 2016–17 | Bill Jones | 22 | 18 | .550 | 2nd | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost Division Finals | |
| 2017–18 | Bill Jones | 20 | 20 | .500 | 3rd | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost Division Semifinals | |
| 2018–19 | Bill Jones | 17 | 23 | .425 | 5th | did not qualify | ||||
| 2019–20 | Bill Jones | 11 | 11 | .500 | 3rd | Season curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2020–21 | Bill Jones | - | - | - | did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||
| 2022 | Bill Jones | 8 | 17 | .320 | 4th | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost in Round 1 | |
| 2023 | Bill Jones | 12 | 15 | .444 | 3rd | 5 | 5 | .500 | Lost in Finals | |
| Basketball Super League | ||||||||||
| 2024 | Bill Jones | 15 | 11 | .577 | 5th | did not qualify | ||||
| Totals | 195 | 172 | .532 | — | 32 | 30 | .514 | 8 playoff appearances | ||
References
edit- ^ "Home | Windsor Star".
- ^ "Windsor Express declared 2015 NBL champ after Halifax forfeits Game 7". CBC News. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ "NBL Canada Teams To Join Basketball Super League". 2023-05-11.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Our Facilities". WFCU-Centre.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ "Windsor Express unveils ambitious plan to transform Windsor Arena". WindsorStar.com. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "City now passing on Express plan to convert vacant Windsor Arena". WindsorStar.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.