Rapla KK, also known as Utilitas Rapla for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Rapla, Estonia. The team plays in the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML). Their home arena is the Sadolin Sports Hall.
| Utilitas Rapla | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues | Korvpalli Meistriliiga Estonian-Latvian Basketball League | ||
| Founded | 2004 | ||
| History | Rapla KK (2004–present) | ||
| Arena | Sadolin Sports Hall | ||
| Capacity | 958 | ||
| Location | Rapla, Estonia | ||
| Team colors | White, Red | ||
| Team manager | Jaak Karp | ||
| Head coach | Brett Nõmm | ||
| Website | raplakk.ee | ||
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History
editThe origins of the team can be traced back to Korvpalliklubi Rapla (Basketball Club Rapla), which was founded in 1996 as a division of the Rapla Sports School. Rapla Korvpallikool (Rapla Basketball School) was founded in 2004.[1] In 2010, they moved to the newly built Sadolin Sports Hall and Rapla's first team joined the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML), the top tier of Estonian basketball. The team also joined the Challenge Cup competition of the Baltic Basketball League (BBL) for the 2011–12 season. TYCO Rapla reached the Estonian Cup final in 2012, but were defeated by BC Rakvere Tarvas.[2]
Coached by Aivar Kuusmaa, the team finished third in the Estonian League in 2015 and 2016. AVIS UTILITAS Rapla made it to the KML Finals for the first time in 2017, but were swept in four games by defending champion BC Kalev/Cramo.[3] They came third again in the 2017–18 season.[4]
In 2018, the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League was formed. AVIS UTILITAS Rapla reached the playoffs in the league's inaugural season, where they lost to VEF Riga in the quarterfinals.
Sponsorship naming
editHome arenas
edit- Rapla Sports Hall (2008–2009)
- Alu Sports Hall (2009–2010)
- Sadolin Sports Hall (2010–present)[5]
Players
editCurrent roster
editNote: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Utilitas Rapla roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 31 October 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
edit| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Kaosi Ezeagu | ||
| PF | Jalyn McCreary | Indrek Kajupank | |
| SF | Tormi Niits | Hendrik Eelmäe | |
| SG | Brandon McKissic | Jan Märten Ratas | Marek Ruut |
| PG | Emīls Krūmiņš | Rait-Riivo Laane | Markus Ruubel |
Head coaches
edit
Indrek Ruut 2008–2014- Aivar Kuusmaa 2014–2018
- Toomas Annuk 2019–2021
Lluís Riera 2021–2022
Arnel Dedić 2022–2023- Brett Nõmm 2023–present
Season by season
edit| Season | Tier | Division | Pos. | Estonian Cup | Baltic competitions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 3 | II liiga | 1st | |||
| 2009–10 | 2 | I liiga | 5th | |||
| 2010–11 | 1 | KML | 6th | Quarterfinalist | ||
| 2011–12 | 1 | KML | 4th | Quarterfinalist | BBL Challenge Cup | RS |
| 2012–13 | 1 | KML | 4th | Runner-up | Baltic Basketball League | RS |
| 2013–14 | 1 | KML | 7th | Quarterfinalist | Baltic Basketball League | RS |
| 2014–15 | 1 | KML | 3rd | Quarterfinalist | Baltic Basketball League | EF |
| 2015–16 | 1 | KML | 3rd | Second round | Baltic Basketball League | EF |
| 2016–17 | 1 | KML | 2nd | Quarterfinalist | Baltic Basketball League | EF |
| 2017–18 | 1 | KML | 3rd | Baltic Basketball League | QF | |
| 2018–19 | 1 | KML | 6th | Estonian-Latvian Basketball League | 7th | |
| 2019–20 | 1 | KML | 2nd[a] | Estonian-Latvian Basketball League | –[a] | |
| 2020–21 | 1 | KML | 3rd | Quarterfinalist | Estonian-Latvian Basketball League | 4th |
| 2021–22 | 1 | KML | 6th | Quarterfinalist | Estonian-Latvian Basketball League | 9th |
| 2022–23 | 1 | KML | 5th | Quarterfinalist | Estonian-Latvian Basketball League | 6th |
| 2023–24 | 1 | KML | 3rd | Quarterfinalist | Estonian-Latvian Basketball League | 10th |
Trophies and awards
editTrophies
edit- Runners-up (1): 2016–17
- Runners-up (1): 2012
Individual awards
edit
|
Estonian-Latvian League All-Star Five
|
Notes
edit- ^ a b The season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
edit- ^ "Ajalugu". RaplaKK.ee (in Estonian). Archived from the original on 23 October 2021.
- ^ "Tarvas võitis korvpalli Eesti karika". Postimees Sport (in Estonian). 22 December 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "Kalev/Cramo krooniti üheksandat korda Eesti meistriks, Raplale esimene hõbemedal". Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 22 May 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "Meeskond". RaplaKK.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "Sadolin Spordihoone". spordiregister.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
External links
edit- Official website (in Estonian)