HISTORY:

The franchise first appeared, in what was then National League division 2, in 1987, as Sportsworld Market Harborough, but despite finishing with a creditable 9&11 record they relocated the next season, to become Corby Flyers.

Only eight victories followed in the next two seasons, and they were only rescued from relegation by the withdrawal of Crystal Palace, and by a move to Coventry (a city with a basketball history, as the original home of the franchise that became Birmingham Bullets).

The next two seasons produced only six more victories, but under the guidance of Rob Bromfield and Dip Donaldson, and renamed the "Crusaders", the team progressed from bottom of the division in 1992 to Champions and Championship winners in '94. League runners-up medals followed in '95 and '96 (along with an appearance in the Championship Final, and one in the National Trophy Final).

They remained as solid members of the top division, through the clean-sheet reorganisation which brought the NBL Conference into being, but in 2002 problems with their venue led to their exclusion from the National Trophy. These problems were partially resolved in time to permit them to take part in the League, but uncertainties had made recruitment difficult, and the Crusaders finished last in the Conference, and were relegated to the newly-named EBL Division 2.

A fourth place finish in 2004, in their first season in that division, was enough to win them the nod for promotion back to EBL 1 when Plymouth made a late move into the BBL.

Finishing last in 2005, they were again relegated, but once more reprieved when West Herts declined promotion. Astute recruitment of a couple of excellent non-national players paid dividends, with an eighth-place finish in 2006.

Coventry were one of the EBL teams invited to take part in the BBL Trophy in 2006-7 - probably to retain a West Midlands presence in the competition, following the departure of Birmingham from the BBL.

They were accepted for entry into the proposed, unofficial, BBA for September 2007, but that organisation was stillborn, and Coventry remained within the official competition structure.

Finished ninth (out of ten) in EBL1 in 2008, but reprieved from relegation as Worthing moved out into the BBL.

ALL-TIME COMPETITION RECORD