Background The Ballarat Basketball Association Inc. was incorporated in 1966 and then built its own freehold facility in 1969 on the corner of Grevillea Road and Dowling Street in Wendouree to later become known as the
Ballarat Minerdome. Backed by a flourishing local basketball program and facilities at the forefront of regional basketball associations, Ballarat lodged an application in 1985 to join the
South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), with the Miners debuting in the SEABL in 1986.
The Dynasty (1987–1996) With
Brian Goorjian at the helm, Ballarat won the SEABL South Conference championship in 1987 in just their second season. Goorjian departed at the end of the 1987 season and was replaced by
Al Westover, who subsequently took the team to a Conference three-peat from 1989 to 1991, taking the South Conference for the first two years before following it up with the East Conference when moving across conferences in 1991. Westover was honoured with the inaugural Coach of the Year award in 1990. During this time, Eric Cooks won SEABL MVP in 1989 and 1990. marking their first conference final appearance in 16 years. In 2019, following the demise of the SEABL, the Miners joined the
NBL1 South. The NBL1 South season did not go ahead in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Miners played out of the
Ballarat Sports Events Centre. In 2024, the Miners men reached the NBL1 South Grand Final, where they lost 79–70 to the
Eltham Wildcats. ==Women's team history==