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2009–10 British Basketball League season

(Redirected from British Basketball League 2009-10)

The 2009–10 BBL season of the British Basketball League (BBL) was the 23rd season since the league's establishment in 1987. The regular season commenced on 25 September 2009, when Milton Keynes Lions claimed the first win of the season with a 94–81 victory in the opening game against Worcester Wolves.

2009–10 BBL season
LeagueBritish Basketball League
SportBasketball
Roll of Honour
BBL championsNewcastle Eagles
Play Off's championsEverton Tigers
BBL Cup championsSheffield Sharks
BBL Trophy championsNewcastle Eagles
British Basketball League seasons

A total of 13 teams took to the court including new start-up franchise Essex Pirates, which was founded by Great Britain Under 20s coach Tim Lewis, and a newly rebranded Rocks team carrying the name of the city of Glasgow instead of their previous Scottish Rocks title.

The League Championship came down to the final game of the season and was only claimed by Newcastle Eagles after Sheffield Sharks lost their last game, 97–95, to Worthing Thunder. Thunder's Evaldas Zabas' basket four seconds from the end meant that Newcastle had won the League even before taking to the court the following day.

Everton Tigers concluded the season with victory in the play-offs despite being the lowest seed in all of their Play-off encounters. An 80–72 win against Glasgow in the final gave Tigers their first ever Play-off title, only two years after its foundation in 2007.

Teams

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Locations of the 2009–10 BBL teams
Team City/Area Arena Capacity Last season
Cheshire Jets Chester Northgate Arena 1,000 8th
Essex Pirates Southend-on-Sea Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre 1,100 New
Everton Tigers Liverpool Echo Arena &
Greenbank Sports Academy 		7,513
600 		2nd
Glasgow Rocks Glasgow Kelvin Hall 1,200 7th
Guildford Heat Guildford Guildford Spectrum 1,100 4th
Leicester Riders Leicester John Sandford Centre 800 3rd
London Capital London Capital City Academy 300 12th
Milton Keynes Lions Milton Keynes Bletchley Centre &
Middleton Hall (thecentre:mk) 		800
1,500 		9th
Newcastle Eagles Newcastle upon Tyne Metro Radio Arena 6,500 1st
Plymouth Raiders Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions 1,480 5th
Sheffield Sharks Sheffield English Institute of Sport 1,200 6th
Worcester Wolves Worcester University of Worcester 600 10th
Worthing Thunder Worthing Worthing Leisure Centre 1,000 11th

Notable occurrences

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  • Essex Pirates were the latest addition to the BBL, bringing the number of teams up to 13 in total for the season.[1]
  • Due to a sponsorship agreement with Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Rocks rebranded as the Glasgow Rocks to support its hometown.[2]
  • In early November the Worcester Wolves franchise was thrown into turmoil after a Coach Chuck Evans' team talk lead to a much publicised racism row[3][4] resulting in his resignation and the discipling and sacking of six players following a team strike.[5][6] In response to this the League agreed to postpone Wolves' following five games until later dates, plus in accordance with the league's rules, the franchise had been fined an undisclosed amount.[7]
  • Paul James marked his return to the League in December when he was appointed as Coach of the new-look Worcester Wolves, succeeding Chuck Evans.[8]
  • Following the scheduled demolition of the Bletchley Centre and delayed construction of their new venue, Milton Keynes Lions sought the use of an unusual facility as their home arena by renting floor space in thecentre:mk shopping mall. Middleton Hall played host to its first game on 12 January against Essex Pirates and would host a further nine games throughout the season.[9]
  • Milton Keynes Lions forward Guy Dupuy was crowned winner of the 2010 BBL Slam Dunk contest on 17 January, beating Kadiri Richard in the final round.[10]
  • Cheshire Jets guard John Simpson failed an Anti-doping drugs test it was announced on 29 March, testing positive for marijuana. The player subsequently had his contract terminated by the club with immediate effect.[11]

BBL Championship (Tier 1)

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Final standings

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Pos Team Pld W L % Pts
1 Newcastle Eagles 36 31 5 0.861 62
2 Sheffield Sharks 36 30 6 0.833 60
3 Glasgow Rocks 36 23 13 0.638 46
4 Cheshire Jets 36 22 14 0.611 44
5 Everton Tigers 36 21 15 0.583 42
6 Leicester Riders 36 21 15 0.583 42
7 Milton Keynes Lions 36 18 18 0.500 36
8 Worthing Thunder 36 18 18 0.500 36
9 Worcester Wolves 36 18 18 0.500 36
10 Plymouth Raiders 36 11 25 0.305 22
11 Guildford Heat 36 11 25 0.305 22
12 Essex Pirates 36 7 29 0.194 14
13 London Capital 36 3 33 0.083 6
= League winners
= Qualified for the play-offs

Playoffs

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Quarter-finals

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Semi-finals 1st leg

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30 April 2010
Everton Tigers 95–79 Newcastle Eagles
Greenbank Sports Academy, Liverpool

Semi-finals 2nd leg

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Everton Tigers win 190-158 on aggregate and Glasgow Rocks won 164-158 on aggregate.

Final

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8 May 2010
6.00pm GMT
Glasgow Rocks 72–80 Everton Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 9-23, 19-22, 25-11, 19-24
Pts: Robert Yanders 15, Jessie Sapp 14, Mike Copeland 14, Sterling Davis 11, Gareth Murray 8, Michael Crowell 8, Steve Parillon 2 Pts: Trey Moore 22, Kevin Bell 18, James Jones 15, Olu Babalola 11, Andrew Thomson 8, Jerome Gumbs 4, Chris Haslam 2

EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

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Final standings

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Pos Team Pld W L % Pts
1 Derby Trailblazers 22 17 5 0.773 34
2 Manchester Magic 22 16 6 0.727 32
3 Leeds Carnegie 22 16 6 0.727 32
4 Bristol Academy Flyers 22 16 6 0.727 32
5 Leicester Warriors 22 13 9 0.591 26
6 London Mets 22 12 10 0.545 24
7 Reading Rockets 22 12 10 0.545 24
8 Taunton Tigers 22 12 10 0.545 24
9 London Leopards 22 6 16 0.273 12
10 Coventry Crusaders 22 5 17 0.227 10
11 Tees Valley Mohawks 22 4 18 0.182 8
12 City of Sheffield Arrows 22 3 19 0.136 6
= League winners
= Qualified for the play-offs

EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

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Final standings

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Pos Team Pld W L % Pts
1 Durham Wildcats 20 18 2 0.900 36
2 Brixton TopCats 20 15 5 0.750 30
3 Mansfield Giants 20 14 6 0.700 28
4 Edmonton Storm 20 13 7 0.650 26
5 Westminster Warriors 20 12 8 0.600 24
6 Medway Park Crusaders 20 9 11 0.450 18
7 Birmingham A's 20 8 12 0.400 16
8 Glyndwr Nets 20 8 12 0.400 16
9 Team Northumbria 20 8 12 0.400 16
10 Plymouth Marjon Cannons 20 3 17 0.150 6
11 University of Birmingham 20 2 18 0.100 4
= League winners
= Qualified for the play-offs

BBL Cup

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Due to the odd number of teams competing in the BBL Cup – 13 in total – the knockout tournament was structured with the Quarter-finals round featuring the winners of the five First round ties plus three teams given byes. The teams given bye's through the first round were the top-three placed teams from the 2008–09 season league campaign – Everton Tigers, Leicester Riders and Newcastle Eagles.

First round

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Quarter-finals

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7 November 2009
Leicester Riders 96–87 Worcester Wolves
John Sandford Centre, Leicester

Semi-finals 1st leg

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Semi-finals 2nd leg

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12 December 2009
Leicester Riders 78–81 Sheffield Sharks
John Sanford Centre, Leicester
Cheshire Jets won 167-159 on aggregate and Sheffield Sharks won 167-152 on aggregate.

Final

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17 January 2010
3.30pm GMT
Cheshire Jets 86–89 Sheffield Sharks
Scoring by quarter: 18-22, 17-26, 13-16, 38-25
Pts: James Hamilton 24, Chez Marks 22, Steven Gayle 11, Colin O'Reilly 11, Jerrah Young 9, Paul Peterson 7, Shawn Myers 2 Pts: Mike Cook 19, Ryan Patton 17, Michael Tuck 15, Tafari Toney 13, Atiba Lyons 8, Perry Lawson 7, Todd Cauthorn 6, Matthew Gorman 4

BBL Trophy

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For the 2009–10 season the Trophy saw a revamp in its format with the removal of the initial group stages in favour of a straight knockout tournament. All 13 members of the BBL were included plus three invitees from Division One of the English Basketball League, namely London Leopards, Manchester Magic and Reading Rockets.

First round

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9 January 2010
Leicester Riders 72–74 Guildford Heat
John Sandford Centre, Leicester
17 January 2010
Manchester Magic 72–109 Worthing Thunder
Amaechi Centre, Manchester
23 January 2010
London Capital 62–106 Everton Tigers
10 February 2010
Reading Rockets 60–102 Newcastle Eagles
Rivermead Leisure Complex, Reading

Quarter-finals

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11 February 2010
Glasgow Rocks 87–88 Everton Tigers

Semi-finals 1st leg

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Semi-finals 2nd leg

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5 March 2010
Everton Tigers 91–96 Newcastle Eagles
Greenbank Sports Academy, Liverpool
Newcastle Eagles won 185-176 on aggregate and Cheshire Jets won 181-148 on aggregate.

Final

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21 March 2010
3.00pm GMT
Newcastle Eagles 111–95 Cheshire Jets
Scoring by quarter: 24-15, 35-27, 25-21, 22-32
Pts: Charles Smith 27, Joe Chapman 21, Darius Defoe 21, Andrew Sullivan 17, Reggie Jackson 10, Andrew Bridge 7, Fab Flournoy 5, Lynard Stewart 2
Rebs: Charles Smith, 9		 Pts: Shawn Myers 28, Colin O'Reilly 18, Steven Gayle 14, Chez Marks 14, Paul Peterson 7, Jerrah Young 6, Calvin Davis 4, John Simpson 4
Rebs: Shawn Myers, 14

All-Star Game

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9 May 2010
3.00pm GMT
Great Britain All-Stars 94–110 Rest of the World All-Stars
Scoring by quarter: 25-26, 31-21, 17-29, 21-34
Pts: Tafari Toney, 23 Pts: Mike Cook, 31

Statistics leaders

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Category Player Stat
Points per game   Mike Cook (Sheffield Sharks) 26.8
Rebounds per game   Jason Johnson (Leicester Riders) 10.9
Assists per game   Anthony Martin (Plymouth Raiders) 7.3
Steals per game   Roderick Middleton (Worcester Wolves) 2.7
Blocks per game     Kadiri Richard (Worthing Thunder) 2.3

Monthly awards

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Month Coach Player
October   Vince Macaulay (Milton Keynes Lions)   Tack Minor (Leicester Riders)
November     Atiba Lyons (Sheffield Sharks)   Mike Cook (Sheffield Sharks)
December   Tony Garbelotto (Everton Tigers)   Mike Cook (Sheffield Sharks)
January     Atiba Lyons (Sheffield Sharks)   Reggie Bratton (Worthing Thunder)
February     Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles)     Tafari Toney (Sheffield Sharks)
March     Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles)   Jason Johnson (Leicester Riders)

Seasonal awards

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References

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  1. ^ Paul Alton (2009). "Hoop hope plan for Southend?". The Echo. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  2. ^ Matthew Leslie (2009). "Scottish Rocks transform into Glasgow Rocks ahead of new season". The Glaswegian. Archived from the original on 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  3. ^ Michael Reeves (2009). "Wolves Torn Apart in Racism Row". Worcester News. Archived from the original on 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  4. ^ Michael Reeves (2009). "Pupils Ask for Sporting Gesture to Save Stars". Worcester News. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  5. ^ Michael Reeves (2009). "Wolves in turmoil: Six sacked and Evans quits". Worcester News. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  6. ^ Michael Reeves (2009). "Harker facing Wolves disciplinary meeting". Worcester News. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  7. ^ "BBL Statement – Worcester Wolves". British Basketball League. 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  8. ^ Michael Reeves (2009). "Wolves snap up former England coach". Worcester Wolves. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
  9. ^ "Lions roar into Middleton Hall". BusinessMK. 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  10. ^ Mike Shaft (2010). "Here comes the joy – The weekend". MikeShaft.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  11. ^ "Cheshire Jets guard John Simpson fails drugs test". BBC Sport. March 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
Preceded by BBL seasons
2009–10 		Succeeded by
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