2012–13 British Basketball League season

Sports season
2012–13 BBL season
LeagueBritish Basketball League
SportBasketball
Duration21 September 2012 – 7 April 2013
12 April 2013 – 28 April 2013 (Playoffs)
Number of games33
Number of teams12
Regular Season
Top seedLeicester Riders
Season MVPAndrew Sullivan (Leicester Riders)
Top scorerChez Marks (Cheshire Phoenix)
BBL Tournaments
BBL Playoffs championsLeicester Riders
  BBL Playoffs runners-upNewcastle Eagles
BBL Cup championsLeicester Riders
  BBL Cup runners-upNewcastle Eagles
BBL Trophy championsSheffield Sharks
  BBL Trophy runners-upLeicester Riders
BBL seasons

The 2012–13 BBL season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001.[1] East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season.[2] The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions,[3] whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.[4]

The Championship regular season commenced on 21 September 2012 with reigning Champions Newcastle Eagles beginning the defence of their title with a 72–65 victory over Glasgow Rocks. The regular season saw all teams face each other three times during the campaign, playing either two games at home and once on the road or vice versa, with the top-eight placed teams advancing to the play-offs, which took place in April 2013.[5] The season climaxed on 28 April with the showpiece Play-off Final, which returned to its former home at Wembley Arena, for the first time since 2002.[6] Leicester Riders dominated the campaign, and were successful in three of the BBL's four annual competition's, claiming the League title, BBL Cup and Play-off title. Sheffield Sharks thwarted the possibility of a "clean sweep" with a victory against the odds over the Riders in the BBL Trophy Final.

Teams

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2012–13 BBL teams
Team City/Area Arena Capacity Last season
Cheshire Phoenix Chester Northgate Arena 1,000 6th
Durham Wildcats Newton Aycliffe Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre 1,200 11th
Glasgow Rocks Glasgow Emirates Arena 6,500 5th
Leicester Riders Leicester John Sandford Centre 800 2nd
London Lions London Crystal Palace National Sports Centre 1,500 9th
Manchester Giants Manchester Wright Robinson College 900 New
Mersey Tigers Liverpool Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park 450 10th
Newcastle Eagles Newcastle upon Tyne Sport Central 3,000 1st
Plymouth Raiders Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions 1,480 4th
Sheffield Sharks Sheffield English Institute of Sport 1,200 7th
Surrey Heat Guildford Surrey Sports Park 1,000 8th
Worcester Wolves Worcester University of Worcester 600 3rd

Notable occurrences

  • New entrant Manchester Giants joined as the League's 12th franchise[1] whilst East London Royals, who were due to become the 13th member, deferred entry to the 2013–14 season after their financial backing fell through prior to the start of the season.[2] Reading Rockets also had a bid to join the league rejected earlier in the year.[7]
  • Although initially planning to enter as new franchises for the 2012–13 season, both BBL Birmingham and Essex Leopards postponed their entry until the 2013–14 season.[8][9]
  • Long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocated to London after their previous home venue was sold off by its owners, and rebranded itself as the London Lions. Initially they will use the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre for home games but will eventually move to the Copper Box – built for the 2012 Summer Olympics – from 2013.[3]
  • Guildford Heat rebranded its franchise as the Surrey Heat to reflect its geographical reach in terms of fan base and community programmes.[10]
  • New rules introduced prior to the start of the season now allows team's to field only a maximum of five non-British players per game (including up to three work permitted players), demonstrating the League's commitment towards developing British players.[11]
  • On 10 August, Cheshire Jets owner Pete Hawkins announced that the franchise was up for sale after negotiations with a proposed new owner collapsed.[12] With the help of a "Save the Jets" campaign ran by local newspaper the Chester Chronicle, local businessman Haydn Cook stepped-in as the new owner of the franchise just weeks before the start of the new season, ensuring the immediate future of the franchise.[13]
  • More than 5,000 fans attended Glasgow Rocks' inaugural game at their new Emirates Arena home on 7 October. Glasgow were defeated 84–106 by arch-rivals Newcastle Eagles.[14]
  • After less than a month in the role, Cheshire's James Hamilton resigned as the team's player-coach on 15 October, due to his suspension following an altercation at a junior game.[15]
  • On 30 October it was announced that the Cheshire Jets franchise had been withdrawn by the League after new-owner Haydn Cook reported severe financial difficulties and requested to postpone upcoming fixtures and make all staff and players redundant with immediate effect.[16] The following day it was revealed that the League had reinstated the franchise and would manage its operation centrally whilst trying to find a new owner.[17] The club was temporarily renamed Cheshire Basketball Club as previous owner Cook retained the Jets name, logo, kits and branding.[18] A "Save the Jets" campaign led by local fans and businessmen secured the required £50,000 needed to take over the franchise within the League's deadline of 30 November, and guaranteed the immediate future of the club. Renamed as Cheshire Phoenix, the franchise will operate as a not-for-profit Community Interest Club, whilst linking up with Chester (who faced a similar situation two years earlier) in a supporting partnership."[4]
  • Worthing Thunder – of the English Basketball League – became the first ever non-BBL team to progress past the 1st Round of the BBL Trophy after an 84–64 win at home to Mersey Tigers on 6 January 2013.[19]
  • Leicester Riders won their first silverware in 12 years on 13 January, with an 85–80 victory over Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Cup Final. Jay Cousinard, who scored 17 points, was named as the game's MVP.[20][21]
  • Leicester's 84–59 regular season victory over Manchester Giants on 19 February made the Riders only the fifth team in League history to go unbeaten for a whole year, having last been defeated on 25 February 2012 (Their upcoming schedule mean that the landmark date would pass before their next game).[22]
  • Sheffield Sharks claimed the BBL Trophy after a narrow two-point win over Leicester in front of over 5,000 fans at Glasgow's Emirates Arena, on 9 March. Sheffield's 71–69 victory prevented Leicester from winning a Cup-Trophy double, whilst it was Sharks' first Trophy final win for 15 years.[23]
  • Mersey Tigers secured the record for the longest losing-sreak in League history on 22 March. Their 92–79 defeat to Plymouth Raiders was their 31st consecutive loss, having last won a game against Milton Keynes on 15 April 2012.[24]
  • Leicester Riders were crowned League Champions for the first time in their history following their 93–70 home victory over Durham Wildcats on 31 March.[25]
  • Riders finished the campaign with a historic 65-57 win over Newcastle in the Play-off Final at a packed-out Wembley Arena on 28 April.[26]

BBL Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

Pos Team Pld W L % Pts
1 Leicester Riders 33 30 3 0.909 60
2 Newcastle Eagles 33 25 8 0.758 50
3 Glasgow Rocks 33 21 12 0.636 42
4 Surrey Heat 33 21 12 0.636 42
5 Worcester Wolves 33 20 13 0.606 40
6 Plymouth Raiders 33 19 14 0.576 38
7 Sheffield Sharks 33 17 16 0.515 34
8 London Lions 33 13 20 0.394 26
9 Manchester Giants 33 12 21 0.364 24
10 Durham Wildcats 33 10 23 0.303 20
11 Cheshire Phoenix 33 10 23 0.303 20
12 Mersey Tigers 33 0 33 0.000 0
= League winners
= Qualified for the play-offs

Playoffs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
             
1 Leicester Riders 70 73 143
8 London Lions 68 61 129
1 Leicester Riders 80 76 156
6 Plymouth Raiders 66 60 126
3 Glasgow Rocks 71 78 149
6 Plymouth Raiders 82 87 169
1 Leicester Riders
2 Newcastle Eagles
2 Newcastle Eagles 85 84 169
7 Sheffield Sharks 70 81 151
2 Newcastle Eagles 110 92 202
4 Surrey Heat 82 96 178
4 Surrey Heat 78 76 154
5 Worcester Wolves 81 70 151

Quarter-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (8) London Lions

12 April 2013
London Lions 68–70 Leicester Riders
13 April 2013
Leicester Riders 73–61 London Lions
Leicester wins on aggregate, 143–129
John Sandford Centre, Leicester

(2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks

15 April 2013
Sheffield Sharks 81–84 Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 169–151

(3) Glasgow Rocks vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders

15 April 2013
Plymouth Raiders 87–78 Glasgow Rocks
Plymouth wins on aggregate, 169–149

(4) Surrey Heat vs. (5) Worcester Wolves

14 April 2013
Surrey Heat 76–70 Worcester Wolves
Surrey wins on aggregate, 154–151

Semi-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders

21 April 2013
Leicester Riders 76–60 Plymouth Raiders
Leicester wins on aggregate, 156–126
Sir David Wallace Centre, Loughborough

(2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (4) Surrey Heat

21 April 2013
Surrey Heat 96–92 Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 202–178

Final

28 April 2013
3.00pm GMT
Report
Leicester Riders 68–57 Newcastle Eagles
Scoring by quarter: 22–11, 18–15, 17–15, 13–16
Pts: Andrew Sullivan, 24
Rebs: Jay Cousinard, 7
Asts: Andrew Sullivan, 6		 Pts: Darius Defoe, 13
Rebs: Kareem Maddox, 8
Asts: Fabulous Flournoy/Damon Huffman, 4

EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

Final standings

Pos Team Pld W L % Pts
1 Reading Rockets 26 22 4 0.846 44
2 Bristol Academy Flyers 26 18 8 0.692 36
3 Team Northumbria 26 17 9 0.654 34
4 Tees Valley Mohawks 26 16 10 0.615 32
5 Leeds Carnegie 26 16 10 0.615 32
6 Essex Leopards 26 16 10 0.615 32
7 Worthing Thunder 26 13 13 0.500 26
8 Leicester Warriors 26 12 14 0.462 24
9 Medway Park Crusaders 26 12 14 0.462 24
10 Hemel Storm 26 11 15 0.423 22
11 Bradford Dragons 26 10 16 0.385 20
12 Westminster Warriors 26 10 16 0.385 20
13 Derby Trailblazers 26 6 20 0.231 12
14 Brixton TopCats 26 3 23 0.115 6
= League winners
= Qualified for the play-offs

EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

Final standings

Pos Team Pld W L % Pts
1 Newham Neptunes 22 17 5 0.773 34
2 Manchester Magic 22 15 7 0.682 30
3 Eastside Eagles 22 14 8 0.636 28
4 Derbyshire Arrows 22 13 9 0.591 26
5 Loughborough University 22 12 10 0.545 24
6 PAWS London Capital + 22 17 5 0.773 22
7 Glamorgan Gladiators 22 10 12 0.455 20
8 Mansfield Giants 22 8 14 0.364 16
9 London Westside 22 7 15 0.318 14
10 London United 22 7 15 0.318 14
11 Team Solent 22 4 18 0.182 8
12 Birmingham Mets 22 3 19 0.136 6
+ PAWS London Capital deducted twelve points for fielding an ineligible player during the 2011–12 season.
= League winners
= Qualified for the play-offs

BBL Cup

The winners of the four 1st Round matches were joined by Newcastle Eagles, Leicester Riders, Plymouth Raiders and Worcester Wolves in the Quarter-finals, who received byes for finishing in the top four BBL Championship positions last season.[27] The Final was played on 13 January 2013 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

1st round

12 October 2012
Mersey Tigers 51–103 Surrey Heat
Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park, Liverpool
14 October 2012
London Lions 79–76 Durham Wildcats

Quarter-finals

2 November 2012
London Lions 74–90 Leicester Riders

Semi-finals

Plymouth Raiders vs. Newcastle Eagles

30 November 2012
Newcastle Eagles 83–91 (OT) Plymouth Raiders
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 190–181

Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders

8 December 2012
Leicester Riders 75–45 Sheffield Sharks
Leicester wins on aggregate, 165–115
John Sanford Centre, Leicester

Final

13 January 2013
3.45pm GMT
Report
Leicester Riders 85–80 Newcastle Eagles
Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 25–19, 20–15, 20–29
Pts: Jay Cousinard, 17
Rebs: Anthony Rowe, 13
Asts: Andrew Sullivan, 5		 Pts: Joe Chapman, 29
Rebs: Charles Smith, 7
Asts: Charles Smith, 6

BBL Trophy

The 12 BBL clubs were joined by Essex Leopards and Reading Rockets of the English Basketball League and Edinburgh Kings of the Scottish Basketball League to form a straight knock-out competition. Following the withdrawal of East London Royals prior to the start of the competition, Worthing Thunder from the English Basketball League were invited to take their place and play Mersey Tigers in the 1st Round.[28] The first two rounds featured one-off games whilst the Semi-finals took place over two legs. The Final was held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow and saw Sheffield Sharks claim their first Trophy in 15 years, after 71–69 victory over Leicester Riders.

1st round

28 December 2012
London Lions 88–92 Cheshire Phoenix
30 December 2012
Essex Leopards 63–105 Leicester Riders
Brentwood Centre, Brentwood
3 January 2013
Manchester Giants 73–85 Sheffield Sharks
Wright Robinson College, Manchester
5 January 2013
Edinburgh Kings 61–72 Glasgow Rocks
Pleasance Sports Centre, Edinburgh
6 January 2013
Worthing Thunder 84–64 Mersey Tigers
Worthing Leisure Centre, Worthing
6 January 2013
Reading Rockets 68–86 Surrey Heat
Rivermead Leisure Complex, Reading

Quarter-finals

9 February 2013
Worthing Thunder 61–106 Cheshire Phoenix
Worthing Leisure Centre, Worthing

Semi-finals

Cheshire Phoenix vs. Sheffield Sharks

24 February 2013
Cheshire Phoenix 60–74 Sheffield Sharks
Northgate Arena, Chester
1 March 2013
Sheffield Sharks 102–74 Cheshire Phoenix
Sheffield wins on aggregate, 176–134

Leicester Riders vs. Worcester Wolves

2 March 2013
Leicester Riders 66–68 Worcester Wolves
Leicester wins on aggregate, 148–141
John Sandford Centre, Leicester

Final

9 March 2013
3.30pm GMT
Report
Sheffield Sharks 71–69 Leicester Riders
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 16–15, 22–17, 10–16
Pts: B.J. Holmes, 25
Rebs: B.J. Holmes/Demetrius Jemison/Michael Tuck, 7
Asts: B.J. Holmes, 3		 Pts: Jay Cousinard, 21
Rebs: Andrew Sullivan, 8
Asts: Jorge Calvo/Jay Cousinard/Andrew Sullivan, 2

Statistics leaders

Category Player Stat
Points per game United States Chez Marks (Cheshire Phoenix) 22.8
Rebounds per game United States Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles) 10.7
Assists per game United States United Kingdom Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats) 5.5
Steals per game United States Travis Holmes (Surrey Heat) 3.0
Blocks per game United States Alif Bland (Cheshire Phoenix) 2.4
Field goal percentage United States Demetrius Jemison (Sheffield Sharks) 61.0%
Free throw percentage United States B.J. Holmes (Sheffield Sharks) 88.3%
Three-point field goal percentage Lithuania Arnas Kazlauskas (Worcester Wolves) 44.6%

Monthly awards

Month Coach Player
October United States Italy Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) Republic of Ireland Colin O'Reilly (Plymouth Raiders)
November United States United Kingdom Sterling Davis (Glasgow Rocks) United States Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
December United States United Kingdom Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles) United States United Kingdom Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats)
January United States Italy Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) United States United Kingdom Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats)
February United Kingdom Paul James (Worcester Wolves) United States Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
March United States United Kingdom Atiba Lyons (Sheffield Sharks) United States Travis Holmes (Surrey Heat)

Seasonal awards

References

  1. ^ a b "Manchester Giants and East London Royals join BBL". HoopsFix.com. 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b Mark Woods (2012). "A Royal mess as East London out of BBL". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Lions to leave Milton Keynes for Olympic Park in London". Milton Keynes Citizen. 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  4. ^ a b Alec Doyle (2012). "New club rises from the ashes of the Jets thanks to efforts of action group, fans and local businesses". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  5. ^ "BBL Champions to take centre stage on opening night". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  6. ^ "BBL Play-off Final is Capital game once again". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  7. ^ Mark Woods (2012). "Reading still game for BBL move". MVP247.com. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Birmingham franchise confirm their position". BBLfans.com. 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  9. ^ "Another new team lands BBL franchise". BBLfans.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Surrey Heat name change reflects club's reach". getSurrey.co.uk. 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  11. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  12. ^ Alec Doyle (2012). "Pete Hawkins puts club up for sale as negotiations with potential new owner break down". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  13. ^ Alec Doyle (2012). "Businessman Haydn Cook steps in to save club following Chronicle campaign". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  14. ^ "Thousands enjoy Glasgow's new sports arena". The Herald. 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  15. ^ Mark Woods (2012). "Hamilton in quick exit as Cheshire coach". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  16. ^ Alec Doyle (2012). "Season thrown into doubt as club has BBL Championship franchise withdrawn". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  17. ^ Alec Doyle (2012). "Crisis club will play Mersey Tigers and calls for fans to fill Northgate at time of need". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  18. ^ Alec Doyle (2012). "Fans will decide on new name for Cheshire Jets on Sunday". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  19. ^ Mark Woods (2013). "Thunder drown out weary Mersey". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  20. ^ "BBL Cup Final: Leicester Riders beat Newcastle Eagles". BBC Sport. 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  21. ^ "BBL Cup Final: Paternostro praises Leicester Riders spirit". BBC Sport. 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Riders cap historic year with 23rd win". LeicesterRiders.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  23. ^ Doug Balding (2013). "Sharks have bite in Trophy final". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  24. ^ Mark Woods (2013). "Mersey Tigers set new losing streak mark". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  25. ^ "We are the Champions". LeicesterRiders.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  26. ^ Chris Mortley (2013). "Riders ecstatic after Playoff win". LeicesterRiders.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  27. ^ "BBL Cup". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  28. ^ "Thunder to compete in BBL Trophy". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  29. ^ a b Mark Woods (2013). "Sullivan, Paternostro take League honours". MVP24-7.com. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  30. ^ a b c Rob Jeffries (2013). "BBL Team of the Year 2012-13 announced". UKAmericanSportsFans.com. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
Preceded by BBL seasons
2012–13 		Succeeded by
  • v
  • t
  • e
British Basketball League
TeamsCompetitionsSeasons
(List)AwardsOther
  • v
  • t
  • e
2012–13 European international basketball competitions
« 2011–12
2013–14 »
Continental
competitions
Men
Women
National and
regional leagues
Men
Level A
Level B
Level C
Women
  • France
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Lithuania
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Spain
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine