London United Basketball
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| London United | |
 |
|
| League | British Basketball League |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Team History | London United 2002-present |
| Arena | Hackney SPACe Centre |
| City | London, Greater London |
| Team Colours | White, Black, Red |
| Ownership | Jack Majewski |
| Head Coach |  Tony Garbelotto |
London United are one of ten basketball teams competing in the British Basketball League. They are the sole representatives of the capital city, London for the 2006-07 season (replacing the London Towers) after being elected from the English Basketball League in summer 2006, alongside Worcester Wolves.
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
[edit] The beginning
London United basketball club was formed in 2002 following a merger between two local teams, the Ealing Tornados and the North London Lords. Ealing Tornados were themselves a very successful team in the lower leagues, having won promotion after promotion since their foundation in 1999. When the merger took place at the end of the 2001-02 season, Ealing Tornados had just finished as runners-up in NBL Division 1 (Now known as EBL Division 2) behind the Derbyshire Arrows.
[edit] Further successes
Playing as London United, the successes continued with promotion to EBL Division 1 achieved just a year later, in 2003. United spent 3 years in Division 1 with their biggest success coming in 2004-05 when they finished as runners-up, again pipped to the title by the Arrows. The logical progression for the club was to join the fully professional British Basketball League in July 2006. However the decision was hastened when the London Towers withdrew from the 2006-07 season, leaving London without a professional basketball team.
[edit] The big step up
For owner Jack Majewski, the step-up meant finding a new venue, as well as a recruiting more able players and finding corporate investments to fund the venture into the BBL. His first step was to hire coach Tony Garbelotto to control the team on-court. Sponsorship soon came, in the way of international money transferers MoneyGram, and a suitable venue was found at the SPACe Centre near Hackney. A mass influx of British players strengthed the ranks of United, with major signings including internationals Chris Haslam and Tarick Johnson.
[edit] 2006/07
London played their first BBL game on September 30, 2006 on the road at Leicester Riders. Despite trailing 73-52 at the end of the third quarter, a huge last gasp effort and a 29-6 run resulted in a mind-blowing 81-79 victory for the rookies. United's good form did not end there and their explosive start to the 2006-07 season continued with another road victory just one week later against veterans the Scottish Rocks, who were defeated 70-76.
[edit] Home arenas
- University of Greenwich (2002-2006)
- Hackney SPACe Centre (2006-present)
[edit] Season-by-season records
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pld. | W | L | Pts. | Play Offs | Trophy | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-2003 | NBL 1 | 3rd | - | - | - | - | - | DNQ | DNQ |
| 2003-2004 | EBL 1 | 6th | 22 | 11 | 11 | 22 | - | DNQ | DNQ |
| 2004-2005 | EBL 1 | 2nd | 22 | 18 | 4 | 36 | - | DNQ | DNQ |
| 2005-2006 | EBL 1 | 7th | 26 | 14 | 12 | 28 | - | DNQ | 1st Round |
[edit] Current roster
The numbers are established according to the official websites of the team (www.london-united.co.uk) and Britain's top professional league, the BBL (www.bbl.org.uk).
As of October 27, 2006
| 4 |  |
Jacek Jagodka | Guard/Forward |
| 5 | |
Perry Lawson | Guard |
| 6 | |
Marcus Knight | Guard |
| 8 | |
Tarick Johnson | Guard |
| 9 | |
Laurent Irish | Forward |
| 10 | |
Junior Williams | Guard |
| 11 |  |
Marlin Capers | Guard/Forward |
| 12 |  |
Bryant Feggins | Forward |
| 13 | |
Leon Bernard | Forward |
| 14 | |
Chris Haslam | Centre |
| 15 | |
Phillip Perre | Guard/Forward |
[edit] Squad changes during 2006/07 season
In:
- Marcus Knight - Signed From Leicester Riders
- Tarick Johnson - Signed From Landstede Zwolle
- Laurent Irish - Signed From London Leopards
- Junior Williams - Signed From Milton Keynes Lions
- Marlin Capers - Signed From Guildford Heat
- Bryant Feggins - Signed From Scottish Rocks
- Perry Lawson - Signed From Newcastle Eagles
- Leon Bernard - Signed From West Herts Warriors
- Chris Haslam - Signed From Banca Nouva Trapani
- Pillip Perre - Signed From Milonas Athens
Out:
- Santa Ataha - Transferred To Milton Keynes Lions
- Pete Deppisch - Transferred To London Capitals
- Damian Reid - Transferred To London Capitals
- Mark Quashie - Transferred To West Herts Warriors
- Tom Frederick - Transferred To West Herts Warriors
