2010–11 British Basketball League season
The 2010-2011 season was the 24th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. This season saw the league reduced to 12 teams with the withdrawal of London Capital during the summer and was the first campaign ever to not feature a club from the capital city London.[1]
Unlike previous seasons the Trophy schedule usually played in January/February was brought forward, with the reintroduced group stage being played before the start of the regular season. The campaign tipped-off on September 17, 2010 with Plymouth Raiders beating Worthing Thunder 79-77 in the opening game of the Trophy. The regular league season commenced on October 10, whilst the season closed with the showpiece Play-off Final on April 30, 2011 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.
Newly-rebranded Mersey Tigers won three out of the four domestic titles on offer, finishing victorious in the Franklin & Marshall Trophy, Championship and post-season Play-offs, whilst missing out on the BBL Cup following a 93-66 loss to Sheffield Sharks in the Final. Mersey's Tony Garbelotto was named as BBL Coach of the Year, whilst Cheshire Jets' Jeremy Bell was awarded the BBL's MVP award.
Teams
Locations of the BBL 2010-11 teams
| Team |
City/Area |
Arena |
Capacity |
Last season |
| Cheshire Jets |
Chester |
Northgate Arena |
1,300 |
4th |
| Essex Pirates |
Southend-on-Sea |
Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre |
1,100 |
12th |
| Glasgow Rocks |
Glasgow |
Kelvin Hall |
1,200 |
3rd |
| Guildford Heat |
Guildford |
Surrey Sports Park |
1,000 |
11th |
| Leicester Riders |
Leicester |
John Sandford Centre |
800 |
6th |
| Mersey Tigers |
Liverpool |
Echo Arena |
7,513 |
5th |
| Milton Keynes Lions |
Milton Keynes |
Lions Arena |
1,400 |
7th |
| Newcastle Eagles |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
Sport Central |
3,000 |
1st |
| Plymouth Raiders |
Plymouth |
Pavilions |
1,480 |
10th |
| Sheffield Sharks |
Sheffield |
The EIS |
1,200 |
2nd |
| Worcester Wolves |
Worcester |
University of Worcester |
800 |
9th |
| Worthing Thunder |
Worthing |
Worthing Leisure Centre |
1,000 |
8th |
Notable occurrences
- After a season-long review which evaluated both the on and off-court performance of the franchise, it was announced prior to the season opening that London Capital were withdrawn from the BBL and would instead compete in the English Basketball League.[2]
- Following Everton F.C.'s decision to cut their ties with the Tigers franchise, the team was relaunched as the Mersey Tigers prior to the start of the season along with the announcement that the Echo Arena would serve as their home venue for the first eight home games of the season.[3]
- With further delays added to the arena:mk construction, Milton Keynes Lions sought to solve their on-going venue problems by acquiring a warehouse facility in downtown Milton Keynes to convert into a new home venue. The Lions used a court at Stoke Mandeville until the new facility - Lions Arena - opened midway through the season.[4][5]
- Aside from Tigers and Milton Keynes, two other franchises uprooted and moved to new venues for the start of the season. After 15 years of playing out of the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Eagles swapped to the newly-built 3,000-seat Sport Central facility at Northumbria University,[6] whilst Guildford Heat also uprooted to the new Surrey Sports Park after 5 years at The Spectrum.[7]
- The season started with a differing structure from previous years with the campaign tipping-off with the opening rounds of the BBL Trophy instead of regular season Championship games. The decision gained a mixed reaction from coaches, with many of whom using the games as warm-up's for the regular season.[8]
- After several years without television coverage, the League announced on October 20 that a deal had been struck with leading broadcaster Sky Sports to screen one "as live" game a week starting from November 2, including a live broadcast of the BBL Cup Final.[9]
- Cheshire Jets forward Matt Schneck was suspended in November after he had failed a drugs test, after traces of a prohibited substance known as Methylhexaneamine were found in his system. The player could have faced a two-year ban,[10] but this was later reduced to three months making it the shortest ban ever handed out to an athlete for ingesting Methylhexanaemine.[11]
- The Guildford Heat franchise was put up for sale amid a shortfall of funding, it was revealed in December, with the price of the club valued at just £1.[12][13]
- In a bid to save the Guildford franchise from folding, fans of the club launched a campaign to raise £25,000 in 25 days throughout January.[14]
- It was announced in January 2011 that this season's Trophy Final would be held at the O2 Arena, in partnership with the NBA as part of its 'Basketball Week', culminating in the Toronto Raptors versus New Jersey Nets game being played in March.[15]
- The League announced in January that an agreement had been reached with clothing company Franklin & Marshall to sponsor the BBL Trophy Final, which would be held in March at the O2 Arena as part of the NBA's 'Basketball Week'.[16]
- Sheffield Sharks retained the BBL Cup with a massive 93-66 win over Mersey Tigers in the Final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on January 16, 2011. Sharks' American import Steve Dagostino scored 35 points and was named as the game's MVP.[17] The game was broadcast live on Sky Sports.[18]
- Newcastle's Kadiri Richard was crowned 2011 Slam Dunk Champion, after pipping second-place Stefan Gill (Milton Keynes) to win the annual Slam Dunk Competition on January 16, at the National Indoor Arena.[19]
- Surrey-based businesswoman Allison Reeve bought out the financially-troubled Guildford Heat franchise in January, becoming the the League's first female owner,[20] and saving the franchise from 'imminent closure'.[21]
- It was revealed by the media in February that Mersey Tigers had failed to pay wages to players and staff due to ongoing financial difficulties.[22] The club released a statement about the situation citig loss of two major sponsors and debts from previous ownership as the main reasons for its decision to delay salary payments and to relocate to temporary home venues in Liverpool and Manchester.[23]
- Essex Pirates' 90-94 overtime victory at Worthing Thunder, on February 19, was their first and only win of the season.[24]
- Mersey Tigers claimed their first Franklin & Marshal Trophy title with an 84-66 victory over Guildford Heat on March 5, at the O2 Arena in London. Tigers' Andrew Thomson scored a game-high 21 points, whilst Andrew Sullivan was awarded the Final's MVP award.[25]
- The Championship title came down to the final game of the season, played out between Mersey Tigers and Newcastle Eagles at Sport Central on April 6. The winner of the game would be crowned Champions and after a close contest Mersey claimed their first Championship title with an 80-75 victory.[26] Mersey were the first all-British qualified side to win the title in the BBL's 23 year history.[27]
- Following the end of the regular season, Worthing Thunder officials confirmed that, due to financial problems, they would be withdrawing the franchise from the BBL immediately and have entered the English Basketball League for the forthcoming season.[28]
- At the end of the season, long-serving veteran Tony Windless announced his retirement from playing basketball at the age of 41, after a career that saw him play all but two of his 16 professional seasons in the BBL, debuting with London Towers in 1994 and winning every major domestic prize.[29]
- Newcastle's Trey Moore was crowned as the Basketball Journalists Association's (BJA) BBL Player of the Year, despite being ruled out by injury in March. Tony Garbelotto of Mersey Tigers, was awarded Coach of the Year.[30]
- In the annual NIA All-Star Game, the Rest of the World All-Stars ran out 119-115 winners over the Great Britain All-Stars at the National Indoor Arena, in Birmingham on April 30. Newcastle's Kadiri Richard, playing for the Rest of the World All-Stars, was awarded the MVP title after scoring 14 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.[31]
- Despite going through most of the season with unpaid wages,[32] Mersey Tigers reached the Play-off Final for the second consecutive year and beat Sheffield Sharks 79-74 to take the BBL Play-off title, their third piece of silverware this season. James Jones was named as the Final's MVP.[33]
BBL Championship
Final standings
|
= League winners |
|
= Qualified for the Play-offs |
The Play-offs
Quarter-finals 1st Leg
Quarter-finals 2nd Leg
Cheshire Jets won series on aggregate (177-164), as did Mersey Tigers (181-176), Newcastle Eagles (192-180) and Sheffield Sharks (162-156).
Semi-finals 1st Leg
Semi-finals 2nd Leg
Mersey Tigers won 165-143 on aggregate and Sheffield Sharks won 166-154 on aggregate.
Final
April 30, 2011
4.00pm GMT |
Report |
Mersey Tigers |
79–74 |
Sheffield Sharks |
|
National Indoor Arena, Birmingham |
| Scoring by quarter: 23-17, 19-18, 12-13, 25-26 |
Pts: Tafari Toney, 19
Rebs: Tafari Toney, 13
Asts: Andrew Thomson, 4 |
|
Pts: Ryan Patton, 24
Rebs: Mike Tuck, 8
Asts: Paul Williams/Steve Dagostino/Mike Tuck/Atiba Lyons, 2 |
BBL Cup
1st round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals 1st Leg
Semi-finals 2nd Leg
Mersey Tigers win 204-182 on aggregate and Sheffield Sharks won 204-165 on aggregate.
Final
January 16, 2011
3.30pm GMT |
Report |
Mersey Tigers |
66–93 |
Sheffield Sharks |
|
National Indoor Arena, Birmingham |
| Scoring by quarter: 10-20, 15-31, 21-23, 20-19 |
Pts: David Aliu, 21
Rebs: Andrew Thomson, 8
Asts: Andrew Sullivan/Perry Lawson, 2 |
|
Pts: Steve Dagostino, 35
Rebs: Olu Babalola, 5
Asts: Olu Babalola, 4 |
Franklin & Marshall Trophy
Group Stage
|
Group 1
Group 3
|
Group 2
Group 4
|
Semi-finals 1st Leg
Semi-finals 2nd Leg
Guildford Heat win 172-159 on aggregate and Mersey Tigers won 204-182 on aggregate.
Final
March 5, 2011
1.30pm GMT |
Report |
Guildford Heat |
66–84 |
Mersey Tigers |
|
O2 Arena, London |
| Scoring by quarter: 18-20, 19-16, 8-29, 21-19 |
Pts: Carlos Medlock, 18
Rebs: Tomas Janusauskas, 5
Asts: Carlos Medlock, 4 |
|
Pts: Andrew Thomson, 21
Rebs: Tafari Toney, 9
Asts: Andrew Sullivan, 8 |
NIA All-Star Game
Statistics leaders
Monthly awards
Seasonal awards
References
- ^ "PAWS London Capital booted out of the BBL". Hoopsfix.com. 2010. http://www.hoopsfix.com/2010/05/paws-london-capital-booted-out-of-the-bbl/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ "PAWS London Capital booted out of the BBL". Hoopsfix.com. 2010. http://www.hoopsfix.com/2010/05/paws-london-capital-booted-out-of-the-bbl/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ James Pearce (2010). "Tony Garbelotto is relishing a new era for Mersey Tigers". Liverpool Echo. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/other-sports/2010/09/24/coach-tony-garbelotto-is-relishing-a-new-era-for-mersey-tigers-100252-27332763/. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ BBC (September 9, 2010). "Milton Keynes Lions set for warehouse home". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/basketball/8983257.stm. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ BBL (2010). "Lions find new den". BBL.org.uk. http://www.bbl.org.uk/?lions-find-new-den,993. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ Mark Douglas (2010). "Newcastle Eagles fly to a new nest". Newcastle Journal. http://www.journallive.co.uk/newcastle-sports/basketball-news/2010/08/12/newcastle-eages-fly-to-a-new-nest-61634-27046458/. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ "Heat move to Surrey Sports Park". Surrey Sports Park. 2010. http://www.surreysportspark.com/news/newsandpress/2009/23261_the_heat_moves_to_surrey_sports_park.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ Mark Woods (2010). "Early tip-off leaves coaches cold". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2010/09/early-tip-off-leaves-coaches-cold/. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ^ Sam Neter (2010). "BBL confirms deal wth Sky Sports". Hoopsfix. http://www.hoopsfix.com/2010/10/bbl-confirms-deal-with-sky-sports/. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ Mark Woods (2010). "Cheshire's Schneck banned after dope test". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2010/11/cheshires-schneck-banned-after-dope-test/. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ^ Alec Doyle (2011). "Cheshire Jet's Matt Schneck determined to returne a beeter player than before as ban runs out". Chester Chronicle. http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/cheshire-jets/cheshire-jets-news/2011/02/17/cheshire-jets-matt-schneck-determined-to-return-a-better-player-than-before-as-ban-runs-out-59067-28184135/. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ^ Mark Woods (2010). "Guildford Heat up for sale". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2010/12/guildford-heat-up-sale/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Chris Dyke (2010). "Cash injection plea to save Guildford Heat". GetSurrey. http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/sport/basketball/s/2084268_basketball_cash_injection_plea_to_save_guildford_heat. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Heat not ready to flame out". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/01/heat-fund-raise/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Trophy final to switch to O2 Arena". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/01/trophy-finale-set-to-pay-call-at-02/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ "Franklin & Marshall Sponsor the BBL Trophy Final at the O2 Arena". BBL. 2011. http://www.bbl.org.uk/?franklin-marshall-sponsor-the-bbl-trophy-final-at-the-o2-arena,1994. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Sharks claw Tigers to retain Cup". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/01/bbl-cup-final-11/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Sam Neter (2010). "BBL confirms deal wth Sky Sports". Hoopsfix. http://www.hoopsfix.com/2010/10/bbl-confirms-deal-with-sky-sports/. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ "KD crowned Dunk champion". BBL. 2011. http://www.bbl.org.uk/?kd-crowned-dunk-champion,1773. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Chris Dyke (2011). "Guildford Heat saved by local businesswoman". GetSurrey. http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/sport/s/2086594_guildford_heat_saved_by_local_businesswoman. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Colm Heaney (2011). "BBL team appeals for funds". Daily Mirror. http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/basketball/2011/01/bbl-team-appeals-for-funds.htmln. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Reality bites as Mersey hit troubled waters". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/02/reality-bites-as-mersey-hit-troubled-waters/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ "Statement from the club". Mersey Tigers. 2011. http://www.merseytigers.com/club-news/statement-from-the-club.phuse. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ "Worthing Thunder 90-94 Essex Pirates (OT)". BBL. 2011. http://www.bbl.org.uk/?19-feb-2011-thunder-90-pirates-94-%28ot%29,1609. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Rob Dugdale (2011). "Guildford Heat 66-84 Mersey Tigers". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/basketball/9415736.stm. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Mersey Tigers survive epic to take BBL title". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/04/mersey-tigers-win-title/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ BBC (2011). "Mersey Tigers win BBL Championship title". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/basketball/9450133.stm. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Worthing Thunder confirm BBL exit". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/04/worthing-thunder-confirm-bbl-exit/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Leicester's Blunt, Windless call time". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/04/leicesters-blount-windless-call-time/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Eagles' Trey Moore heads honours list". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/04/bja-annual-awards/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Mersey reign supreme". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/04/bbl-play-off-final/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Mersey Tigers intent on final glorious hurrah". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/04/mersey-tigers-final/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ Mark Woods (2011). "Mersey reign supreme". MVP 24-7. http://www.mvp247.com/2011/04/bbl-play-off-final/. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ http://www.bbl.org.uk/?bell-picks-up-molten-mvp-award,2208
- ^ http://www.bbl.org.uk/?garbelotto-takes-molten-coaching-award,2206
- ^ http://www.bbl.org.uk/?bbl-team-of-the-year-announced,2209
- ^ http://www.bbl.org.uk/?bbl-all-defensive-team-2010-11,2201
- ^ http://www.bbl.org.uk/?bbl-all-british-team-2010-11,2202