1988–89 British Basketball League season
The 1988–1989 BBL season was the second season of the British Basketball League (known as the Carlsberg League for sponsorship reasons) since its establishment in 1987. The season featured a total of 11 teams, playing 20 games each. The league was due to feature 12 teams, however Oldham Celtics dropped out of the league and into the National League after just one game, due to financial difficulties.
The season was dominated by the success of the league's two Scottish teams Glasgow Rangers and Livingston, who finished the regular season in first and second place respectively.[1] Glasgow's Kevin Cadle and Alan Cunningham were also named as the league's Coach and Player of the year, however the Scottish dominance was broken by Bracknell Tigers who were victorious in the League Trophy against Livingston in the Final.
Carlsberg League
Final standings
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Glasgow Rangers | 36 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0.900 |
| 2. Livingston | 32 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0.800 |
| 3. Bracknell Tigers | 30 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0.750 |
| 4. Leicester City Riders | 28 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0.700 |
| 5. Manchester Eagles | 26 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0.650 |
| 6. Sunderland 76ers | 24 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0.600 |
| 7. Hemel Royals | 18 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 0.450 |
| 8. Olympic City Giants | 8 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0.200 |
| 9. Solent Stars | 8 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0.200 |
| 10. Derby Rams | 6 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 0.150 |
| 11. Crystal Palace | 4 | 20 | 2 | 18 | 0.100 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the Play-offs |
Play-offs
Quarter-finals
(1) Glasgow Rangers vs. (8) Olympic City Giants
(2) Livingston vs. (7) Hemel Royals
(3) Sunderland 76ers vs. (6) Bracknell Tigers
| Sunderland 76ers | 86–96 | Bracknell Tigers |
| Bracknell Tigers | 110–96 | Sunderland 76ers | ||
| Bracknell win series, 2–0 | ||||
(4) Leicester City Riders vs. (5) Manchester Eagles
Semi-finals
Final
NatWest Trophy
Group stage
North Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Glasgow Rangers | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2. Livingston | 16 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0.800 |
| 3. Manchester Eagles | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 |
| 4. Olympic City Giants | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 |
| 5. Sunderland 76ers | 4 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0.200 |
| 6. Oldham Celtics | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0.000 |
South Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bracknell Tigers | 18 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0.900 |
| 2. Leicester City Riders | 14 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.700 |
| 3. Solent Stars | 12 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0.600 |
| 4. Derby Rams | 6 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 |
| 5. Hemel Royals | 6 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 |
| 6. Crystal Palace | 4 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0.200 |
Despite dropping out of the Carlsberg League and into the National League after just one game of the season, Oldham Celtics continued their schedule in the League Trophy.
Quarter-finals
Glasgow Rangers vs. Olympic City Giants
| Olympic City Giants Giants | 84–111 | Glasgow Rangers |
Livingston vs. Manchester Eagles
Bracknell Tigers vs. Derby Rams
| Derby Rams | 68–107 | Bracknell Tigers |
| Bracknell Tigers | 114–73 | Derby Rams | ||
| Bracknell win on aggregate, 221–141 | ||||
Leicester City Riders vs. Solent Stars
Semi-finals
Glasgow Rangers vs. Livingston
Bracknell Tigers vs. Leicester City Riders
| Bracknell Tigers | 90–82 | Leicester City Riders |
| Leicester City Riders | 67–77 | Bracknell Tigers | ||
| Bracknell win on aggregate, 167–149 | ||||
Final
Seasonal awards
- Most Valuable Player: Alan Cunningham (Glasgow Rangers)
- Coach of the Year: Kevin Cadle (Glasgow Rangers)
- All-Star Team:
- Tony Balogun (Leicester City Riders)
- Jimmy Brandon (Leicester City Riders)
- Tommy Collier (Livingston)
- Alan Cunningham (Glasgow Rangers)
- Dan Davis (Glasgow Rangers)
- Lorenzo Duncan (Hemel Royals)
- Butch Hays (Glasgow Rangers)
- Russ Saunders (Sunderland 76ers)
- Phil Smith (Solent Stars)
- Clyde Vaughan (Sunderland 76ers)
References
- ↑ BBL Media Guide 2003/04, page 15
| Preceded by 1987–88 season |
BBL seasons 1988–89 |
Succeeded by 1989–90 season |
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