Leicester Riders
Leicester Riders | |||
---|---|---|---|
League | British Basketball League | ||
Established | 1967 | ||
History |
Loughborough All-Stars 1967β1981 Leicester All-Stars 1981β1986 Leicester City Riders 1986β1997 Leicester Riders 1997βpresent | ||
Arena | Leicester Arena | ||
Capacity | 2,400 | ||
Location | Leicester, Leicestershire | ||
Team colours | Red, White and Black | ||
Main sponsor | Jelson Homes | ||
Head coach | Rob Paternostro | ||
Ownership | Kevin Routledge / Russell Levenston | ||
Website | LeicesterRiders.co.uk | ||
Uniforms | |||
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The Leicester Riders, officially known as the Jelson Homes Leicester Riders for sponsorship reasons, is a British professional basketball team that play in the British Basketball League (BBL). They are the oldest operating basketball team in the country,
Franchise history
Founded on 26 April 1967 and then known as the Loughborough All Stars, the Leicester Riders are the oldest club in British basketball.
They were founder members of the National Basketball League in 1972 and the BBL in 1987.
The Riders were founded by students and lecturers at Loughborough University in April 1967 and were known as the Loughborough All Stars. They were founder members of the National Basketball League in 1972, and the British Basketball League in 1987, and are the oldest club in British basketball operating at the top flight.
The club moved from Loughborough to Leicester in 1981, backed by Leicester City Council and Leicester City Bus (hence the change in nickname to "Riders"), before moving back to play at Loughborough University in 2000, following the closure of Granby Halls, at a new venue barely a stone's throw from Victory Hall where the club played its first game.
In 2004 the Riders agreed a sponsorship deal with De Montfort University (DMU) and moved back to Leicester, where they played their games at the DMU's John Sandford Sports Centre.
Following a difficult period for the Club financially between 2005 and 2007, former director of the team, Mike Steptoe, and the supporters club formed a consortium which raised enough money to keep the side running. Then local business Jelson Homes stepped forward to sponsor the Club and the appointment of general manager Russell Levenston began a turning point for the club. Part of the sponsorship deal with Jelson Homes was to ensure the future of the club by investing in 'basketball in the community' schemes, providing the youth of Leicester with basketball coaching programmes, such as the "Shoot to the Future" programme, run with the support of the Police.
Riders also now have an extensive youth programme for boys and girls, a Womenβs team near the top of England Basketballβs Division One, one of the countryβs largest Basketball Apprentice schemes at Charnwood College, and a partnership with Loughborough University, led by the Great Britain menβs captain Drew Sullivan, and which includes a GB Futures player, Jamell Anderson, two Great Britain Under 20 menβs internationals and two Great Britain Under 20 womenβs internationals, as well as a number of boys and girls in England Under age international teams. Membership in the Club is expected to reach nearly 1,500 this season. The Clubβs community programmes reach nearly 15,000 young people in the City and County.
The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders secured the BBL Cup in thrilling fashion as they defeated the Newcastle Eagles 80β85 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on 13 January 2012, in front of a bumper 7,500 crowd, and live on Sky TV, their first piece of silverware since they won the Cup and the Playoff finals in 2001.
Home arenas
- Victory Hall (1967β1981)
- Granby Halls (1981β2000)
- Sir David Wallace Centre (2000β2004)
- John Sandford Centre (2004β2014)
- Sir David Wallace Centre (2014β2016)
- Leicester Arena[1] (2016βpresent)
Season-by-season records
Season | Div. | Pos. | Pld. | W | L | Pts. | Play-offs | Trophy | Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loughborough All-Stars | |||||||||
1972β1973 | NBL | 4th | 10 | 5 | 5 | 15 | N/A | N/A | 1st Round |
1973β1974 | NBL | 6th | 14 | 5 | 9 | 19 | N/A | N/A | Semi-final |
1974β1975 | NBL | 7th | 18 | 8 | 10 | 26 | N/A | N/A | Semi-final |
1975β1976 | NBL 1 | 6th | 18 | 6 | 12 | 24 | N/A | N/A | Quarter-final |
1976β1977 | NBL 1 | 6th | 18 | 8 | 10 | 26 | N/A | N/A | Quarter-final |
1977β1978 | NBL 1 | 5th | 18 | 9 | 9 | 18 | N/A | N/A | Quarter-final |
1978β1979 | NBL 1 | 6th | 20 | 10 | 10 | 18 | DNQ | N/A | Quarter-final |
1979β1980 | Hiatus | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
1980β1981 | Hiatus | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Leicester All-Stars | |||||||||
1981β1982 | NBL 2 | 1st | 16 | 16 | 0 | 32 | DNQ | N/A | - |
1982β1983 | NBL 1 | 6th | 24 | 16 | 8 | 32 | DNQ | N/A | - |
1983β1984 | NBL 1 | 6th | 36 | 23 | 13 | 45 | DNQ | N/A | - |
1984β1985 | NBL 1 | 6th | 26 | 15 | 11 | 30 | Semi-final | N/A | - |
1985β1986 | NBL 1 | 8th | 28 | 14 | 14 | 28 | - | N/A | - |
Leicester City Riders | |||||||||
1986β1987 | NBL 1 | 5th | 24 | 16 | 8 | 32 | - | N/A | - |
1987β1988 | BBL | 9th | 28 | 14 | 14 | 28 | DNQ | 1st Round | Semi-final |
1988β1989 | BBL | 4h | 20 | 14 | 6 | 28 | Semi-final | Semi-final | 2nd Round |
1989β1990 | BBL | 6th | 28 | 7 | 21 | 14 | DNQ | 1st Round | 2nd Round |
1990β1991 | BBL | 4th | 24 | 14 | 10 | 28 | Semi-final | Semi-final | Runner-up |
1991β1992 | BBL | 6th | 30 | 14 | 16 | 28 | Quarter-final | Runner-up | Semi-final |
1992β1993 | BBL | 8th | 33 | 12 | 21 | 24 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Semi-final |
1993β1994 | BBL | 7th | 36 | 20 | 16 | 40 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
1994β1995 | BBL | 11th | 36 | 8 | 28 | 16 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
1995β1996 | BBL | 9th | 36 | 11 | 25 | 22 | DNQ | 1st Round | 4th Round |
1996β1997 | BBL | 8th | 36 | 15 | 21 | 30 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
Leicester Riders | |||||||||
1997β1998 | BBL | 9th | 36 | 15 | 21 | 30 | DNQ | Quarter-final | Runner-up |
1998β1999 | BBL | 12th | 36 | 9 | 27 | 18 | DNQ | Semi-final | 1st Round |
1999β2000 | BBL N | 7th | 36 | 10 | 26 | 20 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
2000β2001 | BBL N | 4th | 36 | 17 | 19 | 34 | Winners | 1st Round | Winners |
2001β2002 | BBL N | 5th | 32 | 11 | 21 | 22 | DNQ | 1st Round | 1st Round |
2002β2003 | BBL | 11th | 40 | 3 | 37 | 6 | DNQ | 1st Round | 1st Round |
2003β2004 | BBL | 9th | 36 | 5 | 31 | 10 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
2004β2005 | BBL | 10th | 40 | 11 | 29 | 22 | DNQ | 1st Round | 1st Round |
2005β2006 | BBL | 6th | 40 | 18 | 22 | 36 | Quarter-final | Runner-up | 1st Round |
2006β2007 | BBL | 7th | 36 | 13 | 23 | 22 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
2007β2008 | BBL | 10th | 33 | 10 | 23 | 20 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
2008β2009 | BBL | 3rd | 33 | 21 | 12 | 42 | Semi-final | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
2009β2010 | BBL | 6th | 36 | 21 | 15 | 42 | Quarter-final | 1st Round | Semi-final |
2010β2011 | BBL | 8th | 33 | 17 | 16 | 34 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
2011β2012 | BBL | 2nd | 30 | 22 | 8 | 44 | Runner-up | 1st Round | Semi-final |
2012β2013 | BBL | 1st | 33 | 30 | 3 | 60 | Winners | Runner-up | Winners |
2013β2014 | BBL | 4th | 33 | 23 | 10 | 46 | Semi-final | 1st Round | Winners |
2014β2015 | BBL | 2nd | 36 | 30 | 6 | 60 | Quarter-final | Runner-up | Quarter-final |
2015β2016 | BBL | 1st | 33 | 29 | 4 | 58 | Runner-up | Winners | Runner-up |
2016β2017 | BBL | 1st | 33 | 27 | 6 | 54 | Winners | Quarter-final | Winners |
Notes:
- From 1999β2002 the BBL operated a Conference system. Leicester competed in the Northern Conference.
- DNQ denotes Did Not Qualify.
Players
Current BBL Roster
- Andrew Sullivan
- Andrew Thomson
- Brandon Clarke
- Conner Washington
- Eric Robertson
- Harrison Gamble
- Joshua Ward-Hibbert[2]
- Pierre Hampton
- Shane Walker
- Taylor King
- Tyler Bernardini
Notable former players
- David Aliu 1 season: '06β'07
- Andy Betts 1 season: '93β'94
- Karl Brown 5 seasons: '99β'03
- Steve Bucknall 2 seasons: '05β'07
- Mark Hawley 2 seasons: '97β'99
- Dave Jones 2 seasons: '00β'02
- Robert Youngblood
- Carl Roland Olsson
- Steve O'Shea
- Nate Reinking 1 season: '06β'07
- Billy Singleton 4 seasons: '97β'99, '00β'02
- Aaron Westbrooks
- Andrew Alleyne 1 season: '06β'07
- Chris Webber 3 seasons: '98β'99, '02β'04
- Shawn Myers 1 season: '06β'07
- Marty Headd
- Lonnie Legette
- Steve McGlothin 3 seasons: '00β'02, '04β'05
- Anthony McHenry 1 season: '05β'06
- Kenny Pemberton
- Tony Windless 3 seasons: '08β'11
- Brad Wierzbicki
- / Ryan Zamroz 1 season: '10β'11
References
- β "Leicester Arena (@LeicesterArena) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- β "Ward-Hibbert was Wimbledon's fastest server, now he's on a new court". Mail Online. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
External links
- Official Leicester Riders website
- Leicester Riders on Twitter
- Riders Ball Online, an unofficial fans' website