1997–98 British Basketball League season
| 1997–98 BBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | British Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Roll of Honour | |
| BBL champions | Greater London Leopards |
| Play Off's champions | Birmingham Bullets |
| National Cup champions | Thames Valley Tigers |
| BBL Trophy champions | Sheffield Sharks |
The 1997–98 BBL season was known as the Budweiser League for sponsorship reasons. The league featured the same 13 teams as the previous year, playing 36 games each. The only change saw the Hemel Royals renamed the Watford Royals.
Greater London Leopards clinched their second successive Budweiser League title only by virtue of an overtime win in their final game of the season against Sheffield Sharks. Leopards' 102–106 victory in Sheffield meant they finished level on points with title-rivals Birmingham Bullets, but were crowned Champions due to a better head-to-head record over the Midlands team. Birmingham gained some consolation by taking their second Play-off Championship in three years at Wembley Arena, beating off a tough challenge from Thames Valley Tigers, winning 78–75. The Thames Valley Tigers won the National Cup and the Sheffield claimed their first uni-ball Trophy with an 82–79 win over London Towers at the National Exhibition Centre.
London Towers represented the Budweiser League in European competition, participating in the EuroCup.
Notable occurrences
[edit]- Greater London Leopards won the League title in the final game of the season on April 5, 1998, with a 102–106 overtime victory at Sheffield Sharks. Regulation time ended on 90–90, but Leopards' Eric Burks sunk 9 of their 16 overtime points to win the title for the second successive season.[1]
Budweiser League Championship (Tier 1)
[edit]Final standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater London Leopards | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0.806 | 58 |
| 2 | Birmingham Bullets | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0.806 | 58 |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 36 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 50 |
| 4 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 50 |
| 5 | Thames Valley Tigers | 36 | 24 | 12 | 0.667 | 48 |
| 6 | London Towers | 36 | 23 | 13 | 0.638 | 46 |
| 7 | Derby Storm | 36 | 16 | 20 | 0.444 | 32 |
| 8 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 9 | Leicester Riders | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 10 | Chester Jets | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 8 | 28 | 0.222 | 16 |
| 12 | Worthing Bears | 36 | 7 | 29 | 0.194 | 14 |
| 13 | Watford Royals | 36 | 3 | 33 | 0.083 | 6 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
Playoffs
[edit]Quarter-finals
[edit](1) Greater London Leopards vs. (8) Manchester Giants
(2) Birmingham Bullets vs. (7) Derby Storm
(3) Newcastle Eagles vs. (6) London Towers
(4) Sheffield Sharks vs. (5) Thames Valley Tigers
Semi-finals
[edit]Third-place game
[edit]Final
[edit]May 3, 1998
|
| Birmingham Bullets | 78–75 | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Pts: Tony Dorsey (MVP) 28, Reggie Kirk 18, Nigel Lloyd 16, HL Coleman, Fab Flournoy Rebs: Lloyd 9 |
Pts: John McCord 24, Dameon Page 19, Tony Holley 13, Casey Arena, Jason Siemon, Adrian Cummings Rebs: Holley 13 |
National League Division 1 (Tier 2)
[edit]Final standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond Jaguars | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0.958 | 40 |
| 2 | Plymouth Raiders | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0.864 | 38 |
| 3 | Stevenage Rebels | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 32 |
| 4 | Teesside Mohawks | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0.636 | 28 |
| 5 | Solihull Chiefs | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.592 | 26 |
| 6 | Coventry Crusaders | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.592 | 26 |
| 7 | Guildford Pumas | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0.455 | 20 |
| 8 | Oxford Devils | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0.409 | 18 |
| 9 | Westminster Warriors | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0.273 | 12 |
| 10 | Cardiff Phoenix | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
| 11 | Mid-Sussex Magic | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
| 12 | Brixton TopCats | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
Playoffs
[edit]Semi-finals
Final
National League Division 2 (Tier 3)
[edit]Final standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solent Stars | 24 | 23 | 1 | 0.962 | 46 |
| 2 | Cardiff Clippers | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0.833 | 40 |
| 3 | London Towers II | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0.793 | 38 |
| 4 | South Bank University Bulls | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 28 |
| 5 | Bournemouth Dolphins | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 28 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0.500 | 24 |
| 7 | Flintshire Flyers | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22 |
| 8 | Northampton 89ers | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0.417 | 20 |
| 9 | Slough Chargers | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 |
| 10 | Liverpool Atac | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 |
| 11 | Swindon Sonics | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 |
| 12 | Chessington Wildcats | 24 | 5 | 19 | 0.208 | 10 |
| 13 | Thames Valley Tigers II | 24 | 1 | 23 | 0.042 | 2 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
Playoffs
[edit]Semi-finals
Final
Sainsbury's Classic Cola National Cup
[edit]Fourth round
[edit]| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Worthing Bears | Crystal Palace | 106-102 |
| Coventry Crusaders | Thames Valley Tigers | 67-91 |
| Stevenage Rebels | Manchester Giants | 60-93 |
| Leicester Riders | Newcastle Eagles | 94-76 |
| Leopards | Derby Storm | 99-90 |
| Sheffield Sharks | Watford Royals | 85-70 |
| Plymouth Raiders | London Towers | 77-99 |
| Chester Jets | Birmingham Bullets |
Quarter-finals
[edit]| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Sharks | Leicester Riders | 66-69 |
| London Towers | Manchester Giants | 75-67 |
| Birmingham Bullets | Worthing Bears | 111-80 |
| Thames Valley Tigers | Leopards | 97-89 |
Semi-finals
[edit]| Team 1 | Team 2 | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley Tigers | Birmingham Bullets | 63-55 | 63-70 |
| London Towers | Leicester Riders | 76-74 | 84-90 |
Final
[edit]17 January 1998[2]
|
| Thames Valley Tigers | 82–78 | Leicester Riders |
| Pts: John McCord 27, Dameon Page 18, Casey Arena 14, Jason Siemon 14, Tony Holley | Pts: Billy Singleton 24, Gene Waldron 21, JaRon Boone 12, James Havrilla, Geno Ford |
uni-ball Trophy
[edit]Group stage
[edit]Northern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Newcastle Eagles | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 2.Leicester Riders | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 3.Manchester Giants | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 4.Sheffield Sharks | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 5.Chester Jets | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 6.Derby Storm | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
Southern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Gtr. London Leopards | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2.Thames Valley Tigers | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 3.Birmingham Bullets | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 4.Watford Royals | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 5.Crystal Palace | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 6.Worthing Bears | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 |
Sheffield finished ahead of Chester and Derby by having the best record in matches between the three teams and qualify as fourth-placed finishers with the best record ahead of Watford on basket difference. London Towers received a bye into Quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
[edit]Greater London Leopards vs. Thames Valley Tigers
January 21, 1998
|
| Thames Valley Tigers | 87–95 | Greater London Leopards |
| Greater London wins on aggregate, 178–166 | ||
London Towers vs. Manchester Giants
Newcastle Eagles vs. Birmingham Bullets
Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders
Semi-finals
[edit]London Towers vs. Newcastle Eagles
Sheffield Sharks vs. Greater London Leopards
February 12, 1998
|
| Greater London Leopards | 90–82 | Sheffield Sharks |
| Sheffield wins on aggregate, 185–175 | ||
Final
[edit]March 8, 1998
|
| Sheffield Sharks | 82–79 | London Towers |
| Pts: John Amaechi (MVP) 40, Terrell Myers, Mark Robinson, Wilbur Johnson Rebs: John Amaechi, 16 |
Pts: Danny Lewis 23, Keith Robinson, James Hamilton, Neville Austin, Marco Baldi, Tamir Berkovitch Rebs: Keith Robinson, 13 |
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham
Attendance: ? Sharks coach Chris Finch Towers coach Kevin Cadle |
Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game
[edit]March 22, 1998
7.05pm GMT |
| Northern All-Stars | 168–175 | Southern All-Stars |
| Pts: Leon McGee, 25 | Pts: John White, 32 |
Statistics leaders
[edit]| Category | Player | Stat |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game |  Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets) |
26.09 |
| Rebounds per game | Makeba Perry (Greater London Leopards) |
11.81 |
| Assists per game |  Cleave Lewis (Watford Royals) |
5.78 |
| Steals per game | Casey Arena (Thames Valley Tigers) |
3.11 |
| Blocks per game |  Brendan Graves (Derby Storm) |
2.77 |
Seasonal awards
[edit]- Most Valuable Player: Eric Burks (Greater London Leopards)
- Coach of the Year: Billy Mimms (Greater London Leopards)
- All-Star Team:
- Eric Burks (Greater London Leopards)
- John Amaechi (Sheffield Sharks)
- Ted Berry (Derby Storm)
- Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets)
- Tony Holley (Thames Valley Tigers)
- Danny Lewis (London Towers)
- Nigel Lloyd (Birmingham Bullets)
- John McCord (Thames Valley Tigers)
- Leon McGee (Newcastle Eagles)
- John White (Greater London Leopards)
References
[edit]- ^ Mark Woods (1998). "Leopards are the Champions". BritBall. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
- ^ ""For the Record." Times [London, England] 19 Jan. 1998". The Times Digital Archive.