2012–13 British Basketball League season

2012–13 BBL season
League British Basketball League
Sport Basketball
Duration September 21, 2012 – April 7, 2013
April 12, 2013 – April 28, 2013 (Playoffs)
Number of games 33
Number of teams 12
Regular Season
Top seed Leicester Riders
Season MVP Andrew Sullivan (Leicester Riders)
Top scorer Chez Marks (Cheshire Phoenix)
BBL Tournaments
BBL Playoffs champions Leicester Riders
  BBL Playoffs runners-up Newcastle Eagles
BBL Cup champions Leicester Riders
  BBL Cup runners-up Newcastle Eagles
BBL Trophy champions Sheffield Sharks
  BBL Trophy runners-up Leicester Riders

The 2012–13 season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001.[1] East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season.[2] The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions,[3] whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.[4]

The Championship regular season commenced on 21 September 2012 with reigning Champions Newcastle Eagles beginning the defence of their title with a 72–65 victory over Glasgow Rocks. The regular season saw all teams face each other three times during the campaign, playing either two games at home and once on the road or vice versa, with the top-eight placed teams advancing to the Play-offs, which took place in April 2013.[5] The season climaxed on 28 April with the showpiece Play-off Final, which returned to its former home at Wembley Arena, for the first time since 2002.[6] Leicester Riders dominated the campaign, and were successful in three of the BBL's four annual competition's, claiming the League title, BBL Cup and Play-off title. Sheffield Sharks thwarted the possibility of a "clean sweep" with a victory against the odds over the Riders in the BBL Trophy Final.

Teams

Team City/Area Arena Capacity Last season
Cheshire Phoenix Chester Northgate Arena 1,000 6th
Durham Wildcats Newton Aycliffe Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre 1,200 11th
Glasgow Rocks Glasgow Emirates Arena 6,500 5th
Leicester Riders Leicester John Sandford Centre 800 2nd
London Lions London Crystal Palace National Sports Centre 3,500 9th
Manchester Giants Manchester Wright Robinson College 900 New
Mersey Tigers Liverpool Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park 450 10th
Newcastle Eagles Newcastle upon Tyne Sport Central 3,000 1st
Plymouth Raiders Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions 1,480 4th
Sheffield Sharks Sheffield English Institute of Sport 1,200 7th
Surrey Heat Guildford Surrey Sports Park 1,000 8th
Worcester Wolves Worcester University of Worcester 600 3rd

Notable occurrences


BBL Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

TeamPtsPldWLPercentage
1. Leicester Riders 60 33 30 3 0.909
2. Newcastle Eagles 50 33 25 8 0.758
3. Glasgow Rocks 42 33 21 12 0.636
4. Surrey Heat 42 33 21 12 0.636
5. Worcester Wolves 40 33 20 13 0.606
6. Plymouth Raiders 38 33 19 14 0.576
7. Sheffield Sharks 34 33 17 16 0.515
8. London Lions 26 33 13 20 0.394
9. Manchester Giants 24 33 12 21 0.364
10. Durham Wildcats 20 33 10 23 0.303
11. Cheshire Phoenix 20 33 10 23 0.303
12. Mersey Tigers 0 33 0 33 0.000
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

The Play-offs

  Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                             
 Leicester Riders 70 73 143  
 London Lions 68 61 129  
   Leicester Riders 80 76 156  
   Plymouth Raiders 66 60 126  
 Glasgow Rocks 71 78 149
   Plymouth Raiders 82 87 169  
     Leicester Riders  
   Newcastle Eagles  
   Newcastle Eagles 85 84 169  
 Sheffield Sharks 70 81 151  
   Newcastle Eagles 110 92 202
   Surrey Heat 82 96 178  
 Surrey Heat 78 76 154
   Worcester Wolves 81 70 151  

Quarter-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (8) London Lions

April 13, 2013
Leicester Riders 7361 London Lions
Leicester wins on aggregate, 143–129
John Sandford Centre, Leicester

(2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks

April 15, 2013
Sheffield Sharks 8184 Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 169–151

(3) Glasgow Rocks vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders

April 15, 2013
Plymouth Raiders 8778 Glasgow Rocks
Plymouth wins on aggregate, 169–149

(4) Surrey Heat vs. (5) Worcester Wolves

April 14, 2013
Surrey Heat 7670 Worcester Wolves
Surrey wins on aggregate, 154–151

Semi-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders

April 21, 2013
Leicester Riders 7660 Plymouth Raiders
Leicester wins on aggregate, 156–126
Sir David Wallace Centre, Loughborough

(2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (4) Surrey Heat

April 21, 2013
Surrey Heat 9692 Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 202–178

Final

April 28, 2013
3.00pm GMT
Leicester Riders 6857 Newcastle Eagles
Scoring by quarter: 22–11, 18–15, 17–15, 13–16
Pts: Andrew Sullivan, 24
Rebs: Jay Cousinard, 7
Asts: Andrew Sullivan, 6
Pts: Darius Defoe, 13
Rebs: Kareem Maddox, 8
Asts: Fabulous Flournoy/Damon Huffman, 4


EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

Final standings

TeamPtsPldWL
1. Reading Rockets 4426204
2. Bristol Academy Flyers 3626188
3. Team Northumbria 3426179
4. Tees Valley Mohawks 32261610
5. Leeds Carnegie 32261610
6. Essex Leopards 32261610
7. Worthing Thunder 26261313
8. Leicester Warriors 24261214
9. Medway Park Crusaders 24261214
10. Hemel Storm 22261115
11. Bradford Dragons 20261016
12. Westminster Warriors 20261016
13. Derby Trailblazers 1226620
14. Brixton TopCats 626323
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs


EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

Final standings

TeamPtsPldWLNR
1. Newham Neptunes 34221732
2. Manchester Magic 30221570
3. Eastside Eagles London 28221480
4. Derbyshire Arrows 26221390
5. Loughborough Student Riders 24221291
6. PAWS London Capital + 22221750
7. Glamorgan Gladiators 18221084
8. Mansfield Giants 16228140
9. London Westside 14227141
10. London United-Harefield Academy 14227150
11. Team Solent 8224180
12. Birmingham Mets 6223172

+ London Capital deducted 12 points for fielding an ineligible player during the previous season.

= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs


BBL Cup

The winners of the four 1st Round matches were joined by Newcastle Eagles, Leicester Riders, Plymouth Raiders and Worcester Wolves in the Quarter-finals, who received byes for finishing in the top four BBL Championship positions last season.[27] The Final was played on 13 January 2013 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

1st round

12 October 2012
Mersey Tigers 51103 Surrey Heat
Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park, Liverpool

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Plymouth Raiders vs. Newcastle Eagles

30 November 2012
Newcastle Eagles 8391 (OT) Plymouth Raiders
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 190–181

Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders

8 December 2012
Leicester Riders 7545 Sheffield Sharks
Leicester wins on aggregate, 165–115
John Sanford Centre, Leicester

Final

13 January 2013
3.45pm GMT
Leicester Riders 8580 Newcastle Eagles
Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 25–19, 20–15, 20–29
Pts: Jay Cousinard, 17
Rebs: Anthony Rowe, 13
Asts: Andrew Sullivan, 5
Pts: Joe Chapman, 29
Rebs: Charles Smith, 7
Asts: Charles Smith, 6



BBL Trophy

The 12 BBL clubs were joined by Essex Leopards and Reading Rockets of the English Basketball League and Edinburgh Kings of the Scottish Basketball League to form a straight knock-out competition. Following the withdrawal of East London Royals prior to the start of the competition, Worthing Thunder from the English Basketball League were invited to take their place and play Mersey Tigers in the 1st Round.[28] The first two rounds featured one-off games whilst the Semi-finals took place over two legs. The Final was held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow and saw Sheffield Sharks claim their first Trophy in 15 years, after 71-69 victory over Leicester Riders.

1st round

30 December 2012
Essex Leopards 63105 Leicester Riders
Brentwood Centre, Brentwood
3 January 2013
Manchester Giants 7385 Sheffield Sharks
Wright Robinson College, Manchester
5 January 2013
Edinburgh Kings 6172 Glasgow Rocks
Pleasance Sports Centre, Edinburgh
6 January 2013
Reading Rockets 6886 Surrey Heat
Rivermead Leisure Complex, Reading

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Cheshire Phoenix vs. Sheffield Sharks

1 March 2013
Sheffield Sharks 10274 Cheshire Phoenix
Sheffield wins on aggregate, 176–134

Leicester Riders vs. Worcester Wolves

2 March 2013
Leicester Riders 6668 Worcester Wolves
Leicester wins on aggregate, 148–141
John Sandford Centre, Leicester

Final

9 March 2013
3.30pm GMT
Sheffield Sharks 7169 Leicester Riders
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 16–15, 22–17, 10–16
Pts: B.J. Holmes, 25
Rebs: B.J. Holmes/Demetrius Jemison/Michael Tuck, 7
Asts: B.J. Holmes, 3
Pts: Jay Cousinard, 21
Rebs: Andrew Sullivan, 8
Asts: Jorge Calvo/Jay Cousinard/Andrew Sullivan, 2


Statistics leaders

CategoryPlayerStat
Points per gameUnited States Chez Marks (Cheshire Phoenix) 22.8
Rebounds per game United States Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles) 10.7
Assists per game United States United Kingdom Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats) 5.5
Steals per game United States Travis Holmes (Surrey Heat) 3.0
Blocks per game United States Alif Bland (Cheshire Phoenix) 2.4
Field goal percentage United States Demetrius Jemison (Sheffield Sharks) 61.0%
Free throw percentage United States B.J. Holmes (Sheffield Sharks) 88.3%
Three-point field goal percentage Lithuania Arnas Kazlauskas (Worcester Wolves) 44.6%

Monthly awards

MonthCoachPlayer
October United States Italy Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) Republic of Ireland Colin O'Reilly (Plymouth Raiders)
November United States United Kingdom Sterling Davis (Glasgow Rocks) United States Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
December United States United Kingdom Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles) United States United Kingdom Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats)
January United States Italy Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) United States United Kingdom Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats)
February United Kingdom Paul James (Worcester Wolves) United States Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
March United States United Kingdom Atiba Lyons (Sheffield Sharks) United States Travis Holmes (Surrey Heat)

Seasonal awards

References

  1. 1 2 "Manchester Giants and East London Royals join BBL". HoopsFix.com. 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  2. 1 2 Mark Woods (2012). "A Royal mess as East London out of BBL". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  3. 1 2 "Lions to leave Milton Keynes for Olympic Park in London". Milton Keynes Citizen. 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  4. 1 2 Alec Doyle (2012). "New club rises from the ashes of the Jets thanks to efforts of action group, fans and local businesses". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  5. "BBL Champions to take centre stage on opening night". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  6. "BBL Play-off Final is Capital game once again". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
  7. Mark Woods (2012). "Reading still game for BBL move". MVP247.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  8. "Birmingham franchise confirm their position". BBLfans.com. 2011. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  9. "Another new team lands BBL franchise". BBLfans.com. 2011. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  10. "Surrey Heat name change reflects club's reach". getSurrey.co.uk. 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  11. "Frequently Asked Questions". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  12. Alec Doyle (2012). "Pete Hawkins puts club up for sale as negotiations with potential new owner break down". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  13. Alec Doyle (2012). "Businessman Haydn Cook steps in to save club following Chronicle campaign". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  14. "Thousands enjoy Glasgow's new sports arena". The Herald. 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  15. Mark Woods (2012). "Hamilton in quick exit as Cheshire coach". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  16. Alec Doyle (2012). "Season thrown into doubt as club has BBL Championship franchise withdrawn". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  17. Alec Doyle (2012). "Crisis club will play Mersey Tigers and calls for fans to fill Northgate at time of need". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  18. Alec Doyle (2012). "Fans will decide on new name for Cheshire Jets on Sunday". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  19. Mark Woods (2013). "Thunder drown out weary Mersey". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
  20. "BBL Cup Final: Leicester Riders beat Newcastle Eagles". BBC Sport. 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
  21. "BBL Cup Final: Paternostro praises Leicester Riders spirit". BBC Sport. 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
  22. "Riders cap historic year with 23rd win". LeicesterRiders.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  23. Doug Balding (2013). "Sharks have bite in Trophy final". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  24. Mark Woods (2013). "Mersey Tigers set new losing streak mark". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  25. "We are the Champions". LeicesterRiders.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  26. Chris Mortley (2013). "Riders ecstatic after Playoff win". LeicesterRiders.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  27. "BBL Cup". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  28. [year=2012&tx_ttnews[month]=09&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=151&cHash=dc75b8ab9d5f1b78f411046e38d3c373 "Thunder to compete in BBL Trophy"]. BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  29. 1 2 Mark Woods (2013). "Sullivan, Paternostro take League honours". MVP24-7.com. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  30. 1 2 3 Rob Jeffries (2013). "BBL Team of the Year 2012-13 announced". UKAmericanSportsFans.com. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
Preceded by
2011–12 season
BBL seasons
2012–13
Succeeded by
2013–14 season
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.