Basketball League Belgium Division I

Scooore League

Current season, competition or edition: 2015–16 Belgian Basketball League
Formerly	Ethias League
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1928
No. of teams	11
Country	Belgium
Continent	FIBA Europe (Europe)
Most recent champion(s)	Oostende (16th title)
Most titles	Oostende (16 titles)
Level on pyramid	1st tier (Belgium)
Relegation to	Belgian Top Division I Basketball League - 2nd tier
Domestic cup(s)	Belgian Cup
Related competitions	Belgian Cup Belgian Supercup
Official website	scoooreleague.be

The Basketball League Belgium (BLB) Division I, for sponsorship reasons, known as the Scooore League, is the highest tier professional basketball league in Belgium. Through 2014, for sponsorship reasons, the league was previously known as the Ethias League. The league is organized by the Basketball League Belgium.

The most successful team currently active in the league is BC Oostende, which holds the record for the most league titles won, with 16. The now defunct team, R.C. Mechelen, is currently the team with the second most league titles won, with 15.

Sponsorship names

• 0000 – 2014: Ethias League
• 2014 – present: Scoore League

Ethias League logo

Format and rules

The BLB is played by the international FIBA rules. Since 2014–15 the BLB season has a new format. In the regular season, all teams play each other first home and away. After that first round the league is divided in two groups based on standings; in the first group teams ranked 1–6 play and in the second 7–11. After the split each team plays all others in its group once home and once away. After that the Playoffs are played by eight teams. The quarterfinals consist of best-of-three series and the semi- and finals are played in a best-of-five format.

Licensing

Teams that play in the BLB all have to get a license to play in the league. There are three types of licenses:^[1][2]

• A-license: for teams who have more than a € 1 million budget. A-licensed team can qualify for European competitions.
• B-license: teams with at least a €750,000 budget. B-licensed teams can't qualify for European play.
• C-licence: given to teams that are on the rise, with a budget of at least €400,000. C-licenses do not allow teams to qualify for European play and have to get replaced by B-licenses after two years.

Teams

Club	City	Arena	Capacity
Basic-Fit Brussels	Brussels	Piscine de Neder-Over-Hembeek	1,200
Limburg United	Hasselt	Alverberg-sporthal	1,730
Belfius Mons-Hainaut	Mons	Mons Arena	4,000
Belgacom Spirou	Charleroi	Spiroudome	6,200
Kangoeroes Basket Willebroek	Willebroek	Sporthal de Schalk	1,000
Liège Basket	Liège	Country Hall Ethias	5,000
Okapi Aalstar	Aalst	Okapi Forum	2,800
Port of Antwerp Giants	Antwerp	Lotto Arena	5,218
Stella Artois Leuven Bears	Leuven	Sportoase	3,400
Telenet BC Oostende	Ostend	Sleuyter Arena	5,000
VOO Wolves Verviers-Pepinster	Verviers	Halle du Paire	4,000

Finals

Note: Sponsorship names are not included.

Season	Champions	Score	Runners-up
2004–05	Bree	3–1	Spirou Charleroi
2005–06	Oostende	3–1	Mons-Hainaut
2006–07	Oostende	3–2	Bree
2007–08	Spirou Charleroi	3–0	Bree
2008–09	Spirou Charleroi	3–0	Mons-Hainaut
2009–10	Spirou Charleroi	3–1	Liège Basket
2010–11	Spirou Charleroi	3–0	Okapi Aalstar
2011–12	Oostende	3–2	Spirou Charleroi
2012–13	Oostende	3–0	Mons-Hainaut
2013–14	Oostende	3–2	Okapi Aalstar
2014–15	Oostende	3–1	Mons-Hainaut

Appearances by team

Note: Only included starting from the 2004–05 season.

Team	Total	W	L
Oostende	6	6	0
Spirou Charleroi	5	4	2
Mons-Hainaut	4	0	4
Bree	3	1	2
Okapi Aalstar	2	0	2
Liège Basket	1	0	1

League champions

1928 Brussels A.C. 1929 Daring B.C. 1930 Brussels A.C. 1931 Brussels A.C. 1932 Daring B.C. 1933 Brussels A.C. 1934 Daring B.C. 1935 Amicale Sportive 1936 Amicale Sportive 1937 Fresh Air 1938 Fresh Air 1939 Royal IV B.C. 1940-41 Not contested 1942 Royal IV B.C. 1943-45 Not contested 1946 Semailles B.C. 1947 Semailles B.C. 1948 Semailles B.C. 1949 Semailles B.C. 1950 Semailles B.C. 1951 Semailles B.C. 1952 Royal IV B.C.

1953 Royal IV B.C. 1954 Royal IV B.C. 1955 Hellas Gent 1956 Antwerpen B.C. 1957 Royal IV B.C. 1958 Royal IV B.C. 1959 Antwerpen B.C. 1960 Antwerpen B.C. 1961 Antwerpen B.C. 1962 Antwerpen B.C. 1963 Antwerpen B.C. 1964 Antwerpen B.C. 1965 Racing Mechelen 1966 Racing Mechelen 1967 Racing Mechelen 1968 Standard Liège 1969 Racing Mechelen 1970 Standard Liège 1971 Bus Fruit Lier 1972 Bus Fruit Lier 1973 R. Ford Antwerpen 1974 Racing Mechelen

1975 Racing Mechelen 1976 Racing Mechelen 1977 Standard Liège 1978 Fresh Air 1979 Fresh Air 1980 Racing Mechelen 1981 Oostende 1982 Oostende 1983 Oostende 1984 Oostende 1985 Oostende 1986 Oostende 1987 Racing Mechelen 1988 Oostende 1989 Racing Mechelen 1990 Racing Mechelen 1991 Racing Mechelen 1992 Racing Mechelen 1993 Racing Mechelen 1994 Racing Mechelen 1995 Oostende 1996 Spirou Charleroi

1997 Spirou Charleroi 1998 Spirou Charleroi 1999 Spirou Charleroi 2000 Racing Antwerpen 2001 Oostende 2002 Oostende 2003 Spirou Charleroi 2004 Spirou Charleroi 2005 Bree 2006 Oostende 2007 Oostende 2008 Spirou Charleroi 2009 Spirou Charleroi 2010 Spirou Charleroi 2011 Spirou Charleroi 2012 Oostende 2013 Oostende 2014 Oostende 2015 Oostende

Performance by club

Key

+	Denotes a team that has been dissolved.

Titles	Team	Seasons
16	Oostende	1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
15	R.C. Mechelen^+	1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
10	Spirou Charleroi	1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
8	Racing Ford Antwerpse^+	1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1973
7	Royal IV^+	1939, 1942, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1958
6	Semailles^+	1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951
4	Fresh Air^+	1937, 1938, 1978, 1979
4	Brussels A.C.^+	1928, 1930, 1931, 1933
3	Daring B.C.^+	1929, 1932, 1934
3	Standard Liège^+	1968, 1970, 1977
2	Bus Fruit Lier^+	1971, 1972
2	Amicale Sportive^+	1935, 1936
1	Bree B.B.C.^+	2005
1	Port of Antwerp Giants	2000
1	Hellas Gent^+	1955

Individual awards

Not all awards are official ones handed out by the league itself, but all are regarded and respected as BLB awards. As example the Belgian Player of the Year award is handed out by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, but the league itself reports the winner on its website.

• Belgian Basketball Player of the year
• Coach of the Year
• MVP
• Star of the Coaches
• Young Player of the Year

References

1. "A, B en C-licentie in 2009-2010 in Ethias League". Nieuwsblad.be. March 12, 2009.
2. "Licentiereglement vzw BLB ter deelname aan competitie – Types van licentie" (PDF). BLB.

External links

• Official website
• Eurobasket.com League Page